Branding Solutions for Heritage Businesses
At The Brand Surgery, we specialise in creating branding that brings your heritage business to life—whether it’s a hotel, cinema, airport, or another historic venue. We capture the unique personality and story of your building, crafting logos and content that reflect its rich history while engaging modern audiences. Our bespoke branding solutions ensure that your heritage is celebrated and remains relevant in today’s market.
Unlock the Full Potential of Your BMS Controls Brand in the Smart Building Revolution
Whether you’re optimising smart building systems, integrating energy-efficient BMS controls, or ensuring seamless interoperability, you need a brand that communicates your technical expertise. I’m Vicky, a Chartered Marketer and Creative Director with 8 years of experience in BMS controls. I specialise in transforming technical knowledge into messaging that connects and converts, so your team and brand communicate value clearly.
What Our Clients Say
“Vicky has been leading our marketing direction since 2016 and during that time we have tripled in size. She also designed our logo, website, company presentations and our brochure. Finding a ‘full service’ marketing consultant who is creative and strategic is fantastic. Vicky makes marketing an enjoyable topic, and I am very pleased to recommend her to other businesses serious about growing.”
Partnership for Brand Growth training webinar
“Today, we hired Victoria to provide our BIP100 clients with insight and inspiration around how Partnerships can elevate your brand and achieve greater reach. Victoria prepared so well, created a bespoke webinar and managed the Zoom room with flair. Her genuine interest in everyone came across, and we received some excellent feedback from our members, proving they had great value from the session. Victoria is a lady of integrity and commitment to her subject, and I can strongly recommend her.”
“It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Vicky Vaughan at the Brand Surgery. We’re delighted with our new logo and website which, thanks to Vicky’s creative flair and technical talents, successfully met the brief to be clean and modern, whilst capturing the airport’s rich heritage. Thank you, Vicky, for your adaptability and patience while working with a team with little marketing experience, who regularly changed their minds! We highly recommend the Brand Surgery.”
“Executive Coaching has made a huge difference in a very short period of time. The plan that has developed during sessions has been key to my leadership development. Vicky’s 12 years experience in Local Government are of value because she understands the constraints and financial pressures that Sussex police and other public services are under and coaches with this in mind. I am happy to recommend Victoria for Executive Coaching services.”
“We met Vicky from Brand Surgery last year. In that time she has created a wonderful logo for The Dome Cinema (Worthing) which is in keeping with our lovely building. Vicky has been very easy to work with, and I look forward to continuing our relationship into the future. Well done Vicky.”
What We Offer
Your Creative Edge—On-Demand Branding Package
Brand Strategy
Develop a comprehensive brand strategy that aligns with your business goals and market positioning.
Creative Design
Unique and memorable logo design, brochures, website diesgn and branding elements
Rebranding
Revitalise your brand with a fresh new look and feel that resonates with your target audience.
Case studies & Explainer Videos
We design and produce high-quality animated case studies and explainer videos using a blend of AI & the human touch.
Digital Presence
Enhance your online presence with a cohesive digital strategy, including blog content, website design and social media management.
Executive Coaching
Q & A
Most common branding questions from our customers in heritage based businesses
What is heritage branding?
Heritage branding creates a visual and strategic identity for businesses or sites with historical significance. It involves respecting and preserving the building or brand’s rich history while ensuring it remains relevant to modern audiences. At The Brand Surgery, we help heritage sites blend their unique story with a contemporary edge, ensuring they resonate with both locals and visitors alike.
Why is branding important for heritage buildings?
Branding is essential because it allows a heritage site to communicate its story, values, and significance to the public. A strong brand can help a heritage building stand out, attract visitors, and foster community pride. Heritage buildings have a unique advantage—their history can be a powerful differentiator. However, the customer experience also needs to be seamless and engaging to ensure people return.
How can a heritage brand remain relevant in a modern world?
Balancing history with modernity is key. A successful heritage brand will preserve its history’s authenticity while embracing contemporary audiences’ needs. This includes developing a modern visual identity, such as a refreshed logo, but also ensuring that customer interactions (whether online or on-site) are consistent and enjoyable. By keeping the brand relevant and aligned with today’s expectations, heritage sites can attract a wider audience.
How can heritage sites use their history as a USP?
Heritage is a powerful unique selling point (USP) because it sets your site apart from competitors. People are naturally drawn to heritage buildings for their stories and historical value. However, relying solely on history isn’t enough—modern visitors also expect an engaging and comfortable experience.
This is where my cross-sector knowledge comes into play. Through my work with BMS companies, I’ve gained deep insights into how spaces function inside, from managing environmental factors like humidity and air quality to optimising customer comfort. This knowledge allows me to help heritage sites balance their historical significance with modern needs, ensuring that while your site draws people in with its rich history, it also provides a seamless, enjoyable experience.
In short, I help heritage brands use their history as an emotional hook while ensuring that the overall experience—both from a visitor and operational standpoint—is equally memorable and satisfying.
What should a heritage brand consider when rebranding?
When rebranding, it’s essential to respect the existing heritage while focusing on future growth. This involves evaluating how the brand is perceived both internally (by staff) and externally (by visitors or the public). A successful rebrand looks at the full picture, ensuring consistency across all touchpoints—from the logo and website to the on-site experience. At The Brand Surgery, we guide you through this process, helping you balance heritage and innovation.
What are the biggest challenges in branding heritage buildings?
One of the biggest challenges is modernising the brand without losing its historical significance. Heritage sites often face practical barriers, like restrictions on modernisation due to listed building status or managing internal environmental factors such as humidity and comfort. With my experience working with BMS companies, I understand these challenges inside and out, helping you create a brand that respects the building’s history while delivering an excellent customer experience.
How does heritage branding improve customer engagement?
Heritage branding connects customers emotionally with a building’s story, creating a sense of pride and belonging that makes them more likely to return. A strong brand fosters this connection through consistent visuals, messaging, and customer interactions. At The Brand Surgery, we ensure that customers are not only inspired by the heritage but also satisfied with the modern experience.
For example, at Brighton City Airport, we crafted a brand that resonates with diverse customer groups, from pilots and day-trippers to businesses hiring rooms and couples hosting wedding functions. The airport’s heritage is a significant draw, but it’s the seamless experience that keeps these varied audiences engaged.
Similarly, in our work with Dome Cinema and other cinemas, we revitalised their brand identities to create a consistent, engaging experience for moviegoers. By modernising the brand while celebrating their historical significance, we helped these cinemas strengthen their customer relationships and boost footfall.
Heritage branding goes beyond aesthetics—it shapes how people interact with your space, ensuring that visitors feel connected to the history while enjoying a memorable, modern experience.
Can branding increase revenue for heritage businesses?
Absolutely! Effective branding can create new revenue streams. For example, we’ve developed Art Deco-inspired illustrations of heritage sites like Brighton City Airport and Dome Cinema. These visual elements not only enhance the brand but also open up opportunities for merchandise and retail offerings. Strong branding makes the site more appealing to visitors, which in turn drives sales and encourages repeat visits.
How does The Brand Surgery approach heritage branding?
Our approach is collaborative and consultative. We work closely with heritage businesses to understand their unique challenges, audience, and goals. With my experience working with BMS companies, I know how to tackle internal challenges, such as maintaining comfort and overcoming modernisation barriers in listed buildings. We don’t just focus on visuals; we look at the entire customer journey, ensuring the brand thrives both inside and out.
Heritage Site Branding Case Studies
Our Brand Revitaliser and SuperFlex Logo Design package specialises in breathing new life into heritage buildings and creating branding solutions that honour their rich history while appealing to modern audiences. These case studies showcase how we’ve transformed iconic sites, developing visual identities that resonate with stakeholders and visitors alike, while addressing unique challenges such as community engagement and diverse audience needs.
Brighton City Airport: Balancing Heritage with Diverse Needs
Under our Brand Revitaliser package, we revitalised the branding for Brighton City Airport, an iconic Art Deco site that caters to a wide range of audiences—from VIP charter flights and pilot students to aviation enthusiasts and day visitors. Our work included designing a stunning new logo, visual branding, and a fresh website, while also providing training to the airport team.
We held a stakeholder workshop to understand key challenges and aspirations, ensuring the branding aligned with the airport’s operational goals. The new logo evokes pride in the airport’s history and has been warmly received by stakeholders, enhancing the overall visitor and partner experience.
Our rebranding didn’t just focus on aviation—Brighton City Airport also has to balance its success with community concerns, such as noise management. Our approach helped the airport communicate its commitment to both its aviation community and local residents, strengthening relationships on all fronts.
Dome Cinema: Rebuilding Cinema Comfort for the Modern Moviegoer
Dome Cinema’s audience is made up of movie lovers, but today’s challenges—competing with Netflix, unpredictable weather, and recovering from the pandemic—require more than great films to draw customers back. Many patrons remain cautious of enclosed spaces, concerned about airborne diseases.
For cinema owners, comfort is crucial. Cinemas must offer a refuge where customers feel safe and valued. The atmosphere, fixtures, and fittings all play a vital role in earning great reviews and repeat visitors.
With our Brand Revitaliser service, we created a superb logo design that reflects the cinema’s heritage while also implementing brand guidelines to help the team manage their identity consistently. Our expertise in the BMS industry allowed us to enhance the space with efficient BMS solutions, including automated occupancy sensors to regulate air quality and ensure comfort for all visitors.
Cinema branding goes beyond the silver screen—it’s about crafting a seamless, memorable experience throughout the entire customer journey.
Brighton City Airport: Balancing Heritage with Diverse Needs
Sleep Eco Inn, a fully automated boutique hotel in Worthing, is led by an owner with a powerful vision and a strong understanding of his audience. Already a master of marketing and PR, he had a clear idea of what he wanted for his brand. Our role was to make his vision come to life through the Superflex logo design, and you can see from the before-and-after logos that we captured exactly what he had in mind.
We took his vision to the next level by offering a range of colour combinations for signage and wall art, ensuring that the branding complemented the hotel’s aesthetic. The stunning Sleep Eco Inn is a pioneer in sustainability, using energy-efficient systems and advanced sensor technology. Its innovation has earned it heritage awards and national press coverage.
The branding for Sleep Eco Inn reflects more than just its aesthetic—it embodies the cutting-edge technology and forward-thinking ethos that make the hotel truly unique.
Schedule Your Free Consultation Today
Take the first step towards transforming your brand with our expert guidance. Schedule a free, no-commitment consultation and discover how we can help you innovate and thrive in the competitive world of BMS controls. Experience the difference with our on-demand expertise—no strings attached.