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01
Down below the Royal Mile lies a warren of 17th-century streets, hidden beneath the city, and bursting with stories of plague, mystery, and the kind of history that wears a cloak and whispers.
Our task? Make modern-day Edinburgh stop, stare, and wonder: What the hell is Mary King’s Close—and why haven’t I been there yet?
02
The Real Mary King’s Close isn’t a theme park. It’s not gimmicks and jump scares—it’s atmospheric, it’s historical, it’s weirdly poetic. So how do you package all that subtlety in a tram wrap?
Answer: with unapologetic drama, bold branding, and a website that feels like stepping into the shadows.
03
At the heart of the new brand was a deceptively simple truth: the past isn’t buried—it’s just waiting to be uncovered.
We leaned into the authentic stories of the people who actually lived and died on Mary King’s Close: merchants, plague doctors, chambermaids, and candle-makers. We turned historical realism into emotional realism. Not dusty old facts—but lives.
04
We revamped the identity with a palette pulled straight from torchlight: burnt ochres, soot-smudged blacks, candle-flicker golds. The typography nodded to 17th-century broadsheets but had the swagger of modern editorial design.
The tone of voice? Smart. Sardonic. Just a little sinister. Imagine if your favorite tour guide moonlighted as a ghost.
05
The new site doesn’t just sell tickets—it sets the mood. As you scroll, the visuals subtly darken. The fonts shift. Stories appear and disappear like whispers down an alley.
We structured the UX like a descent into the Close: from above ground to underground, from present-day to past, from curiosity to compulsion. All the while, every word was crafted to stir the imagination: “Beneath the Royal Mile, the truth awaits.”
Ticket bookings rose faster than a ghost in a graveyard.
06
Now to the pièce de resistance: trams and taxis. Yes, the same vehicles tourists and locals alike zone out on every day—we turned them into rolling portals to the past.
Tram Wraps:
Trams became shadowy juggernauts with piercing eyes and cryptic quotes like:
“Some truths don’t stay buried.”
“Edinburgh’s past has a dark side. Ride with it.”
“The Close never forgets.”
Taxis:
Taxis were treated like cursed carriages from another time.
One even bore the message:
“Driven by history. Passenger optional.”
Each vehicle was a teaser trailer on wheels, making the whole city feel just a little bit haunted.
06
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This wasn’t just a campaign. It was a séance. We didn’t just rebrand The Real Mary King’s Close—we summoned it from the shadows and made the entire city part of the experience. Because the past isn’t dead. It’s just waiting for someone brave enough to look. Want branding with bite? You know where to find us—above ground, but never out of touch with the underworld.
