A brand mosaic built on story, passage, and spatial memory.

In the heart of Fremantle, Hougoumont Hotel carries with it the layered weight of time. Named after the last convict ship to arrive in Australia and shaped by both heritage architecture and modular sea containers, the space is a study in contrast: past and present, permanence and movement.

Rather than treat wayfinding as a utility, Barbitta approached it as a narrative layer, something to be felt, not just followed. Guided by the Orientation, Meaning, Story, and Atmosphere tiles of the Barbitta Mosaic™, we designed a system that threads history into the everyday. Signs became storytellers. Materials held weight. Typography echoed the quiet rhythm of the sea.

At the heart of the experience, a large-scale mural detailing the original convict manifest transforms a transitional wall into a moment of human reflection. Elsewhere, façade signage and internal cues were calibrated to the tone of the building itself , respectful, restrained, and ready to be discovered.

The work extended into the hotel’s brand identity. From type and language to the spatial voice of the hotel, every touchpoint was shaped to feel intentional and alive. At Hougoumont, wayfinding wasn’t about direction. It was about orientation, to place, to time, to meaning.