Client Success Stories
Brand Strategy That Survives Crises: Our IDI Award-Winning Work
We're delighted to have won Best Brand Strategy at the IDI Awards 2025 for our work with Fallon & Byrne. The recognition from the Institute of Designers in Ireland validates what we've always believed: strategic brand thinking transforms businesses, especially during challenging times. This wasn't just an award for clever ideas. It recognised real results during Ireland's restaurant crisis, when over 577 Dublin establishments closed permanently.
The challenge was uniting four distinct venues within a heritage building, whilst each space kept its unique character. Many customers entered the busy foodhall and left without discovering three additional floors of dining and events experiences above and below. Lost discovery meant lost revenue.
The Challenge That Earned Recognition
Fallon & Byrne faced a perfect storm in late 2024. The iconic 20-year-old Dublin food institution had accumulated significant losses, ended expansion efforts, and navigated leadership changes following the founder's departures. The business stabilised by closing the Rathmines outlet and reducing staff from 354 to 154.
But the challenge went deeper than financial recovery. The former telephone exchange building housed four different experiences: Foodhall, Dining Room, Wine Cellar, and The Exchange. Each venue had its own character and appeal, yet customers couldn't navigate between them. Tourists, especially, would enter at the foodhall level, feel overwhelmed by the lack of clear direction, and leave. Three floors of premium dining experiences remained undiscovered.
The timing couldn't have been tougher. With Dunnes Stores pushing upmarket directly across the street and hundreds of restaurants closing across Dublin, Fallon & Byrne needed more than a refresh. The strategy required repositioning the market perception, keeping staff morale during restructuring, diversifying revenue streams, and creating customer personas for targeted marketing.
Strategy Research and Presentation
How do you unite four distinct venues without losing their character?
We developed a master brand architecture that treated each venue as an individual brand within a unified experience. The Foodhall became an integrated ecosystem where customers could source the same premium ingredients used across all dining experiences, creating natural connections between venues.
The visual identity celebrated this through colour palettes inspired by signature ingredients: rich burgundies from the Wine Cellar, fresh herb greens from the Foodhall, and warm bread tones from the café. Typography and imagery showcased both artisan products and knowledgeable teams, reinforcing "for food lovers by food lovers" across every touchpoint. This wasn't decoration—it was strategic visual communication helping customers understand the connection between spaces.
Comprehensive wayfinding transformed navigation from confusion into discovery. Environmental design featured supplier boards, staff recommendations, and ingredient information throughout the four levels, guiding customers naturally between venues. The "In Good Hands" house brand received distinctive identity that elevated artisan quality perception whilst maintaining master brand connection.
Strategic repositioning strengthened Fallon & Byrne's premium heritage position against competitive pressure. The brand architecture consolidated all venues under a master strategy whilst celebrating venue uniqueness and translating internal passion into external brand reality.
The Results That Proved the Strategy
Cross-venue traffic increased measurably after implementation. The Wine Cellar, previously a hidden gem discovered only by chance, now generates targeted bookings through strategic brand positioning. The events business expanded through The Exchange repositioning. Dining Room bookings benefited from the foodhall customer progression.
Head of Marketing Aisling Fox confirmed the impact: "BrandNew Creative brilliantly unified our four unique experiences whilst preserving what makes each space special. The cohesive yet distinctive approach has strengthened our overall brand whilst celebrating individual venue character."
Business results prove strategic success during Ireland's restaurant crisis. Trustpilot maintains 4-star ratings from over 157 reviews, with customers specifically praising improved service integration and venue awareness. The transformation created sustainable competitive advantage through customer journey optimisation, operational efficiency, and unified brand expression. This enabled survival and growth whilst 577+ Dublin competitors closed permanently.
What does this recognition mean for Irish SMEs?
The IDI Award validates our strategic approach to brand challenges. It proves that thoughtful brand strategy drives measurable business results, not just prettier visuals. During one of Ireland's toughest periods for hospitality businesses, strategic brand thinking helped Fallon & Byrne not only survive but also strengthen its market position.
We're grateful to the IDI judging panel for this recognition. To our team for their dedication to solving complex brand challenges. And most importantly, to Fallon & Byrne for trusting us with their iconic Dublin institution during a critical transformation period.
This award represents something bigger than one project. It shows that Irish businesses facing market challenges, competitive pressure, or complex customer journeys can achieve measurable transformation through strategic brand thinking. The recognition reminds us why we do this work: to create meaningful change for businesses we believe in.
