How Hymn bridged medieval and modern for Chillon Castle’s rebrand

The Brand Identity: The coats of arms that once decorated the walls of Chillon Castle were vivid. Centuries of erosion and dim lighting have dulled them into the muted tones visitors associate with medieval heritage, but their original palette was bright and luminous – surprisingly close, as it turns out, to the colours of a modern screen. That discovery became one of several entry points for Hymn, the Lausanne and Zürich-based branding agency tasked with reimagining the identity of Switzerland’s most visited historic monument. Chillon’s previous identity dated back to 2007.

Its centrepiece – a silhouette of the castle – had become iconic, recognisable well beyond Switzerland’s borders. But the system around it had aged less gracefully. Legibility at smaller sizes posed problems, and the logo struggled to adapt to digital formats like video and social media. The castle itself had never stopped drawing visitors, though the visual language representing it had fallen out of step with how audiences encounter cultural institutions today.

“One key element of the 2007 identity that we wanted to preserve is the silhouette of Chillon Castle,” explains Yannick Klein, Director of Marketing, Communications and Sales at Fondation du Château de Chillon. “It’s highly iconic and resonates well beyond Switzerland’s borders, making it an essential part of the identity.” “Touching Chillon meant touching a jewel,” as Hymn describes it, with every decision needing to justify itself over the long term. The agency’s starting point was immersion – spending time with the history, the stone, the symbols and the stories embedded in the site.

The research led to a guiding concept the team calls “contemporary medieval,” a framework for making design decisions that honour the castle’s 800-year presence while speaking the visual language of the present. Erosion, engravings and surface irregularities suggested a graphic language that feels carved. Historical inscriptions informed proportions and contrast, while the architecture of the site inspired the shapes and counter-shapes that run through the graphic system. Central to the identity is a custom typeface developed in collaboration with NewGlyph.

The brief to the foundry was specific: design something that bridges past and present without falling into nostalgia. The resulting typeface draws from medieval calligraphy through its contrast and slightly angular terminals, evoking the quality of letterforms carved into stone. It occupies the space between historical reference and contemporary functionality – a typeface that feels rooted in the castle’s material history without just imitating it. Among the more unexpected elements of the system are medieval-inspired emojis. The idea grew from a simple provocation: what if a familiar digital language had existed within the world of Chillon?

Familiar emoji forms have been reinterpreted in a medieval style, as though they had been carved into the castle walls centuries ago. The gesture collapses the distance between two eras, giving the identity a playful register that complements its more sober typographic and structural elements.

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The rebranding of Chillon Castle by Hymn is significant as it combines historical and modern elements, offering a fresh approach that can inspire brand strategy professionals while remaining relevant to the heritage tourism sector.