Dalziel & Pow Designs Guinness Wayfinding and Branding in London
Dalziel & Pow Designs Guinness Wayfinding and Branding in London
ibby
January 05, 2026
Dalziel & Pow designs a storytelling-led wayfinding and branding system for the new Guinness Open Gate Brewery London, blending brand heritage, playful signage, and immersive design.
As the new year begins, many are embracing fresh starts, new routines, and for some, a temporary break from alcohol. But if you happen to find yourself in London this winter, Guinness may have just given you a very well-designed reason to bend the rules.
Opening to the public on December 11, the Guinness Open Gate Brewery London is a 54,000-square-foot destination set across three buildings in Covent Garden’s historic Old Brewer’s Yard. The experience spans brewing, food, retail, and community, and navigating it all is part of the story. That’s where Dalziel & Pow, the global strategy and design studio behind the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, steps in.
Rather than treating wayfinding as a functional afterthought, Dalziel & Pow approached the project as a storytelling system. The guiding idea, Discover the Unexpected, is expressed through a playful, character-driven visual language that feels unmistakably Guinness while responding to the energy of Covent Garden.
Externally, signage takes inspiration from the most iconic Guinness symbol of all: the perfectly poured pint. Matte black directory panels topped with crisp white “heads” double as navigational tools and brand moments. Subtle layers of color beneath the surface reference each building’s identity, while hand-painted signs, bold black arrows, and trails of small golden harps guide visitors through the site.
Inside, the system becomes even more expressive. Dalziel & Pow collaborated with Mason London to reintroduce beloved Guinness characters, including the toucan and sea lion made famous by John Gilroy. These illustrated figures interact with signage, staircases, and walls, turning movement through the space into a series of small discoveries. Hand-drawn “pub facts” and large typographic moments transform transitions into moments of delight and learning.
Retail plays a central role as well. The Guinness Good Things pop-up store is conceived as a flexible platform for short-term collaborations with artists, designers, and brands, housed within an industrial shell layered with murals and digital façades. Nearby, the Guinness Goods Market Store offers a lively, localized retail experience, complete with bottle personalization and an “Our Beers” wall that celebrates the brand’s breadth.
The result is a wayfinding and retail system that feels warm, human, and deeply considered. It’s proof that when navigation, storytelling, and brand identity align, even finding your way to a pint can become part of the experience.
