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Knebworth House Gothic Tudor mansion seen through tree-lined grounds on a sunny day, used as the hero image for the Knebworth House ongoing design support case study by Julie Nicholls

Knebworth House

Design support for one of England's most iconic estates

• Brochure design & artwork
• Educational materials
• Event materials
• Press advertising
• Social media design
• Icon design
• Brand guidelines
• Brand concept & naming

Client since 2017

Ongoing marketing support for a busy heritage attraction

Knebworth House is one of England's most famous historic houses, set within 250 acres of parkland in Hertfordshire. Home to the Lytton family for over 500 years, it's also a major visitor attraction hosting events, school visits, holiday lets and seasonal activities throughout the year. I've been their designer since 2017, working directly with their two-person marketing team on everything they need across print, digital and social.

 

Working for a heritage attraction brings particular responsibilities. Knebworth have a rich visual identity rooted in their heraldic badge and established colour palette. My job is to work within that respectfully, evolving things gradually where needed without ever straying too far from the character and heritage that makes the estate distinctive.

Detailed illustrated map leaflet of Knebworth House parkland and grounds showing visitor attractions and walking routes, designed and artworked by Julie Nicholls
Interior spread pages from the Knebworth House visitor brochure showing editorial layout with photography of the house, gardens and events, designed by Julie Nicholls

During the open season, which runs from March to October, I produce something almost every week. Brochures and educational materials for school visits, event-specific promotional pieces, local press advertising in multiple sizes and social media content across different formats and campaigns. The variety is part of what makes it such an enjoyable account to work on.

✎ Educational visits brochure

Cover and interior pages from the Knebworth House educational visits brochure for school groups showing the historic house photography and heritage brand identity, designed by Julie Nicholls

✎ Seasonal event materials

Suite of Easter trail promotional materials for Knebworth House including event posters and activity sheets in spring green and yellow brand colours, designed by Julie Nicholls
Autumn trail activity sheet for Knebworth House including event posters and activity sheets designed and illustrated by Julie Nicholls

✎ Press advertising

Selection of local press advertisements for Knebworth House events and attractions in multiple sizes, designed and artworked by Julie Nicholls

Knebworth had a detailed illustrated map of the parkland commissioned as a specialist piece of artwork. I took that illustration and turned it into a range of usable formats: a map leaflet, poster versions for display across the estate and location markers to help visitors find their way around.

Knebworth House illustrated parkland map displayed on an outdoor information board in the estate grounds, designed by Julie Nicholls

When new colours and fonts were introduced to the identity, I was asked to formalise these into a set of brand guidelines covering colour, typography and logo usage, giving the marketing team a clear reference to work from.

Brand guidelines pages for Knebworth House showing colour palette, typography and logo usage rules developed to keep the heritage brand consistent, designed by Julie Nicholls

✎ Brand guidelines

I've also developed a suite of icons for use across their website, map and wayfinding, and a separate set for their holiday let cottages. And when the estate was developing a new food kiosk concept, I was briefed to create the branding, including naming suggestions. It was a great opportunity to show a more creative side of what I can do beyond the day-to-day production work.

✎ Map and holiday let icons

Two suites of custom illustrated icons designed for Knebworth House, one for the estate website and parkland map and one for the holiday let cottages, designed by Julie Nicholls

✎ Pizza and ice cream kiosk branding concepts

Brand identity concepts for a new Knebworth House food kiosk showing naming and branding options including Swirls and Slices Bar, Scoop and Slice Bar and Woodfire and Ice, designed by Julie Nicholls

The outcome

Eight years in and still going strong. Knebworth is exactly the kind of account I love: varied, regular, fast-moving and rooted in a genuine long-term relationship with a marketing team who trust me to get on with it. During the busy open season there's rarely a week without something to work on, and the range of work keeps it genuinely interesting.

"We love working with you! Thank you for all your work this year, not sure what we would do without you!"

Charlotte Tsamados – Marketing & PR Manager, Knebworth House, Gardens & Park

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