A new thread through Royal Scotsman

One of the things that becomes apparent quite quickly aboard Royal Scotsman is how much of its character sits in the details.

It has the feeling of somewhere that just happens to move. Dark timber, tartan, framed artwork, polished brass and intricate marquetry run through the carriages, alongside newer spaces such as the Grand Suites, where Scottish landscape, textiles and tradition have been interpreted in a way that feels more celebratory than nostalgic.

Having spent time photographing and working aboard the train, those details became the natural starting point when I was tasked with developing a new direction for its onboard collateral.

Looking beyond
the obvious

Scotland comes with a very recognisable visual language. Tartan, thistles and traditional motifs are difficult to separate from it, but using them too literally can quickly become predictable.

Tartan became one of the main starting points, not as a pattern to reproduce, but as a structure: intersecting lines, blocks of colour, changes in scale and moments where one colour cuts through another.

Alongside details found around the train, from marquetry to framing and decoration, it became the basis for a graphic language that felt familiar without simply copying what was already there.

Colour, texture and print

Colour provided another connection back to the train. A muted red takes its cue from Royal Scotsman’s exterior, paired with a deep navy and a brighter blue that brings more energy into the palette.

That same balance continues through the materials. Colorplan and Fedrigoni papers sit alongside embossing and specialist print finishes, with linen-like textures creating another subtle connection to the fabrics found throughout the carriages.

These pieces are picked up in cabins, placed beside timber and fabric, used over dinner and handled throughout the journey. The aim was for them to feel naturally part of that environment, rather than something newly designed and placed on top.

A thread that
can continue

The first phase covers room collateral and restaurant menus, but it was important that the direction had somewhere else to go.

The graphics, colours, typography and materials create a thread that can move between different touchpoints without requiring every piece to look the same.

That will continue into future work, including Royal Scotsman’s pre-departure experience. Before a guest has even reached the platform, the printed material arriving with them can already introduce something of the world they are about to enter, allowing the same visual language to exist both onboard and before the journey begins.

What I like most about the finished direction is that none of those references really need to be explained.

Sitting in a cabin, you might notice a pattern that feels familiar, a colour appearing elsewhere in the carriage or a texture that relates to something beside you. The relationship can remain fairly quiet.

It is not about reinventing Royal Scotsman. It is about taking some of the things that already give the train its character and allowing them to run as a new thread through the experience.