Historic Environment Scotland

Before trove.scot, discovering Scotland’s rich history meant searching across different platforms with disconnected data. Historic Environment Scotland wanted to bring these disparate sources together in one unified digital experience – a new platform to be used by different people in different ways for different purposes, with its own unique identity, appropriate to the subject and its variety of audiences.

The brand needed to speak to everyone — from heritage professionals and educators to hobbyists and curious minds — whilst maintaining relevance and suitability with the subject. The main expression of the brand is in the product itself, so a digital-first approach needed to be taken, with guidelines outlining digital and web application.

An initial workshop helped to set the client’s brand aspirations, establish a vision statement, and define a broad brand personality and tone of voice. With a limited time and budget, I began creative exploration by running an ideation session with an internal community of designers, identifying lots of exciting areas to explore.

Following concept playback, feedback and selection of a preferred route, I began a process of development and refinement. The chosen concept took inspiration from items within the collection and notable Scottish architecture – such as the arches of the Glenfinnan viaduct, and Glasgow City Chambers. As the brand developed, the central vision and meaning came through in the form of objects and shapes, ultimately inspiring a brandmark that brings it all together.

The name that had been agreed before the project started was ‘Trove’ but as the concept progressed the digital-first nature of the brand led me to recommend ‘trove.scot’ – telling users where to go, communicating the subject is related to Scotland, providing authority (through the TLD .scot) and firmly positioning the brand in the digital experience.

Launched in 2025, the new platform brings over three million digitised heritage records together in one place. Its unique identity is rooted in Scotland’s rich cultural heritage and aligns with a vision of openness, access and discovery.