Pentridge Prison Tours

Melbourne-based creative agency Your Creative was tasked with modernizing the identity of Pentridge Prison Tours, while addressing a complex question: how can we preserve and learn from difficult histories without trivializing or sensationalizing human suffering? This issue lies at the heart of the project, as explained by James Lim, co-founder and creative director: “Until recently, Pentridge was known to the public as one of Melbourne’s most notorious prisons.” Through a process of restoration, renewal, and place activation, the site now adopts a more community-centered approach, offering visitors a public piazza, retail spaces, hospitality venues, an art gallery, studios, and of course, Pentridge Prison Tours.

As part of this revitalization, the tours provide a fully immersive experience, allowing visitors to explore the dark history of the prison. The contemporary and immersive experience offered by Pentridge Prison Tours spans over a century of inmate history, from justice models to infamous prisoner stories. Through sound bites, narrated stories, and augmented soundscapes, visitors are plunged into the prison’s world while learning about and preserving this historical site. James Lim highlights the importance of this project, which reconnects the public with a place steeped in history.

For the visual design of this project, Your Creative chose the Inferi and Surt typefaces from Blaze Type to enhance the new visual identity. These graphic choices emphasize both the historical significance of the site and its modern transformation, providing a visual balance between memory and contemporary design.