The Great British Treasure Hunt is an ambitious, multi-disciplinary project developed in collaboration with The Royal Mint, and reimagines what a coin can be. Conceived as a nationwide puzzle adventure built around a single artefact, the project brings together storytelling, design, craft and play to create an experience that unfolds across physical and digital worlds.

We were commissioned to develop the concept from the ground up. Our role spanned strategy, creative direction and execution, from naming and identity through to coin and medal design, packaging systems, puzzle creation and a wide range of supporting campaign assets. At the heart of the project sits a simple but powerful idea: that a coin can be more than something you collect – it can be something you use.

Inspired by Sir Isaac Newton – not only as a scientist, but as Warden and later Master of the Royal Mint – the treasure hunt draws on themes of discovery, hidden knowledge and precision. Newton’s work in optics, motion, astronomy and coinage became the narrative and mechanical foundation for the entire experience, influencing everything from the visual language to the structure of the puzzles themselves.

We developed the overarching name The Great British Treasure Hunt, alongside the first chapter title, The Penny Drops, creating a modular identity system designed to support future editions. The logo, typography and supporting graphic language were informed by Newton’s own diagrams and sketches, grounding the project in historical authenticity while giving it a distinctive, contemporary presence across print, digital and physical formats.

Central to the experience is a specially designed £5 coin, which we approached as both a collectible object and a functional puzzle device. Every element of the coin – from symbols and inscriptions to lenticular features and alignment markers – was designed to play an active role in the hunt. Alongside this, we designed a suite of medals and premium packaging formats, each embedding further clues and encouraging hands-on interaction. The packaging was not treated as a container, but as part of the puzzle itself.

Perhaps the most joyful part of the project was designing the treasure hunt mechanics. We created a multi-level puzzle journey that gradually increases in complexity, combining riddles, ciphers, physical manipulation and real-world exploration. These challenges were carefully structured to be accessible to newcomers while still rewarding the most dedicated solvers, with the coin acting as a constant reference point throughout.

To support the launch and ongoing engagement, we also developed a broad suite of campaign assets. This included animation and motion design, web and social content, press advertising and copywriting, as well as concepts for an animated outdoor billboard that brought the mystery of the hunt into public space. Each touchpoint was designed to reinforce the sense of intrigue and encourage curiosity, while maintaining a coherent visual and narrative thread.

The result is a project that blurs the boundaries between product, story and game. The Great British Treasure Hunt is not a single moment, but an evolving experience – one that invites people to look closer, think differently and rediscover the joy of problem-solving, all through the lens of a beautifully crafted coin.