The Brand

Hay’s Dock branding and logo are based on the International Code of Signals flags which are used as a means of communicating to and from ships where radio is not operational. Each flag is assigned to a particular letter of the alphabet or a number and the café restaurant logo itself spells out Hay’s Dock.

Flags have always been used to communicate at sea but this particular convention was adopted in 1855 for use by all shipping. Some of the flags as well as having a letter designation have a specific meaning if hoisted on their own. The most famous of these is probably the letter P commonly called the Blue Peter which means “All persons should report on board as the vessel is about to proceed to sea.”

The use of the flags provides a colourful and fascinating link to the café restaurant’s location on Shetland’s oldest working dock.

More can be discovered about the International Code of Signals at their wikipedia site - here.