Brand strategy and identity for a lifestyle residence development in Dubai
A complete brand system for Loci Residences by Lootah Real Estate Development — strategy, identity, guidelines, social media, print collateral, and a premium coffee table book.
- Client
- Lootah Real Estate
- Year
- 2021
- Agency
- JansenHarris
- Role
- Brand Designer
- Category
- Brand
Sole designer — collaborated with strategist on brand strategy, mentored by Creative Director.
The Challenge
Dubai's residential real estate market had a problem at the younger end. Most developers were speaking to investors or families, and the few beginning to target young urban professionals were doing it without conviction. Their visual identities didn't match their stated positioning, and their brandmarks fell into two predictable camps: heavy, traditional Arabic-influenced marks, or generic monochromatic simplicity. Neither felt like it belonged to the audience they were chasing.
Lootah Real Estate Development was launching a new co-living concept in JVC — a product built specifically for mobile, design-literate young professionals who wanted community without sacrificing quality. The brand needed to be built from scratch: positioning, identity, and a full suite of applications. And it needed to be sharp enough to occupy a space no competitor had convincingly claimed.
Strategy-led
Research and positioning before design
Concept-driven
A logo working at two levels
First of its kind
Built for the audience, not the market convention
The Approach
01 — Market Research
The project started with the market. Research confirmed what the brief had assumed: the Dubai real estate sector was shifting toward mixed-use, lifestyle-led developments, properties where residents could live, work, and socialise without unnecessary commuting. Demand was there. A brand convincingly built around it wasn't.
Two themes emerged as the territory worth owning: the concept of community within a development, and the idea of a single location where everything a young professional needed was already there.
Enhanced Property Standards
- 01
There is a need to provide better infrastructure.
- 02
Building layouts need a revamp — extra spaces and considered designs that add value to investors and tenants.
- 03
Developers that move away from a copy-paste approach to design will see the greatest ROI.
Mixed-Use Social Developments
- 01
Mixed-use developments that blend commercial, residential, and industrial activities into one location will be the most sought-after properties.
- 02
Developers should aim to construct residential developments that include health and lifestyle centres, retail, and learning institutions — a place to work, eat and play.
- 03
The idea of a community within a property will grow as tenants want to reduce unnecessary travel.
02 — Competitor Analysis
A structured audit across Emaar, Nshama, Ellington, and Hiive mapped each brand's positioning, market perception, and visual identity.
The pattern that emerged was consistent: a disconnect between what these brands said they were and how they looked. The icon-in-brandmark approach appeared across multiple competitors, but none were executing it memorably. Nobody was owning the space with a brand that felt fully resolved — which meant the space was open.
03 — Where Loci Should Stand
The opportunity framing came directly from the audit.
Identity gap
A gap in the market to create an identity that is memorable yet professional and inspiring.
Emotional connection
An opportunity to develop a more evocative feeling, to spark emotion within the target audience.
Brand values
An opportunity to effectively portray brand values through the brandmark and external communications.
Own the space
Potential to own this space with a beautifully curated brand look and feel.
Ahead of the market
Potential to create a brand known for being one step ahead of the market.
04 — Audience
Two personas grounded the direction in real audience behaviour.
Josh Peck
Software Developer · UK expat · Dubai
Josh moved to Dubai from the UK. He plays tennis, likes to work out, travel, and spend time with friends. He is looking for a place to make his own where he can live comfortably — a space with access to multiple facilities, an area to entertain, and all necessities close by to reduce commute times.
Diana Delvy
Fashion Stylist · Germany · Dubai
Diana's life includes a lot of social events and gatherings, even at home. She works long hours and needs a home that makes her feel comfortable yet confident to host. She is looking for a place where she has all she needs around her.
05 — Brand Archetypes
The brand archetype exercise identified four: The Nurturer, The Rebel, The Creator, and The Lover. That combination shaped the brand language, the tone of voice that came out of it was warm and community-minded, but confident. Not corporate, not generic lifestyle.
06 — Brand Positioning
Positioning was developed using the golden circle, anchoring the why before the how and the what.
Loci is a lifestyle residence development providing thoughtful
and considered, high-quality co-living communities that create a sense of belonging.
07 — Tone Of Voice
01
Community Focused
Approachable
Inclusive
Natural
02
Inspirational
Uplifting
Emotional
Meaningful
03
Quality
Descriptive
Personable
Colourful
08 — Identity Creation
Multiple logo directions were explored. The chosen direction earned its place because it worked at two levels simultaneously. The 'O' is replaced by a stylised location pin — a direct representation of "loci" meaning places. But the letterforms L, O, C, I together also construct a second, hidden location pin in the overall wordmark — a shape that only becomes visible once you see it. Outline letterforms give the mark character and recognisability. Rounded edges signal youth and approachability without sacrificing quality.
Logo rationale — the wordmark built from the letters L, O, C, I to construct a location pin in abstract form.
The Solution
The completed Loci system gave Lootah's new venture everything it needed to enter the Dubai market with confidence — a distinctive identity, a clear voice, and a toolkit built to scale from a business card to a building sign. The coffee table book, designed as a premium sales and pitching tool, translated the brand into a physical object that matched the aspirational lifestyle Loci was promising its customers.
01
Brand Identity System
Full logo suite with colour palette, typography, rationale and construction logic.
02
Brand Guidelines
Ten lifestyle-rooted icons drawn in the same outline style as the mark, designed to function both as wayfinding elements and as oversized graphic motifs across marketing.
03
Print & Digital Collateral
Business cards, signage, and brand application across physical and digital touchpoints.
04
Social Media System
Full content framework, designed for grid coherence and content range.
05
Coffee Table Book
The primary sales and lifestyle collateral, carrying the brand language through to editorial design.
Brand Identity System
Icon set — ten lifestyle icons drawn in the same outline style as the logo
Icon motifs scaled up and used as graphic elements within photography
Business cards
Environmental signage — the logo at architectural scale
Social media system — photography, typography-led posts, icon-only frames and mixed compositions across the full colour palette
Coffee table book — applying the brand language to long-form sales storytelling
The Outcome
Loci Residences launched in JVC, Dubai. The brand went live across physical and digital touchpoints — signage, print collateral, social media, and the sales brochure. The project ran three to four months from initial research to a deployment-ready system, delivering a complete brand: strategy, identity, and the assets to carry it into market.
A brand built for people who know exactly where they want to be.