Dragoman breakthrough brands

Industry: Destination

  • DIFC Developments

    DIFC Developments

    DIFC Developments

    From global financial services innovator to shaping the future of urban living.

    THE CHALLENGE

    DIFC plays an integral role in supporting the future economy. DIFC believes that the design and experience of the urban environment where people work and live, is critical to fostering innovation, wellbeing, and sustainability. To date, DIFC has built and managed the existing real estate for the DIFC destination.

    However, with the DIFC 2.0 destination set to break ground, DIFC needed to capture and articulate its distinctive approach to development and create a brand platform for its future masterplanning activities.

    HOW WE WORKED

    We partnered with DIFC to articulate a masterplanning brand that aligns with their ambition to lead in urban development. Through collaborative workshops and iterative development, we refined the story, positioning, and identity, always mindful of the equity in the existing DIFC brand, while creating a new brand fit for purpose in the context of masterplanning.

    THE SOLUTION

    The new identity leverages the strength of the DIFC brand, while defining a clear strategy and differentiated expression for DIFC Developments. The brand combines architectural precision with vibrant visual storytelling to create an identity that flexes seamlessly across platforms, from digital to experiential, reinforcing DIFC’s role as an urban master plan developer.

    We also created a framework and endorsement system for the communications and marketing of products—from entire districts to specific experiences and individual towers, ensuring each expression builds the DIFC Developments brand.

    OUR DELIVERABLES

    Brand Positioning
    Brand Identity
    Brand Architecture
    Naming
    Messaging Framework
    Brand Guidelines

    THE RESULTS

    DIFC Developments relaunched as a master planner and developer of a vibrant urban destination that promotes innovation, harmonious living, and sustainability.

    Urban life.

    The future is here.

  • DIFC

    DIFC

    DIFC

    From financial services to economic innovator

    “Dragoman was instrumental in driving the first full re brand of DIFC since its inception in 2004. As an extension of our team, we were able to re position the centre from a traditional financial service brand to an innovation brand with the full buy in from stakeholders. Successful awareness campaign to support the repositioning of mother brand as well as sub brands was developed by Dragoman from overall creative conception, video, copy, online and print. Projects are always approached with enthusiasm, care and a focus to deliver on-time with quality. Having regional experience with similar government and semi government entities, the Dragoman team were able to understand our requirements and help us push boundaries in a respectful and considerate way”

    Mahmoud Nsouli Senior Vice President – Marketing & Corporate Communications 

    THE CHALLENGE

    DIFC needed to reposition itself from a financial hub to a holistic business and lifestyle destination while maintaining relevance for large financial corporations and emerging technology firms.

    HOW WE WORKED

    Dragoman developed a dynamic brand strategy, balancing DIFC’s corporate heritage with a forward-thinking identity that appealed to financial and technology sectors alike.

    THE SOLUTION

    A refreshed brand proposition, visual language, and launch campaign were developed to establish DIFC as a center of innovation and business growth.

    OUR DELIVERABLES

    Brand positioning
    Brand strategy
    Brand architecture
    Brand communication 
    Brand guidelines
    Brand management

    THE RESULTS

    The rebranding positioned DIFC as a future-ready financial and business hub, attracting both corporate and startup communities.

  • Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites (RCMC)

    Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites (RCMC)

    Royal Commission  for Makkah City and Holy Sites

    A renewed experience  

    THE CHALLENGE 

    In 2018, the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites (RCMC) was established by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Dragoman was appointed to create the identity, design systems and all brand assets. This was then approved at the highest level by HRH Salman bin Abdulaziz Al–Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.   

    As a new brand and organisation, it was imperative for extensive brand guidelines to be created to ensure the consistent rollout of the brand, both internally and across external communications.  

    THE SOLUTION

    The guidelines introduced the brand strategy and showcased how to use the RCMC brand assets correctly and confidently. It also influenced how they speak as an organisation and will be used long term to assist in the development of their company culture.   

    The document includes all guidelines around the new brand identity, to ensure it is used with the utmost respect and always reproduced using the official artwork files.  

    The identity guidelines were supported by a unified set of brand assets and a colour palette that are distinctively RCMC. These allow the brand to visually express itself while staying coherent and considered.  

    Additionally, photography was used as the primary method of visual brand storytelling. The guidelines included a library of images that can be utilised across all types of communication.   

    These visual components were paired with the introduction of a dual language font, to reflects the brand’s ambition for clarity, legibility and accessibility.   

    The guidelines detailed the application of the brand across a broad range of internal elements and communication collateral, including stationery, employee welcome pack, staff apparel, livery, publications, website, digital advertising, social media and corporate office interiors.   

    Finally, the production specifications and paper stocks were rigorously selected. Highgrade proof testing, across digital and offset, was completed to ensure a premium reproduction of the colours and metallic finishes.   

    The first round of these guidelines are now complete and being introduced internally through a brand ambassador program. Further iterations will continue as we work with this long term client.

    PROJECT DELIVERABLES

    Insights and research
    Brand strategy

    Brand identity

    Design systems

    Brand guidelines

    Brand management


     

  • Gate Avenue

    Gate Avenue

    Gate Avenue

    Sounds. Surrealism. Selfies. Sushi.

    THE CHALLENGE

    Create a brand that fits the DIFC portfolio, strengthens the destination brand and most importantly, gets people to visit Gate Avenue. Additionally reposition from a premium mall to an accessible, community-led urban destination with multiple experiences. Goal: increase footfall.

    HOW WE WORKED

    We reviewed the market and built on the DIFC destination positioning to carve out a distinct retail role. We defined a brand positioning, personality and tone that stay energetic and adaptable to the fast-changing nature of retail. We designed connected systems linking online and offline for a seamless end-to-end experience.

    THE SOLUTION

    We articulated Gate Avenue as the urban spine that runs the length of DIFC. The visual system uses four gates as entry portals, paths that guide people to eclectic experiences across retail, food, fashion, art and entertainment. The identity is bold, dynamic and more accessible, introducing youthful energy while maintaining DIFC credibility. Messaging focuses on everyday discovery and community engagement.

    OUR DELIVERABLES

    Insights & research
    Brand positioning & proposition
    Brand identity (brandmark & visual language)
    Design system & brand guidelines
    Launch campaign & video

    THE RESULTS

    A clear, distinctive destination brand that sits comfortably within the DIFC portfolio and invites broader audiences to visit, driving a 50% increase in footfall and elevating DIFC’s overall destination appeal.

  • Nomas

    Nomas

    Nomas

    Let life flow.

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    PROJECT OVERVIEW  

    Create a brand for a residential development that was focussed on the lifestyle and not the buildings.

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    WHAT WE DID  

    Generosity can be highly contagious. When we act kindly toward one person,
    that person is much more likely to be kinder toward others in the future.

    This starts a ripple effect of kindness. It starts as a single act, but then spreads outward affecting many more.
    Our acts of kindness don’t only affect the people we do nice things for,
    but many other people who we may never even come into contact with.

    Nomas creates the ripple effect in our society, where shared values,
    views and moments will lead to the fulfilment of the simplest of life’s pleasures. It is here that every conversation and interaction comes to life. .

    The name ‘nomas’ means contentment and amplitude. 

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    PROJECT DELIVERABLES

    Brand positioning
    Brand strategy
    Design systems
    Brand identity
    Brand guidelines

  • Masarra

    Masarra

    Masarra

    From the wonder of Abu Dhabi
    to the world

    “Dragoman embraced the time challenge and our developing business plan to deliver a brand our team is very excited to promote across the globe to grow tourism in Abu Dhabi.”

    Asif Parker

    THE CHALLENGE

    Miral, the creators of the awe-inspiring experiences in Abu Dhabi, like Yas Waterworld, Ferrari World, WarnerBros. and Sea World sought to develop a destination management company (DMC) to elevate the tourism experience for travelers to Abu Dhabi and the UAE.

    HOW WE WORKED

    The goal was to soft launch the brand at WTM in November 2024, which gave us 8 weeks to deliver the brand. We worked intimately with Asif Parker (General manager) and his newly formed team, to develop the brand. We formed a very close working relationship exploring and testing new ideas as the business plan was unfolding.  We also set up a global community of travelers to provide real-time feedback on the brand as we developed it.

    THE SOLUTION

    DMCs often focus their brand on the role they play with travel operators and position themselves on their functional attributes. We recommended we define our brand purpose on the role we play in helping travelers fulfill their travel experiences.

    Purpose:

    Delight people in the wonder of our world 

    Promise:

    Savour the world 


    We then created an ownable name in Masarra that originates from the word for delight and happiness in Arabic but with a unique spelling for ownership. 
    Our identity combines the local flavor of Abu Dhabi with the opening of the window to the world. We combined with our GenPlus group partners and their PR agency to soft launch the brand at WTM and develop the comms for the brand as it goes to market to sign up its partners.

    OUR DELIVERABLES

    • Brand Positioning
    • Name, Identity, Visual system
    • Guidelines
    • Video
    • Communication

    THE RESULTS

    Masarra is successfully signing up global travel operators and local travel providers to curate and deliver authentic and extraordinary experiences for their Abu Dhabi visitors.  

  • Majid Al Futtaim — Brand Audits

    Majid Al Futtaim — Brand Audits

    Majid Al Futtaim — Brand Audits

    Quantifying brand compliance across the organisation

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    Project overview

    Post the launch of the brand there was continued investment in the brand to ensure its effective rollout across all business units. With an ever increasing drive for brand consistency across the organisation, it was time to see how effectively the new corporate brand was being implemented.

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    What we did

    The brand audit forms one part of the broader brand management services that Dragoman provide Majid Al Futtaim. The brand audit provide senior management with quantifiable year-on-year statistics of the organisation corporate brand compliance.

    Dragoman worked with the brand and marketing department to design a brand audit and reporting process. The brand audit process sets out the mechanism, the scoring criteria and the reporting format. The collation of branding samples is done by Dragoman and the internal audit team. A report is then generated for each site or department that provides the brand and marketing team with quantifiable. The final audit report defines brand compliance across the organisations, helping management to assess key criteria such as the success of strategic brand initiates, employee and department capabilities and brand guidelines relevance and usability. Any practical implementation issues with the brand roll-out were identified, along with anything affected by changes in the business strategy, and the results are updated in the evolving brand guidelines. The brand guidelines are accessible to all employees and partners through the brand portal.

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    PROJECT DELIVERABLES

    Design systems
    Brand guidelines
    Brand engagement
    Brand portal
    Brand audit

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  • Abdul Latif Jameel Land — J One

    Abdul Latif Jameel Land — J One

    Abdul Latif Jameel Land

    J One: Uncomplicated urban chic

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    PROJECT OVERVIEW

    Abdul Latif Jameel Land were in the process of planning their first residential development in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Abdul Latif Jameel Land approached Dragoman to develop the name, branding and endorsement system to the corporate brand.  

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    What we did

    This was the first time that Abdul Latif Jameel Land had developed a project outside of their corporate portfolio and as such the link between the corporate brand and the project brand needed to be carefully considered. This was also not to be the last residential project and as such consideration needed to be given to this project being the first in a portfolio of developments. We reviewed the evolving business strategy and assessed the market to identify the brand opportunity. We developed a naming system that signalled this historic first step for the organisation, but also supported a future expanding portfolio.

    The development was looking to appeal to a range of audiences, from locals to Western expats and as such the brand needed to have a universal appeal whilst conveying the affluence and consideration to design and planning. The name J One was selected and a brand mark and visual language was developed that set the tone for the aspirations of the development and its future tenants. We also developed an endorsement system that clearly identified Abdul Latif Jameel Land as the developer through visual association and also through and endorsement line ‘The premier residential development by Abdul Latif Jameel Land’. A set of key messaging provided a communication platform to take the brand to market.

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    PROJECT DELIVERABLES

    Insights and research
    Brand strategy
    Naming
    Brand architecture
    Brand assets
    Design systems
    Brand guidelines

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