How we helped Babila design a real estate brand for tomorrow

When is the right moment to evolve your brand? For our long-time client Babila, it was about ‘starting bold’ and growing into a long-term vision for the future.

Back in June, Matteo Casarini and I were outside the new Santa Maria Novella store on Burlington Gardens for which he had co-ordinated the real estate deal. It was at that point that I really understood what he had spent the last two years achieving, explaining “this is the right moment to express where Babila truly stands.”

It’s fair to say that conversation grounded how we approached his real estate consultancy’s evolution from startup to established, growing firm with this summer’s major brand expansion project.

It’s a point of pride that we’ve formed partnerships with founders over the years, wrapping ourselves into their team and helping drive inflection points of measurable business change. This is a great story of design and determination, with a number of key takeaways for other entrepreneurs looking to take their business to the next stage.

How do you design with evolution in mind?

To me, Babila always felt like a ‘big’ brand. The imposing typography of our logo was inspired by movie title sequences from the golden era of the classic Italian film studio Cinecitta. Brand identity as if plucked from a Fellini opening sequence, with type wrapped over stylish cities. Even when we began to design a real estate brand for Babila, then their launch one-page website, this gutsy, urban styling meant a lot of potential was left open for stage two. I’d say that’s the first learning here: know your real estate branding strategy. Consider where you want the business to grow in the future and when to wrap your creative partners into your ideas. That way everyone can plan that path together.

In retrospect I’d say that served us well. Babila’s styling felt ‘big’ but was discreet and plain speaking in how they set out the business offering of commercial real estate. It hit the marker. As Matteo put it, the first phase was “a clear statement of Babila’s purpose.” The next stage was setting out what has been achieved within a new website. It’s pretty impressive. The long client list on the website’s ‘overview’ page reads like a who’s who of fashion: Dolce & Gabbana, Loro Piana, Roberto Cavalli and Stella McCartney lead the list.

So Babila’s clients are fashion retailers in the big leagues but also number an array of more subtle, premium brands too. It’s testament to the success of Babila that the two sit side by side. It also reminds me of something that Matteo said about this project, which could be of use to fellow founders, that ‘growth should be communicated in line with development.’ Another way of saying, perhaps, that in business as in life, it’s worth remembering where you come from to see where you’re going.

How to define a brand growth strategy

Matteo’s plans for Babila and its next stages had been something we’d discussed several times in the last year and he had decided that he wanted to go live with the new branding around a series of project closures in September.

From a practical perspective understanding both his current clients meant planning out who his next would be. Appealing to those decision-makers informed every aspect of our creative choices. We wanted the expanded brand to feel like a natural evolution, defining a property consultancy brand design that could confidently sit alongside the fashion names Babila work with in a way that real estate firms rarely do.

To begin with we considered a mixture of abstract photography that was inspired by a single image Matteo particularly liked. We chose a set of new colours to sit under the monochrome logo, a blue and green each with a darker and countering lighter version. We paired this with a new cross-hatch brand graphic inspired by the grate guards in vintage Italian lifts, a subtle nod to classic architecture. I love how the design creates an unexpected sense of delight as it smoothly animates across the pages of the site.

All of these design touches (including the way the bars of the logo are also animated) were created to back up the brand, referencing both Matteo’s Italian heritage and with a focus on building Babila an established commercial retail real estate brand design. Matteo and I discussed how the pairing of these two elements would enhance brand perception. Ultimately the design had to feel right, given his aim of making the next generation of high-end retail property deals.

We deliberately paired strategy with style. Matteo explained that in his work he likes to “have fun with it and enjoy the process.” Another great piece of founder philosophy, at every stage in our design we have chosen to design a real estate brand in a way that allows the Babila story to remain considered while carrying a message of sure-footed capability.

What is the right time for a business to evolve?

The lessons that can be drawn from the Babila project are that confidence and foresight are fundamental. As we reflect on a successful business evolution, these are the key points I’d share:

1. Let your team in on your ideas and ambition
   For Babila that meant creating a bold brand that the company grew into. That way growth doesn’t happen by accident, rather by determination and a set of plans for both the scale of clients they wanted to gain and the brand needed to get there.
2. Define the right style for the right business
   As Matteo explained to me, the long term work is ‘far from done’, but, impeccably dressed and with a warm charm in every dealing, he always knew the instinctive style he wanted to bring to his website. Given he’s speaking to the fashion industry’s real estate decision-makers, an immaculate impression and innate professionalism served him very well.
3. When growth is coming, lean in
   With both the Golden Goose and Dolce & Gabbana deals completing this summer, picking this moment for a statement, not only of achievement but intent, was a safe bet. Telling a series of great stories about the work that you’re doing means others want to join you.

Confidence and ambition creates an intangible and infectious value that brings everyone you talk to along for the ride. It’s this attitude that Matteo has consistently shown, meaning his brief to us of impeccable presentation meant the end result says everything about his approach to his clients, old and new alike.

Let’s work together to design a real estate brand

Ready to take your business to the next level and design a real estate brand with a truly stand-out identity and website? Whether you’re expanding internationally or targeting diverse markets, we’d love to explore how we can help. Call us on 020 7351 4083 or get in touch directly via email.

More about the project

Our portfolio page about the Babila project

Visit the Babila website

More of our work with real estate firms

More of our work with financial services firms