Calico Lofts brand launch
SAS Investments, one of London’s fastest-growing property developers, approached us to conceive and deliver an original place brand and identity for their newest development in Whitechapel, East London.
The outcome needed to resonate with their target audience, inviting interest in the development and moving prospective buyers further into the sales cycle. Deliverables included a name for the development, accompanying visual identity and visual language and tone. These were to be applied to key communications and elements of the development such as a bespoke microsite, advertising, brochures, and large format hoarding graphics.
The challenge of an eight-week timeframe presented an additional hurdle.
Whitechapel is a distinctive part of London with a unique history. Our journey began by discovering more about the area, as well as the target audience for the development, including their interests and behaviours. Our insight gained from our research and market investigations was that the brand had to convey an “authentic” story, which positioned the development as part of the Whitechapel story. This meant drawing on the history of the building and the area at large, and incorporating this visually into the place story we were seeking to tell. SAS Investments wanted to further ensure that the work positioned the development as exciting and affordable, yet prestigious.
The results evoked energy and excitement, visually referencing the materials of the building’s construction, as well as Whitechapel’s reputation and heritage in the cloth and clothing industries.
Calico – a type of cotton cloth, typically plain white or unbleached – was coined as a term in the 16th century and derives from Calicut (India), where the fabric originated.
To distinguish the logo, we redrew characters within a modern geometric typeface. We added a complementary icon set and associated set of patterns, which also aligned with the architectural and historical characteristics of the building.
The website was the final piece of the brand rollout, which provided visitors with a simple and immediate introduction to the brand and the property. Brevity and clarity were fundamental components of the website’s user experience, in order to convey the identity of the place and the building, alongside key information such as floor plans and technical specifications.
“A key challenge we as developers have is ensuring that our projects are harmonious with the surrounding location, people and culture. Infinite Global brought a creative and empathetic approach to understanding the unique heritage and identity of the development – and reflected this in the Calico brand. We are looking forward to working with the team to write the next chapter of the Calico story.”