Learning Real Estate Branding: A Session with Medea’s Creative Director.
This article captures key moments from a training session conducted by Medea’s Brand Identity Department, aimed at educating the team on the basics of real estate branding. The engaging Q&A session featured Rinleiya Ramsan, Brand Identity Designer at Medea, interviewing the Creative Director and Founder, Megha Pal, with most relevant questions contributed by the participants.
Q1. What is the foremost challenge of branding in Real Estate industry?
Real Estate is one of those iconic industries that caters to an incredibly wide spectrum of people and in branding, the audience dictates how the identity looks, feels, and communicates. The more varied the audience, the greater the challenge and real estate stands out as a prime example.
If you think fo the product they provide—owning a home, its a universal dream, that transcends age, income, or social status. Whether it’s a first-time buyer from a modest background or a high-net-worth individual looking for a luxury villa, everyone aspires to have a space they can call their own. In our country India, specifically, a home represents more than shelter; it’s seen as a symbol of stability, security, and even status. Abroad, it often doubles as a long-term investment avenue. This deep emotional connection makes real estate branding very exciting as well as challenging. It introduces complexity at every level. On one hand, you’re trying to appeal to younger first-time buyers who might value affordability, modern aesthetics, and eco-consciousness. On the other, you’re engaging with seasoned investors or retirees who prioritize reliability, legacy, or luxury. Bridging such a diverse range of expectations in a cohesive brand narrative is no easy task. Unlike other products, a home is much more than just a product; it’s a deeply personal and emotional choice. Real estate branding needs to connect with that dream, offering not just a sense of belonging but also security. Adding to this complexity is economic diversity—brands must cater to a wide range of buyers, from middle-class families striving for their first home to affluent clients seeking custom, high-end spaces.
The real challenge? Balancing dreams with reality. Your messaging in branding has to build trust—things like quality, a prime location, and solid future value really matter. And all of this also needs to inspire. You’re not just selling a house; you’re selling the dream of a home, maybe even a legacy or a lifestyle upgrade. It’s about creating that perfect blend of practicality and aspiration that speaks to everyone.
Q2. What kind of approach/ process does medea takes to design brand identity system for real estate?
At medea, we have always been very interested in this industry reason being my personal inclination towards the industry where building and spaces are created. In initial years of medea when we started in 2020 our first project was from architecture industry after which we did some wonderful back to back brands of the same industry which developed our team inclination to the scope of branding in this industry. Real estate is not architectural industry but architecutre is a part of real estate industry and the approach in the branding of real estate is as much like any other industry branding but here the process is different at medea.
Real estate clients are all about urgency. Whether big or small, they’re always racing against tight deadlines, especially with project launches. They’re business-focused first and foremost—design often takes a backseat compared to other industries like architecture, where design drives the conversation. So, when we create a design questionnaire for real estate clients, we don’t just ask about design preferences. Instead, we focus more on questions related to the business side: understanding their target demographics, their competitors, and what attributes they want the brand to convey. That’s why those business-oriented questions, like what the brand should project about its values or its market position, take priority over design details in the initial stages.
Another thing to keep in mind about real estate is that the industry often works with very fixed timelines. It's not like other sectors where there’s more flexibility. Because of that, we’ve developed a specific way of working for real estate projects at Medea. We actually create two teams that work in parallel. one team focuses entirely on the research—understanding the market, the competitors, the audience, and all the business aspects. Meanwhile, the other team dives right into the design process. They start together, so while the research team is gathering insights, the design team is already shaping ideas. That way, we don’t waste any time, and by the time the research is complete, the design is already taking shape and can quickly align with the business strategy.
Q3. How it differs from other industry branding?
When you think about it, no other industry relies as heavily on brand identity for marketing collateral as real estate does. In most industries, things like billboards, signage, flags, and newspaper ads might not always be the first place where the brand's identity or reveal needs to make a strong impression. But in real estate, it’s a different story. The brand identity has to stand out big time, especially on collaterals like hoardings, brochures, and advertisements, where the brand has the opportunity to reach a huge audience. It’s one of the biggest differentiators between real estate and other industries. In real estate, those marketing materials are the primary touchpoints where the brand speaks to potential buyers. So, the brand identity needs to be bold, clear, and instantly recognizable—it has to make its mark on large-scale collaterals that everyone will see. That’s something you don’t necessarily find to the same degree in other industries.
Q4. How do you think current status of real estate branding is in our country and which real estate brand is doing it best?
Talking about India, where now many international real estate companies have begin to pour in, the competition now has become highly cut throat even in branding. With International brands venturing into every segment of Indian real estate, it has become very important for Indian brands to stand to the global branding standards and thats why now we see so many real estate brands going for rebranding. So current status seems, good branding desire picking up among companies big or small. As competition is increasing, a good branding becomes even more crucial for differenciating the brands from one another in marketing arena.
When it comes to brands that have consistently excelled in this space, one name stands out: DLF Limited (formerly Delhi Land & Finance). Established pre-independence, DLF has the advantage of longevity, but its dominance in the Indian market is not just due to its history. The brand has brilliantly maintained its leadership through a cohesive and strategic approach to branding. Its use of brand architecture is a benchmark, something many Indian real estate companies still struggle with. The triangular logo has become a highly recognizable symbol, not just due to its decades-long presence but also because of DLF’s massive footprint across the country. While there are other major players, like Sobha and Godrej, who excel in marketing, DLF’s brand identity specifically stands out as the most impactful and well-executed in the industry.
Q5. What kind of brand identity designer as per you works best to lead real estate branding project at medea?
At medea, our brand identity team is always having diverse pool of talent specifically in type of brand identity designer we are looking forward for. Every brand identity designer should create wide variety of industry identities but having said that there are certain attributes that fit best for a brand identity designer who will lead a real estate branding project at medea.
A brand identity designer for this sector at Medea must not only have a strong grasp of visual aesthetics but also the ability to translate business goals, market insights, and audience aspirations into a cohesive brand narrative. They need to think beyond just logos and colors; their work should reflect the essence of the real estate client’s values, target demographics, and long-term vision. So this kind of brand identity designer has to be more researcher first and then designer. A designer leading a real estate branding project must excel in strategic thinking and storytelling.
Then this industry demands most experienced designers for one very unique reason which is to work under less time due to tight deadlines and quick turnarounds this industry usually impose on creative agency. Hence an experienced brand identity designer will know how to tackle this with perfection and under pressure.
Q6. As a creative director, what is that you like about real estate branding the most?
I have always been a designer who loved spaces and any industry related with architecture or space or buildings have fascinated me because of my immense interest in architecture and I believe in fact that spaces we work and live in has alot to do on how we think and behave and real estate is provider of that space for us humans to live in or interact with. And when one can communicate the nostalgia or vibe of that space through a branding, its such a adrenaline rush for a designer like me. To manifest something in minds of audience even before it is manifested is the greatest power a designer has and that is what is more profoundly evident in branding of real estate which I absolutely love. No other industry does this to such a mangnifcient scale like real estate where product is yet to be lived or felt or be ready but branding can communicate it way before somehow.
We hope this article provides valuable insights into the nuances of real estate branding as discussed during the session.This conversation between Rinleiya Ramsan and Megha Pal brings to light the thought and strategy that go into branding for real estate. It’s a part of Medea's journey to not only innovate in design but also share knowledge that pushes creative boundaries.
Stay curious for more such sessions!
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