Bellator: Identity Design

My very first brand identity in the real estate vertical, Bellator Real Estate & Development was a joy. I don’t normally include before and afters for logos, but with this one, I thought it was appropriate. Serving the southern Alabama region including Mobile and Gulf Shores, Bellator lived the values of their founder fiercely. We wanted to keep the strength of conviction, but lose the sharpness. Everything was on the table.

Creative Director & Designer, Patrick Sanders

Lead Strategist, Joel Burslem

Account Lead, Marc Davison

Starting point

At first glance, their original logo felt like a complete throw-away. However, I really wanted to find a way to keep the original story alive somehow. As I stripped away the distractions in their logo in favor of a look and feel that was clean, simple and bold, I found that we could tell the story of strength and foundation by implying the pillar found in the original logo.

The history and culture of the Mobile, Alabama area is synonymous with Mobile Bay. Shipping, commerce, fishing, leisure—past, present and future all revolve around this central feature. A brand motif inspired by nautical flags felt like a great way to connect the brand to the place it calls home.