Dooley & Saint: Superfly Lettings

Branding a lettings company with a difference

Earlier this year, a new business offering student accommodation to the people of Coventry came to Arch Creative in search of a new brand. That new business was Dooley & Saint, and they’re scheduled to launch in September.

Positioning the brand

The two owners, Tom and Ben, based the company title on their nicknames. Tom’s Dad’s pet name for him as a child was Tom Dooley – a reference to a folk song of the same name. Ben is a former rugby player – and fan of the Northampton Saints. Put them together and you’ve got Dooley & Saint.

This unconventional moniker reveals a bit about what Dooley & Saint stand for. Yes, they’re in the student accommodation sector – but they’re much more. They do things differently. Students will come to Dooley & Saint and see it as a place of community, that also happens to do student accommodation.

The coolest flats for the hippest cats

There was an instant association we made when we heard the name Dooley & Saint. It sounds like a 70s/80s cop show, police procedural or crime thriller. Starsky & Hutch. Cagney & Lacey. The Saint. All of these iconic pieces of pop culture came to mind when we were initially considering the brand and its look and feel.

We offered a few other options, but the crime-action-show vibe won out and we set about creating a brand look and feel that conjured up infamous double acts such as Bodie & Doyle from The Professionals, Randall & Hopkirk and Dempsey and Makepeace. These references may be lost on younger generations, but the retro graphics bring the brand to life in a way that appeals to all ages.

How did we develop the brand?

Using vibrant colours and a classic 70s style typography, the logo we created for Dooley & Saint is instantly reminiscent of the shows we’re paying homage to. We’ve featured a Coventry skyline in some of our artwork to ground the business geographically. This, coupled with silhouette imagery, and a graphic featuring a stylised Jaguar X-JS (the car of The Saint, plus a piece of Coventry heritage), has created a bold identity for the company that will stand out in a crowded marketplace.

We’ve future proofed the brand so that it can work equally as well branding a coffee shop or burger bar – a place where people can hang out – as well as a range of merchandise.

What did Dooley & Saint think?

“Arch Creative were proactive and adventurous in their approach to our branding project. Our brief was to create something fresh and exciting for the student letting sector – and Arch’s spin on our company name blew us out of the water, and then some! We’ve now got a clever and unique brand that also has scope to develop into other new markets.”

Tom Foulerton (Dooley)
Dooley & Saint

Call the professionals

Dooley & Saint are looking to expand into new cities and new markets in the future, and they have a strong, eye-catching brand to take them there. The company will be open for business in September 2018.

If you’re looking to elevate your own brand then look no further. Call the professionals and get in touch with the cool cats at Arch Creative.

Leicester 0116 253 0489

London 0207 971 1315