Phantasia captures Riad El Aaiún’s identity in one rooftop detail

The Brand Identity: “It’s a humble detail, but when abstracted, it becomes a powerful, immediately recognisable silhouette.” Phantasia is describing the stepped crenellation that runs along rooftop edges across Marrakech’s skyline – a feature so familiar it has become nearly invisible. For the Barcelona-based studio, that invisibility was the opportunity.

Commissioned to brand Riad El Aaiún, a member of Brummell Projects’ collection of boutique stays, they abstracted that single architectural detail into the defining graphic system of the entire identity. Riad El Aaiún sits near the Bab El Khemis flea market, its seven rooms combining traditional Moroccan architecture with contemporary art and a service philosophy closer to staying with friends than checking into a hotel. Phantasia’s research and strategy phase explored multiple directions before arriving at the crenellation.

One alternative investigated Berber alphabets and symbolic forms – visually interesting, the studio recalls, but the approach felt imposed. The crenellation, visible on the riad’s own rooftop and echoed across the city’s historic skyline, required no such justification. It was already there, inherent to the space, waiting to be extracted. From this single motif, the studio developed a modular graphic language governed by four principles: repetition, rhythm, proportion and composition. The stepped silhouette shifts in scale and behaviour depending on context.

Sometimes it defines the format itself – the die-cut business card takes its shape from the crenellated edge. Other times it dissolves into pattern, frame or subtle background structure. In motion, it transforms into playful, rhythmic sequences. “We believe that the simpler the core idea, the more powerful its deployment becomes,” the studio notes. “These recurring elements build familiarity. They guide the user through an ecosystem – a brand universe where everything feels connected.” The riad positions itself as high-end yet intimate, and the identity needed to hold both registers.

A purely geometric system would read as cold; decorative softness would undercut the sophistication. Phantasia navigated this through material and typographic choices that introduce warmth into the stepped form’s precision. Textured papers, textiles and tactile finishes soften the graphic work.

“There’s a dialogue between tradition and contemporary expression,” the studio shares, “much like Marrakech itself: historic, yet vibrant and eclectic.” For the typography, Phantasia tested several alternatives before settling on Dinamo’s ABC Arizona, a variable sans-to-serif superfamily designed by Elias Hanzer that’s defined by chiselled, subtly sculptural finials. The studio sought a typeface that would function as a structural component of the identity, extending the architectural language into letterforms. “We wanted the typeface to feel like an extension of the architectural motif,” the studio explains.

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The article discusses a unique branding approach for a specific project, showcasing innovative design strategies that can inspire brand professionals, while its focus on a single case study limits its broader impact.