Overview
Mahogany Bay Village reimagines the traditional resort community, blending Belizean culture and architecture with a modern, elevated hospitality experience. Located on Ambergris Caye, the development includes a four-star Curio Collection by Hilton resort, private homes by Coastal Living, vibrant communal spaces, beach and bay clubs, and a full-service spa. The challenge was to create a unified brand that could express the richness of this 360-degree lifestyle offering—while maintaining the charm and authenticity of Belize.
Approach
At a time when Mahogany Bay Village struggled to distinguish its multiple offerings—resort, residences, and village—my role was to help establish clarity and cohesion through naming, identity, and experience design. We introduced a structured brand architecture: Mahogany Bay Village became the overarching name, with clearly defined sub-brands—Mahogany Bay Resort, Mahogany Bay Homes, and Mahogany Bay Townlet (a historically British term that nods to Belize’s colonial heritage).
Visually, I combined refined modern color blocking with hand-drawn illustrations to strike a balance between sophistication and rustic, local warmth. To celebrate the vibrancy of Belizean life, we leaned into photography that captured real residents, artisans, and adventurers in motion—reinforcing the development’s openness to local culture and community.
The brand voice blended polished hospitality language with the playfulness of Belizean Creole, using headlines like “Lego plan something” and “Make Hevn your Hoahn” to evoke a sense of joy, cultural pride, and belonging. This combination positioned the brand as both upscale and down-to-earth—inviting, immersive, and distinctly Belizean.
To help visitors understand the scope and layout of the property, I also designed custom illustrated maps for brochures and the website, detailing every vendor, landmark, and neighborhood. The site experience included scalable maps that helped users understand the village's location in relation to Belize and the U.S.—an important context for American travelers.
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Brand Strategy, Brand Identity, Content Creation, Web Design
