Branding and Marketing Portfolio

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I say a picture is worthless without a title.

Hello, I’m Amer Elmousa.

Steeped in oral heritage, I draw inspiration from our homes, the streets, the anecdotes of our grandparents, youth culture, lyrics, and everything spoken. Words communicate more than their designated meanings. By taking familiar phrases and terms from daily conversations and placing them in atypical contexts, my work amplifies the unfamiliar facets of language in playful and unexpected environments.

In strategizing for branding, communication, and marketing, I combine words and design to divert the perception of language from its primary use to the layers underneath; unveiling cultural nuances, historical tales, and shared beliefs. Through this interdisciplinary approach, I examine the individual state of mind feeding into the collective identity through image-text relationships.

This portfolio is divided into two sections: Identities and Campaigns.

I’m a strategist and a creative, who tells stories of brands and people.

Identities

Branding + Communication

Kama Local Gourmet

2019 - 2020 Strategy + Copywriting

In Collaboration with: Eyen Design

Storytelling through Labels

Kama Local Gourmet is a premium brand dedicated to sourcing, producing, packaging and promoting the finest of Levant’s delicacies.

In this rebrand project, Kama wanted to put culture at the forefront while introducing the products to an international audience. Eyen Design proposed a brand that relies heavily on storytelling of people, places and traditions through flavors and scents.

Following that vision, I created collateral and guidelines for communication, culminating in a labeling system for over 50 launch products. This system combines functional titles with productspecific stories inspired from the Levant, and recommendations on how to use in a traditional and contemporary manners—all in less than 35 words per label.

Sample label with annotations

Interior branding showcasing use of text on walls and products

With a large variety of products available, I further devised a macro system that clarifies the 3 product types and the content of their corresponding label stories. The Gift Pack, containing 1–3 items, includes products share a relationship. Meanwhile, the Gift Box is curated based on a concept. As such, the stories their labels tell

Diagram showcasing what type of label story corresponds to which product

A conceptual stor y of the box ’ s revelance in regards to the theme.

Rebrand for Iraq Al-Amir Women’s Co-op 2018 Strategy + Copywriting

In Collaboration with: Eyen Design

Crafting A Handmade Tale

Iraq Al-Amir Women’s Co-op is the longest running co-operative in Jordan, handmaking artisanal crafts since the early 90s.

This rebrand project aims to shift perceptions from the helpless image attached to the co-operative to the truth of matter: entrepreneurship at grassroots level.

With that goal in mind, I devised a tone of voice that forgoes the sympathetic outside perception imposed on the women of the co-operative for an empowered, relatable and vibrant tone that reflects the humans beind the brand. This is done by switching from third-person to first-person perspective, and the use of colloquial language the women themselves would use.

A handcrafted paper bowl

Jordan: Land of Innovation, Continuity and Change

The Jordan Museum 2017 Strategy + Copywriting

In Collaboration with: Eyen Design

Linguistic Hospitality

The Jordan Museum is the national museum, carrying the most important artifacts (i.e. The Dead Sea scrolls). This project marks their first foray into interactive exhibitions, telling the story of Jordan through water, energy, food, communication, and culture.

With no precedence, it was essential to understand the brand values. and translate them into pillars for communication (diagram below), which include accessibility, inclusivity, and interest.

Then, I devised communication guidelines and practices based on these pillars. For accessibility, the language must be concise, simple and engaging. For inclusivity, I had to ensure it is gender-agnostic, which is a challenge for a gendered language like Arabic. Finally, the visitor’s interest is addressed through 3 different levels of text. The examples on the following page illustrate this.

We Create

The Jordan Museum is about innovation, not just preser vation

Brand Values

We Learn

The Jordan Museum is about dynamic learning, not stagnant facts

Language Pillars

Accessibility

We Achieve

The Jordan Museum is about making histor y, not just histor y

We Live

The Jordan Museum is about people’s lives, not just civilisations

We Aspire

The Jordan Museum is about possibilities, not just restrictions

We Inspire

The Jordan Museum is about come & wonder, not just come & wander

Inclusivity Interest

Exhibition

Diagram showcasing the translation of brand values into language pillars

Accessibility

Simple Vocabulary

Straightforward and clear words for all ages

Short Text

Restrained at 75 words

Supporting Material

No text exists on its own. It is always there to support other media

Inclusivity

Avoid Diacritics to ensure the text is perceived according to the gender identified with

Use Infinitive Verbs instead of imperative verbs to remain gender-agnostic

Interest

Attraction Mode

grabs attention. Big headlines that embrace the informal

Information Mode dives deeper into the topic. Tends to be longer and more formal

Interaction Mode addresses visitors directly. Simple to encourage interactivity

An artefact with text on the wall

A snapshot of the user interface on a touchscreen

A display with an integrated touchscreen

Fahres al-Khatt for Eyen Design

Arabic Letter Lab for Eyen Design 2022

The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts 2018

Amman Design Week 2016

Campaigns

Marketing + Advertising

A Kind Reminder to Update

With over 35 million CVs (at the time), Bayt.com prides itself in being the #1 job site in the Middle East.

However, the company was facing a challenge: most of those CVs are outdated. People don’t update their information once they find a job. Turns out, they are unaware of the benefits of having their information updated, such as how employers can source talent on the platform without candidates applying.

I took charge of this marketing campaign and single-handedly built it from scratch, seeing it through rollout. The campaign appeared in magazines, emails, website banners, and social media posts. Despite a zero budget, the campaign increased CV freshness by 10%.

Since updating CV information makes you visible to employers, the concept translates that essence into a witty Arabic tagline and a playful design language. The recognizable Bayt emblem stands as a light source, highlighting a person in a black and white image.

Social media post (Right)

You Are Going Places

As the leading job site in the region, Bayt.com wants to make sure its position is not compromised with the rise the different local and regional competitors.

With a brief to capture the digital essence of the platform, along with an encouraging message, I superimposed recognizable iconography (i.e. search bar from the platform) onto different business locales in the region that highlight the bustling and fast-paced lives. The tagline is a call-to-action to encourage people to return to the website, while reminding them of how big Bayt is.

For this campaign, I created print ads as well as videos ads.

10,000 Jobs

Marketing Campaign for Bayt.com 2017 Copywriting + Design

Jobs for Every Niche

At Bayt.com, we heard a lot from job seekers that we didn’t have the jobs they want. However, job seekers can find over 10,000 jobs on the platform on any given day across the Middle East—but maybe that’s not enough to capture their attention.

The concept behind this campaign was to showcase that Bayt has all sorts of jobs by highlighting the ones that don’t come to mind instantly in the region, like ostrich farmers. By framing the niche jobs as adventures, the aim was to entice people to search for jobs again.

I devised a design that marries striking imagery with the platform’s and the brand’s iconography to give a sense of familiarity offline.