Offices in Dubai (Al Qusais) and Sharjah (Muweilah), working across the UAE, including Abu Dhabi, and in Oman.
A STRYV launch kit of tote, cards and merchandise, a concept for this service. See the original work →
A new business has to look trustworthy before it has customers, reviews or a track record to point to. Abcon Branding helps founders in Dubai and across the UAE build a brand from the start: who it is for, what it is called, how it looks and what it says, then the website, social profiles and pitch deck it needs to launch. We plan these together, so the name on the trade licence, the logo, the domain and the social handles all match. You handle the company set-up with your licensing adviser; we make sure the brand is ready when the licence is.
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What startup branding covers
Founders usually need a lot at once and have a budget to protect. We help you decide what has to be ready for launch and what can wait. The work can include:
01Positioning for a new business
who the first customers are, what you will be chosen for and the one sentence that explains the business, agreed before anything is designed.
02Naming
a shortlist of names checked for meaning and sound in English and Arabic, and for obvious clashes with existing businesses, as in Kukit’s “cook” and “it” name construction.
03Domain and handle checks
whether the matching domain and the main social handles are free, so the name works online as well as on paper.
04Logo and identity
a logo, colours, typefaces and a pattern or symbol that work small on a phone screen and large on a sign, built to grow with the business.
05A starter brand guide
a short guide and a set of files your team, printers and freelancers can use from the first week, extended into full guidelines later.
06Launch website
a clear first website with the offer, whatever proof you have, the contact route and room to add pages as the business grows.
07Social profiles and launch posts
profile images, cover art, highlight icons and a first set of post templates, like the social layouts in the Kukit and Gulf Titles presentations.
08Pitch deck and company profile
an investor or sales deck and a short profile in the new identity, so the first meetings show the same brand as the website.
09Stationery and first print
business cards, letterheads, invoice and quotation templates, plus signage, uniforms or packaging if the business needs them on opening day.
10Launch plan
what goes live in which order, from the website and social profiles to the first campaign, with our digital marketing team if you want help after launch.
If you already have a name and need only the mark for now, see logo design in Dubai.
A KuKit launch pop up kiosk, a concept for this service.
What a new brand has to get right
Look established before you are.
Customers, landlords, suppliers and investors judge a new business on its name, logo, website and documents, because they have little else to go on.
Match the trade licence.
The trade name on your licence, the logo, the domain, the bank account and the social handles should agree. Fixing a mismatch after launch means new files, new print and sometimes a new domain.
Say what you do in one line.
If a stranger cannot tell what the business does from the first screen of the website, the brand has not done its job yet.
Spend in the right order.
A startup budget is tight. The identity and the website usually come first; a full guidelines book and a large print run can wait.
Leave room to grow.
New products, branches or services should fit the brand you launch with, so you are not rebranding two years later.
Stand apart from the obvious.
New businesses in the same category often choose similar names, colours and icons. Looking at the competition first helps you avoid blending in.
How we work on startup branding
Every project follows the same four stages. This is what they mean here.
01
Diagnose
We talk through the business plan, the first customers, the competitors and the launch date. We look at the names you are considering, the domain and handles you want and anything already registered, and agree with you what has to be ready for launch and what can follow.
02
Architect
We agree the position and the name, then design the identity and test it where a new business is first seen: a phone screen, a social profile, a business card, a website header and, if you have premises, the sign. You see the brand working before you approve it.
03
Deploy
We build the launch kit: logo files, a starter brand guide, the website, social profile assets, the pitch deck and the documents you need to trade. Signs, print and packaging can be produced through Abcon Group’s Abjar Signboard Works, German Printing Press and its packaging companies, or prepared for your own suppliers.
04
Compound
After launch we look at what customers respond to, add pages and templates as the business grows and extend the identity to new products or branches. If you want help with marketing, our digital marketing team can plan the first campaigns around the launch.
A STRYV social profile ready for launch, a concept for this service.
New brands from our portfolio
Launch kits from our portfolio: a name, a mark, a palette and the first applications. Kukit, an Abcon Group venture, runs from the first brief and the name to the menu and the sign.
We quote every project after a first conversation, so the proposal matches what the business needs. These are the things that move the cost and the timeline most.
Naming: whether you already have a name or need one created and screened changes the scope at the start.
What launch needs: an identity with a set of files is a smaller job than an identity with a website, a social kit, a pitch deck and stationery.
Website: a short launch site differs from a site with online booking, a shop or many service pages.
Premises: a shop, clinic, café or office adds signage, interior graphics and uniforms, with production quoted separately.
Packaging: a product business needs packs and labels, with artwork for every size and variant.
Photography and content: product, team or premises photography and launch copy are planned and quoted on their own.
Support after launch: marketing, content and updates after the brand goes live are a separate, ongoing scope.
We (Tayn Roastery) have been working with Abcon Branding for the past 4 years for social media management, packaging design, and printing services. Their team has always been professional, creative, and reliable with on-time delivery. We’ve been consistently happy with the quality of work and highly recommend them.
I worked with them for my new startup. They supported me from my logo branding, product photography, website creation to marketing campaigns. Amazing team. Highly recommended.
Do you work with businesses that have not launched yet?
Yes. A brief that starts with a business plan and a launch date, rather than an existing brand, is one we know well. Kukit, an Abcon Group food venture, is an example: its presentation runs from the original brief and the name to the menu, social posts and a projecting sign.
Can you help us choose a name?
Yes. We develop and shortlist names, check how they sound and read in English and Arabic, and look for obvious clashes with existing businesses, domains and social handles. Formal trademark searches and trade licence approval are handled with your lawyer or licensing adviser, and we adjust the shortlist when they report back.
Should the brand name match our trade licence?
In most cases, yes. Customers and banks expect to see the same name on your invoices, sign, website and licence. We recommend confirming the trade name with your licensing adviser before the logo is finalised, because a change afterwards means new files, new print and sometimes a new domain. We design around the approved name; the licensing itself stays with you and your adviser.
What do we actually need for launch day?
It depends on how customers will first meet you. A service business usually needs the identity, a website, social profiles, business cards and a profile or deck. A café or shop also needs signage, menus, uniforms and packaging. The proposal lists the essentials and what can wait, so the budget goes to what customers see first.
Can you design our pitch deck as part of the brand?
Yes. We design the investor or sales deck in the new identity and help shape its story. You and your advisers supply and check the figures and projections. Our company profile and presentation design page explains how we structure decks.
Can you build the website as well?
Yes. We design and build launch websites around the one action you most want visitors to take, such as booking, calling or asking for a quote. Our website design page explains how we plan and build a site.
We are a small team. How much of our time will this take?
Less than you might expect, but not none. We need a founder or decision-maker at the first conversation and at each review, with a few days between rounds to gather comments. One or two people with the authority to approve keep the project moving.
How long does startup branding take?
It depends on the scope, so we agree the timeline with you after a first diagnostic conversation, before any work begins, and set it out in the proposal. If you have a licence date, an opening date or an investor meeting, tell us at the start and we will plan back from it.
What should we share before a startup branding project?
Share your business plan or a short description of the business, the first customers you want to reach, the competitors you know about and your launch date. Tell us the names you are considering, whether the trade licence has been issued, the domain and handles you already own, and what you need for launch, such as a website, a deck, signage or packaging.
Do you work with businesses in Abu Dhabi and the other emirates?
Yes. We work with businesses in Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain from our head office in Al Qusais, Dubai, and our office in Muweilah, Sharjah. We do not have an office in Abu Dhabi. Meetings happen in person at either of our offices, or online, whichever suits the project. Abcon Group also works in Oman.
Preparing the first conversation? Build a brand project brief around your business challenge, audience and priorities.
