Placeholding vs Placemaking: Why Branding a Place Isn’t Just a Visual Exercise

In property and tourism alike, branding is often approached as a layer. Consider this to be like an aesthetic wrap applied to a building, a district, or a destination. A name, a logo, some slick CGIs. Something to “sell the dream.”

Too often these identities serve as placeholders. They fill space in a brochure, dress up hoardings, and pitch to investors. What they don’t do is connect meaningfully with the people who will live, work, or visit there. That is the precise difference between placeholding and placemaking.

Placemaking branding isn’t about appearances, it’s about the experience, reputation and long-term value that is built in the location. It’s strategy-led, rooted in context, and designed to evolve, whether reimagining a high street, launching a residential block, or attracting global visitors to a coastal town. It’s the brand that will shape how that place is remembered or whether it’s remembered at all.

Why Place Branding Matters Across Sectors

Whether a mixed-use development in East London or a tourist town in southern Italy, the most successful place brands work, not because they look good, but because they mean something. They go beyond visuals and speak to identity, purpose, and ambition.

An example of this is St James Quarter in Edinburgh. Its brand is more than a high-end façade as it reflects the city’s layered culture, merging retail, leisure, and heritage into an identity that feels embedded and future-facing. Similarly, King’s Cross in London has evolved into a globally recognised destination, thanks to a brand that champions culture, creativity and public realm as much as commercial return.

In the UK tourism space, cities like Manchester and Bristol have shifted from being destinations defined by assets, to places known for their attitude. Their brand strategies blend tone, visuals, and cultural story to create something visitors feel, not just see. Abroad, Amsterdam’s playful but policy-driven brand and Melbourne’s creative-led identity both show how place branding can transcend tourism and impact how people live, invest and interact with a city.

On the other hand, countless developments, both residential and visitor-focused, fall flat because their branding is generic, short-term, or purely cosmetic. A place can look polished, but if its identity lacks context or clarity, it becomes forgettable. Consistency throughout is also key to building a unified destination and developing familiarity for those using or living in the space.

Branding Place People Believe In

Effective place branding isn’t created in isolation and is instead shaped by the people who will use the space and the stories it wants to tell.

The process of development begins with asking the right questions:

• What does this place stand for?
• Who is it for – now and in the future?
• What values, culture or behaviours do we want to encourage?

The answers to these imperative questions are carried through everything: the name, wayfinding, digital experience, and even the tone of voice used on signage or brochures. It becomes part of how people navigate, interact, and feel about the place.

A good brand can attract interest, whereas a great one engages through building loyalty, advocacy, and pride with locals and visitors alike.

Why Strategy Must Come First

In the rush to launch or lease, design often gets pushed to the front. However, without strategy behind it, the result is a façade instead of a foundation.

True place branding begins with purpose and positioning, defining not just what a place looks like, but how it behaves, speaks, and grows. It doesn’t just support marketing; it steers it, giving the full team of planners, architects, investors, and marketers a shared language to build from, forming that all-important consistency.

When done right, it elevates the whole, turning developments into destinations, destinations into reputations, and reputations into return.

Be Mindful

Branding a place isn’t about ticking boxes. It’s about building belief in a future that people want to be part of.

Branding is not the final touch, it’s the foundation. Whether shaping a neighbourhood, launching a landmark, or redefining a region for visitors, considering brand first and foremost is how placemaking begins.

RELATED

NEWS