Illustrated storybook · Studio presentation mockup
The idea
A place begins
with a story.
For Emaar’s Old Town Island, Nejib Ghanmi conceived a legend that gave a new place a human beginning: two children, a desert rose and the belief that something precious is worth protecting.
Created at Landor Associates in 2004, the story connected the development to dedication, faith and vision, expressed through an illustrated storybook.
- Client
- Emaar · 2004
- Scope
- Brand storytelling · Place narrative
- Story concept
- Nejib Ghanmi, at Landor Associates
The legend of the Old Town
Nejib, Leila and the desert rose.
In the desert, Nejib and Leila found a rose in need of care. The children understood that its life was precious. Day after day, they saved part of their water ration and carried it in their mouths across the dunes to the valley where the rose grew. Slowly, the plant began to flourish.
After a storm, they returned beneath a clear, moonlit sky. Where the towering dune had stood, they discovered a new wonder. As dawn broke, a city carved from sandstone appeared beside a still, freshwater lake.
The legend became the emotional foundation of The Old Town Island: a place rising from an act of care, and a testament to dedication, faith and vision.