Scope
Brand Naming, Visual Identity, Website Design, Narrative Development, Property Marketing
Industries
Real Estate, Luxury Rentals, Hospitality, Multifamily
Year
2015
Mila was a moment for downtown Chicago: the first new residential tower on the Magnificent Mile in more than thirty years. The address came with legacy, pressure, and plenty of eyes watching. Our job was to give it a brand that matched its confidence: sleek, modern, and unapologetically urban.
98%
Lease-up, first six months
45K
Unique site visits, first months
3:1
Return, brand
marketing spend
marketing spend
The Problem
New Tower. No Story.
The site was prime, but the concept was still taking shape. Mila would bring high-end rental living to a part of Chicago better known for flagship retail and luxury hotels. It needed to attract a younger, design-conscious audience (students, young professionals) without ignoring the prestige that comes with a Magnificent Mile address.
The brand had to do more than list amenities. It needed to reintroduce a location most Chicagoans thought they already knew and make space for a different kind of downtown living.
The Mila brand introduced a softer, design-driven perspective to Chicago’s high-rise market. The brand’s name and tone combined modern architecture with an approachable human energy.
The Idea
Modern by design. Rooted in place.
We started with the name. “Mila” is a blend of Michigan and Lake, but it also offers a softer, more feminine energy, counterbalancing a city narrative long dominated by grit and steel. It introduced a sense of lightness and sophistication that set the tone for everything that followed.
It was also the riskier pick: no Chicago building had taken a female-sounding name. So the visual identity played counterweight, muted and luxury-appropriate, balanced with splashier language like "A More Magnificent Mile."
The voice leaned into modern lifestyle without falling into trend. It spoke to movement, connection, and the day-to-day rhythm of urban life. Less about prestige, more about presence.
The Approach
Design That Reflects the City
The identity pulled from both the skyline and the lakefront. We used clean typography, an elevated neutral palette, and structured layouts that nodded to the building’s architectural lines. On the website, wide margins and confident spacing mirrored the openness of the floorplans and the building’s glass-heavy facade.
Content focused on lifestyle: Instead of just listing features, we told the story of what it feels like to live at Mila: from morning walks to lake breezes to being steps away from art, food, and the loop. Photography played a central role, placing viewers in the scene rather than selling from the outside in.
Results
98%
Lease-up, first six months
45K
Unique site visits, first months
3:1
Return, brand
marketing spend
marketing spend
Mila opened with a distinct identity in a market crowded by sameness. The name sparked conversation. The visuals drew attention. And the voice invited a younger, more design-literate audience to see the Mag Mile in a new light.
Today, Mila stands as more than a luxury rental, it’s a reminder that even the most iconic streets still have room to grow, evolve, and welcome what’s next.
