+ My Story
The journey of a strategist who never liked fake things
It started with design. But not the kind you think.
I didn’t grow up saying “I want to be a brand strategist.”
I started with chaos — shapes, sketchbooks, and a fascination with how things looked and felt. I was drawn to visuals long before I knew how to name it.
In my early career, I worked as a designer — creating logos, posters, menus, interfaces. Clients were happy, but something always felt off.
Beautiful design… but no soul.
I kept asking questions no one else was asking.
“Why does this exist?”
“Who is this actually for?”
“Why does it look like that if it doesn’t mean anything?”
That’s when I realized — I wasn’t just designing.
I was looking for the truth behind the brand.
Strategy found me when design wasn’t enough.
As I worked on more complex projects, I noticed a pattern:
Clients didn’t need just a new look.
They needed to figure themselves out.
That’s when I dove into the world of brand strategy.
I trained under Marty Neumeier’s Level C program — becoming a certified Brand Strategist and Brand Specialist.
But real learning came from the work itself — leading brand transformations, messy founder workshops, cultural identity projects, and brands that had to mean something because they were representing more than just profit.
It stopped being about what looked good.
It became about what felt right, worked smart, and connected deeply.
What I do today
Today, I help founders, companies, creatives, and institutions:
Find the core of who they are
Build brands rooted in truth and bold decisions
Design identities that carry meaning, not just aesthetics
Align teams and direction — from messy notes to market-ready
I’ve worked across Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Macedonia, Egypt, and beyond.
From multi-million-dollar food brands to cultural projects for Palestine, animation studios, lie detector labs, fintech platforms, and startups you’ve never heard of (but will).
And I do it by asking better questions than most people are willing to ask.
What I believe
Branding is clarity. Not decoration.
Strategy is human. Not corporate theatre.
Founders need honesty. Not yes-men.
Design should speak last. After the brand knows what to say.
If you’re building something just to fit in — don’t.
If you want to make people care — call me.
Now it’s personal.
Every brand I touch is personal.
Even if the client thinks it’s “just a tea shop,”
Even if no one in the boardroom cares,
Even if the brief is messy, half-funded, or urgent —
I show up to make it matter.
I don’t do fluff. I do bold, simple, and sharp.
So what’s next?
If you’re:
A founder who wants to make your brand real
A creative team stuck at “almost there”
A cultural project that deserves dignity
Or someone who just wants the brand to finally make sense
I’d love to help.
Let’s build something that feels like it was always meant to exist.
+ Need Brutal Clarity?
If you’re looking for someone to decorate your deck with jargon, I’m not your guy.
But if you want clarity, structure, and sparks — let’s go.
© Hamza Najjar 2025