Sorella

Identity Development

Naming

Brand Design

Web Design

Brand Strategy

Sorella is the sister property to The Pass – crafted with vintage-inspired branding, a meaningful name, and a timeless visual identity to help this 335-unit community stand out in the crowded NoDa apartment market.

Sorella at The Pass logo

Challenge

Sorella needed to feel related to The Pass, the mixed-use property next door, while establishing a distinct identity in the crowded Charlotte multifamily landscape. The project required a name, positioning, and visual system that tied it to The Pass but also allowed it to stand on its own for those apartment hunting in the city. We collaborated with multiple stakeholders, each with unique goals, to align on a direction that strikes a balance between style, timelessness, and connection to place.

Solution

Sorella’s name, meaning “sister” in Italian, leans into the sibling dynamic with The Pass while suggesting the familial ties of a close-knit community. We developed a vintage-inspired visual identity, selectively carrying over fonts and colors from The Pass to create a connection while ensuring Sorella stood apart with its own confident, timeless vision. This identity was carried across brand collateral, custom signage, and a website designed to welcome future residents into the community and the lifestyle it offers.

Outcome

As of summer 2025, Sorella is pre-leasing and the brand has launched publicly through its website and social media presence, generating early excitement and establishing its place in the NoDa market. Brand collateral and leasing materials have been delivered and produced, positioning Sorella to enter the market with a clear, connected, and memorable identity.

Engagement Length
3 months
Organization Type
Multifamily Development

11

Logo variations

7

Name concepts presented

9

Parking deck murals designed
Rooted in connection.
Designed to stand apart.
Overhead view of open Sorella brand style guide showing logo variations, color palettes, fonts, clear space guidelines, and logo lockups.
Design pattern with various Sorella logo variations in orange on a brown background.
Color palette with vertical stripes labeled Tangerine, Rose, Mahognay, Mint, Forest, and Cream.Street view of construction hoarding with orange and light pink vertical stripes, featuring ads for Sorella Apartments with circular photos showing people at a café and a hand browsing vinyl records.
Three women walking on a city street, viewed through a large stylized letter 'S' on a brown background.Two women sitting at an outdoor cafe table, one reading a newspaper and the other wearing sunglasses, with flowers and people in the background.Modern curved bar with white stools, wooden shelves with plants, large windows, and pendant lights in a spacious setting.Close-up view of a collection of vinyl records in a box with large cream-colored text reading 'sorella' and smaller text 'OVER * HERE'.Modern multi-story apartment complex with landscaped walkways and people stroll around, captioned '@ THE PASS' and 'NOW LEASING'.
Behind the screens
Naming a sister while building a community.
Background with various words in light gray and a few in dark green bold font including 's42', 'Lottie', 'Weave', 'Swell', 'Gathr', 'Stoa', 'Pad', 'Asta', and 'Bandack'.

The Naming Process

Before pushing pixels, we set out to understand how the team wanted this new property to feel, who it needed to attract, and what made it unique in a crowded market. It started with a survey, followed by a collaborative naming session, where we explored every angle – words, vibes, and ideas that captured the spirit of this project, eventually narrowing it down from a list of seven concepts. 

The team chose “Sorella,” the Italian word for “sister,” a nod to its role as the sister property to The Pass while standing confidently on its own. From there, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work designing a brand identity that felt as warm, young, and timeless as the name itself.

Vintage spirit and timeless style.
Person using a laptop displaying Sorella's website.

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Chelsea Pagliuca
Amanda Mangiarelli
Taylor Foxx
Ben Visser
Jesse Shoffstall
Adam Phillips