2016 Winners & Shortlists

Brief Explanation

Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) is the most renowned, respected and loved Islamic bank in Qatar. Having been here almost as long as the country has been established, customers, especially Qatari locals, view it as 'one of us'. It sees its role beyond providing financial services, to being a representative of the continuation of generations of Islamic traditions, heritage and culture. The bank, like its clients, finds its roots in tradition, but believes in the flexibility and freedom that a foundation based on values gives it.

The Brief

In an era where texting, tweeting and emoticons have become the new language, the classic Arabic language has taken a back seat. In honor of World Arabic Language Day, QIB wanted to create a piece of communication to honor the occasion, by reminding people of the beauty of the Arabic language, and thus the importance of its preservation.

How the final design was conceived

Our answer was a typographic solution – one that explored the Arabic typography itself. Knowing how integral tradition is to QIB, we saw the opportunity to create a year-round reminder of the beauty of the Arabic language, as well as marking the Day. Commissioning 12 calligraphic artists from the region, we provided them with a full brand induction and allowed them a month to create. The results? Twelve custom-designed compositions all using the same words: Qatar Islamic Bank. The varied styles and techniques used, highlight the flexibility, creativity, freedom and magnificence of Arabic calligraphy. We curated these into a publicly distributed calendar, as well as displaying the individual pieces in the banks’ branches.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

Through the beauty and flexibility of the pieces, QIB reminded people of the importance of preserving Arabic scripture. The pieces increased the QIB’s visibility with the public, and showed a new dimension to this important Qatari institution.