2016 Winners & Shortlists

Brief Explanation

Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB), the world’s first Islamic Bank, is the leader in Islamic Banking in the UAE. DIB was now expanding its international footprint and had re-stated its vision as “To be the most progressive Islamic Financial Institution in the world”.

The Brief

The brief was to create a logo that would reflect this global vision and appeal to an international audience, but without alienating its traditional customer base at home.

How the final design was conceived

From extensive research we realised that the core customers of the bank are UAE nationals who perceived the DIB as a regional bank; and safe because of its Sharia-complaint banking principles. Other critical pointers derived from the research were: a. Existing brand identity is too complex with multiple, overlaid elements b. The ‘Al Islami’ text is unnecessary and confusing c. Traditional and cumbersome design did not cue 'Progressive' or ‘International’ d. Both the Arabic and English typography is dated e. Not possible to reduce to a useful minimum size due to decorative elements f. Existing brand colours are distinctive and memorable

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

An Evolutionary Change The brand story that emerged for DIB was that of a Islamic Bank with a strong traditional values. Going forward, it wanted to project a modern, vibrant image of dynamic confidence for a global audience. The solution is an evolution of the current logo, instead of a revolutionary departure. The change reflects the evolution of DIB into a modern, progressive, global Islamic financial institution.