2016 Winners & Shortlists

Brief Explanation

Makarem hotels in Makkah and Medina are part of Dur Hospitality, one of the largest hospitality companies in KSA managing and operating a growing number of hotels and resorts across the Kingdom. The group’s expertise of the Saudi market makes them the Kingdom’s hospitality industry benchmark. They currently own five hotels around Makkah and Medina, two cities that attract more than 15 million visitors a year from every corner of the world. With religious hospitality at the core, these hotels provide an authentic understanding of the visitors’ religious journey and aim to achieve a perfect combination of spirituality and hospitality.

The Brief

Dur Hospitality, Makarem hotels’ parent company, approached us seeking to set apart Makarem from the various 5-star hotel chains fast cropping up in Makkah and Medina. They needed to create a brand that would focus on their heritage and expertise in providing specialized religious hospitality. Their new positioning should portray a hotel with an authentic understanding of the religious journey of every Muslim visitor, one that is a 'spiritual companion' capable of providing humble guidance and support at every step of the way.

How the final design was conceived

To reflect the brand’s intimate and mindful nature, the hotel was given a human touch, a voice with which to speak to its guests and assist them throughout their spiritual journey. This is what drove the idea of creating a typographic language and crafting a signature-handwritten script. The vision of our new script, Rihlati, is to have a fresh new perspective on Arabic lettering and fit a luxury hotel without looking too ornate or traditional. It has to stylistically convey a positive mood, a sense of liberation, and a welcoming feeling, which are at the core of any spiritual journey. And finally, it has to aesthetically fit both printed material and physical elements within the hotel environment such as signage and decorative elements. We reached out to experts in the field of Arabic calligraphy and sent out a brief to both professionals and beginner enthusiasts looking for the one and only handwritten quality that best portrays the voice of Makarem while showcasing a true understanding of the rules of the Arabic script. Rihlati went through several testing and refinement stages until it was able to fulfil the vision we set for it.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

Rihlati is Makarem’s new signature style with authentic calligraphic roots, yet a simple and contemporary look. Its inherent handwriting gesture and curvy elongated strokes emulate the movement around the sacred mosques and the Kaaba. Other physical features of this typographic style include varying letter connections, designed to bring a sense of change and dynamism in the overall identity. Combining Rihlati with a neutral Latin typeface achieved the desired balance of being local yet accessible to all. Adorning the walls and surfaces in the hotel space, this script creates a constant dialogue between the hotel and its guests and reinforces the brand’s strategy: “Helping you every step of the way”. As a design asset, Rihlati is proving to be an efficient tool that helps marketing teams maintain an intimate and mindful tone of voice across current communication material and all future touch points. Internally and externally people now recognize Makarem hotels as the hotels that speak to you, assist you, and inspire and enrich your journey.