2017 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

Qatar is the only country that starts with a Q, making it a unique and intriguing proposition. With this in mind, we set out to bring to life the country’s name, making it its strongest brand asset, its brand identity. We wanted to preserve and appreciate traditional Qatari calligraphy, and its cultural and historical significance. The Qatar wordmark we created is a discerning combination of tradition and modernity, an iconic design relationship between the Arabic and Latin letters of QATAR. We then developed a visual identity - comprising five ownable, distinctive brand assets that reflected a modern take on traditional origins – that not only resonates with the people of Qatar, but also has meaning to the rest of the world.

Creative Execution

We created five beautiful distinctive assets that are anchored in the brands essence - "Warmth of Soul & Spirit of Vision". Our word mark is a discerning combination of tradition and modernity. A timeless classic. Our colour palette is a visual journey of the Qatari landscape, from the light and luxury of our pearls, to the gentle wash of the blues of our Gulf, to the warmth of our sands. Our visual language is inspired by an age old form of architectural design called "Gypsum". Combined with a source of light called Mashrabiya to create a unique Qatar Visual language. The signature photography captures the authentic culture,people and landscape of the country and a nation deeply rooted in its heritage, and at the same time,is progressive in building a future fit infrastructure. Our custom designed typeface draws influence from the calligraphic nuances used to create our wordmark.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

Creating a destination brand that resonates with both the Qatari people and an international audience. As the first brand identity we captured an enriching cultural experience through arts, education and history at the same time portraying world-class business infrastructure and facilities to promote business and sports. As Qatar's first destination brand, we captured essence of the people, culture and history to portray a true and authentic visual identity. We gave the identity meaning and purpose grounded in the brand belief - THE DEEPER OUR ROOTS, THE HIGHER WE SOAR. Qatar represents its self as country that passionately embraces its past to continually inspire its future - "Warmth of Soul; Spirit of Vision".

BRAND POSITIONING: A WORLD CLASS HUB WITH DEEP CULTURAL ROOTS BRAND BELIEF: THE DEEPER OUR ROOTS, THE HIGHER WE SOAR BRAND ESSENCE/PLATFORM: WARMTH OF SOUL & SPIRIT OF VISION BRAND PERSONALITY 21st Century and Proudly Qatari. Warm, Hospitable, Cultured, Open, Progressive, Embracing Humanity & Future Positive. TONE & MANNER Confident, Authentic, Inviting, Intriguing, Accessibly Luxurious: A Timeless Classic.