Using a cultural symbol that is being misinterpreted by the world today, we used the veil to tell the stories of extraordinary Arab women and their achievements - told through bold, black calligraphic expressions in Arabic.
Creative Execution
The age-old art of Arabic calligraphy was used as the design device, lending a powerful voice to every veil.
Working with artist and calligrapher Maher Housn, we interviewed 8 successful Arab women and experimented the best ways to transform their most powerful quotes. From the style of wearing their veil to the fluidity of the Arabic calligraphy, every veil became a unique portrait of their deepest ambitions and voice.
Using the most traditional tools of the Arabic art form, like wooden hand-made pens and paper, every stroke was hand-drawn to add character to each veil. The original artwork was then scaled to create larger screen-printed posters for display.
Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market
The campaign was seen across the region through print and outdoor; and around the world, online. The campaign was also rated amongst the Top 10 print campaigns of 2016 by Campaign Middle East. Web searches for Tathqeef increased with a 13% rise in site visits over the campaign duration.
As an organization founded by an Emirati woman to support Arab women around the world, the creative idea was perfectly aligned with the campaign objectives.
Starting with a launch event on Emirati Women’s Day, a series of posters were displayed at a gallery, complete with PR coverage. Then, we placed them in local university campuses in order to target a wider audience of female students. Images of the portraits were also circulated online via their social media channels; all directing them to veilsofpride.com to further raise awareness. Online, people were able to watch the full interviews and also generate their own personalized veil of pride.
The campaign was kicked off locally and then taken online to reach a wider audience, globally. Speaking not only to veiled women, but also changing the perception of those who see the veil as a sign of oppression.