2018 Winners & Shortlists

Rakez Re-branding Exercise

BrandRAKEZ
Product/ServiceREBRANDING
EntrantBRAND LOUNGE DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryCreation of a new Brand Identity or Rebrand / Refresh of an Existing Brand
Idea Creation BRAND LOUNGE DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The Campaign

As believers that any brand design should be strategy led, creating the new visual experience and identity of RAKEZ was built on a strong strategic route and creative inspiration from the natural beauty of RAK. The new concept is a wholesome idea that balances inspiration and thinking, what resulted in an iconic emblem, a powerful type and a dynamic identity RAKEZ colors reflect a modern look and feel that is daring for a corporate and governmental institution. The RAKEZ aqua green has become an own able and differentiated elements in the identity and is being well regarded and recognized in all of the brand’s traditional and digital communications. RAKEZ means Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone & Rakez meaning stable in Arabic, and a new creative design concept built : depicting Jabel Al Jais, - an iconic and the highest

Creative Execution

We wanted to create a brand with a logo concept that was based on strategy, differentiated and reflects union and had a rich and modern visual experience. The new concept was built and conceptualized around union and stability: depicting Jabel Al Jais, - an iconic and the highest mountain in UAE, as well as the sea - resorts and beach fronts, which RAK is well known for as well. We were also inspired by the idea of union - the merger of RAKIA and RAKFTZ - where two mountains are interlocked showing stability, teamwork and power. Our logo idea was based on the shape of the mountains and the colors of the sea and we also interlocked them to reflect the union.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

One of the biggest risks we took was presenting only one concept to the client, but with a strong belief that the new brand identity and concept that we were designing ticks all the marks of a strategic based creative design and we were able to get a unanimous approval from the stakeholders. RAKEZ is differentiated because it also fits our positioning as a cluster of economic zones rather than a limited free trade zone. The client looked at the name from two perspectives: They endorsed the idea that we came up with an Arabic name; a name that is tied to the emirate cultural and geographical roots. It was very easy to pronounce and could be pronounced by Arabic and non-Arabic speakers. The Brand Identity achieved the main objectives of ticking all the points from strategy, legally viable and to also have a depth and story behind it.

In our strategic implications and recommendations, we communicated to the top management of RAKFTZ the importance of collaborating with RAKIA - because together they will create a stronger proposition for investors looking to invest in RAK. They will also provide a bigger platform and more agility to compete in the GCC region as well as globally. The new brand that we were working on fits a new proposition, where these two old entities canstrive and serve the interest of investors and Ras Al Khaimah rulers vision. The outputs of the new brand strategy were: A new positioning statement: Partner, Progress, Prosper An updated brand architecture The new positioning was fully endorsed by the top management. They instantly led high level discussions with RAKIA, that resulted in a merger between the old entities to create RAKEZ, which became their new governing brand.

Credits

Name Company Role
Mohamed Badr Brand Lounge Head of Strategy
Farida Natour Brand Lounge Design Director
Shady Arnaout Brand Lounge Senior Multimedia Designer
Links
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