2018 Winners & Shortlists

REBRAND OF ABU DHABI SHIP BUILDING

BrandABU DHABI SHIP BUILDING
Product/ServiceREBRAND OF ABU DHABI SHIP BUILDING
EntrantJAMES BRANDING & DESIGN Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryCreation of a new Brand Identity or Rebrand / Refresh of an Existing Brand
Idea Creation JAMES BRANDING & DESIGN Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production BOOMTOWN PRODUCTIONS Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Additional Company DAVE KENNEDY PHOTOGRAPHY Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The Campaign

We took into account that the brand had to be many different things - analytical, strategic, creative, verbal, and multi-cultural to work across its international markets. At the same time, it had to reflect its organizational business, be a projection of its future aspirations. One of the most important objectives was to deliver communications for the company to its industry as simply as possible. Visually, many competitors based their identities on duplicating elements such as anchors, similar wordmark styles, and had no real influence on the business or communication with the target audience. This was something that we consciously moved away from. Based on our brand strategy, we explored options of possible representations of the acronym, ADSB, and how to best execute it to include a wider service offering than just shipbuilding. With this exercise, a strong visual wordmark representing maritime services was created.

Creative Execution

The lettering in the logotype was specifically crafted to represent the human interaction of the skilled engineers and craftsmanship in the shipyard. A stacked identity was also developed as a flexible intelligent system that would cater to every need. The blue container -the beyond box- acts as a visual transmitter with the power to influence messaging from the letter ‘B’ for ‘Beyond’, to the imagery and service icons that were developed. An invigorating graphical language that was derived from the negative space from the letter B “=” representing beyond was developed. This then fuses together with the ADSB imagery and copy lines as a compelling visual story. To capture the spirit of ADSB, an extensive photo-shoot and a captivating corporate video shoot were done. We also designed and developed the new ADSB website. This platform gives ADSB the digital presence it needed by providing, responsive and easy to navigate website.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

The new corporate brand was first unveiled internally at the IPIC arena in front of 600+ ADSB employees on the 13th of November, 2017. The next day, it was launched to the B2B industry and the public with a press release and a top-tier media roundtable at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, which was attended by Sky News Arabia, Al Ittihad, and The National, to name a few. External communications around the entire rebranding exercise garnered a total ad value of nearly US$300,000. The work represents relevance, place and purpose in today’s turbulent maritime industry, delivering simplicity, confidence and impact at the heart of the design. Impactful across ADSB’s international markets, the brand identity was greatly received as the new and forward-thinking face of the company, showing how ADSB truly is going beyond shipbuilding.

We started by researching the brand through 4 lenses: Company & Brand, Category Trends, Customers & Other Stakeholders and Competitors. After extensive workshop sessions and interviews, we were able to define and articulate the brand strategy platform and what it stood for: ‘Driving Maritime Excellence Together’. The goal was to strengthen and emotionalise the brand in order to differentiate it in the market. After finalising the brand positioning, we developed a naming brief as a basis for the naming and tagline development. The initial direction from the client was to change the company name as their competencies go further than shipbuilding. After comprehensive research, we found that the name Abu Dhabi Ship Building carries such a proud history so the recommendation was evident; keep the name, but rather use and solidify the abbreviation ADSB. From this decision the tagline ‘Beyond Shipbuilding’ derived which encapsulates ADSB’s promise of a long-term commitment.

Credits

Name Company Role
Russell James James Brand Strategy & Design Consultancy Creative Director
Sara Fotayeh James Brand Strategy & Design Consultancy Account Manager
Prakash Antony James Brand Strategy & Design Consultancy Graphic Arts Draughtsman
Heloise Ralantoaritsimba James Brand Strategy & Design Consultancy Senior Designer
Ida Opstad James Brand Strategy & Design Consultancy Account manager
Links
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