2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Background

Two years in, with significant investment in brand development, 3rd party audits revealed a lagging brand awareness of Expo 2020 Dubai. 35% of the visitors that Expo would like to attract when surveyed still believed that Expo2020 was a B2B, trade-related event, that Expo was not relevant to them. To date, the existing brand charter did not present the tools to take the brand digitally, under-representing the story to a host of audiences. And so, we set out to solve for: - Recalibration of the Expo Brand to enable it to tell new stories, while preserving the integrity of the original brand DNA - Delivering compelling, consumer-friendly Digital Brand guidelines and channels, appealing to consumer groups aged 5-85.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

What will unite and delight 15 million visitors – young and old – in a venue that showcases the World’s Greatest Show, here in Dubai? Against the challenges of limited public understanding, what guiding principle will ensure our designs both inspire and delight, while driving broad appeal – and footfall – to this unique event? The Big Idea? Gelato! Vanilla flavour, but with a special sprinkling of date dhibs. Everyone – young and old – loves gelato, with vanilla being the accessible common denominator that offers broad appeal; while the date flavour adds a playful and uniquely Emirati touch. However, with 190+ countries coming together to solve pressing global issues, we needed to juxtapose the fun with a more formal facet. And so, we settled on the concept of Serious Play. Expo 2020 is both a serious milestone in our history, but also fun for all.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

Serious Play principles – design that works for everyone; - Typography: friendly, accessible and offering easy legibility across multiple digital devices. - Expo 2020 VI: we evolved the visual identity to feel at home in a digital context – mobile, web, tablet, informational kiosks - Colour palette: Inspired by the hues of the region, we evolved the colour palette to work in the digital, with an extended range that supports specific functions, calls to action, navigation, and accessibility. - Flexible grid system: Derived from the geometry of the master symbol, our digital design system quicker design through re-usage and speedy adaptation of component libraries. - Imagery guidance: our image bank stays true to Expo principles and aspirations - The living UI toolkit: for Expo 2020 provides access to a highly-modular design system for rapid development These overarching drivers informed the holistic digital brand and channels design.

List the results (20% of vote)

Let’s design tomorrow today. The Brand evolution has provided value by giving: 1. Digital Vision Direction: Through the power of rapid prototyping we succeeded in designing for what’s to come in the future, today. 2. Brand Look & Feel: A consistent and seamless look across all channels, with sample moodboards to inspire infinite expressions of the brand 3. Speed & Agility: Our design principles empower multiple parties to make the brand their own, while preserving the integrity of the identity