2022 Winners & Shortlists

Cultural / Context information for the jury

The arrival of the Grand Prix to Saudi Arabia heralded a new chapter in the kingdom’s motor sport world. Saudi Arabia, a country with a rich heritage which has always played a leading role in the Islamic world has now come face to face with the challenge of building and strengthening its global role as an open and tolerant country. With moderation and openness part of its spirit, the fact remained that Islamic law (Sharia) was at the core of its constitution. The bilingual calligraphic fusing reflected the essence of the SAGP product as a fast and forward-moving sport, while at the same time mirroring the Kingdom’s future vision and quick-moving pace. The dynamic nature of F1 and Saudi Motorsport as a brand in terms of purpose revolves around motion, speed and the track’s twists and turns, which became a combined source of inspiration behind our choice of typography.

Tell the jury about the typography.

Inspired by the DIWANI style, which is marked by beauty and harmony, the typography represents the direct connection between the hosting city, its culture, its history and the event at hand. Carrying a high degree of artistic value, Arabic calligraphy is still adopted in formal correspondences by kings, princes, presidents and in ceremonies and greeting cards. It is devoid of any decorations with its stretched straight lines, we created a versatile contemporary approach to link it directly to the local culture and the shape of Jeddah’s racing circuit and track. The ornamental Arabic script, the most fundamental element of Islamic art embraced the Latin words in all communication forms to reflect a country that champions diversity and openness to the rest of the world.