Emirati artists join hands to design UAE Nation Brand Logo
Seven artists from each emirate to gather at innovative workshop on Monday
Dubai: Seven artists from each emirate will gather at a one of-its-kind workshop on Monday to brainstorm and design the UAE Nation Brand Logo.
Once ready, the logo will be used in branding campaigns to reflect the country’s unique identity and also represent the historical, cultural, humanitarian and economic elements and values of its people
The “Inspiring 49” workshop comes in response to the invitation of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, who launched the national project earlier this month and called on artists to come up with a logo that would set the UAE apart and showcase the country’s exceptional success story to the world.
Following their call, executive councils across the country selected seven artists from each emirate to form the “Inspiring 49” team comprising Emirati design experts, authors, researchers, painters, calligraphers, sculptors, and graphic designers.
The artists will work in seven groups titled Al Dana, Al Saqr, Al Nakhla, Al Sedra, Al Boom, Al Ghaf and Al Barjeel. Each group will have seven members with an artist from each Emirate
Meet the artists
Among the artists picked for the initiative is Abdul Qader Al Rais, widely regarded as one of the most influential artists in the Emirati art firmament.
Al Rais has been combining his inspiration with local landscapes and Arabic calligraphy for the past five decades and has won multiple international awards over the years.
The “Inspiring 49” list also includes prominent Emirati artist and sculptor Mattar Bin Lahej who founded Marsam Mattar in 1992 to contribute to enriching the art scene in the UAE. Bin Lahej has been known for his distinctive style of paintings and bold approach to sculptures through his use of different modern techniques.
The third artist on the list is Obaid Suroor who founded the Emirates Fine Arts Society. . A bachelor of fine arts from Cairo University, Suroor heads the Society’s studio in Ras Al Khaimah.
The list also includes Khaled Ali Al Jallaf, artist, calligrapher, researcher in Islamic art and history and quality consultant with more than 40 years of experience in the art field.
The youngest team member is author, photographer, artist and painter Dubai Abulhoul Alfalasi He was the youngest Emirati novelist to participate in the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in 2012 with her book Galagolia, the first Emirati fantasy novel in English. The member of the Emirates Youth Council has received local and regional awards for her work in youth advocacy, literature and journalist.
The UAE Nation Brand
The UAE Nation Brand aims to share the country’s inspiring story of overcoming challenges to achieve continuous success and development. . The visual identity of the UAE nation brand will reflect the UAE’s values, uniqueness and individuality as a source of inspiration to people across the world.
The UAE nation brand also aims to cement the country’s status on the global map as an effective and influential country capable of driving positive change. It will promote the country’s rapid progress as an incubator of innovation and boundless capabilities, and an entrepreneurship hub and exporter.
The UAE brand will highlight the culture of “possibilities” adopted as an integrated work system in the UAE and promote the country’s quest to ensure social welfare in a productive and innovation-driven society.
It will shed light on the political, economic, historical, geographical, humanitarian, cultural and value-driven elements that form the core of the UAE experience and shape the country’s unique identity. The brand aims to build and solidify the national pride within the UAE society through establishing social unity over the representation of the authentic Emirati identity and personality, turning individuals across all walks of life into world ambassadors of the UAE experience.
Importance of Nation Branding
The visual identity of a nation’s brand, just like the case in businesses and corporations, reflects a nation’s unique values and elements that sets it apart.
Countries across the world have rolled out innovative branding campaigns and projects including Singapore’s “Passion Made Possible” campaign, Australia’s Kangaroo symbol, Canada’s distinctive maple leaf, New Zealand’s silver fern and UK’s “Great Britain” campaign. These campaigns helped promote global image and represent identity of countries to the world, creating better awareness and, ultimately, better understanding of a nation.