Sharjah World Book Capital

“The Pattern is Built from a Palette of Open Books to enhance the multiplicity of Readership”

When Sharjah was nominated as the World Book Capital by UNESCO it undertook a large task of creating a program of initiatives to celebrate this prestigious title. The nomination presented Sharjah with the unique opportunity to reposition itself as an open and inclusive city, a capital of culture that embraces readership for all ages and nationalities.

Inspired by the manifesto Open Books, Open Minds, Zaman created an identity that is imaginative to communicate its widespread appeal to different audiences, referring the learning, immersive nature of readership.

The palette of Colors ( Purple & Green ) when constructed deliberately created abstract hues ( both colors can be used in different opacities, creating more flexible graphical interpretation throughout the branding). In addition to the pattern inspired from the logo, Zaman created a practical set of icons to be used for interactive spaces, calendar, and digital.

The SWBC font is based on Ginger F37 and Din Next Arabic. We matched Ginger font with Din Arabic, which is a very clear and legible typeface that can be used for headlines and text through a family of several weights. The two fonts are engaged smoothly and evenly when implemented together, due to their similar graphical characteristics – a major factor that was taken into consideration when creating a bilingual brand.

A key focus while developing the identity was to create a system that could flex and scale based on the audience. The bold woodmark can live on its own strongly when required but quickly become inviting and lively by multiplying or when accompanied with illustrations. This is particularly useful as SWBC will be hosting and attending events and creating exhibition spaces.