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July 18, 2017
A Whole Other World

If you’re a fan, like me, of comics and the related games and movies they inspire, you will undoubtedly have heard of, if not visited, Comic-Con. These conventions are held in major cities around the world and gather fans by the tens of thousands.

Comic Con 2017

Obviously, a major marketing tool for the industry they are also an opportunity for us, the aficionados, to immerse ourselves in the fictitious worlds we love, often dressing as our favourite hero (or villain) for the day and bringing the character to life along with our alter ego.

Dubai’s annual gathering, The Middle East Film and Comic Con (MEFCC), held at the Trade Centre over 3 days in April, is now the biggest popular culture event in the region. I have been attending since the beginning in 2008 and the growth of interest and participation has been phenomenal.

Being such a youthful cauldron of nationalities and cultures, Dubai’s version offers a mixture of people which is probably unique in the world, all drawn by a common enthusiasm. That makes it truly fascinating. You have Batmen, Hulks, Spocks and Wonder Women from every corner of the earth.

Bushra at Comic Con_003For this year’s visit, I became a fully made up character of my own creation in the Japanese Manga style. I have loved manga comics since my teenage years, drawn to their detailed illustration, depth of character and life simulating story lines.

Having always enjoyed illustrating and drawing, I am inspired by the artists behind these comics and characters. Studio Ghibli, based in Tokyo, is a favourite, making incredible films for huge global audiences (and profits).

I am extremely happy to say that illustration has now become part of my professional life and I can create scenes and characters that communicate and influence on behalf of our clients.

For a unique spectacle of creativity visit Comic-Con in 2018. I’ll be there but you probably won’t recognise me.

 

Bushra Laota – Graphic Designer at Zaman

August 15, 2013
TYPOLOGY OF SEATING

TYPOLOGY OF SEATING ARRANGEMENTS

‘A Small Typology of Parliamentary Seating Arrangements’ is the work of designer Felix Kingmueller who was inspired by the design solutions that surround us, which are not based on unique design decisions but derived instead from pre-existing solutions. Channeling his fascination with the lively televised debates that take place in the British House of Commons, he researched and compared the seating arrangements in select parliaments, such as Britain, France, Germany, China & Italy.

What piqued our interest was this notion of a ‘science’ behind seating arrangements. Over the years Zaman has designed and managed innumerable events (exclusive & mass public) at the request of our clients to support them in marking their business milestones.

When approaching event management with a branding cap on, the priority is ensuring a consistent and seamless brand experience for all audience types – from the point a guest receives their invite to when they leave the event premises.

During what can be referred to as the ‘guest journey’, the seating plan is one of many critical components requiring careful consideration. Depending on the scale of the event, location & the caliber of profiles on the guest list (in the GCC it is common to have royalty attend industry events) – a lot of effort goes into ensuring that all guests in attendance don’t feel shortchanged from the event experience.

Read about a few of our past events here – QFIB, Mushaf Qatar, FAPCO & more.

While we’re not sure that brand experience is a primary consideration in the daily proceedings of parliaments across the world, some of the findings from this seating arrangement typology certainly makes for an interesting article – e.g. The endless rows of seats of the Chinese National People‘s Congress, makes it the world‘s largest parliament, seating a mass of almost three thousand members in the three floored auditorium of the hall of the people!

In ‘Typology of parliamentary seating arrangements’, the designer reveals that there are numerous factors influencing the design of a parliamentary seating arrangement.

“In the case of the Britain’s House of Commons, it is simply based on the former use of the space as a chapel: the choir stalls were turned into benches and the altar into the speaker‘s chair. On the other end, why the French favoured instead the hemicycle can be attributed to the continuous rows of seats of the hemicycle symbolizing political unity, previously embodied by the king.  While in France the king was killed and monarchy was abolished during democratization, it survived in Britain preserving its unifying function. Thus a medieval seating arrangement can still be a proper design solution.”

You can read the entire article here – Link

March 25, 2012
Creating events

Creating events as brand experiences

A critical moment of interaction between brand and audience; events are the perfect opportunity for a brand to add dimensions to its existing relationships with its audiences.

Limited only by a budget and the imagination of a marketing team, events can take on any format by scale, venue or audience type. A critical face to face moment, as an investment, the event concept designed must both engage and entertain the audience whilst effectively delivering key messages. Simulating how the guest will interact with the brand before, during & after the event ensures a seamless event experience strengthening brand perception.

Therefore the attention to detail at all touch points is critical and the careful planning of the dynamic of each audience segment is important.

Below are a few elements in the event experience to consider when planning a corporate event.

Before the event – invites are the ideal tool to both set the tone – exclusivity, high profile, corporate, etc and also create excitement about the upcoming event. Invites need not just be informative in terms of details of the event, event organizers can experiment with ways of making the invites engaging or perhaps even a part of the brand experience.  See our case-study on the invitations we created for power company FAPCO’s royal event.

Guests – staging an event with a high profile guest list demands for provisions to be made for additional security detailing and a fluid event program that ensures both VIP and other guests enjoy the entire event experience.

Gifts – are a powerful tool both as brand reminders and can also be used to complete the event experience. A good brand/event gift is one that is relevant to the message, has functional use for the invited guests & has a shelf life that goes beyond the event.

Event content – the messages & format of the message delivery must be carefully planned – the speeches by nominated speakers, corporate presentations, multimedia employed & any other tools to keep the audience fully engaged at all times are very important. Also companies must bear in mind that events offer the perfect opportunity to create additional branded content for future use e.g. recordings of an inaugural event (guest testimonials, etc) can later be used to promote any similar events in the future. See our case study on the exhibition gallery we created for the Al Ain City Municipality’s inaugural Al Ain Photographia Award.

Paying attention, at the very least, to the points above will set you as an event organizer on the right path to ensure your event is both successful & memorable. Below are a few links to past events organized by Zaman:

SIKKA art fair 2011

Inauguration of the Fujairah 2 plant for FAPCO

Al Ain Photographia Award  2011

August 4, 2011
Case study

Case study – Embedding Brand Values for a Principled Group

What happens when one of the most prominent family Groups in the GCC wants to re-brand itself? Al Fahim Group is one of the oldest Group of companies that started over five decades ago with the rise of modern Abu Dhabi. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi its founder Abdul Jalil Al Fahim was a close friend of the late Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and he built his company along the same set of strong ethics and principles the late Sheikh begin the industrialization of the UAE.

The company is steadily growing after 50 years in business and with more than 3000 employees, it has now become one of the most prominent players in the region. Zaman was invited to create a contemporary identity to reflect the essence of the company’s heritage and its vision for the future. The launch of this new identity would be launched alongside the company’s celebration of its 50th anniversary.

Project highlights:

Understanding the brand – With a workforce of 3,000 people, the sheer size and diverse portfolio of the company required a full ‘soak and scope’/ understanding of Al Fahim’s business through and thorough as well as identify any discrepancies between its communicated brand positioning over the decades and its actual brand perception among its customers and other stakeholders.

Weaving a unique brand story – We then embarked on creating a brand architecture that incorporated elements of the Groups’ heritage and past celebrated milestones, with the present-day Al Fahim Group and the distinct identities and business goals of its subsidiaries together with the future plans and mission of the Group. The idea was to create strong and clear identity of the Al Fahim parent brand which would serve as a platform to elevate its current and future business subsidiaries.

‘Our Values, Our Future’, the adoption of a new identity – Once the brand story had been defined and translated into the slogan ‘Our Values, Our Future’ as well as a simple typeface representing the initials of the brand, the Zaman team devised a structured program to rollout the new identity, first internally: through a series of workshops, a top-down approach, educating senior management to get a buy-in and cascade the messaging throughout the group thus creating ownership. Second, externally – with an entire workforce on board the new brand identity we devised a communications blueprint to streamline messaging across support marketing activities active – namely advertising, direct marketing and experience-led events.

Zaman’s thoughts:

The process of re-branding, be it for an old brand with a rich heritage such as the Al Fahim Group or newer younger businesses requires the same amount of due diligence. One of the most important steps we take when working with our clients on a re-brand is to help them articulate their perceived motives for a re-brand and to challenge them to envision timeless identities that will last for decades more.
*****

May 4, 2011
Forward-thinking and innovative

Forward-thinking and innovative – Oasis magazines tells us how they became the first magazine of its kind in Saudi Arabia.

Oasis is one of the leading arts & culture magazines within the region. Oasis continuously celebrates a rich heritage and a modern, progressive and young MENA generation that is curious, forward-thinking, innovative and savvy. Oasis Magazine is the first Saudi publication of its kind, and the leading arts & culture magazine in the Kingdom, with a section focused specifically on Saudi Arabia, featuring in-depth interviews and highlighting noteworthy accomplishments.
The publication provides seasonal updates on the best in Middle Eastern culture, arts, literature, entrepreneurship, fashion, travel, and environmental & luxury products from the objective, and relatable perspective, of a young local team and a blend of internationally renowned talents. Oasis delivers fresh new content with each issue. Its focus on exposing both Middle Eastern happenings, from events and openings to individuals that are changing
our arena, as well as worldwide activities, has been creating a global impact and a much-needed platform for f” Oasis is one of the leading arts & culture magazines within the region. Oasis continuously celebrates a rich heritage and a modern, progressive and young MENA generation that is curious, forward-thinking, innovative and savvy. Oasis Magazine is the first Saudi publication of its kind, and the leading arts & culture magazine in the Kingdom, with a section focused specifically on Saudi Arabia, featuring in-depth interviews and highlighting noteworthy accomplishments.
The publication provides seasonal updates on the best in Middle Eastern culture, arts, literature, entrepreneurship, fashion, travel, and environmental & luxury products from the objective, and relatable perspective, of a young local team and a blend of internationally renowned talents. Oasis delivers fresh new content with each issue. Its focus on exposing both Middle Eastern happenings, from events and openings to individuals that are changing
our arena, as well as worldwide activities, has been creating a global impact and a much-needed platform for forward-thinking, innovative, and creative individuals.”

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