Brand Identity



Ummah Oasis





The Challenge





Some ambitious youth approached us to help conceptualize their brand identity. They had a well-defined plan of developing an e-commerce business (a one-stop-shop, as they called it) for community-needs but needed help with respect to their branding strategy: Right from the name and market placement to the logo and typography.



Defining the Problem





The founders of this venture needed a professional e-commerce platform, and yet wanted it to be emotionally relatable to their community. In fact, they envisioned something that could be nostalgic.

Something like this could be achieved through a strong metaphor that was immediately recognizable to the wider Muslim community.

Objective - Develop strong emotional relatability

We started by brainstorming concepts and symbols that related strongly with their culture.


Desert
Book
Crescent
Dome
Minarets
Arches
Perseverance
Brotherhood
Arabic Calligraphy

We realized that the concept of a brotherhood is very strong in Islam and the Arabic word for it - Ummah - something that is immediately recognizable within the community. Further, Muslim history has a strong relationship with deserts and a lot of imagery comes through that. Life in a desert is harsh and the most vibrant places are bodies of water called oasis. An oasis is often the centre of community activity and evoked feelings of tranquility and relaxation. These two concepts could be harnessed to position their brand among users - as a place that brought the community together to find tranquility.



Moodboard





Metaphor





We based the logo upon the Arabic lettering for the word Ummah to relate with the strong presence of Arabic calligraphy in Muslim culture. Symbols from the culture were incorporated with the calligraphy to mimic a desert-scene. In this way, the logo was both a wordmark as well as a pictorial mark.



The Identity





The sophisticated + emotional look rendered itself as a combination of black and Cerulean colors and a formal sans-serif font. But as per the client, the best part of this logo was the seamless integration of the Islamic symbols with Arabic calligraphy.



Brand Collateral





Storefront



Paper Bag



Tote Bag



App Advertisement



Packaging



Business Card



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