It's tricky to make a workmark bilingual, but Alphabetical has managed it with its new logo for Saudi Now, a new international platform celebrating the exchange of art, culture and education between Saudi Arabia and the UK.
The workmark was designed in collaboration with Arabic type designer Shaqa Bovine at F37 Type Foundry, and unites British sans serif type with custom Arabic calligraphy. The result is quite striking, and crucially, is doubly legible, including those who speak English and Arabic.
The design is meant to convey dialogue, connection and exchange across languages and cultures, and it does that beautifully, denoting a sense of cultural exchange that embodies the spirit of the programme.
Tommy Taylor, founder and creative director of Alphabetical, explains how the studio worked with Shaqa: "Together we developed the concept through different techniques and Arabic calligraphic styles. Her introduction of the angled structure, a recurring feature in Arabic calligraphy, became foundational to the mark and adds a distinct sense of edge and energy to the identity."
What exactly does the Saudi Now platform do? Well, it showcases the very best of arts, film, photography, dance, music, fashion, ideas and education, encouraging collaboration and innovation between Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.
For example, Saudi Now is currently celebrating the work of four pioneering Saudi female artists: Shadia Alem, Maha Mallouh, Zahra Alghamdi, and Manal AlDowayan, whose visionary projects exemplify the platform’s commitment to cultural exchange, creativity and dialogue.
The identity is of course, not just about the wordmark, but encompasses a monogram, website, film, animation, signage, merchandise and toolkit, which are all infused with a youthful and energetic feeling designed to enhance accessibility and engagement across touchpoints.
I asked Tommy what the biggest challenges were: "I genuinely believed legibility would be the biggest challenge," he says. "Both the English and Arabic needed to be immediately recognisable and readable for all audiences. While Saudi Now is aimed at engaging younger audiences, it’s ultimately a multi-generational platform – so accessibility has to be paramount.
"Before allowing ourselves to get too excited about the concept, we tested the early explorations with both Arabic and English viewers of all ages to validate legibility. What surprised me most was how adaptable Arabic typography is – the creative scope for extending and abstracting letterforms is already well established in Saudi communications and contemporary visual identities. There is far mare scope for artistry without losing legibility than with latin characters.
"So, somewhat unexpectedly, accessibility and legibility were unanimously strong from the outset. So the thing I assumed would be the hardest part turned out not to be a challenge at all – which, in my experience, almost never happens."
What about his favourite part of the project? "I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved. It’s the 'golden goose': maintaining creative integrity while achieving true bilingual legibility, without compromise.
"For me, the most rewarding aspect of the identity is that it celebrates both languages – and by extension both cultures – at all times. That sense of universal inclusion perfectly captures the ethos of the entire programme. That spirit is also reflected through the collaborative process we initiated."
I have to agree with Tommy, I think Saudi Now's identity embodies the cultural exchange with positivity and freshness. And I just can't take my eyes off that logo.
Find out more about Alphabetical, Saudi Now and F37 Foundry
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