The Higher Colleges of Technology’s 17 campuses throughout the United Arab Emirates are urging their students to show creative flair by entering the Nation Brand Contest inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
In the contest, which is open to for all UAE nationals and residents, entrants will have the chance to express how they feel towards this great nation, by designing, drawing, sketching and expressing an innovative logo that best represents all what the UAE stands.
H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum has invited people to design the most distinctive, expressive, and suitable logo for the UAE nation brand via the Prime Minister’s official website. The winning logo will be used in print, online, and on promotional items and entries must be submitted before December 31, 2010.
The contest calls upon interested parties to develop a visual identity or a brand that summarizes the most important and distinctive aspects, values, and features of the nation to internal and external audiences. It will be a logo that would make people in the UAE, in the Middle East region and throughout the world feel great admiration for this nation.
HCT Vice Chancellor Dr Tayeb Kamali called on its 18,000 students to submit their ideas for the contest.
“The HCT is proud to support this great initiative from H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and we encourage all of our students to participate by submitting their ideas for this nation’s new logo,” Dr Kamali said.
“We have many talented and creative students within HCT who would be honored to submit their concepts and be a part of this nation’s future.”Under the contest rules entries must reflect and feature the following key messages about the UAE as a contemporary and vibrant country:
- The UAE is nation whose citizens enjoy high degrees of national pride, patriotism, unity and a sense of shared belonging and connectedness.
- The UAE is an economically stable and competitive nation, with a distinct international financial position.
- The UAE is a main tourist attraction in the region.
- The UAE is an influential world nation, commanding respect.
H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum has asked that the logo of the UAE’s nation brand must be emotional, with a close to heart look and feel. It should also be memorable, vibrant, and reflecting the image of the UAE as a modern vibrant country on the world stage.
As an option the proposed logos can contain a slogan incorporated into the design, as is often the case with nation brands around the world. If a slogan is used it should have one line in Arabic, and a sub-line in English. There is no fee for entering the competition and entrants can submit more than one design.
Entries must be original concepts and not similar to existing logos or copyrighted designs. Logos will be evaluated based on their ability to demonstrate the strong features of a good logo, such as creativity, uniqueness, good graphic design, overall positive impression, ability to tell a story and convey features about the UAE.
Each design submission should be accompanied with a write up describing the logo, the story behind it, and the meaning of the various elements of the various design elements.
Information and terms and conditions on the contest can be obtained from www.uaepm.ae/nationbrand/en/NationBrand.html
