SHARJAH world book capital
A branding that celebrates Sharjah’s designation as World Book Capital, expressing the city’s literary ambition through a contemporary, culturally rooted visual language.
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To mark Sharjah’s recognition as World Book Capital by UNSECO, the brief called for an identity that could celebrate a cultural and civic experience.
The work explored how Arabic typography and local architecture could form the foundation of a modern, expressive brand system. We’ve developed a bespoke, elongated Arabic letterform as the core visual device, drawing inspiration from books standing upright, and used to construct words that evoke imagination, discovery, and adventure.
The typography became the primary visual language, scaled boldly and treated as form while embedding architectural details from across Sharjah poetically, anchoring each expression to the city itself.
A black and white brand that acts as a tribute to the written page, with a visual language that extended across print, spatial, and editorial applications, positioning Arabic not as decoration, but as a living, contemporary medium.
Client
Sharjah World Book CapitalAdvertising Agency
Science & SunshineBrand Identity
Mohamed Kotait
Brief
To create a brand that celebrates
Sharjah becoming the world book capital.
Opportunity
As a creative who grew up in Sharjah, I was able to bring in an authentic element that really hit home for the local audience.
Work
We've captured areas in Sharjah where people spend their most time in and created a branding language that invites them to celebrate the adventures and imaginations of reading, metaphorically and in
