UAE announces first rebrand ever

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The United Arab Emirates has announced a brand new logo (above), the country's first for 50 years. Named '7 Lines', the final product is the winner of a competition voted on by 10.6 million people from around the world. The logo is accompanied by a new slogan: Make It Happen, that apparently sums up the nation's journey since the unification of the seven countries 50 years ago.

Alongside the rebrand that will carry the nation forward over the next 50 years, the UAE will be planting over 10 million trees in Nepal and Indonesia – one tree for every vote cast. The entire package aims to enhance the UAE's reputation with its global audience. (Compare this shiny new logo to our pick of the best ever in our best logos post.)

The new logo was announced by HH Sheikh Mohammed with the above tweet. Seven designers were chosen from each of the seven regions to work on the potential design. The finished logo is comprised of seven multi-coloured lines, each one representing one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE. This was especially important to the nation's rebrand due to global confusion about what the UAE actually means. 

“The world is going to know us now as seven emirates,” said Ms Al Hammadi who, at 21, is one of the youngest designers involved. She explained that people around the world think that Dubai and Abu Dhabi, for example, are separate countries and that the message of unification is incredibly important to the country. 

The final entries in the UAE's competition, voted on by 10.6 million people globally

The competition winner certainly seems to speak a louder message than those of its competitors (above). Sass Brown, design expert and columnist for UAE publication, The National, explains that the format and direction of the lines are representative of more than just the seven emirates. 

“The gentle undulation of the form reminds me of the curve of a sand dune or the roll of a wave, both representative of the geography of the territory," says Brown. 

"The simple sans serif font is clean, modern and easy to read in a digital environment, representative of the stand the Emirates has taken on innovation, entrepreneurship and technology, which propels them into the future."

And of course, the lines are also in the shape of the map of the UAE. Unusually, the 

The old UAE logo (left), and the rebranded version (right)

The trees will be planted in West Papua, Indonesia, a centre for marine biodiversity, and at the Amaltaari planting site in Nawalparasi, Nepal to support the endangered species, such as the Bengal tiger, that live there.

Whether or not the logo and tree planting drive will help shift the UAE’s global reputation remains to be seen, but, from a design point of view, the logo itself is a strong piece of design with a clear message. It's a clean and modern update on the imperialistic-looking eagle that was introduced way back in 1973, and holds very different connotations. 

Unlike the Dutch national logo update that came in the autumn of last year, this rebrand has been taken super-seriously, which is perhaps unsurprising given the overarching messages it is attempting to convey.  

Read more:

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• 8 of the biggest logo redesigns of 2019
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