Neil Reynolds, International Director of Emperor Design

Emperor Design: The reinvention of the GCC BDI identity

At our flagship chairman’s summit event in October 2016, we were proud to unveil our new brand identity and logo. As our institution moves forward and continues to build its presence in the region, our new logo reflects our local commitment and our pride in our Arab roots. At the same time, the new look is modern, accessible and international, as we work to connect our directors globally and keep abreast of global best practices.

Neil Reynolds, international director at Dubai-based Emperor Design, is the creator of our new look. He said: “Our task was to update the visual assets in order to generate a true representation of what the organisation stands for. With strong recognition of the existing identity, we couldn’t throw everything out and start again: we clearly needed to acknowledge the Arabic heritage and the brand equity that had been built up over many years. The solution also had to reflect the quality and standards of its members, founding organisations, supporters and partners.”

Reynolds said he created the new logo with an approach that was one part ‘evolution’ and another part ‘revolution’. “We created a design which we hope simultaneously celebrates the Arabic origins of the organisation whilst also demonstrating its global outlook, with a fresh, contemporary look and feel.”

The director also explained that the strong use of gold throughout the scheme references the high standards and quality at the heart of GCC BDI.

He said: “Any project of this nature must fulfill two essential needs: the first is that it must be practical and the second is driven by messaging, reactions and perceptions. Just as importantly, perhaps even more so, is that all GCC BDI communications now convey the right image to all audiences and stakeholders: one of an organisation at the epicentre of high quality corporate governance knowledge and standards.”

For more information about Emperor Design, view https://emperor.works