Grand Egyptian Museum Corporate Identity by Rana Gaber

Grand Egyptian Museum Corporate Identity by Rana Gaber is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 A' Design Award an Gold in Grafik, Illustratioun a Visuell Kommunikatiounsdesign Competition Category.

GoldGrafik· 2020

Grand Egyptian Museum Corporate Identity

by Rana Gaber

Client: Rana Hossam

A' Design Award an Gold Winner in Grafik Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About Grand Egyptian Museum Corporate Identity

De Grand Egyptian Museum ass eng Corporate Identity fir e Musée vun antike egypteschen Artefakten. De Logo ass aus fënnef Hieroglyphen opgebaut, déi Egypten liesen, kombinéiert an eng geometresch an einfach Form. Déi verlängert rechteckeg Form ass vum Cartouche inspiréiert, engem Kader, deen e kinnekleche Numm ugëtt. Schwaarz ass d'Haaptfaarf, well d'Ufere vum Nil dat Schwaarzt Land genannt goufen. Déi sekundär Faarwen sinn inspiréiert vun antikem egypteschem Bijou. Roboto ass d'Haaptschrëft, well seng Wénkelen a Kéieren zu deene vum Logotyp passen. En experimentellt Signaletik-System gouf entwéckelt.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award an Gold

Grand Egyptian Museum Corporate Identity ass e Gewënner vum A' Design Award an Gold, enger héich prestigiéiser Unerkennung, déi un éischtklassesch, wonnerbar an erausragend Designe vergi gëtt. Gold-Gewënner si ganz innovativ, visionär a blendend glänzend Kreatiounen, déi d'Talent, d'Wäisheet an d'Fäegkeete vun hire Designer reflektéieren. Et gëtt erwaart, datt Grand Egyptian Museum Corporate Identity eng héich gelueften, trendsetzend a monumental Erfindung ass, déi beispillosen Wäert liwwert. Dëst mam Gold ausgezeechent Design ass e spektakuläert, respektéiert Projet, dat d'Grenze vun der Konscht, der Wëssenschaft, vum Design an der Technologie erweidert. Grand Egyptian Museum Corporate Identity erzeegt intensiv Wënsch, erweckt Leidenschaft, encouragéiert Kreativitéit a faszinéiert eis.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: While maintaining the use of ancient Egyptian design aesthetics as an inspiration, a logo was created using five hieroglyphs that read Egypt. They were combined together to create this geometrical yet simple look and feel. The elongated rectangular shape is inspired by the cartouche; a frame indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name. Black is the primary color because ancient Egyptians referred to the banks of the Nile as the Black Land. The secondary colors were inspired by colorful ancient Egyptian jewelry designs. Lastly, an experimental signage system was developed
Dimensions & Packaging: The aspect ratio of the logo is 6:2.3. The letter 'E' form the logo was used as a measuring unit. Roboto was chosen as the main typeface as it is a very modern and simple font. To add to this it is somehow geometrical. the angles and the curves of the font are the same angles and curves of the logo type. This similarity creates harmony and consisitincy
Tags: Visual Identity, Logo, Branding, Typography, Signage system
Production Technology: Exploring different visual languages to develop a logo and a signage system that is inspired from the hieroglyphs.
Design Challenge: Capturing the essence of the history with all it’s reverence was challenging enough. But the true Everest of this project was bridging the gap between the past and present. To bring that history with all its pretense into today’s world, required a deep dive into what is relatable. The research showed that most modern interpretations of ancient Egypt end up looking comical or simply a caricature.

If I were to avoid that pitfall, the design had to be simple. This was a case of less is more. In order to be relatable in today’s world the answer had to be Simplicity.

Tremendous time and effort went into carrying the complexity of the history within the folds of a simple modern design. Finding that common ground was at the heart of the creative/research challenge.
Research: My research process depends entirely on the subject matter. Thus every project dictates the path I take to best understand the subject. The goal is not learn about an idea. Therefore the challenge lies in finding the purest, simplest meaning behind it.

My research journey for this project had to begin with spending a lot of time with the curators of the original museum. A masterpiece in it's own right with a rich history beyond a century old. I also invested many hours of study with the resident Egyptologists, archaeologists and guides. People who dedicated their lives to becoming that history. They were the key as they helped me understand the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, their deeper meanings and even how to pronounce them. To know how a language sounded paints a mental image in itself. They taught me how to make sentences out of hieroglyphs. I then buttressed this new knowledge by doing my own readings, including 'Egyptian Grammar' by Sir Alan Gardiner.

I took a deep dive into philology, literature, vocabulary, and translation. Only at the end of this exhausting yet exhilarating journey, did I start sketching and drawing until I reached to a simple clear iconography.
Inspiration: The Grand Egyptian Museum hosts the most prominent collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts, dating back to various historical epochs. Developing a visual identity posed a great challenge; to represent the gravitas of the history while maintaining a modern and fresh look. The research and exploration process led to a rich identity inspired by the basic shapes of ancient Egyptian alphabets hieroglyphs. I incorporated hieroglyphs in the logotype and the signage system to invoke the ancient Egyptian culture and style. The viewer familiarizes with hieroglyphs without feeling foreign
Project Duration: 2015 German University in Cairo, 3 months
During the pre-master in Graphic Design Degree.
Operation Flow: It Creates a unique visual experience, where it also introduces people to ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs through a modern yet simple corporate identity.
Team Members: none.
Image Credits: credits to: Shutterstock and bensound