Haleema Al Owais : Sharjah, a hub of culture, industry, and craft, stands out with its unique individuality and a rich heritage of investing in art, culture, and family values. It proudly holds the title of the first Emirate to establish a school of art and design and the first to host a Biennale in the Middle East in 1993. With a staggering sixteen museums, it’s a paradise for art lovers. This is where Sharjah’s new creative identity comes to life, revealing its fascinating history.
Sharjah, the cultural and industrial heart of the UAE, is home to nearly 2,000,000 people and has been officially recognized as a healthy city by the WHO. In 2016, QS Best Student Cities ranked Sharjah as the 68th best City in the world for university students. Sharjah is renowned as the cultural capital of the UAE, and in 2014, it was designated as the Islamic culture capital. Moreover, UNESCO has honoured Sharjah as the World Book Capital in 2019.
Sharjah’s new brand identity is a reflection of its rich history, ambitious and vibrant arts, and cultural landscape. It offers a glimpse into why it is and always has been the preferred place to live, work, and visit for not just its natives but also the millions of Expatriates who call the UAE home.
Sharjah’s new identity is a warm embrace, paying tribute to its famous 1970s sign, ‘Smile, you’re in Sharjah,’ that greeted all cars entering the City. The new logo echoes this friendly tone, highlighting Sharjah’s openness, rich heritage, lively arts scene, dynamic nature, and vibrant culture. It’s a place where everyone, from locals to the few million Expatriates who call the UAE home, and where people are not just welcomed but valued.
Emblematic of the City’s architecture, the arch also symbolizes integrity. The elegantly rounded alphabets introduce an element of transitions and passageways that, in turn, embody the ideas of transformation, progress, and journeys through Sharjah. This is a place where transformation and progress are not just words but a way of life, inspiring hope and optimism while reflecting on the Emirate’s core: tourism, arts and culture with museums, multiple parks, and the UAE’s most loved wildlife and eco-tourism opportunities, the industry sector with over nineteen industrial zones for this multi-billion dollar sector, education and knowledge with some of the largest and most recognized institutes in the region, history and heritage with past perfectly preserved and above all people and family values a testament to which is Sharjah’s status of the preferred place to live, laugh and grow.
So here’s to many great years under our new identity, and as they say, “Great New Look – Same Great Soul!.”
