Folk Maritime is an ambitious shipping and logistics specialist headquartered in Saudi Arabia. On a mission to reinforce KSA’s position as a global logistics hub, they combine a compelling product offer with an efficient, customer-centric and cost-effective service which supports the growth of the region’s vital maritime sector. Globally, they are perfectly placed from a logistics point of view, and Folk have a clear mandate to take the number one market share position in the Middle East. Our job was to create a brand that would help them do just that.
Targeting multiple audiences spanning B2B, B2G and regulatory entities, Folk needed a powerful, differentiating and flexible brand strategy and identity to ensure they would make an impact in the market place quickly, building credibility and positioning them for future growth. Their brand needed to flex, and be equally fit-for-purpose on large scale physical executions to digital platforms, and delivering a coherent brand experience at all scales, across all channels.
Taking inspiration from their nautical heritage and anchoring the brand to its Saudi home, the name Folk is taken from the Quran and means ‘to travel the sea’. We worked closely with the client team to define a robust strategic framework that would deliver on their business ambitions and support their commitment to outstanding service and delivery. A perfect marriage of semaphore flags and Arabic patterns inspired the brand language and iconography, resulting in a striking and unique identity which gives a distinct nod to their nautical heritage and Saudi Arabian heritage.
We developed a bold and dynamic visual language system that references both the international maritime signal flag system and Al-Qatt Al-Asiri, which is a style of Saudi Arabian art.
Recently, Al-Qatt Al-Asiri was added to the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
