Expo 2020 was all about innovation, collaboration, and inspiration, and represented the UAE’s commitment to building a cleaner, safer, and healthier future for everyone. The theme of the event was “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, and it was set to be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia region.

Expo 2020 seized the opportunity to introspect on its sustainability performance, bringing along on this exciting journey its valued stakeholders, including international participants, partners, and members of the supply chain. Guided by transparency and accountability, the organization looked to enhance its measures of responsible practices and commitments towards delivering one of the most sustainable world expos ever held—to equip readers with a complete perspective of the contributions and impacts created by Expo 2020.

In order to showcase the Expo’s message of “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”” in a striking way while also promoting sustainable practices and remaining within the Expo’s Brand Guidelines, the project’s goal was to create an outstanding sustainable book using the Expo brand colors, icons, solid custom supergraphic lines, and custom logo patterns. Here is how we produced such a book in association with one of the top big four consulting firms in the UAE Expo Team.

Developed a design plan: To start, we came up with a design strategy that outlined the structure and overall look of the book in three distinct styling ideas. We chose the appropriate custom logo patterns to use after thinking about how the Expo brand’s colors, icons, and super graphic lines could be incorporated into the book’s design.

Selecting a color scheme: We built the book’s color scheme around the Expo brand colors. Different hues of yellow, red, blue, green, margenta, and orange were considered for use as accent colors, with white or cream/sand serving as the background color. Additionally, we tried out various color schemes to produce distinctive and eye-catching design chapters.

Incorporated unique icons: To represent the various sections and chapters of the book, we used unique icons throughout. We thought about using straightforward, simple-to-understand icons that were relevant to the book’s subject matter. An icon of a tree, for instance, indicated a section on environmental or sustainability-related issues.

Utilized supergraphic lines: To add visual interest and direct the reader’s eye through the section breaks, we used supergraphic lines. To make a design that is dynamic and compelling, we used various line weights and styles.

Integrated custom logo patterns: The Expo 2020 brand features custom logo patterns that we incorporated throughout the book’s design. We used these patterns as a background element or to add visual interest to chapter fillers and headings or other design elements such as call out boxes and profile mug shots.

Designed the cover: The cover was the first thing the reader saw, so it was important to make it visually appealing and reflective of the book’s content. The cover page reflected the image of Al Wasl Plaza that was inspired by the shape of the Expo 2020 Dubai logo and acted as an immersive 360-degree projection surface.

Overall, we created an outstanding sustainable book in an informative way with a fresh look and feel, that was aesthetically appealing and easy to read, showcasing the Expo’s message to promote sustainable practices.

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