UAEUpdated

A brand designer for the UAE,
from new setup to rebrand.

I’m a brand designer for UAE businesses, working remotely: new company setups on the mainland or in free zones such as RAKEZ, and established firms ready for a rebrand. For the UAE I design Arabic and English versions of the name, logo and type so they work as one brand, including right-to-left layouts. Calls happen in UAE time (GMT+4), proposals come in USD or AED, and a logo takes 2–4 weeks, a brand identity 4–10 weeks and a rebrand 6–12 weeks.

Languages
Arabic + English
Calls
UAE time, GMT+4
Proposals
USD or AED
Brand identity
4–10 weeks
Book a Free CallSee the work

Branding in the UAE: what is different here

The UAE is a federation of seven emirates, and Arabic is its official language. On the street the two languages sit together: the government portal notes that road signs and signs on commercial outlets are in Arabic and English. So for a UAE company, Arabic is part of the brief from the first call, not a version added at the end. My guide to bilingual Arabic–English brands covers type pairing, lockups and right-to-left rules.

The number of active companies grew 118.7% between September 2021 and the end of 2025, to more than 1.4 million, with around 250,000 set up in 2025 alone. In Dubai, 71,830 new companies joined Dubai Chamber of Commerce that year. Real GDP grew 6.2% in 2025, and trade, finance and insurance, construction and manufacturing were the largest parts of the non-oil economy. With that many new companies each year, a brand that looks like every other setup is easy to forget, so I start with how you differ from the companies around you in brand strategy.

Where you register shapes the brand work. Mainland licenses come from each emirate’s economic department (in Fujairah, from Fujairah Municipality), and that is where you apply for the trade name. Free zones have licensing authorities of their own, such as RAKEZ. The trademark is a separate registration with the federal Ministry of Economy and Tourism.

  • Arabic above English on Dubai shopfrontsDubai’s shopfront rules, based on the 2024 Outdoor Advertising Manual and enforced by the Department of Economy and Tourism, allow one trade name per shop, displayed horizontally with Arabic above English, and static content only. If your logo only works side by side, plan a stacked lockup for the sign.
  • Abu Dhabi treats Latin as the second languageAbu Dhabi’s Commercial Signage Regulations (version 5.0, 2022) let a sign add a second language in Latin letters and a business logo, and keep phone numbers and websites to 10% of the sign area. With signs on commercial outlets in Arabic and English, the Arabic name needs as much design care as the English one.
  • Trade names have rulesA mainland trade name must end with the legal form, such as LLC or EST, fit your activity, and leave out the names of any religion or governing authority and the names or logos of outside bodies. It also cannot already be registered. Get the trade name approved before a logo is drawn around it.
  • Trademarks are checked against older marksThe Ministry of Economy and Tourism examines each application to make sure the mark is not identical or similar to one already registered or applied for. Accepted marks are published in the Official Trademark Bulletin for a 30-day objection period, and protection renews ten years at a time.
  • Arabic on product labelsThe US International Trade Administration’s guide says food labels in the UAE must be in Arabic only or Arabic and English. Arabic stickers are accepted, but they must be approved and applied before export, not on arrival. Toy warning labels need Arabic too. If you sell products, plan the Arabic into the pack.
  • The workweek changed in 2022Since January 1, 2022, the federal government has worked Monday to Thursday and Friday morning, with Saturday and Sunday off, while Sharjah’s government works Monday to Thursday. The UAE is four hours ahead of GMT, and I set calls and weekly check-ins inside your workweek.

Services for UAE

All services

What you get

  • A free first call30 minutes in UAE time about your company, your license and where the brand will appear.
  • A fixed written proposalOne price in USD or AED, the timeline and the deliverables in writing. The price never changes mid-project.
  • Arabic and English as one brandThe name, logo and type designed to work together in both languages, including right-to-left layouts.
  • Two revision rounds per phaseRoom to refine each phase, with weekly check-ins in your time zone.
  • Guidelines and a Figma libraryIdentity projects hand over brand guidelines (PDF) and a Figma library with source files.

How it works, step by step

  1. 01Discovery

    A free 30-minute call in UAE time about your company, license and customers, then a fixed written proposal.

    • Free call
    • GMT+4
    • Written proposal

  2. 02Strategy

    Positioning, audience and messaging, and where Arabic or English leads on each touchpoint.

    • Positioning
    • Audience
    • Two languages

  3. 03Identity

    Logo system, Arabic and Latin type, color and lockups for signs and screens, with weekly check-ins and two revision rounds per phase.

    • Logo system
    • RTL layouts
    • Revisions

  4. 04Handover

    Brand guidelines (PDF) and a Figma library for identity projects, plus clean master files for your trademark lawyer.

    • Guidelines
    • Figma library
    • Full ownership

Closest work: real estate, construction, logistics, hospitality

All work

What clients say

All reviews
Behance
After completing an exceptionally comprehensive brand identity I can honestly say he delivered above expectations with an excellent finished product & memorable client experience.
Douglas BrunsonBrand identity · Oct 2023

Cities in UAE

Also available, remotely, to businesses in

  • Dubai
  • Abu Dhabi
  • Al Ain
  • Fujairah
  • Umm Al Quwain

Questions founders ask

Do you work with businesses in Al Ain, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain?

Yes. I work as a brand designer for businesses in all three, remotely, on calls in UAE time. Al Ain is a region of Abu Dhabi emirate, with 986,910 residents in 2024, so its mainland licenses come from Abu Dhabi’s Department of Economic Development and its shop signs follow Abu Dhabi’s Commercial Signage Regulations. Fujairah is the only emirate entirely on the east coast, and there the license and trade name come from Fujairah Municipality. In Umm Al Quwain, the least populated emirate, they come from its Department of Economic Development.

What branding does a new business setup in the UAE need first?

Start with the name. On the mainland you apply for the trade name through the emirate’s economic department (in Fujairah, Fujairah Municipality), and it has rules: the legal form at the end, no restricted names and no duplicates. Then a logo, in Arabic and English if you will have a shopfront, packaging or Arabic-speaking customers. Logo design takes 2–4 weeks; a full brand identity takes 4–10 weeks and can follow once you are trading.

Can you brand a company set up in RAKEZ?

Yes, remotely. RAKEZ, the Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone, licenses free zone and non-free zone businesses and offers license options for more than 3,000 business activities. Branding for a RAKEZ company starts from that activity, because it decides where the brand shows up first: labels and packaging for a trading or manufacturing company, proposals and a website for a consultancy. The trademark is still a federal registration with the Ministry of Economy and Tourism.

Do you take on rebrands for companies in Dubai?

Yes. A rebrand takes 6–12 weeks and a brand refresh 3–6 weeks. In Dubai, plan the shopfront early: each shop may display one trade name, horizontally, with Arabic above English. If the name itself changes, check the trade license and the trademark with your lawyer before launch, so the new sign, license and mark match.

Do I need an Arabic logo in the UAE?

No rule I checked asks for a separate Arabic logo, but two of them call for Arabic: a Dubai trade-name sign shows the name in Arabic above English, and food labels must be in Arabic only or Arabic and English. If your logo is the name on your shopfront, its Arabic version is part of that sign. Signs on commercial outlets across the UAE are in Arabic and English, so I design both versions together, before a sign maker or label printer has to set your name in Arabic on their own.

How much does branding cost in the UAE?

It depends on the scope: a logo, a full identity or a rebrand, in one language or two. After a free 30-minute call you get a fixed written proposal in USD or AED with one price, the timeline and the deliverables, and the price never changes mid-project. The brand identity cost guide on this site explains typical market ranges in Dubai and the US.

Do you file the trademark for my UAE company?

No. Your lawyer files it with the Ministry of Economy and Tourism, and I hand over clean final files for the application. If the owner is outside the UAE, the Ministry requires the application to go through a registration agent with a notarized power of attorney. Because the Ministry checks every mark against earlier ones, my naming service runs a preliminary trademark search before you commit to a name.

Related reading

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