Reaching horizons

Launching Saudi Arabia’s cyber security industry SITE was created by a Royal Decree, mandated to lead the way for a nascent cyber security industry and ecosystem in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 100% owned by PIF, it was created to compete and collaborate with some of the world’s biggest names.

Their ambition is such that within 10 years they aim to be a world-renowned IT and cyber security firm, not only in the provision of services to government and business, but in the seed funding and incubation of promising Saudi digital start-ups and even the training and educating of Saudis in digital and cyber security skills.

The brand needed to be positioned to simultaneously convey the gravitas and skillset of an established IT and cyber security consultancy, while maintaining a hierarchically flat and entrepreneurial start-up culture which was at the heart of this exciting business.

With the brand being positioned to tread the fine line between established consultancy and agile start-up the brand idea Reaching Horizons delved into the intangible and mysterious world of cyber security. It sought to convey a complex idea that the cyber threats organisations faced were being created in the depths of hidden dimensions that were imperceivable and impenetrable. SITE was able to succeed because it attracted the industry’s most talented people who were able to do the impossible; seeing what could not be seen and stopping what was yet to occur.

Reaching the horizon is an impossible feat. As such it was an apt metaphor for the brand and business. But the design system went a step further. In the spirit of collaboration and partnership, SITE became the pioneers who charted the path beyond the horizon and then lit the way for others to follow.

A visual identity was created that was built from perspective lines which represented ‘digital guide-ropes’ into the unknown. It was designed to convey the gravitas needed to position it as one of the world’s leading IT and cyber security consultancies, but also as an agile organisation with a progressive culture and business model. The system also had to leverage SITE’s Saudi heritage and when necessary convey that this was a business that served Saudi government

Beyond being able to convey the brand idea, the brand needed to live across the many corporate touch points you would expect and of course had to live online. 

We demonstrated how the visual identity could work for print materials, but more importantly we supported SITE in the development of their online brand experience. We worked hand-in-hand with their UX team to create a UI that was intuitive and expressive across navigation, iconography, illustrations and motion.

Finally, given the complex nature to the stakeholders that SITE was going to have to reach, we developed a messaging guide that helped to convey the brand consistently for a suite of distinct audiences. The guidelines ensured that the brand could remain on-topic, compelling and relevant when it was speaking to businesses (whether Saudi or international), students, IT professionals, Saudi entrepreneurs, potential talent, government or investors