Chinook Nile Cruises Branding
Chinook Nile Cruises is a new company who, by late 2011, will be offering luxury cruises down the Nile in one of their custom built, elegant, Dahabiya sail boats. The vessel will carry approximately 20 guests to some of the true wonders of the ancient world, providing a once in a lifetime experience. Revolting has been working closely with the client and boat designer to create a luxury brand that communicates and will be part of a truly unique and unforgettable experience.

The above designs are our initial ideas for the logo. These are quick concepts that are conceived in Illustrator after having been researched and penned down on paper. The best ideas from this starting stage were developed into four proposed concepts. Below are the final concepts we presented to the client.

Concept 1 - Sails
This mark is based on the two distinctive sails of the Dahabiya. We have taken inspiration from Arabic typography, rendering the sails from two simple calligraphic pen stocks. In keeping with the clean, abstract lines of the mark we have chosen a complementarity, san-serif typeface. Additionally, to reflect the tall, thin strokes we have chosen a condensed weight of the font.

Concept 2 - Papyrus Sun
This mark uses a shape based on the Dahabiya sails in a repeating pattern. This abstract shape represents the famous papyrus plant growing on the banks of the Nile. It also is indicative of a stylized sunrise/sunset motifs often seen in Art Deco designs inspired by ancient Egypt. We carried this theme across into the type with a subtle, modern take on 1920 typography. We also suggest a reimagining of the traditional typewriter font as corporate typeface. This conjures up notions of Agatha Christie, Jules Verne and elegant luxury.

Concept 3 - Arabic Signature
Again we are using the distinctive sails in a way that they could also be seen as pyramids, one of the most iconic symbols of Egypt. We have rendered these in a way that allures to the ancient history of the country. We have also incorporated the name of the vessel as rendered in Arabic. To accompany this we have used typeface that mirrors the fluid, hand-drawn feel, of this traditional type. This also gives the feel of a signature, a seal of quality and personal, high quality service.

Working closely with the client, listening to their ideas and views, we developed the chosen concept into the final logo above, with a complimentary colour palette and holding page for the website. www.chinook-nile-cruises.com

