Social Station

From Static Sanctuary to Digital Champion

How Social Station Reimagined Bareeq’s Website, Empowering Youth in Conflict Zones

Client

Bareeq Organization

Role

Strategy
Branding
Concept
Art Direction
Web Design & Development

Deliverables

Brand Identity
Website Copy
Web Design & Development

Date

July 2023

Introduction

Amidst the chaos of conflict zones, a glimmer of hope flickered: Bareeq, a non-profit organization dedicated to nurturing the aspirations of war-torn youth. Determined to expand their reach, Bareeq joined forces with Social Station, embarking on a fruitful mission: to transform their physical haven into a digital platform, empowering young minds around the world.

Challenge

Bareeq’s former website, initially a static resource center, faced challenges stemming from language barriers, unreliable internet access, and a lack of engaging features, rendering it outdated. In response to the evident digital divide, we revamped their website into a dynamic platform. The primary objectives were to overcome language barriers and to foster a supportive online community. This transformation represents a vital lifeline, connecting youth globally with invaluable resources, mentorship, and the promise of a brighter future.

Solution

We didn’t merely redesign; we reimagined. Social Station envisioned a platform that not only informed but ignited hearts. Our strategy?

Building Empathy Through Design
Visual storytelling: Heartfelt testimonials and captivating imagery, translated into multiple languages, bring Bareeq’s mission to life. Users don’t just read about impact; they feel it.

Intuitive interface: Clean lines, user-friendly navigation, and accessibility features eliminate digital barriers, ensuring even those with limited resources can access crucial information.

Connecting Minds Beyond Borders
Online forums and community features: Cultural exchange thrives in virtual spaces, fostering empathy and forging connections across conflict lines. Formerly isolated youth are now part of a global community of support.

Personalized dashboards: Tailored resources, opportunities, and mentorship matches replace one-size-fits-all solutions. Each user’s journey toward success becomes uniquely their own.

Rebranding with the Core Mission in Mind
Strategic redesign: This was more than just rebranding; it’s all about understanding the mission’s importance, we crafted an easy, accessible, visually appealing, and effective representation. As marketers, this is how we played our part in aiding their mission.

Building Empathy Through Design

Visual storytelling: Heartfelt testimonials and captivating imagery, translated into multiple languages, bring Bareeq’s mission to life. Users don’t just read about impact; they feel it.

Intuitive interface: Clean lines, user-friendly navigation, and accessibility features eliminate digital barriers, ensuring even those with limited resources can access crucial information.

Connecting Minds Beyond Borders

Online forums and community features: Cultural exchange thrives in virtual spaces, fostering empathy and forging connections across conflict lines. Formerly isolated youth are now part of a global community of support.

Personalized dashboards: Tailored resources, opportunities, and mentorship matches replace one-size-fits-all solutions. Each user’s journey toward success becomes uniquely their own.

Rebranding with the Core Mission in Mind

Strategic redesign: This was more than just rebranding; it’s all about understanding the mission’s importance, we crafted an easy, accessible, visually appealing, and effective representation. As marketers, this is how we played our part in aiding their mission.

 

 

 

Client Feedback

“Bareeq’s digital advocacy has been a game-changer for our mission. The increased visibility and engagement have translated into tangible benefits for the youth we serve.”

Client Representative

Our Process

Development

Visual storytelling: Heartfelt testimonials and captivating imagery, translated into multiple languages, brought Bareeq’s mission to life. Users wouldn’t just read about impact; they’d feel it.

Intuitive interface: Clean lines, user-friendly navigation, and accessibility features eliminated the digital barrier, ensuring even those with limited resources could access crucial resources.

Design

Visual storytelling: Heartfelt testimonials and captivating imagery, translated into multiple languages, brought Bareeq’s mission to life. Users wouldn’t just read about impact; they’d feel it.

Intuitive interface: Clean lines, user-friendly navigation, and accessibility features eliminated the digital barrier, ensuring even those with limited resources could access crucial resources.

Discovery

Online forums and community features: Cultural exchange thrived in virtual spaces, fostering empathy and forging connections across conflict lines. Young people, once isolated, became part of a global community of support.
Personalized dashboards: Tailored resources, opportunities, and mentorship matches replaced one-size-fits-all solutions. Each user’s journey towards success became uniquely their own.

Re-branding

The pivotal step in our rebranding journey is the creation of a distinctive logo, serving as the cornerstone of Bareeq’s visual identity. Commencing with this focal point, we aimed to encapsulate the organization’s mission and values. The revamped logo now embodies empowerment, growth, and resilience. The strategic use of the color purple in the logo not only reinforces brand consistency but also introduces a powerful visual element. Purple, associated with creativity and wisdom, perfectly complements Bareeq’s identity, contributing to a recognizable and impactful brand presence. This deliberate color choice aims to resonate with the audience, conveying a sense of inspiration and aligning seamlessly with Bareeq’s overarching goals.

Challenge

Before the digital transformation, Bareeq faced challenges in user engagement on its website. To address this, we reinforced their digital advocacy, conducted a comprehensive analysis, utilizing attention insight studies and heat maps to understand user behavior and preferences.

Old Logo

Old Logo Design:

Lack of Grid and Inconsistent Measurements

The old logo suffers from a lack of a consistent grid structure. The absence of a grid results in unequal measurements and random angles, which can make the overall design appear disorganized and visually unpleasing. The use of a grid is fundamental in creating a balanced and professional look for a logo.

Lack of Representation and Meaning

The previous representation lacked depth and significance. This deficiency in meaningful symbolism hindered the communication of the organization’s core mission – the transformative power of education in shaping lives.

Lack of Grid and Inconsistent Measurements

The old logo suffers from a lack of a consistent grid structure. The absence of a grid results in unequal measurements and random angles, which can make the overall design appear disorganized and visually unpleasing. The use of a grid is fundamental in creating a balanced and professional look for a logo.

Lack of Representation and Meaning
Online forums and community features: Cultural exchange thrived in virtual spaces, fostering empathy and forging connections across conflict lines. Young people, once isolated, became part of a global community of support.
Personalized dashboards: Tailored resources, opportunities, and mentorship matches replaced one-size-fits-all solutions. Each user’s journey towards success became uniquely their own.
Confusing Arabic Typography
The choice to write “BAREEQ” in Arabic vertically is a good attempt to infuse cultural elements, but the confusion arises due to the upside-down orientation. Traditional Arabic script is read from right to left, top to bottom, and the current orientation deviates from this norm. This could lead to misunderstanding and make it less accessible to the audience.
Inconsistency in Dot Placement
Online forums and community features: Cultural exchange thrived in virtual spaces, fostering empathy and forging connections across conflict lines. Young people, once isolated, became part of a global community of support.
Personalized dashboards: Tailored resources, opportunities, and mentorship matches replaced one-size-fits-all solutions. Each user’s journey towards success became uniquely their own.

Confusing Arabic Typography

The decision to write “BAREEQ” in Arabic vertically was a commendable attempt to incorporate cultural elements, but confusion arose due to the upside-down orientation. Traditional Arabic script is read from right to left, top to bottom, and the adopted orientation deviates from this norm. This potentially led to misunderstandings and made it less accessible to the audience

Inconsistency in Dot Placement

The placement of dots in the logo exhibited inconsistency, contributing to a lack of uniformity in the design. Dots are pivotal elements in Arabic typography, often indicating specific sounds or letters. In the previous design, their erratic placement not only disrupted the visual harmony but also risked conveying unintended meanings. Achieving consistency in dot placement is crucial for ensuring clarity in communication and maintaining a cohesive visual identity.

The Re-design

The redesigned logo aimed for simplicity, versatility, and scalability while retaining the essence of Bareeq’s mission and values.

Logo Variations

Client Feedback

“Bareeq’s digital advocacy has been a game-changer for our mission. The increased visibility and engagement have translated into tangible benefits for the youth we serve.”

Client Representative

Typeface

Our updated selection of fonts is designed to complement the logo, creating a harmonious visual representation. The primary font, Lato, aligns seamlessly with the logo’s clean and modern aesthetic, contributing to a cohesive brand image. When employed for headings, Lato adds a touch of personality, echoing the symbolic elements present in the logo.
Additionally, our Arabic font, Almaarai, has been carefully chosen to maintain consistency and cultural relevance. Almaarai not only complements the English font but also reflects our commitment to inclusivity, ensuring our brand identity resonates effectively across diverse linguistic and cultural landscapes.

Lato

Aa

Almaarai

أب

Colors

Our carefully selected color palette plays a pivotal rolein conveying the essence and values of Bareeq. Each color has been chosen with a specific purpose in mind, representing our empowerment, inclusivity, and positive transformation for the marginalized individuals.

#603F80
(Deep Violet)

#40265B
(Rich Indigo)

#D1B2E0
(Lavender Mist)

#EADFCB
(Pristine Cream)

Before & After

Vs.

Elevating Mobile Experience

Recognizing the growing importance of mobile accessibility, Bareeq aimed to create a seamless user experience for individuals accessing the website on various devices, particularly mobile phones. The initial mobile design faced challenges in terms of responsiveness and user engagement.

Responsive Redesign
We implemented a responsive design, ensuring that the Bareeq website adapts seamlessly to various screen sizes. The enhanced mobile experience caters to users on smartphones and tablets, optimizing content visibility and navigation.
Optimized Load Times
The old mobile design faced issues related to load times, impacting the overall user experience and potentially deterring users from exploring the site further.

Responsive Redesign

We implemented a responsive design, ensuring that the Bareeq website adapts seamlessly to various screen sizes. The enhanced mobile experience caters to users on smartphones and tablets, optimizing content visibility and navigation.

Optimized Load Times

The old mobile design faced issues related to load times, impacting the overall user experience and potentially deterring users from exploring the site further.

 

A Comparative Analysis

Challenge

Before the digital transformation, Bareeq faced challenges in user engagement on its website. To address this, we conducted a comprehensive analysis, utilizing attention insight studies and heat maps to understand user behavior and preferences.

Heat Map Analysis

Old Website

Responsive Redesign

Users were often not drawn to key sections of the website, resulting in low interaction with crucial content.

Navigation Challenges
The user journey was less intuitive, leading to potential information gaps and drop-offs.
Cold Spots
Certain sections lacked user attention, indicating areas that required optimization.

Responsive Redesign

Users were often not drawn to key sections of the website, resulting in low interaction with crucial content.

Navigation Challenges

The user journey was less intuitive, leading to potential information gaps and drop-offs.

Cold Spots

Certain sections lacked user attention, indicating areas that required optimization.

Vs.

New Website

Enhanced User Engagement
Strategically redesigned to captivate users, the new website ensures heightened interaction with key sections, guaranteeing increased engagement with vital content.
Optimized User Journey
With a more intuitive navigation system, the revamped website eliminates potential information gaps and reduces drop-offs, offering users a seamless and efficient journey.
Focused Attention
Identified and addressed, the new website eradicates hot spots by directing user attention to previously overlooked sections, optimizing the overall user experience.

Enhanced User Engagement

Strategically redesigned to captivate users, the new website ensures heightened interaction with key sections, guaranteeing increased engagement with vital content.

Optimized User Journey

With a more intuitive navigation system, the revamped website eliminates potential information gaps and reduces drop-offs, offering users a seamless and efficient journey.

Focused Attention

Identified and addressed, the new website eradicates hot spots by directing user attention to previously overlooked sections, optimizing the overall user experience.

Social Station: Elevating Impact Through Digital Expertise

Our partnership with Bareeq was envisioned to elevate and amplify the impact of their mission, pushing the boundaries of what they could achieve and reaching new heights in their pursuit of meaningful goals.

Strategic Planning: A Tailored Approach to Success

The collaboration kicked off by conducting a comprehensive analysis of Bareeq’s organizational goals and challenges. This meticulous examination laid the groundwork for a bespoke digital strategy intricately aligned with Bareeq’s overarching mission. The strategic planning phase set the stage for targeted and impactful digital interventions, ensuring each initiative was purposeful and directed toward amplifying Bareeq’s impact.

SEO Optimization: Driving Organic Growth

Recognizing the critical role of search engine visibility, we implemented a robust SEO optimization plan for Bareeq’s website. This initiative aimed to enhance the organization’s online presence, resulting in improved visibility and a notable surge in organic traffic. The successful execution of SEO optimization played a pivotal role in achieving a substantial increase in Bareeq’s website traffic, further amplifying the reach of its mission and programs.

Rebranding for Impact

Understanding the power of visual communication, we embarked on a meticulous rebranding journey. The goal was not just to refresh their appearance but to imbue their brand with a renewed sense of purpose and resonance. By crafting a visually compelling narrative that harmonized with their mission, we aimed to create a brand identity that would stand as a beacon, attracting support and fostering a deeper connection with their audience.

Recognizing the need for a robust digital strategy, Bareeq partnered with SocialStation, a leading digital marketing agency known for its innovative approaches and successful campaigns.

The collaboration between Bareeq and Social Station exemplifies the power of partnerships in driving social impact. SocialStation’s digital expertise has been instrumental in achieving key milestones, turning Bareeq’s digital transformation into a success story.

digital@socialstation.ae

+971 4 228-3338

+971 58 576 2425

+971 58 576 2425

Dubai Investment Park (DIP-1), Industry Ring St.,
Central Plaza, Zone 1, Office No. 320, Dubai – UAE

Designed & Developed by Social Station

Designed & Developed by Social Station