For Qatar’s National Day, a new channel was established to celebrate the occasion and promote Qatari culture around the Arab world. Broadcasting on Nilesat, Hotbird, Arabsat and AsiaSat, the programming would be a combination of live National Day celebrations, documentaries, talk shows and news bulletins -- covering both modern and traditional aspects of Qatar.The new channel needed a brand idea, a full package of channel and programme idents, a news package and on-screen presentation graphics.

As the channel was to be on-air for just a week, the branding solution needed to achieve both high impact and an instant association with Qatar. Additionally, the channel was intended to appeal to visitors and business audiences alike. As such, its content encompassed a wide range of topics -- from heritage, tourism and sport -- to business, industry and education.In short, we needed to highlight Qatar’s many unique qualities, and showcase the nation.

As the channel was temporary, there is no viewing data. However, anecdotally the channel was very well received and the National Day Organising Committee was extremely pleased with our solution.

Philippe Chapon, Creative Manager for the channel commented: "We needed a creative idea for the channel crafted to a high standard, yet be cost-effective and delivered in a short timescale. Working with [the agency] was a pleasant and fruitful experience where high-end delivery was achieved on all the requirements."

Almost immediately, animation was identified as a cost-effective means of contrasting with the largely filmed live-action content.

We created a rich, illustrated world rooted in the national colours of maroon and white. A triangle from the Qatari flag became a graphical pattern-making device, resolving into the channel’s logo; while the series of idents portray scenes of Qatar such as desert, modern city, traditional souk, industry, sports and education, as well as an abstract ident for multi-purpose use.

The final solution utilized the creative possibilities of animation, while seamlessly integrating the tangibility of film.