The Online Economic Bulletin analyzes economic topics with an impact on Dubai’s growth path, trade, and investments. Prepared by the Economic Planning Division within the Economic Policies and Studies Sector.

Challenges

I was approached to design a series of printed governmental bulletins that were linked to the parent publication, the annual Dubai Economic Report (link). The content was complex and timely economic data and presented in English and Arabic, mirroring the parent publication.The client intended the bulletins to be printed, like a brochure.

Solutions

I made recommendations that would improve reader access to the information, streamline the design and production process, while reducing costs and environmental impact. Additionally it would be more consistent with Dubai’s “City of the Future” initiative. I suggested that the first few issues could serve as a pilot test, then transition to a full digital version. The online format allowed us to include interactive infographics, making the publication more engaging. We adopted a simple layout that could easily accommodate the bilingual nature of the bulletin with a high level of readability and easy navigation.

Results

• The simple and straightforward design enabled content rich information to be more easily consumed
• The design was on-brand with the Dubai Economic Development print publications
• The client was pleased with the implementation of the digital bulletin and agreed to extend it through the rest of the year
• The online bulletin furthered Dubai’s “City of the Future” initiative
• The digital publication was eco-friendly and saved on printing costs
• The online publication has the potential to reach a much larger audience, faster, can be retained or shared for a longer period of time 
• Provided the department with more engaging content to share with stakeholders as well as the general public