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Learn about the Kingdom's Trademark System and Protect Your Company

Designing brand identities requires awareness of their impact on the target audience, a true understanding of the company’s message and goals, and, most importantly, familiarity with the Trademark Law by the Board of Experts, which defines what constitutes a trademark and ensures your company’s rights. Learn about design guidelines and methods for trademark inquiries.

Trademark Law by the Board of Experts

The Board of Experts at the Council of Ministers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia clarified the definition of a trademark in the Trademark Law as: "Names taken in a distinctive form or signatures, words, letters, numbers, drawings, symbols, seals, embossed inscriptions, or any other sign ... indicating that the item bearing the mark belongs to the trademark owner due to making, selecting, inventing, or trading it, or indicating the provision of a service."

The Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP) set the foundations for names or symbols that fall under the law and become trademarks, excluding common or ordinary names and symbols that do not distinguish a particular product or service with a specific owner.

A key factor for a name or symbol to enter the trademark system is having a distinctive form—whether words, letters, names, signatures, numbers, addresses, seals, drawings, images, inscriptions, or any combination. Hence, your brand choice must represent your project, reflect its identity, and leave a unique impression on the audience.

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Steps to Design a Distinctive Brand Reflecting Your Project’s Identity

The brand is the most important step when starting a new project because it is the full impression of your company that remains fixed in the minds of your audience. Selecting a brand requires awareness of the impact and value or goals you aim to achieve. When choosing a meaningful brand that reflects your project’s identity, you should follow these steps:

Define Your Goals and Values

Initially, have a clear vision of the goal you want to achieve and the positive impact your project will leave on society beyond profit. Define your unique value or solution.

Your brand’s behaviour should be driven by values and goals shaping its personality and influencing company culture and audience interaction. Selecting a brand includes identifying the target audience by demographics such as age, gender, interests, and geographical scope.

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Research and Analysis

Study the market and competitors, analyse them, and understand opportunities by filling gaps. This enables you to build a strong, distinctive brand offering added value to the market. Deep market and competitor analysis reveals your project’s strengths and weaknesses.

Target Customer Persona

Understand your target audience by building a potential customer persona outlining interests, values, challenges, aspirations, and barriers. Include other characteristics like age and gender.

Brand Personality

Once the customer persona is defined, build your brand’s identity and personality—is it trustworthy, creative, bold, or reliable? This defines tone of voice—formal, friendly, or inspiring.

Visual Elements

In brand visual design, consider:

  • Use coordinated colors and fonts expressing the brand’s identity and goal.

  • Integrate icons and symbols supporting the brand.

  • Design a distinctive and memorable logo.

Brand Usage Guidelines

Create a comprehensive guide for brand elements usage to help employees use logos, colors, fonts, and images appropriately. Provide design sizes suitable for website, social media, print, and outdoor ads.

Trademark Registration

If your company is a startup in Saudi Arabia, register your brand with the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property per the Trademark Law by the Board of Experts. Steps include:

Criteria for Choosing Colors and Fonts in Brand Design

Colors, fonts, and sizes influence brand visual identity. For example, Coca-Cola is identified by red, Nike by the black and white swoosh, and Shopify by the shopping bag with “S”.

Using colors and fonts intelligently is essential and must comply with the Trademark Law by the Board of Experts. Key criteria:

  • Alignment with brand identity (modern/playful or classic/formal).

  • Color psychology: warm colors like red/orange express passion/energy; blue implies trust; green signals calm.

  • Apply the 60-30-10 color distribution rule (60% neutral, 30% secondary, 10% accent).

  • Consider target audience impact.

  • Aim for unique colors/fonts for brand distinction.

  • Simplicity and readability for legacy across digital and print media.

  • Harmony between fonts and colors to build a strong visual identity.

How to Create a Unique Logo Supporting Your Brand

Unique logos like Apple’s bitten apple or Adidas’ three stripes spread widely through innovation. Before registering a trademark in Saudi Arabia, check the Trademark Law system for pre-registration searches.

Helpful tips:

  • Understand your brand for a matching logo.

  • Study competitors for inspiration.

  • Think creatively without fearing unusual combinations in design.

  • Keep the design simple, clear, and memorable.

  • Consider audience feedback for refinement.

Importance of Simplicity and Clarity in Brand Design

Brands should not confuse or overwhelm but foster distinction and communication by:

  • Conveying clear messages.

  • Reflecting confidence and credibility.

  • Being recognizable despite market saturation.

  • Creating flexible visuals adaptable to various media.

  • Enabling quicker marketing decisions.

  • Promoting customer loyalty through clarity and comfort.

  • Balancing aesthetics and simplicity.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in New Brand Design

According to the Trademark Law, brand design must be original and distinctive. Common mistakes by startups include:

  • Using temporary or ready-made designs losing uniqueness.

  • Choosing trendy but common fonts and colors that do not reflect identity.

  • Overly complex designs making memorability difficult.

  • Immediate design without market research, risking similarity.

  • Ignoring target audience leading to disconnect despite good design.

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FAQs

How do I search for a commercial name?
Commercial names differ from trademarks. In Saudi Arabia, check commercial names on the Ministry of Commerce website:

What’s the difference between a commercial name and a trademark?
A commercial name identifies the company, registered officially for legal use and agreements. A trademark is the logo or design representing a specific product or service.

How do I create my own brand?
Use AI tools like Canva AI, or design software like Photoshop or Illustrator, ensuring compliance with the Trademark Law by the Board of Experts in Saudi Arabia.

Who owns a trademark?
The legal exclusive right holder, which can be an individual, company, or public figure.

The Trademark Law by the Board of Experts protects intellectual property rights, so review the law and regulations when starting your business in Saudi Arabia.

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