[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="39591,39589,39590"] Sadiya A Nadeem Saudi Gazette Creativity is thinking, experimenting, making mistakes, having fun and growing. Two senior marketing students of Dar Al Hekma University (DAH), Reem Alwazir and Safia Alyamani, went beyond the realms of conventional university courses and conceptualized two creative projects that became the highlight of the recently concluded Business and Law Week. The young and talented girls organized a branding workshop, titled "Build your own iconic brand," for which they were in charge of from initiation to execution. "Being passionate about a certain field makes you want to spread it to others. As senior marketing students, my partner and I thought our Brand Management class gave only a small peak into the world of branding," said Alwazir, adding, "With the recent rise of female entrepreneurs, the need to learn about how one can stand out in this oversaturated market has become more important than ever. I mean, why not teach these ambitious women how to create their own iconic brands which will ensure sustainability for their businesses?" The two-day workshop, which was attended by 74 students on both days, was conducted by Amna Alyamani, brand communications expert of "Corporate Culture & Branding," Anas Alsafi, PCG partner and head of marketing consulting "The Brand Heart," Khalid Shakhshir, PCG managing partner "The Brand Heart," Marriam Mossalli, CEO and founder of Niche Luxury Consulting and fashion blogger "Digital Branding," and Said Baaghil, branding and marketing consultant "Brands & Their Essence." The workshop followed a competition in which the attendees presented their novel brands based on what they had learned. Noor Alwazir bagged the first place for her brand "Sukkar," a cake shop that revolves around technology. Eman Bakhotmah came in second for her healthy lifestyle brand "Flip." Sayeeda Ansari won the third place for "Hugs & Kisses," an iconic brand that offers customized, handmade cards. Shakshir said that the winners "understood the real difference their brand was making in the life of their consumers." He was impressed by the budding entrepreneurs' ideas and their thorough research on their product and market, and was confident that their brand would attract investors. "In simple words! Saudi's great minds for the planned future economy is at DAH University don't look any further. I'm proud and inspired!" said Baaghil. Alwazir and Alyamani were also the brainchild behind the life-size painting of King Salman, which was part of the university's corporate social responsibility (CSR). Julie Olsen, an instructor of DAH school of fashion, sketched an original portrait of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, which, later with the help of a digital designer, was printed on a 14m x 10m canvas. The enormous painting of the king, which covered more than half of the university's basketball court, was painted partly with rollers and brushes; and the background featured green-colored handprints of faculty members and students. Through the painting Alwazir wanted to light the light of patriotism in students and faculty alike. "The King Salman painting aimed to serve as Business and Law Week's CSR opening campaign. We wanted to extend this project to the rest of the DAHU community by involving as many people as possible to join in the fun and complete the painting with green handprints. It was the ultimate collaborative experience as it brought everyone together in national unity," said Alwazir. "I love art. To me, art is a way to forget about the day and a healthy channel of unleashing all your worries and stress. Then I realized that I wasn't the only one feeling stressed, which led to the idea of painting King Salman on a large scale - large enough for all of the university's students to take part and help paint him. Not only was it a channel to relieve stress, it also created a sense of being a community and lighted patriotism, which, at the end of the day, created lots of memories and fun," said Alyamani. The King Salman painting will soon be presented to Basmat Alwatan, according to an official from the university.
