Careem

Brand book
version 3.0
Brand book contents
03 12
WHO WE ARE TONE OF VOICE
Origin story 04 How we talk 13
Manifesto 05 Copy format 17
Brand mission 06 Copy format samples 18
Brand position 07 Word count 19
Brand promise 08 What we call each other 20
Brand pillars 09
Personality 10
Tagline 11

21 66 70
VISUAL IDENTITY MERCHANDISING
OFFICE BRANDING
& STATIONERY
The Wink 22
3D winks 23
3D wink usage 24
Wordmark 25
Wordmark usage 26
The Wink and 27
wordmark misuse
Colours 28
Patterns 30
Typography 31
Photography 33
Photography guidelines 36
Video guidelines 37
Illustrations 38
Layout design language 39
Layout design samples 51 2
WHO WE ARE

3
Origin story
It all started in 2012, when two nice guys decided
to leave their jobs to start something that matters.
Magnus Olsson who had just recovered from a very
serious brain surgery wanted to create something
meaningful that simplifies and improves people’s
lives. Mudassir Sheikha who had already created
several start-ups in Silicon Valley, had a burning
desire to bring some of that start-up culture to
the region and create an awesome institution that
inspires. So, Careem started in 2012 but reached
new heights in 2014, when Abdulla Elyas, a German
Saudi serial entrepreneur, joined the founding team
after leaving Germany to play an impactful role in
the positive transformation of the region. This is their
brainchild. A brand that strives to inspire everyone
it interacts with. A brand that supports every single
person who dares to believe. A brand that exists to
drive our region towards something better.

Please handle it with care ;-)

4
Manifesto
We stand for the ambitious who could never silence their dreams.
We are entrepreneurs; start-uppers, go-getters, high-achievers - but really,
we just call each other dudes.
We move with great speed, addicted to growth. We will never settle.
We are a spaceship headed to the moon with the pace of a beating heart.
We speak in codes and the needle moves.
A moving tribe of tigers driven by the hunger of inspiration.
The impossible challenge is our daily play. We call it Glory.
We find beauty in the simplicity of technology, but no screen will ever
replace that friendly smile.
We are from the region, for the region and in this land of infinite opportunity,
we seek to bring something back.
Welcome to Careem. We are the Middle East v2.0.
Careem. Moving our region towards better living.

YALLA LET’S GO!

5
Brand mission
Functional
benefit,
aspirational
connotation Ultimate purpose

MOVING OUR REGION TOWARDS BETTER LIVING

Regional roots

6
Brand position
Easy

Personal and Easy

Impersonal Personal
Taxis and Public
Transport

Not Easy

7
Brand promise

Functional Regional root,

benefit ownership

DRIVING SMILES ACROSS OUR CITIES

End result,
emotional
benefit

8
Brand pillars
WE ARE THE WE HAVE WE ARE THE WE ARE BOLD
LOCAL EDGE START-UP ENERGY GOOD GUYS AND CHEEKY

9
Personality
Careem is your local friend. Being from mixed
origins and well-travelled, he’s from here, but
from there too. Wherever he goes, he goes to
come back better. A born entrepreneur.
A go-getter. A start-upper. A can’t-sit-stiller.
Edgy. Experimental. Completely unafraid.
Tech savvy, yet artsy. Into alternative stuff, but
inspired by the traditional. Careem walks into
a room, and everybody smiles. Ah, that smile.
He knows that screens will never replace a
friendly smile. And this drives him. He lives
for bringing people together to be part of
something bigger. And no matter what, he’s
got your back. He will always speak up and
defend the underdog with bite. Some call him
crazy, others call him bold. One thing is sure:
Careem is never afraid to fail.

10
 Tagline
We are from the region, for the region.
We speak your language. We’re proud
to be local.

YALLA LET'S GO!

We’re born ready. We believe in constant
movement and we’re going to move this region.
Are you coming?

Tagline should always be written in UPPERCASE

except for hashtags which should be in lower case #yallaletsgo

11
Tone of voice

12
HOW We don’t talk much. But what we say matters.
We’re smart. We’re funny. We have the craziest

WE
ideas and we want to tell anyone who’ll listen.
We’re always friendly, confident, minimal, and
to the point. Our messages are light, simple,
and have a regional twist and charm. We even

TALK
know a thing or two about hashtags and we
use emojis. Sparingly. But most importantly, we
S.L.A.P. (Speak Like A Person).

13
Friendly
No-one likes the grumpy guy. Or the pretentious one.
At Careem, formal language is moribund, and casual language
is propitious.

Translation: no-one cares for pompous words (although “pompous”

is a nice word, isn’t it?). We keep our communication friendly and
kind. We talk with our customers, not at them. We’re playful,
yet professional.

INSTEAD OF: SAY:

Careem is indubitably the best choice when you Careem is the best choice when you need to get there.
need to arrive to your destination on time.

Tip: Read your copy out loud. Does it sound conversational? If you text it to your friend
and they reply with “wut?” consider revising.

14
Energetic
We are energetic and write with enthusiasm. Our aim is to draw a
smile on our readers’ faces.

Translation: don’t be afraid to add a little humour or a punch to your

copy. (Reel it in, Trevor Noah. This does not give you permission to
forget your professionalism.)

INSTEAD OF: SAY:

Don’t miss out on all the Wimbledon action, Be a part of all of the Wimbledon excitement live,
book your Careem car today! book your Careem car today! Advantage: you.

Note: An exclamation mark does not automatically scream “enthusiasm”. Use with care.

15
Sharp
We like to keep it short and sweet.
Remember, the simpler the better.

Translation: keep sentences short and copy witty. Opt for simple
sentence structures by breaking up two or more thoughts into
easily digestible bites. Break longer communication (such as in
emails) into shorter paragraphs to make it easier to read.

INSTEAD OF: SAY:

It is with great pride that we take this opportunity Our new Economy Plus car is here!
to announce our new Economy Plus car.

Tip: Most emails will only be given 30 seconds of reading time (one minute if you’re lucky). Keep it short and lead
with your most important message. The more interesting the copy, the longer you will keep their attention.

16
Copy format
British English is the only English format to be used. Exceptions must be approved by Careem HQ.

“Hassle free”, “car booking app”, “ride hailing”, etc. are all written without hyphens.

HEADLINES ARE IN BOLD UPPERCASE WITH NO

FULL STOPS UNLESS THE HEADLINE CONSISTS OF
MORE THAN ONE SENTENCE
Sub headlines are in sentence case with no full stops
unless it consists of more than one sentence
Body copy is in sentence case with all applicable punctuation. Use exclamation marks sparingly.

Leading, tracking and kerning should always be in auto.

Use Careem Green or Circular Bold to highlight or emphasise part of the text in the copy.

PROMO CODES should be in uppercase and bold.

See the next page for examples.

17
Copy format samples

18
Word count
We understand every writer has a style. But also know that copy
that is too short or too long can be damaging for our brand image.

We want to be balanced, providing our customers with enough

information to engage with us, yet not too much it overwhelms
them or takes too much of their time.

Keep them coming back for more by using the following guide for
optimised copy length.

Social Media Emails In-app

Twitter maximum of 100 characters Informative emails approximately 1000 characters Title 25 - 30 characters
Facebook 40-120 characters Promo emails maximum of 300 characters Description 10 characters
Instagram maximum of 130 characters Content emails maximum of 500 characters CTA 25 characters

SMS Push Notification

Maximum of 160 characters Android 60-90 characters

iOS maximum of 120 characters

19
 WHAT
The people who drive us are called
Captains.

WE CALL
The people we serve are called
Customers. Not users, or passengers
and definitely not consumers.

EACH The people we work with are called

Colleagues, or Tigers ;)

OTHER
Collectively, we are all Careemers.

20
Visual identity

21
The Wink

PERSONAL AND POSITIVE

BOLD AND DIFFERENTIATING

DIGITAL BY DESIGN

22
3D winks

USAGE

Use only textures that are created by Design Central.

If you would like to create your own please send to
Design Central for approval.

23
3D wink usage

Plain background Image background

You can place the 3d winks on plain backgrounds as long as You can place the 3d winks on image backgrounds as well.
they’re cleary visible.

SUMMER IS
COMING
Get 20% of this week
using promo code
SUMMER

SUMMER
IS COMING
Get 20% of this week
using promo code SUMMER

Merchandise Digital ads/Posts

You can place the 3d winks on plain backgrounds as long as In instances where images or illustrations don’t work you can use
they’re cleary visible. 3D winks.

24
Wordmark

This is what we use to identify ourselves and signal who we are as a brand.
Our friendly and modern wordmark is instantly recognisable, and the easily adaptable
design means we can speak directly to each of our markets.

It can be set in Careem green on a white background or in white on any of our other
background colours.

25
Wordmark usage
POSITIONING
The Careem wordmark has five preferred
placement positions in either the corner
or centre of any given layout and should
be determined by the available space,
aesthetics, function and visibility of the
other visual elements.

The Wink can float anywhere on the edges

CLEAR SPACE and the centre of any given layout.
The area of isolation ensures that headlines, text or other visual
elements do not encroach on the wordmark. Where possible, the
wordmark should always be surrounded by a minimum area of
proportional space in this case defined by The Wink ( ).

THE WINK SCALE

Minimum size
The width of the wink eye defines the If a small size is required for the 5mm or 35px
best amount of free space that surrounds The Wink, we suggest it doesn’t
The Wink. go smaller than 5mm height in
print, or 35 pixels on screen to
maintain legibility across all
brand communication.

26
The Wink and wordmark misuse
To preserve the integrity of our brand, we must use our wink and
wordmark correctly and consistently in every application.
1 2 3

Altering, distorting or redrawing The Wink and wordmark in any

way weakens the power of the image and what it represents.

Please follow the instructions correctly:

1. Do not distort or rotate The Wink 4 5 6

2. Do not use drop shadow or any other visual effects
3. Do not display the The Wink with an outline stroke
4. Do not display the The Wink in another colour or gradient
apart from Careem Green and White
5. Do not modify any aspect of the supplied 3D wink
6. Never produce your own 3D winks. If you do, contact Design
Central for approval 7 8
7. Do not place the wordmark and The Wink one after the other
8. Never fill the wordmark with an image, pattern or gradient
9. The Wink and wordmark should never have an opacity applied

27
Colours

CAREEM FRESH MINT PISTACHIO STONE

R:56 G:181 B:79 P-145-7u R:103 G:190 B:104 R:159 G:211 B:161 R:240 G:247 B:238
C:75 M:0 Y:96 K:0 P-145-8c C:61 M:0 Y:80 K:0 C:39 M:0 Y:47 K:0 C:5 M:0 Y:7 K:0
#37B44E #66BE67 #9FD2A1 #F0F7ED

TYRE GUNMETAL ALLOY

R:46 G:46 B:47 R:109 G:110 B:113 R:175 G:177 B:180

C:0 m:0 y:0 K:94 C:0 M:0 Y:0 K:70 C:0 M:0 Y:0 K:36
#2e2d2e #6D6E70 #AFB1B3

Text colours An invigorated green, full of energy, positivity and modernity.

To maintain consistency text colours
should always and only be in either white,
careem green or tyre. Choose which
colour works best on your design.
With a supporting* cast of fresh, fashionable and distinctive hues…
and a few neutrals too.
*all other colours are secondary.

28
Secondary Colours

NEON
R:255 G:3 B:200 R:255 G:227 B:43 R:0 G:255 B:198
R:18 G:0 B:252 R:237 G:85 B:55 R:145 G:28 B:92
C:12 M:87 Y:0 K:0 C:2 M:6 Y:92 K:0 C:56 M:0 Y:45 K:0
C:88 M:77 Y:0 K:0 C:1 M:82 Y:86 K:0 C:39 M:100 Y:39 K:15
#FF03C8 #FEE228 #00FFBD
#1200FC #ED5537 #911C5C

PASTEL
R:237 G:120 B:138 R:255 G:235 B:117 R:171 G:232 B:191
R:28 G:153 B:222 R:247 G:151 B:92 R:191 G:117 B:191
C:2 M:67 Y:29 K:0 C:2 M:3 Y:66 K:0 C:32 M:0 Y:33 K:0
C:73 M:27 Y:0 K:0 C:0 M:49 Y:69 K:0 C:26 M:63 Y:0 K:0
#ED788A #FFEB75 #ABE8BF
#1C9ADE #F7975C #BF75BF

A set of secondary colours to USAGE

match our primary palette and • Use secondary colours mainly for details (icons, arrows, graphic elements)
add flair to the mix. •
•
Do not use any shade or variation of the secondary colour
Do not use for The Wink or the wordmark
• Links or URL can be highlighted with pastel blue

29
Patterns

Aside from the above designs, one pattern will be created by each market, which will also be
available for other markets to use.

Different colour combinations within our colour palette can be used when creating patterns.

30
Typography - English
CIRCULAR
The typeface is Circular, a beautiful new geometric sans serif.

A quintessentially modern, flexible and friendly face, equally at home in digital or print.

Circular Book

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNO abcdefghijklmn
PQRSTUVWXYZ opqrstuvwxyz
0123456789
Circular Bold

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNO abcdefghijklmn
PQRSTUVWXYZ opqrstuvwxyz
0123456789
Circular Italic

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNO abcdefghijklmn
PQRSTUVWXYZ opqrstuvwxyz
0123456789

31
Typography - Arabic
NOTO KUFI ARABIC
Numerals are always in English using Circular

Noto Kufi Arabic Regular Circular Book

‫أبتثجحخدذرزسشصض‬ 0123456789
‫ط ظ ع غ ف ق ك ل م ن هـــ و ي‬

Noto Kufi Arabic Bold Circular Bold

‫أبتثجحخدذرزسشصض‬ 0123456789
‫ط ظ ع غ ف ق ك ل م ن هـــ و ي‬

32
Photography
Authentic. Aspirational. Real. Local.

We want to capture the

variety of life in an authentic
style that reflects the vibrant
spirit of Careem.

33
Photography - generic
WE MOSTLY USE
Tactical and service-orientated photos
For general usage when communicating our core services for app, customers and captains. Generic photos of our captains at
work and customers commuting, riding, getting into our cars and reaching their destination, with no particular theme.

34
Photography - conceptual
WE ALSO USE
Uplifting and artistic
An uplifted, vibrant and artistic style of photography with a focus on the relationship between people in their local communities
and their cities. Their escapes and destinations. Showcasing “the end result” of using Careem. Capturing what it means to move
and ride and go places beyond the A to B, in the broader Middle East.

LOCAL LIFESTYLE

CONCEPTUAL

ENERGY

35
Photography guidelines
Capture smiles
Winks, laughs and happy moments. We are all about
that smile. Our logo is a wink after all! And our brand
promise is “driving smiles across our cities”.
Capture the energy
The energy of the people and their city.
Local but not typical
Find unique and cool locations bursting with colour
and life and everything a city encompasses.
Daytime
Avoid night time or dark hours. Make the most of day
time. From dusk until right after sunset.
Negative space
We write text directly on the image with white or green
text and so negative space is essential.
Friends are welcome
Group shots in cars or outside of a car of friends or
family are welcome.
Customer journey
Always cover these five main parts of our customer journey:
• App shots: show close-ups of the app on mobile devices
• App usage: booking a car, using the app, phone in hand in
various places such as home or outdoors etc.
• In-car experience: show our captains connecting and
interacting with customers during a ride
• Customer + car: show customers in proximity of our cars
• Captains: take photos of captains on their own, near their
car, in their car, driving, etc.
Seat belt
Front seat or back seat, please ensure passengers always have
their seat belt on when car is shown to be moving.
Conceptual
We encourage you to interpret any of our value proposition,
offerings and customer journey in various styles and angles.
We love that artistic touch!
The modern vintage
Photos must have a vintage feel whilst maintaining
vibrant colours.
36
Video guidelines

37
Illustrations

38
Layouts design
language

39
Colour splits
The split colour layout is a combination of three colours, our primary green and any two of our secondary colours from
the same palette.

The green should be kept static on the top or bottom for vertical layouts and left and right for horizontal layouts.
You can split it anyway you like based on your layout, while keeping in mind that the grid must be followed to ensure consistency.

Book now

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logo container Take note that one colour should be bigger than the other.

The logo container which is the green split should always B

contain the wordmark and call to action buttons if needed.

40
Colour splits - illustration
The split colour layout is a combination of three colours, our primary green and any two of our secondary colours from
the same palette.

The green should be kept static on the top or bottom for vertical layouts and left and right for horizontal layouts.
You can split it anyway you like based on your layout, while keeping in mind that the grid must be followed to ensure consistency.

Add an illustration on the other coloured split to add flair to your design, but use it minimally.

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YOLO
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FOR EVERYDAY THINGS,
$$$ YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY EVERY DAY. YOLO

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Take note that one colour should be bigger than the other.

41
Colour splits - image
Using the split colour layout as a base, you can replace a colour with an image. You can use any colour from our colour palette
for the splits.

The green should be kept static on the top or bottom for vertical layouts and left and right for horizontal layouts.
You can split it anyway you like based on your layout, while keeping in mind that the grid must be followed to ensure consistency.

Book now

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Take note that the coloured split can be bigger than

image split and vice versa.

42
Colour splits - patterns
Using the split colour layout as a base, you can just replace a colour with a pattern. You can use any colour from our colour palette
for the splits.

The green should be kept static on the top or bottom for vertical layouts and left and right for horizontal layouts.
You can split it anyway you like based on your layout, while keeping in mind that the grid must be followed to ensure consistency.

You can use these layouts in instances where you don’t have an image or an illustration to work with.

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Take note that the coloured split can be bigger than

pattern split if need be.

43
Colour splits - 3D winks
The split colour layout with 3D wink is a combination of three colours, our primary green and any two of our secondary colours
from the same palette and can be added in cases where illustrations or patterns don’t work.

The green should be kept static at the top or bottom for vertical layouts and left and right for horizontal layouts.

You can split it anyway you like based on your layout, while keeping in mind that the grid must be followed to ensure consistency.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY Book now YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY
FOR EVERYDAY THINGS, FOR EVERYDAY THINGS,
EVERY DAY.
EVERY DAY.
Introducing Careem Packages
Pay once. Ride whenever. Save money.
Introducing Careem Packages
Pay once. Ride whenever. Save money.

Book now

YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY

FOR EVERYDAY THINGS,
YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY EVERY DAY.
FOR EVERYDAY THINGS, Introducing Careem Packages
Pay once. Ride whenever. Save money.
EVERY DAY.
Introducing Careem Packages
Book now Pay once. Ride whenever. Save money. Book now

Only use 3D winks provided or approved by Design Central

44
Colour splits - grid
Setting up the grid
1. Draw a shape over your layout
2. Then divide it eight times horizontally
and vertically
3. Then you get an 8 x 8 cell grid
Drawing the splits
1. Having the green split as a preset, you can use the rectangle tool to draw
over your layout
2. Drag one of the points of the rectangle to any point on the edges of the grid
3. Adjust as desired keeping in mind that the first split needs to be larger than
the second split. Colour it as you like based on our colour palette

Content

• All should be aligned

and contained within a
cell or group of cells
• The Ico weight sets the
space between The
Wink and the text
• To maintain the
consistency of The
Wink and wordmark in
the images they should
be within the 1/4 of the
25% of the image area

45
Border frame
Using borders on full blown images adds edge and creates focus on our lifestyle images. This can be in any of our primary or
secondary colours.

Templates will be provided by Design Central.

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46
Border frame - grid
Setting up the grid Drawing the borders
1. Draw a shape over your layout 1. Draw a shape over your layout
2. Halve the shape 11 times 2. Drag one of the points to the opposite side until the edge
3. Make sure to halve the longest part until of the green cell (a)
you have 12 cells 3. Duplicate the shape and rotate to the other side
4. Change colour as desired using our colour palette
Content
YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY
FOR EVERYDAY THINGS, • All should be aligned
EVERY DAY. and contained within a
Buy Careem Packages and cell or group of cells
• The Ico weight sets the
Book now space between The
Wink and the text
• To maintain the
consistency of The
Winks and wordmark in
the images they should
be within the 1/4 of the
25% of the image area

(a)

47
Wordmark placement
Top centre
Top left Top right floating Sample

YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY YOU DON’T

FOR EVERYDAY THINGS, HAVE TO PAY FOR

EVERYDAY THINGS,

EVERY DAY.
EVERY DAY.
Buy Careem Packages

all your rides

Introducing Careem Packages
Pay once. Ride whenever.
Save money.

Applicable to square
and horizontal banner

Find out more

Download

Bottom left Bottom right Bottom centre

floating

48
Call to action buttons
The text in the call to action buttons is limited to three words.
Preset buttons will be provided by Design Central to ensure
consistency.

On light background

WHY BUY ONE WHEN YOU KNOW

YOU NEED MORE?
Buy Careem Packages and get

Book now

On photos or dark backgrounds

YALLA! Book now! Find out more

YALLA! Book now! Find out more

Book now

49
Text alignment
RTL or LTR headline
and body text must be
aligned together
respectively on
horizontal layouts.

Centred headline and

body text must be
aligned to the centre
of the artwork with
the wordmark on
vertical layouts.

RTL or LTR or centred headline and body text must be aligned

together respectively on square layouts.

50
Layout design
samples

51
Layout sample - ATL
Bridge billboard samples

52
Layout sample - ATL
Billboard samples

53
Layout sample - ATL
Mupi samples

54
Layout sample - collateral
Roll-up samples

55
Layout sample - collateral
Flyer samples

56
Layout sample - collateral
Voucher samples

57
Layout sample - digital banners
Lead banner samples

58
Layout sample - digital banners
Skyscraper banner sample

59
Layout sample - digital banners
Square banner samples

60
Layout sample - partnerships
Partnership email banner samples

• For partnerships we place an " " in between Careem wordmark and partner logo
• The distance between theses logos should be equal to the weight of The Wink
• Partner logo should not exceed the size of the Careem wordmark container
• You can set the as a margin

61
Layout sample - partnerships
Partnership flyer samples

62
Layout sample - partnerships
Partnership voucher samples

63
Layout sample - livery
Car branding sample

64
Layout sample - livery
Golf cart branding sample

65
Merchandising &
stationery

66
CREW NECK CAPS LIFESTYLE
T-SHIRTS GUIDE

67
 WATER TOTE
BOTTLES BAGS

LANYARDS

MUGS

68
LETTERHEAD ENVELOPES BUSINESS CARDS

69
Office Branding

70
YALLA LET'S GO!

www.careem.com