Date: May 10, 2015
Dar Al-Khaboura for Silver Crafting, one of the leading members of Zubair Small Enterprises Centre (Zubair SEC), launched its logo and corporate identity designed and created in close collaboration with Zubair SEC. Dar Al-Khaboura prides itself in being specialised in designing Omani daggers, swords and other various types of silver craft, professionally created to combine the originality of the past and novelty of the present. The logo launching event was attended by representatives of Dar Al-Khaboura, The Zubair Corporation, and Zubair SEC, in addition to a number of Nizwa College of Technology Students who visited the Centre to get introduced to its services and to one of the success stories of its members.
As a small enterprise, Dar Al-Khaboura emanated from the traditional silver crafting profession well known in Al-Khaboura Wilaya itself. Mahfoutha Ahmed Al Baloushiyah, the business owner of Dar-Al Khaboura and member of Zubair SEC, effectively benefited from the advisory services and expertise extended to her by the centre. This affiliation resulted in her winning of Zubair SEC’s Direct Support Programme for 2015 which rewards outstanding small enterprises and entrepreneurs that get assessed according to specific criteria considering the type of business or idea, seriousness and commitment of the owner and ambition to accomplish success.
Mahfoutha Ahmed Al Baloushiyah, commented: “In the beginning I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to Zubair SEC for all the assistance provided and professional work environment made available to us to be successful entrepreneurs. I feel great joy in witnessing the launch of my business logo and corporate identity that will be the interface for the company and its line of business and what it stands for”.
She added: “I used two distinctive symbols in the logo, broadly recognised in the Omani silver craft industry; the Omani dagger and the silver ring or coin. The dagger is rooted in the history of the Arabian man in general, and Omanis in specific, and the silver coin refers to communities’ economic prosperity. Silver also refers to the status of women and their social and economic status in society. My selection of those two symbols aims to combine male and female interests in silverware as targeted customers. The colours used in the logo, silver and gold, on the other hand, are dominant colours in various silverware products of Dar Al-Khaboura and reflect the traditional designs of daggers, swords and canes”.
About her beginnings she said: “It is a well-known fact to most Omanis that Al-Khaboura Wilaya is famous for manufacturing daggers, swords and silverware, therefore my work in this aspect was merely a continuation of a career with a long history inherited through generations from parents and grandparents and I will continue to teach the young generation to maintain this craft and workmanship to prosper in the commercial filed in the Sultanate”.
Lina Hussein, Communications Manager at Zubair SEC, said: “the project of creating Dar Al-Khaboura logo reflects a collaboration of joint effort between specialists in marketing and branding at The Zubair Corporation and the team of SEC. All parties worked with Mahfoutha to formulate an idea and philosophy interpreted in the new brand to reflect the work field and mission of Dar Al-Khaboura in best form possible. We also sought through the new business identity of Dar Al-Khaboura to move from mere traditional craft works to branded products that can be well marketed locally and regionally in line with the marketing plan set for the business. She also added: “This extended support by the cadres of the Zubair Corporation to members of Zubair SEC is one of the many privileges that committed and dedicated members receive to help them in achieving their desired objectives”.
Zubair SEC works closely with the owner of Dar Al-Khaboura to help her proceed successfully through the various services and support extended to her by the Centre as one of the winners of Zubair SEC’s Direct Support Programme.
Today, Zubair SEC has more than 240 members that receive various strategic, legal, administrative, and financial advisory services and enjoy an ecosystem and platform of support to run their businesses empowered by competitive expertise and shared experiences.
For more information on Zubair SEC or Dar Al-Khaboura, please contact the Communications Office at info@zubairsec.org