The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) has entered into a partnership with the Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCU-Q) to collaborate on creating world class design and brand identity elements for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™.

The partnership, between the SC's Marketing and Communications department and VCU-Q's School of Design, will harness the knowledge of the next generation of talented designers from Qatar and the region by giving them front-row seats to the many different design and brand identity elements involved in a major global sporting event.

"We are proud to involve VCU-Q in the ever-evolving process of brand creation as the journey towards the 2022 FIFA World Cup continues," said an SC spokesperson. "It is important to engage Qatar's young and talented designers by involving them directly in the project. The students will benefit from the legacy plans, and their feedback is key to the SC's progress."

The SC's brand identity consultant Theodora Mantzaris said the collaboration with VCU-Q will "help Qatar build the talent, knowledge and expertise required to host future global sporting events".

Earlier this year, Mantzaris, who was formerly creative director at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, had delivered a lecture at VCU-Q entitled 'Global Sports Branding and the Supreme Committee's Identity'.

In 2016, the VCU-Q's School of Design took part in SC-supported projects which are central to the hosting of the 2022 World Cup Qatar™. 'The Cultural Icons' focused on Qatar's rich cultural and sporting heritage, while 'The Creation of Football Illustrations' explored football in relation to the SC and the 2022 FIFA World Cup™.

The School of Design's signature project of 2016 was 'Font Creation', another SC-supported project which targeted final year students to create an official typeface. Student Maha Akl devised an Arabic font, which was one of the success stories of the project. As a consequence, she has been invited to participate in a workshop at the

Graphic design will be a focus area in the relationship between VCU-Q and the SC.