GOVERNMENT - BUSINESS
33 pages that make business setup feel as fast as the licence.
SPC Free Zone — the world's first free zone dedicated to publishing, and a Sharjah Book Authority subsidiary — can issue a business licence in 45 minutes across 1,500+ activities. Its website needed to feel just as fast. Brandhero designed a 33-page digital experience that stands apart from conventional free-zone sites and makes a complex service catalogue easy to explore.
Industry
OVERVIEW
Sharjah Publishing City (SPC) Free Zone was established in 2017 as a subsidiary of the Sharjah Book Authority - the world's first free zone dedicated to publishing. It now offers company formation across more than 1,500 business activities, including trading, e-commerce, IT and consultancy, with a licence issued in as little as 45 minutes and dual free zone and mainland licensing.
In a crowded UAE market of free zones with near-identical websites, SPC needed a site that stood apart and made a large volume of information easy to navigate. Brandhero designed the complete 33-page experience, from early concepts to final design.
The mission was simple:
Build a free-zone website as fast, modern and memorable as the setup experience behind it.
Brand Integration
Website Design
UX/UI
MISSION BRIEF
UAE free zones compete for the same entrepreneurs, and most present themselves the same way: conventional corporate layouts, dense licence tables, predictable pages. SPC had real advantages - a 45-minute licence, 1,500+ activities, dual licensing, unlimited visa options - but advantages buried in dense content don't win decisions. Founders comparing free zones needed to understand SPC's offer quickly and feel confident enough to start. The brief: a website that makes a distinctive first impression without compromising clarity.
The goal was to build a website that felt:
Modern
Memorable
Professional
Engaging
Easy to Navigate
THE CHALLENGES
01
Standing out in a crowded market
Free-zone websites look alike. SPC needed to be recognisable at a glance while signalling it's a modern, founder-friendly destination.
02
1,500+ activities, one website
A huge amount of licensing, activity and service content had to become clear, explorable journeys.
03
Distinctive, but usable.
A bold interface couldn't come at the cost of clarity for founders making a real business decision.
THE SOLUTION
01
A distinctive digital experience
A visual interface that moves beyond conventional government sites and reinforces SPC's progressive identity.
02
Structured information architecture
Content reorganised into clear sections and journeys across all 33 pages, so founders find the right licence and activity quickly.
03
Interactive, decision-friendly experience
Modern layouts and engaging interactions that make the site feel dynamic while keeping every step practical.
KEY MOMENTS
We designed:
33-page website experience
Information architecture for 1,500+ activities
Interactive user journeys
Brand-integrated visual system
Responsive web experience
How can a modern business hub build the same level of trust online that entrepreneurs experience through its on-ground expertise and support?
DESIGNING FOR CLARITY
Simplified navigation
Structured content hierarchy
Clear service discovery
User-friendly layouts
MISSION COMPLETE
Raising the standard for free-zone websites
SPC Free Zone shows how thoughtful UX can turn a complex government service into an engaging digital experience. Across 33 pages, Brandhero made 1,500+ business activities easy to explore and gave SPC a website as distinctive as its offer - so the experience of choosing SPC now matches the speed of a 45-minute licence.
Because the best government websites don't just provide information. They create confidence from the very first interaction.
