Rhombic Dot at ICTVC

I had the opportunity to speak at the International Conference on Typography and Visual Communication in Cyprus this June. You will find an icon with the link to the conference on the right. Here's the video of my presentation in two parts. Hope you enjoy it.


Rhombic Dot Part 1





Rhombic Dot Part 2

Kitsch Bling Bling- Jeddah

Kitsch is considered pejorative and lacking aesthetic values but to me Kitschy Jeddah is humorous and joyful. The lens flare is a must when it comes to hairdressers’ and laundry shop signs, not to mention the electrical appliances shop signs. Flat vector type or illustrations are out of the question. “Drop shadow, emboss, outline stroke, inner glow and you’re ready to go.” Naskh and Kufi are the dominant scripts while a multitude of curly display fonts are used. Yellow and Red are the Saudi colors par excellence. The colors are vibrant, tones are loud, sizes are exaggerated. The fact that Jeddah is a very big city influences the size of any outdoor sign, ad or even sculpture. Moving from Beirut to Jeddah I immediately felt the significant difference in size of roundabouts, outdoor media, shops, malls and of course streets. The following pictures are taken in the older areas of the city that are among the crowded and rather industrial areas. Basically these are the areas that have a certain visual identity however poorly designed it is. Theoretically, this portrays the actual taste of the locals and their way of using nowadays technology. But you can’t but ask yourself, “ Who designed these signs?” Aren't they the Asian visualizers who form the majority of labour force in Saudi Arabia? And if so, to which extent these signs represent them rather than the local Saudis?

From Dubai to Damascus

If you go to Souk Al Hamidiyeh in Damascus you feel that you're transported 50 years back in time. I was amazed by the simplicity and humbleness of the place and the people and the amount of colors and textures and light in this wonderful old market. Living in Dubai, I long for this kind of authenticity and true tradition. The Arabic typefaces used for shop signs are all based on the traditional cursive scripts. Some signs are handwritten calligraphy. I could identify the Naskh, Thulth and Ta'aliq scripts. 

Pictures alternating between Syria's old Souk and Dubai highways

Teachers on the wall

When it comes to outdoor advertising in Jeddah, many people choose the DIY way to promote themselves.
Among these are self promotional ads for teachers, laser hair removal clinics, and even dental clinics. 
These ads violate the walls but add a human touch to them. They also add a sense of time to the city. Some "decompose" with time while others get vandalized by new ads stuck on top of them. Layers and layers of eroded letters and papers. Some ads are printed therefore use typography while others are handwritten. Some even combine printed and handwritten type used for adding comments or correcting typos or even retouching what's been lost due to wind and dust. The main script used is Naskh and the Ruq'aa script is often used when indicating the telephone or mobile number.

Photography credits: Ahlam Bin Safrah

Arab Airlines logos

The following are the logos of the national carriers of Arab countries.

Comoros and Western Sahara don't have national carriers. 

While most of the logos are bilingual some are English (Somalia and Lebanon MEA) or French (Algeria).

In case of the Middle East Airlines, their logotype is often accompanied by "Middle East Airlines" in Arabic, English or French (Air Liban) under it.

Emirates airlines have a logotype as well; the Arabic word Emirates is their main symbol since they adopted a calligraphic decorative version of the word. Whereas the rest of the airlines' logos are combination marks: a pictogram or symbol with the title written in Arabic and English under.

Different Arabic scripts and typefaces are used, hence different styles and feelings for the logos. While Royal Jordanian use the Diwani script, Kuwait  and Sudan Airways use the Farsi or Ta'liq. Royal Air Maroc use a kind of Naskh that I personally have never seen before, probably because I haven't been to Morocco. Libyan Airlines use the Thulth script and the rest use Kufi, Modern Naskh and more contemporary typefaces mainly based on the Kufi script (Iraq, Oman, Syria).

Beirut Street Type

I was walking in Hamra street when I saw these messages on the walls. They mostly represent social messages with a sarcastic tone. Compared to what I see in other Arab countries, Beirut visual identity is a more humanistic one. It involves more emotional and symbolic messages than religious or informative ones.
Lebanon is a rather tolerant country when it comes to freedom of speech so you always realize that artists are involved with the political and social causes and are not afraid of displaying their unique sense of humor when dealing with such issues.

Smile 

The owl has negative connotations in the Lebanese culture, it's a symbol of negativity and bad temper.

Salutation from my heart to Beirut, extract from Li Beirut, a famous song by Fairuz.

Childish doodles, Nizar Kabbani.

Title of a poem by renowned Syrian poet, Nizar Kabbani.

Lebanese expression meaning there's going to be a fight.

Renowned Egyptian singer Oum Koulthoum, symbol of classic oriental music singing "bous el wawa", a "pop" song by Haifa, the sexy diva, symbol of sex and plastic surgeries.

  

We miss you Beirut.

Sarcastic criticism of blinding political slogans filling the street walls.

Same Top

Under woman's illustration: Sylicon = Art