In commemoration of the Lebanese Civil War that out broke on April 13th, 1975.
April 13, 2015
April Fools' Day | كذبة نِسْيان
In commemoration of the Lebanese Civil War that out broke on April 13th, 1975.
April 07, 2015
Baraa Yakzan - architect | Business Card
November 05, 2013
September 23, 2013
August 16, 2013
رسالة غضب
" اليوم، ككُل يوم، قلبي يملأُهُ الغضب وقد قرَّرتُ أن أكْتبَ لشعبٍ، فيه الكثير من العلم، و القليل من الإدراك والثقافة.
أنا فتاة تحلم بالثورة، لأَّنني وبكل بساطة، سئمتُ !
سئمتُ من العبارات التي أسمعُها و أقرأُها كل يوم. سئمتُ سماع "خرجكن بتستاهلوا" لضحايا الحرب السوريَّة، و لضحايا إنفجار الضاحية يوم أمس، و حوادث بيروت الأمنية في ٧ أيار ٢٠٠٨.. أو لشباب إعتدي عليهم في مار مخايل في حزيران المنصرم وكنتُ منهم...
سئمتُ رؤية الورود تملأ أحياءَ، تقهقه أناسها فيها لحزن جيرانهم في الأحياء المجاورة!
قرفت! قرفت وأشعر أن الثورة تحرق عيني دون أن تشتعل!
أنا فتاة تحلم بالثورة، لأَّنني وبكل بساطة، سئمتُ !
سئمتُ من العبارات التي أسمعُها و أقرأُها كل يوم. سئمتُ سماع "خرجكن بتستاهلوا" لضحايا الحرب السوريَّة، و لضحايا إنفجار الضاحية يوم أمس، و حوادث بيروت الأمنية في ٧ أيار ٢٠٠٨.. أو لشباب إعتدي عليهم في مار مخايل في حزيران المنصرم وكنتُ منهم...
سئمتُ رؤية الورود تملأ أحياءَ، تقهقه أناسها فيها لحزن جيرانهم في الأحياء المجاورة!
قرفت! قرفت وأشعر أن الثورة تحرق عيني دون أن تشتعل!
لم أعد أفهم ما هي الديمقراطية والعدالة والمنطق: مفاهيم نحفظها عن ظهر قلبٍ و نحن على مقاعد الدراسة، خشية رسوب إمتحان، أو توبيخ من ولي أمرنا... لكننا اليوم نرسب في إمتحان المواطنة. وعقابنا أثمن من خسارة عام دراسي. إنه خسارة لمستقبل شبابٍ يبحث عن أملٍ سلبه منا حقدنا ولومنا للآخر، وإيماننا المفرط بعقائدَ نقتل ونشتم باسمها، بحجة انها تعدنا الجنة. وكأنَّ التحريضَ أصبح دليلُ الإيمان، والإنسانيةَ دليلُ الكفر.
اليوم، ليس هناك من أم او أب او ولي أمر يوبخ، فمنهم من هو منهمكٌ في توزيع الحلوة، ومنهم من يحاول إنتشال أشلاء جثة إبن، أو قريب أو حبيب.
خطئي أنَّني إقتبسْتُ مبادئ يوتوبية من الحياة، دون إدراكٍ أنَّها عذابٌ محتمٌ لكل ضميرٍ حَيٍّ في هذا المجتمع القذر.
وبكل أسف وخجل أقول أنني أحياناً أتمنى لو يعود هتلر ليسلبننا حريتنا الفاجرة ويبرحنا ألماً، لأننا لا نفهم معنى الحرية الحقَّة و لا آلام الآخر... لأننا أفراد ولسنا مواطنين...
لأن هل مرة عنجد "خرجنا" - لعلنا نتألم حينها كأبناء وطن مشترك! "
مواطنة لبنانية غاضبة
March 24, 2013
December 31, 2012
December 22, 2012
September 15, 2012
No Smoking Bernhard | Poster
A couple of weeks ago, the Lebanese government issued a law prohibiting smoking in closed public spaces.
I heard alot of complaints about this, and most importantly about the no smoking international sign - being too formal, standard, serious, dull...... which brought me to design the poster below. If you're a designer, you've probably guessed it right: The prohibition sign in this poster is a subversion of Lucian Bernhard's abstraction in his work for Manoli cigarettes. You can check out some of his posters for Manoli and Novelta cigarettes here. Feel free to download, print, etc, in high res: link1, link2
Sorry Bernhard, smoking is not allowed!
just for fun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGGbcRr_dww&feature=youtu.be
I heard alot of complaints about this, and most importantly about the no smoking international sign - being too formal, standard, serious, dull...... which brought me to design the poster below. If you're a designer, you've probably guessed it right: The prohibition sign in this poster is a subversion of Lucian Bernhard's abstraction in his work for Manoli cigarettes. You can check out some of his posters for Manoli and Novelta cigarettes here. Feel free to download, print, etc, in high res: link1, link2
Sorry Bernhard, smoking is not allowed!
just for fun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGGbcRr_dww&feature=youtu.be
September 13, 2012
July 30, 2012
July 23, 2012
'Beirut' wordmark | بيروت
The conceptual failure of design:
Here's just another word mark that reads as بيروت (Beirut). yet, one that says nothing about the city itself.Another reductive logo to add to the pool of soulless logos that have been created to represent Beirut. This is when design fails at portraying realities such as cities_ places whose imprint is marked more by their citizens' shared experiences, rather than the remnants of images left in one's memory.
Despite all, I couldn't resist designing this word mark for my city, which I initially was intending to stencil in the city streets.
July 19, 2012
'No' Slogan/ Campaign | لا vs. لأ
 |
| Right: 'No' Campaign by 14 March allies, 2011 Left: 'No' slogan by Hezbollah, July 2012 |
One of the major Lebanese political parties,Hezbollah, unveiled its new slogan/ campaign yesterday during a speech delivered by its Secretary General. Hezbollah's slogan comes as a response to a campaign that 14 March launched earlier in 2011. Both campaigns use the same key word 'لا' (meaning 'No'), to make different political statements.
The use of the language of the 'other' in politics and in visual culture is not new to us as visual people. It is also not new us, the Lebanese, who are constantly bombarded with political campaigns and their counters in the city streets, on highways, if not also in our night-sleeps! 14 march's 'I love life' campaign and 8 March's 'I love life without' launched in 2007 serve as another interesting example of how billboards aim shoot at one another in a silent lavishly designed war. Very Smart strategies that employ emotion as a persuasive tool, which can sometimes be overwhelming. Notice the terms used in the above slogans: weakness, defeat, treachery...
Unfortunately, this time I fell victim for such strategies. Hezbollah's use of blue color (the brand color of its counter ally Future Movement), has given me a false belief that we have finally come to a united vision for the future of this country _ a hope that lingers inside alot of us. And so, I was left hopeless for the remaining 2 hours of the speech.
Such is the devastating power of these strategies!
Peace.
June 30, 2012
The Judmental Lebanese: A Pierced Society
An eyebrow piercing is all what it takes for you to be perceived as an alcoholic, drug addict, or even a bisexual overnight! Yes, This is the Lebanese societal logic that never fails at disappointing /amazing/ frustrating me and a lot of the youth of my generation.
Ever since I was 14, I've wanted to wear an eyebrow piercing. Of course, my parents never allowed me to do so, approaching me from both social and religious perspectives, arguing that piercing and tattoos are socially not acceptable (عيْب)، and forbidden in Islam (at least), even though there isn't a clear text in the Holy Book that states so. in any case, if piercing were truly forbidden in Islam, why would ear piercing be an exception to the norm, even in the 'presumably' conservative societies such as Saudi Arabia, where nose piercing is also very common? Since then, it has become apparent to me that our society often tends to confuse social and religious norms with one another. Why is that? The answer to this question goes beyond a quick blog post and requires a thorough scholarly research. However, I believe that it may be due to:
1. being misinformed about what is religiously considered a taboo and what not (not necessarily in Islam alone).
2. the tendency for such misinformed people to generalize or hastily classify new 'social' norms' as being religiously taboo without having valid proof (holy texts, etc), perhaps for personal interests...
3. Most importantly, a fear (often developed by parents, religious institutions, political institutions) that the new generations will break free from their old schooling, which may lead to social reform (I hope), or at least a reflection on the norms that we are passively spoon fed as children and sometimes unconsciously act upon as adults.
Now, and after 8 years of persistence, I have finally gotten my eyebrow piercing still without my mom's approval who does not allow me to wear it at home. I have been bombarded with questions such as: 'Are you an alcoholic?' 'Are you on drugs?' 'Are you bisexual?' 'You are such a graphic designer!' These and other comments/questions, all of which revolve around my religious views, social image, and others' perception of me, made me realize how judgmental, fake, intolerant, biased, and mentally oppressed our Lebanese society is. I came to a realization that we are good lawyers for our own mistakes, yet the best judges for others' wrong doings.
This is the Lebanese and Arab logic... the sickening logic which assumes that:
- eyebrow piercing is not acceptable, but belly piercing is. Is it because the belly pierce doe not always show? mmmm I guess so!
- that eyebrow piercing is not acceptable socially and religiously, whereas eyebrow and lip tattooing are... (even-though Islam clearly forbids tattooing!)
and the list goes on...
I am not an alcoholic, nor a drug addict, nor a bisexual. Yes, I am a graphic designer. Most importantly and at a very basic level, I am an individual who promotes free unbiased thinking that questions social norms which we are often brought up to consume without serious reformulation. On this, I would like to note that re-questioning social norms does not equate to re-questioning one's own religious views. This is not of any concern to me at all.
my persistence for wearing the piercing initially was for aesthetic reasons. Now, I'm persistent onto wearing it for this and other social concerns. Thanks to my piercing and to my beloved judgmental society, I'm writing this social post now, hoping that the readers, especially the youth, will at some point, take time and courage to think for themselves, revisit certain thoughts, be creative, and rebel decently. yes, decently...
Finally, as a graphic designer I would say: do not judge a book by its cover, but also never judge a person by their appearances (for better or worse).
For those interested in social issues, 'Arab Youth: Social Mobilisation in Times of Risk' is a great book!
Ever since I was 14, I've wanted to wear an eyebrow piercing. Of course, my parents never allowed me to do so, approaching me from both social and religious perspectives, arguing that piercing and tattoos are socially not acceptable (عيْب)، and forbidden in Islam (at least), even though there isn't a clear text in the Holy Book that states so. in any case, if piercing were truly forbidden in Islam, why would ear piercing be an exception to the norm, even in the 'presumably' conservative societies such as Saudi Arabia, where nose piercing is also very common? Since then, it has become apparent to me that our society often tends to confuse social and religious norms with one another. Why is that? The answer to this question goes beyond a quick blog post and requires a thorough scholarly research. However, I believe that it may be due to:
1. being misinformed about what is religiously considered a taboo and what not (not necessarily in Islam alone).
2. the tendency for such misinformed people to generalize or hastily classify new 'social' norms' as being religiously taboo without having valid proof (holy texts, etc), perhaps for personal interests...
3. Most importantly, a fear (often developed by parents, religious institutions, political institutions) that the new generations will break free from their old schooling, which may lead to social reform (I hope), or at least a reflection on the norms that we are passively spoon fed as children and sometimes unconsciously act upon as adults.
Now, and after 8 years of persistence, I have finally gotten my eyebrow piercing still without my mom's approval who does not allow me to wear it at home. I have been bombarded with questions such as: 'Are you an alcoholic?' 'Are you on drugs?' 'Are you bisexual?' 'You are such a graphic designer!' These and other comments/questions, all of which revolve around my religious views, social image, and others' perception of me, made me realize how judgmental, fake, intolerant, biased, and mentally oppressed our Lebanese society is. I came to a realization that we are good lawyers for our own mistakes, yet the best judges for others' wrong doings.
This is the Lebanese and Arab logic... the sickening logic which assumes that:
- eyebrow piercing is not acceptable, but belly piercing is. Is it because the belly pierce doe not always show? mmmm I guess so!
- that eyebrow piercing is not acceptable socially and religiously, whereas eyebrow and lip tattooing are... (even-though Islam clearly forbids tattooing!)
and the list goes on...
I am not an alcoholic, nor a drug addict, nor a bisexual. Yes, I am a graphic designer. Most importantly and at a very basic level, I am an individual who promotes free unbiased thinking that questions social norms which we are often brought up to consume without serious reformulation. On this, I would like to note that re-questioning social norms does not equate to re-questioning one's own religious views. This is not of any concern to me at all.
my persistence for wearing the piercing initially was for aesthetic reasons. Now, I'm persistent onto wearing it for this and other social concerns. Thanks to my piercing and to my beloved judgmental society, I'm writing this social post now, hoping that the readers, especially the youth, will at some point, take time and courage to think for themselves, revisit certain thoughts, be creative, and rebel decently. yes, decently...
Finally, as a graphic designer I would say: do not judge a book by its cover, but also never judge a person by their appearances (for better or worse).
For those interested in social issues, 'Arab Youth: Social Mobilisation in Times of Risk' is a great book!
May 27, 2012
April 08, 2012
and The Mad Country!
Again, a non- graphic design post, this time a poem by George Khabbaz titled 'خايف تخلص الدّني'.
I'm posting this in commemoration of the Lebanese Civil War next week (13th of April) hoping this poem will shake something inside everyone of us:
خايف تخلص الدّني و نحنا بعدنا نايمين
عَ تخت الطّائفيّة و منتغطّى بالدّين
خايف تخلص الدّني و غرقانين ببحر الكذب
منعلن ولاء الوطن و نحنا ولائنا للحزب
عَ تخت الطّائفيّة و منتغطّى بالدّين
خايف تخلص الدّني و غرقانين ببحر الكذب
منعلن ولاء الوطن و نحنا ولائنا للحزب
خايف تخلص الدّني و نحنا بالإسم أحرار
تقسّمنا لكتائب و عم ننجرف بالتّيّار
و حبّ الوطن ما اكتمل و العمّال بلا عمل
و الكتلة الواحدة كِتَل و عم نفتّش عَ أمل
و التّوحيد صفّى وحدات و الآخر ما منتقبّل
و القوّة صارت قوّات و عم بيضيع المستقبل
تقسّمنا لكتائب و عم ننجرف بالتّيّار
و حبّ الوطن ما اكتمل و العمّال بلا عمل
و الكتلة الواحدة كِتَل و عم نفتّش عَ أمل
و التّوحيد صفّى وحدات و الآخر ما منتقبّل
و القوّة صارت قوّات و عم بيضيع المستقبل
خايف تخلص و الظّلم أخد حقوقنا و ما ردّها
و النّاس اللّي لاحقة زعيم ما تلاقي حدا حدّها
يا شعوب النّوم اشتراكِ
طوّلتِ كتير النّومة يلّا قومي كفاكِ صارت بتحرز القومة
و النّاس اللّي لاحقة زعيم ما تلاقي حدا حدّها
يا شعوب النّوم اشتراكِ
طوّلتِ كتير النّومة يلّا قومي كفاكِ صارت بتحرز القومة
خايف تخلص الدّني و ما أعرف ليلي من نهاري لا عدوّي من جاري و لا يميني و يساري
خايف تخلص الدّني و يا وطني نستحي فيك
ان سألوني إنتَ مين بقلّن شيعيّ أو كاتوليك
سنّيّ درزيّ مارونيّ أرمنيّ أو سريانيّ بروتستانتيّ أورتودوكس علويّ أو علمانيّ
ان سألوني إنتَ مين بقلّن شيعيّ أو كاتوليك
سنّيّ درزيّ مارونيّ أرمنيّ أو سريانيّ بروتستانتيّ أورتودوكس علويّ أو علمانيّ
بعرّف عن حالي بطائفة و بنسى قلّن لبنانيّ
خايف تخلص الدّني و نحنا بعدنا مش فاهمين إنُّه الإنسان إنسان بغضّ النّظر هوّي مين
ما حدا نقّى إسمُه و لا حدا نقّى مينُه و لا حدا نقّى لونُه و لا شكلُه و لا دينُه
و عَ شو بعدنا مختلفين مقسّمين مشتّتين
و تحت عيون الشّمتانين منتدبّح بإسم الدّين
خايف تخلص الدّني و وطني زغّير تعبان
من ولادُه المقسومين مع فلان و فليتان
و بسمع صوتَك يا جدّي عم بيوشوشني بحنان يمكن تخلص الدّني و ما بتخلص قصّة لبنان
ما حدا نقّى إسمُه و لا حدا نقّى مينُه و لا حدا نقّى لونُه و لا شكلُه و لا دينُه
و عَ شو بعدنا مختلفين مقسّمين مشتّتين
و تحت عيون الشّمتانين منتدبّح بإسم الدّين
خايف تخلص الدّني و وطني زغّير تعبان
من ولادُه المقسومين مع فلان و فليتان
و بسمع صوتَك يا جدّي عم بيوشوشني بحنان يمكن تخلص الدّني و ما بتخلص قصّة لبنان
و متل ما قلّي جدّي بهاك القصّة من زمان يمكن تخلص الدّني لكن ما بيخلص لبنان!
March 31, 2012
March 20, 2012
The Mad City...
A non-graphic design post for the lovers of the mad city, Beirut - a city that hurts as much as it makes us laugh!
A touching poem by Antoine Boulad ( from: Maker of Realities, 2011):
It is always the same Beirut, desertified, erased, canceled, zero score. Well done, all!
Effected by the madness of men and women such as we.
By the portholes of airplanes that spy and sniff, aiming point blank for the heart,
though they may appear colorless, odorless, and tasteless.
Bravo to the nations of the earth for their madness.
A touching poem by Antoine Boulad ( from: Maker of Realities, 2011):
It is always the same Beirut, desertified, erased, canceled, zero score. Well done, all!
Effected by the madness of men and women such as we.
By the portholes of airplanes that spy and sniff, aiming point blank for the heart,
though they may appear colorless, odorless, and tasteless.
Bravo to the nations of the earth for their madness.
February 15, 2012
DIY note books
More DIY note books, more playing around with type, more flourescent colors...
And a fresh start for the last semester at AUB!
Find some time to bind your own sketchbook. here: link
WARNING: comments that you will recieve are:this is cool! or ummm get a life!!
And a fresh start for the last semester at AUB!
Find some time to bind your own sketchbook. here: link
WARNING: comments that you will recieve are:this is cool! or ummm get a life!!
February 09, 2012
Lecture Poster | Beyond Carbon Neutral by Peter Busby
Poster for a lecture by the architect Peter Busby, at the Department of Architecture and Design - AUB.
Unfortunately, the event was canceled before I had the chance to design the backside of the poster...
February 04, 2012
January 23, 2012
Metel Ma Shelta | متل ما شلتا
 |
| flyer (back) |
 |
| flyer (front) |
NB: the above work is copy right of Mohammad Olaymi, Nadine Razzouk, and Lama Shehadeh.
Moe, the great, appears again on Khartoosh, this time with the super sweet Nadine Razzouk (known as Nado) and Lama Shehadeh whose recent anti-littering awareness campaign/ intervention is spreading like wild-fire in the media!
All knowing that anyone is likely to pick money off the floor, Nado, Moe, and Lama came up with a deceptively simple idea. They scanned in the ten thousand Lebanese Liras money paper, and altered its colors slightly (for forgery and copyright matters). On its back, a simple straightforward message says it all: Just as you picked it up, you can pick up your litter from the streets.
This campaign has so far proved to be very successful, catching the attention of hundreds of people: https://www.facebook.com/metelmashelta , media including TV channels: LBCI: http://lbcgroup.tv/news/17771/lucky-lebanese-get-a-lesson-in-littering, France TV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR5WWxsSNvw ،New TV, etc. Not to mention that a few politicians have responded to the campaign such as MP Sami Gemayel http://stateofmind13.wordpress.com/2012/01/23/mp-samy-gemayel-supports-the-metel-ma-shelta-campaign/
Perhaps, other campaigns have previously tackled the same issue... But this time, the three AUB graphic design students present us with a very eye catchy campaign, an intervention in the city streets, drawing people's attention on the issue of littering that is considered as a crime, except in Lebanon (of course!!) where the Lebanese Law majorly fails at issuing a law against it.
Very few commentators believe that this campaign undoes it self, as money is being thrown in city streets, and not all of them are going to be picked up... which means more litter in streets... Well, if this is what it takes to draw people's attention to take action, then let it be! Personally, I'd rather see money paper in the streets instead of food leftovers...
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/metelmashelta
This work remains an example of the important role that graphic designers can play in their society. I often say this, and will repeat my self once again: of course, graphic designers CAN NOT change the world. any claim otherwise is totally erroneous. After all, this world is soooo huge, and graphic design alone can not fulfill the world's complexities. Graphic designers however can definitely make a difference... A significant one, indeed!!
January 19, 2012
Clay model | lip sync'ing
Clay model of Joyce Younes - 'Lip Sync'ing' project done in Motion Graphics, AUB - 2011
January 04, 2012
Nasibak 7aysibak - نصيبك حيصيبك | National Lottery show
THEEEE MOST FUN project ever!!
In Packaging design course (Spring 2011), we were assigned to design a TV Show set for the National Lottery Show. The atmosphere of the show is pretty much inspired by the Syrian commercial ads.
A group project in collaboration with the most amazing friends: Joyce Younes, Sara Hafi, and Dominique Salloum
Host: Mohammad Olaymi, The Great!
The Jingle
In Packaging design course (Spring 2011), we were assigned to design a TV Show set for the National Lottery Show. The atmosphere of the show is pretty much inspired by the Syrian commercial ads.
A group project in collaboration with the most amazing friends: Joyce Younes, Sara Hafi, and Dominique Salloum
Host: Mohammad Olaymi, The Great!
1 of 4 scenes
 |
| stage |
 |
| stage -2- |
 |
| The Making of |
 |
| Host |
 |
| costumes |
 |
| costumes -2- |
 |
| the lottery machine |
 |
| the making of -2- |
 |
| random |
 |
| random -2- |
 |
| random -3- |
December 23, 2011
Traditional hard cover Binding
It is Christmas time! Get your hands on a DIY gift!
Below is a DIY sketch-book, a christmas gift for Jana Traboulsi whose illustrations you can view on: www.ayloul.blogspot.com
 | |
| Cover (Illustration by Jana Traboulsi ) |
October 29, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)