By Tarek Atrissi

Earlier this year we designed a custom Arabic font for the new BBC Arabic TV channel. A similar yet different project came our way afterwards at Tarek Atrissi Design: Designing a unique Farsi font for the new BBC Farsi TV channel, which will officially start broadcasting later this year.

Above: Preview of the Persian font designed for BBC Farsi, and a preview of its on-screen usage.

Despite dealing with a similar script; and with the same client, the recent Farsi type design project took a very different path from the previous Arabic type project. Certainly, we learned from the process of the Arabic font: Learned more on the process of work with BBC; on the testing and technical issues accompanying the project; and on the context in which the font will be used and the goals it wanted to achieve. We also learned from the simple experience of watching BBC Arabic today, and seeing the outcome of our work “in use” in the daily news reporting. All this of course affected our approach to this similar project, and made us work on it with a supportive experience. Most important, the brief given to us by the Persian Editorial team was very different from the brief of BBC Arabic, if not opposite. The unique font that was required to be developed for BBC Farsi needed to be “subtle”, not visually imposing or with a strong character and being hence “transparent” to the reader and not calling undue attention to it. It needed then to follow the traditional and commonly used Farsi Typefaces in Iran, for it not be a visible and strong change of type style for the average viewer. The typeface still needed to look modern however, despite being inspired from the traditional. It needed to be designed to address a better legibility, particularly on screen resolution, and to work smoothly with the on-screen layout and information design of the new channel, particularly with relatively short ascenders and descenders.

Above: Sketches and images from the process of the Farsi type design project

The result is a new low contrast typeface with a contemporary look and feel and with open counters; optimized for best usage on TV screen; A typeface supporting Arabic and Persian languages, and ideal for usage for good legibility and a subtle modern character. The font is not exclusive for BBC and hence will be take a life on its own, beyond its life on the Farsi News Screen. Details on licensing this typeface will follow shortly.

By Tarek Atrissi

I have been for the last six month advising and guiding masters students at the Gaming Design department of the Utrecht School of the Arts in Holland, supporting them both in their final year projects and their supportive narratives (thesis). “The Big friendly Giant”, a project by two of my students, David Smit and Joeri Lefevre, was an interesting project in research, goals, concept and process of development.

Sophie and the Big Friendly giant; the main two characters developed for the Children’s target group, age 7 to 9. By David Smit- Utrecht School of the Arts.

The Project aimed at creating a fictional franchise around the “Big Friendly Giant”, the children’s book written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake, first published in 1982. Franchising is becoming very common in the Gaming industry, almost every successful video game becomes a full franchise. The need to think of the possibilities of franchising, right from the beginning of the conceptual and design process, becomes a pressing issue should the large and varied target group of a future franchise is to be properly reached. The goal of the project (and the research behind it) was then to create a user centered visual franchise development model that on one hand emphasize more on user involvement (hence on validated design decisions); and that on the other hand set clear guidelines on how to define clear visual design principles that allow unlimited growth of the visual design into different medium while insuring always quality and coherence of products.

Preview from the products developed as part of the fictional Big Friendly Giant Franchise. Lunch Bags and Comic book based on defined Visual and illustration Style.

The project became then the case study for the franchising model created. The students decided to define two very different target groups to address while developing the project: Children of the age of 7 to 9 and adult gamers. They conducted then a comprehensive research on both target groups, with working sessions with children in primary schools, giving them as users the ability to express their views and ideas on the Big Friendly Giant story and taking their input as a main inspiration for facts leading to design decisions. Similar research was conducted on adult players, and eventually each of the students developed the visual guidelines for each of the target groups: Joerie defining a simplified expressive style for the children; and David defining a dark explicit style for the adult gamers. Eventually, both students exchanged the target groups and each created a set of products based on the visual identity guidelines defined by the other, in order to test as well the efficiency of their defined visual styles. A comic book, Lunch pack, and a Nintendo DS game were designed for the Children. For the adult gamers, a comic book, an energy drink, and a condom package were designed as part of the franchised products of the Big Friendly Giant.

Preview from the products developed as part of the fictional Big Friendly Giant Franchise. Lunch Bags and Comic book based on defined Visual and illustration Style.

Some previews are shown in this post of the end result of this project. Each year, I am asked by Print magazine to nominate three young designers for the magazine’s yearly prestigious “20 under 30″ competition, a selection of some of the most talented upcoming visual artists worldwide. I have given my votes for this year for Joeri Lefevre and David Smit, for their wonderful work on this project that effectively combined research, theory and practice in Visual Design for the gaming industry.

By Tarek Atrissi

Another Arabic Logo Adaptation assignment; and again in Holland, where the discussion of the influences of the Arab world as well of the Muslim world on the country, leads to many demands for adapting certain well known Dutch brands into Arabic. Volkskrant Magazine, the weekly publication that accompanies the Daily Volkskrant Newspaper, published a special issue dedicated to the positive influences that islam has brought into the social and cultural life in the Netherlands. The Arabic lettering created then aimed to imitate the structure and rhythm of the very familiar Volkskrant Logo, resulting in a distinctive Arabic lettering style used for the logo adaptation, and for the magazine’s special masthead for this issue.

Preview of the Arabic Lettering adaptation for the logo / masthead of the dutch Volkskrant magazine (issue 423- 100% Politiek correcte moslim-special)

by Tarek Atrissi

Published by Unesco and co-authored by Tarek Atrissi and Huda Abifares, “Visual Narratives from Arabia” is a publication that documents the first Online master module in Design and technology organized by Unesco in 2005-2006, in which a selected group of design students from across the Arab world participated. Long after the course finished, the work on the book that summarizes the experience of the pilot program and showcases the work developed by the students was completed, and the publication was printed and is available for design and communication educators.

Preview from the inside spreads of the book “Visual Narratives from Arabia” by Tarek Atrissi and Huda AbiFares, Published by Unesco in 2008.

The master module on Arts, Design and Technology for the Arab states was an experimental educational program with the objective to explore possibilities of having a new kind of multi-disciplinary educational program in the Arab States. The Pilot program was targeted for postgraduate students with an interest to use new digital technologies in creative areas, such as art and design. The aim was to bring together students with different kind of expertise to study together and to learn from each other in the context of the cultural wealth in the Arab world. The first Module was offered during the academic year 2005-2006. The module was designed an implemented by unesco in collaboration with Academie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts (ALBA), American University of Beirut (AUB), Lebanese American University (LAU), and Media Lab, University of Art and Design- Helsinki.

Students in the online master module participated from cities across the Arab world including Rabat, Alexandria, Beirut, Damascus, Amman, Cairo, Doha, Constantine, nablos, among others

The graphically rich book - designed by Tarek Atrissi Design- contains a selection of some of the most inspiring projects developed by the students in the three online courses: Introduction to Art and New Media in the Arab States (by Ricardo Mbarkho); Arabic typography and design culture (by Huda Abifares) and Typographic Landscape in the Arab World (by Tarek Atrissi).

A digital version of the book is available for download at Tarek Atrissi Design’s website on the following link. Design educators can contact us directly to request a copy of the book “Visual narratives from Arabia”.

By Tarek Atrissi

TypoDag 2008 Design symposium in Amsterdam, under the Theme “freedom of the designer”. The day included a dedicated track featuring presentations by “foreign” designers in The Netherlands.

Anyone who lives in The Netherlands would know how much the country has been changing, particularly in its social and cultural essence, over the last decade. Holland is no longer the same, the rapidly growing multi cultural society has brought a lot of changes and challenges, positive and negative ones, and has changed for good some of the basic definitions and perceptions of the country. And suddenly, out of no where, the heated debate on the reality and co-existence of the multicultural society has moved to the design sector.

Understandably. Design is a discipline rooted in Dutch culture and history, and Dutch Design is highly regarded worldwide. Which is what made Holland for long a leading design destination: Designers from all over the world came here to study or to gain an international experience- and many of them settled here as practicing professionals. But international designers living and working in Holland were for long indirectly “casted aside” and not really seen as active players in the design local scene. I recall when I decided to open my design office in Holland, two remarkable (and funny) statements that were addressed to me from people I highly regarded. The first was “Holland does not need another design studio”. And the second was “You will never be a Dutch designer!”.

But the change witnessed resulted in the last two year in more reflections on the changing landscape of Dutch design and its relationship to a more cosmopolitan society. Conferences and discussions started gearing towards the topic, and the influences and presence of international and multi-cultural designers in Holland became of significant interest. Questioning how Dutch is Dutch design nowadays and if it is an international language or if it is actually representative of the cosmopolitan society became significant design debates.

Dutch design remains a very distinct language, highly observed worldwide. influential, avant-guard and innovative. Because design has always reflected the political, social, and cultural reality, Dutch design is adjusting to the changes of the New Holland. Dutch design remains very Dutch, but the definition of “Dutch” itself is changing, changing with it the status of design, which is getting a new flavor reflecting its new surrounding multicultural society. There is a growing interaction between different design cultures- leading to a cross over design culture, a creation of new fusions which are becoming typical characteristics of Dutch Design. Other cultures are no longer seen just as an inspirations. They are “part of the game” in the content of design, in the target group defined, in the communication needed, and in the nature of design problems that need to be solved.

Will I ever be a Dutch designer then? probably not, at least not in the traditional way of looking at what Dutch design is. But as a “nieuwe nederlander” and as a designer living and working in Holland for a growing majority of local clients, and for a cross cultural society and audience, I certainly am a Dutch designer in the new definition which Dutch Design is taking.

By Tarek Atrissi

Morocco has definitely its own unique style, and the visually and graphically rich journey I experienced in “al-Maghreb al-Aqsa” was really beyond my expectations- inviting me to document it in every possible way.

The colorful city of Marakesh, in its patterns, signs, street graphics, landscape and ornamental details has something very unique about it; a very Arabic Authentic style that absorbed influences from Europe, Africa and Arabia and that remains very typical to the furthest Arabic Country west. The city speaks its own visual language, visibly very different than any other city in the Arab World- and which have been borrowed by the rest of the Arab world, the Gulf specifically, in design, architecture, and urban planning. Never as exciting though as it is in its original context in Morocco.

The Design details is what captured my attention most. One of which is Arabic type used in signage on main roads, within the cities, and in small alleys. The signage in Morocco in itself has generally its own charm; but Arabic type and fonts in use in signage were particularly inspiring. The type in use on the white main road signage is charming, legible, traditional yet different from what is typically seen in signage design; and most importantly, is not widely used font across the Arab world (and that is why I couldn’t identify the font immediately). It could certainly be an excellent inspiration and source to revive such as a typeface.

But street graphics, typography, vernacular type, signs and brands and identities defining the typographic landscape were the most exciting to look at and to document. I have collected such visual from most of the Arab world- but here in Morocco it never felt so different, and even exotic to my my own Arabic eyes. Traditional calligraphy, vernacular Arabic type, strange ligatures, and unique lettering and typographic treatment; Some of these previewed here, and much more besides that to be added to our continuously growing documentation of Visual Arabic Graphics at Tarek Atrissi Design

By Tarek Atrissi

Promotional posters of the exhibitions across the streets of Amsterdam

The Opening of our Exhibition “Arabic Graphics: the work of Tarek Atrissi in Exhibition” took place on the 2nd of May 2008 - in the presence of the Lebanese ambassador of the Netherlands Zaydan El Sagir- and will be on display through the summer at the The Delevante Foundation gallery in Amsterdam. The initial scheduled end of the exhibition on June 22nd has been extended until the 31st of August. For us at Tarek Atrissi Design, this marked the end of a lot of work and preparations for the exhibition, accompanied with the launch of our new website, but was certainly a great recognition to have in The Netherlands; and a chance to review and organize a lot of our work developed over the last 10 years. The opening of the Exhibition was as well a memorable reunion of friends, family, colleagues, clients, and people who has supported me as a designer and supported us as a design studio, in an ongoing exciting entrepreneurial business experience that started back in 2000.

From the Opening of “Arabic Graphics: The work of Tarek Atrissi in Exhibition”.

Seeing a “3 Dimensional portfolio space” is definitely exciting on its own; yet the pre-preparation process phase was in itself even more exciting. We have spent a lot of time exploring design possibilities for the exhibition poster and promotional material- and eventually were delighted to see the poster across the streets of Amsterdam: Adding an Arabic fingerprint across the city; and contrasting in its bright colors and simple design treatment with the rest of the posters on display at the time.

The Delevante Gallery which hosted the Exhibition- shown above the Poster design mural and some of the Arabic Typography and Type Design showcased work.

Though usually I consider myself a good speaker, I have been taken by surprise to add few words to the introduction speech and - probably because of the very personal aspect of this event- failed to articulate well and thank many of the people who helped in the exhibition. Paul Klok, Azza Alameddine and Diana Hawatmeh for putting so much efforts the last two month before the Expo; Fred van Eijk for a wonderful introduction speech; The entire Delevante team for believing all the way in their cultural mission; The sponsors of the exhibition (Gemeente Amsterdam, ArteGanza, Eutopia, Stichting Doen); All the friends and colleagues that came a long way to be part of the show; As well as Annahar Newspaper, for reviewing our work so positively across the years.

From the Opening of “Arabic Graphics: The work of Tarek Atrissi in Exhibition”.

It was a chance to celebrate our designs, yet most importantly, an occasion to look at the bigger picture of the work we are doing and have been producing, and reflecting on the future of our design practice.

By Tarek Atrissi

Preview for the hand made multilingual “goodbye” posts of the project “Partir c’est mourir un peu”.

“Partir c’est mourir un peu” is the title of a wonderful “typographic” project that I accidentally saw on my way to the office in Hilversum. In a small neighborhood on the edge of the city, people have posted large goodbye posts outside their windows, in reaction to the fact that they will be leaving their apartments since the buildings will be destroyed and replaced with a new urban development plan. The multicultural aspect of the street resulted in multilingual signs, colorful, amateurish, yet with a beautiful authentic character.
Probably the best “typographic “Adios” I have seen in a while!

By Tarek Atrissi

I am on average speaking every two or three weeks in a design seminar, conference, or school, somewhere around the world. This has always been an exciting part of my work as a designer, because it allowed me to see and experience the design scene in so many different countries and learn from other speakers, design professionals and students. It is a great way for continuing education; for breaking any sort of routine at work; and for sharing my design practice in research and professional work to a wider audience, and be active on a more international design network. Yet, this has imposed a very tiring lifestyle, with never ending business travel; a challenge to keep up with our ongoing projects in my design firm; and a work definition that is very different by all means from any traditional definition of the work of a Graphic designer, and even Art or creative Director. I always knew that this will have to stop at some point, since the rhythm is too difficult to keep up with, and that I will be sooner rather than later retiring from the “speaking tour” and spending happily more of my time within a 50 km radius from my studio. However, my participating at the Design and Technology Salon at the San Francisco Art Institute last April made me believe that this can really become a much easier practice.

Preview from the Virtual Conference showing video of all speakers in different cities, connecting to the design and technology Salon at the San Francisco Art Institute via Adobe Connect Pro. Shown above as well Type Design work of Yanek Iontef.

The conference was mostly virtual, and all three speakers, located respectively in The Netherlands, Egypt and Israel, presented their papers through a live broadcast, and interacted with each other, with the moderator and with the audience in San Francisco not very differently than how they would if they were to be present in a same geographic location. I have participated in the past in “virtual speaking” attempts, but it had always been a technical nightmare, and often did not run very smoothly (mostly sound and interaction with audience), and that is why I had my doubts about the San Francisco Art Institute event. But this was a surprising exception. The Video link participation was an exciting success, and mainly due to a powerful Adobe tool which I wasn’t familiar with: Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional. Adobe Connect Enterprise is an integrated web communication solution for real-time meetings, eLearning, and online presentations that audiences can see and hear anytime, anywhere, though any standard web browser- and enables you to deliver rich and engaging content through live meetings and interaction with others. During the virtual presentation, for example, I was able to upload my presentation for sharing instantly; add any image or slide or file on the spot for sharing; be part of the Video and Audio broadcast with everyone, and more interesting be able to separately speak or chat with the moderator or other speakers, in parallel to the main conference track. Most importantly: it was easy. I connected to the online platform less than two hours before the start of my talk, and was at ease instantly in using its interface and understanding how it operates. I believe that this will be a big trend towards the future of design conferences- but of course a very interesting online method for use in design studios and firms, which are becoming virtual in many aspects: Work is often for clients at the other side of the planet; Creative teams, even small ones, are not longer necessarily in the same geographic location. I know that we- at Tarek Atrissi Design- find it a tool with great potential for our daily communication needs (with our clients and with each other) and we are experimenting further with it. It is worth checking out, in the following page introducing Adobe Connect Pro or in this quick “getting Started guide“.

During the Design and Technlogy Salon, we witness the sun rising first in Tel Aviv at the office of Yanek Iontef; then at the window behind Bahia Shehab’s desk in Cairo; and finally in my own living room in Hilversum, from where I conducted my talk. Between these three cities and San Francisco, we discussed how the need to be global has challenged notions of traditional design practice in the Middle East; How Global design is raising timely questions about what it means to work in the region and consume the visual and if global design is reinforcing stereotypical notions of mideast culture.

By Tarek Atrissi

“Arabic Graphics: The work of Tarek Atrissi in Exhibition” will be the title of the Graphic and Typographic exhibition opening in Amsterdam on May 2nd, and staying on display until the end of June. The exhibition is hosted by Stichting De Levante, the leading institute in Oriental art and culture in Holland. It will exhibit a selection of our Graphic Design work at Tarek Atrissi Design, often distinguished by a strong Arabic and cross cultural flavor.

Promotional poster for the Exhibition opening in Amsterdam on May 2nd

Needless to say, getting such a recognition here in the Netherlands is very exciting; For long our exposure was- oddly enough- mostly international, and less local. But the last two years in Holland have witnessed a great interest in cross cultural design work which became a reflection of the ever changing multi-cultural society of the Netherlands; and which is considered by many to be the new cosmopolitan face of Dutch Design. More on the exhibition, our preparation for it, and its outcomes to be posted soon on this blog. Meanwhile more on the exhibition can be seen on the expo’s website at www.arabicgraphics.com