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