I received for this project;
the Schulich Leader Award in Graphic Design from OCAD U
the Premise Award for Strategic Design from RGD
an Honourable Mention for the Award for Social Good from RGD
After extensive research about the role that Arabic graphic design plays in the Lebanese culture, I applied the knowledge I’ve learned by localizing brands culturally. The goal was to create designs that invite young people to embrace and connect with their cultural heritage through these services. I presented my concept through a prototype for a brand that we all use or come across with on a daily basis, no matter our age or culture: Google.
My first step was to observe how Lebanese people use Google’s services, in particular the available Arabic versions of them. This helped me identify the issues Google’s Arabic designs have, which gave me an opportunity to reconfigure some of their platforms. I redesigned an Arabic version of their logos and webpages.
During the process, I designed a fully functioning modern Arabic typeface that matches Google’s identity and goes well with their Latin typeface (Product Sans). I used this typeface for all of my Arabic content. In addition, I came up with a Google service specifically made for Lebanon: Google Fos7a. It helps us translate between the two forms of Arabic: the Spoken Arabic (written using Latin characters and numbers & which we’re all the most comfortable with) and the Modern Standard Arabic or MSA (written using Arabic characters & which is only used to read and write). I designed a webpage, a mobile app, an advertisement video and a series of posters for the service.
All of this content helped me created a prototype for Google that finds a middle ground between the Western culture and the Lebanese one. I was able to insert my culture into the brand and create services that push the youth to embrace their roots.