JEDDAH — Dar Al-Hekma University hosted the Visual Communication Design Exhibition to showcase the work and talents of graduating seniors. It was held in Dar Al-Hekma University campus and the expo would facilitate students’ smooth integration into the job market after graduation through the attendance of many advertising agencies and business professionals.
“The Visual Communication program has been one of the most popular majors in Dar Al-Hekma University. I have received many testimonials throughout the years about the level of professionalism, distinctiveness and creativity our graduates exhibit, and this corroborates that we are guiding them down the right path,” said the President of Dar Al-Hekma University, Dr. Suhair Hassan Al Qurashi.
This exhibition “RAWM” is an Arabic word that translates as an expression of the students’ ambition and accomplishments as they prepare for their professional careers; a fitting title for a group of Dar Al-Hekma’s graduates. RAWM showcased 18 senior students’ projects covering a wide range of topics.
RAWM is a word derived from the word “Desire”. RAWM, does not only describe the desire for something, but also describes the feelings associated with strongly feeling the need to pursue something in life
Dr. Effat Fadag, the Dean of the School of Design and Architecture, expressed her support for the 2016 senior graduating class who she said are “prepared to be leaders for tomorrow’s world.” She added that this ambitious goal is achieved best when focus is directed toward “teaching and learning.”
“The senior student exhibition “RAWM” showcased the tremendous achievements of our graduating students. The work highlights the talent and creativity of our students at Dar Al-Hekma University. Fostered over the course of four years, the professional skill that these senior students have acquired produces graduates ready to be agents of excellence in the local design industry,” said Cordula C. Peters, the chair of the Visual Communication Department.
Two senior students explained how their capstone projects were inspired to help people in different ways. Senior graphic design student Nour Jadullah described the inspiration for her capstone project titled “Ana” that was included in the exhibition. The project examines how a growing reliance on social media affects users.
“In a world where technology is quickly evolving, people are becoming more and more dependent on social media — but what does this mean when it comes to the millennials/teenagers of this current generation? Although social media is a useful tool, an individual with low self-esteem may resort to using it for the wrong reasons”, said Jadullah. The mobile application that Jadullah designed for her campaign is intended to encourage female teenagers to express themselves and be confident without the need for social validation.
Another student, Rana Fatani, created an informational sign template app that will help people navigate the historical city of Al-Balad. With her app, she hopes visitors to the district can be confident that their exploration of the old city will be a pleasant one.
“My overall impression of the exhibition is really great, I can see the creativity as the designers are thinking out of the box. My favorite work is “Unlock Lock” by Yasmin Khayat that aims to help creative professionals to unlock their creativity,” said one of exhibition’s attendees Razan Al-Jaber, who is an animator at the Social Clinic.
The Visual Communication Department is one of the earliest programs to be offered in Dar Al-Hekma University. Now, for more than a decade the graduates of this program have been flooding the job market and raising the standards in Jeddah. Many leaders and graphic designer entrepreneurs from Dar Al-Hekma University have left a print in the industry; to name a few Bayan Abuzinadah and Maria Mahdaly the co-founders and art directors in Destination Jeddah Magazine, Kholoud Attar the founder of Design Magazine, Sundus Batterji founder and creative director of Influence Branding and Design, and Allaa Awad co-founder of the design and social media agency The Agency.
