> Launching MM corporate for flawless events!

I've been working in #ArtDirection for many years and it does feature a lot of things, but my favorite have always been EVENTS, CONFERENCES, TRADE FAIRS... SO here am I specializing into it! Watch this video to know more & follow MM corporate on facebook & insta !

> Have you tried these Lebanese wines?

It's no secret I am a wine lover and have been so for many years, ever since I met Salim. There are more than 250 wine labels in Lebanon, more than 60 wineries, young passionate winemakers who are changing the scene, terroirs as varied as our people, 10 million bottles produced and 5 million exported and many gold medals, every year! 
Watch this video to discover a few of them, and different ways to drink them, like for example the "Rosé en Piscine":

 

Wines mentioned in this vlog:
http://atibaiawine.com
http://www.domainedestourelles.com
http://www.domainedebaal.com
http://chateauqanafar.com

> Marseille est une chanson!

With similar vibes to Beirut and a few other mediterranean metropoles, Marseille has nonetheless its own particular lifestyle... No wonder a lot of Lebanese feel at home there! Passing through for a couple of days before our journey to the Luberon, we've witnessed quite a dose of adventures ;-)
Watch for more...

> Plastic is NOT Fantastic

It's that time of the year when we are almost always outdoors, in picnics, barbecues, parties... and the last thing we want is dishwashing! So what do we do? We use disposable plates and cups :-(
I am just saying that instead of plastic that lasts thousand of years in our environment, simply use paper... 
One thing i forgot to mention in the vlog: you can also use wooden cutlery instead of plastic as well.

Brands featured: Rana Salam

Disclaimer: All names and brands i feature in my vlog are my own favorites, when the post is sponsored, it will be mentioned.

> Aperitivo tips: how to mix your perfect summer drink!

When June hits, Aperitivo becomes the highlight of the day: finding the perfect spot to meet with friends around the best spritz & cocktails!
To get the best mixology tips for my go-to drinks, I met with Souhad, Campari/Aperol Ambassador at The Malt Gallery. Watch the video for more: 

> Unusual Gifts from Beirut with Love!

Here it comes! Tourism season! But what should you take back from Beirut other than the usual trio artisan-arak-nuts...? Follow me through the streets of Mar Mkhayel to discover the addresses mentioned in this vlog: Maria Halios MHD: https://www.mariahalios.com Mellow: https://www.facebook.com/MellowHomeCo... Plan Bey: https://www.facebook.com/PlanBEY/

> Firenze Success Story: Mercato Centrale

Last month we visited Pitti Uomo in Firenze, and I wrote a post about the brands that caught our attention. However the visual and gastronomic explosion that marked us forever was ~ DRUM ROLL~... IL MERCATO CENTRALE!

(logo and identity by Almagreal, representing the central location of the mercato)

This Iron and Glass building was created in 1874 by Giuseppe Mengoni, who designed as well the famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milano. For its 140th birthday, Umberto Montano and Claudio Cardini gave this San Lorenzo Covered Market its glory, bringing people back to this vibrant city landmark, with traditional shops that give the artisans the center stage.

Following this idea, every booth is hosted by its star artisan, with his name and caricature illustration by Jonathan Calugi, who caught the character of each person so perfectly.

Here is a small animation by Simone Brillaleri of one artisan for example:

Amazing isn't it?

The food of course compeets by far with the most famous restaurants in Florence, not to mention that it's for a bargain! I had the best pasta and arancina tradizionale with a delicious Aperol Spritz, for around 20 euro...

I leave you now with a few pictures of the identity in the website, magazine, place etc...

Ecollo qua! Bravo a tutti, direttore, architetto, designer, animator, illustrator...good job!

Don't miss it if you're on a trip to Italy and i know a lot of you are planning to this summer...

UPDATE!!! Thanks to this post I've just discovered that the talented Lebanese Stephanie Richa worked with Jonathan Calugi on the identity during her internship in Firenze! BRAVISSIMI!

> New Christmas Wrapping : Rooly Booly

Just a cute project I just finished for Rooly Booly, the new design of the wrapping papers:

Thank you Joe for the beautiful photos!

> Having fun with Bleu Objet

Being the visual communication consultant of Bleu, allows me to do lots of fun stuff, from Beirut to Bollywood, but that's another story that I will tell once finished. What I want to talk about today is their capsule collection of unique deco items, to which I create an emailer each tuesday and that we call "Les Mardis Bleus".
Here are my favorite ones, hand-picked.

> Postcard Christmas Tree

Every year since this beautiful paper tree, this BD tree and phone line tree, we challenge ourselves with the girls to find a funky Christmas Tree idea... Last year they wanted a more traditional tree (hence the white branches) but cool decorations.
So we decided to decorate it with all our postcard collection: from our travels, our painting exhibitions, drawings etc.. So we had Tuscany, Lisbon, Alsace, GB, Hopper, Kertesz etc mixed and shuffled altogether.
More mainstream than the others but full of emotion... right?

> restaurant identity: The Hangout Beirut

I recently had the chance to work on an interesting project: the visual identity of the yummy place I now hangout in all the time ;-) _ The Hangout !

First this is the logo:

...inspired by this lovely detail in the wrought-iron shed:

Here's a look at the inside of this beautiful mediterranean house:

I worked on the prints of course,

and on the art direction of the food picts,

And last but not least, on the facebook communication that you can follow here, which is really interactive & smart, + it enhances our heritage in a fun way...

So next time you're in Beirut, be sure to check out The Hangout: ask for the Gourmet Burger and a glass of Château Qanafar, you'll thank me later...

> now open: urbanista in gemmayzeh

Just had lunch in the cutest little place (well not so little!) which just opened in Gouraud street: Urbanista. The urban / industrial deco is great, love the materials, food is yummy, they even have a terrace for when it's not too hot and the coffee? Delicious. I brought it back to the office ;-)

>Parties & Tables: The Roaring Twenties / Années Folles Party

A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to work on the organization of a 1920ies party: Everything from the invite, to the tabletops, props for the guests, CD cover, and even the wall art that the restaurant owner agreed gracefully to let us hang!

It was definitely fun, especially that almost everyone came with great outfits... A journey back in time!

> Scandinavian Tree

Well my home tree this year is not as funky as my other trees here, here and here but it still is very beautiful: just plain white and wood ornaments... Guess I've been reading too much Scandinavian blogs lately ;-)

>New Tree Design !

And talking about trees, here's a tree I designed this year with recycled phone cables (Thx to the design team for execution!), for RJ shop windows in synergy with the Hitchcock campaign below...

>Home Made Halloween

One of my favorite holidays is arriving soon and all the more reasons to get creative!
Here are a few inspirational pics from last year's Halloween...