> New Guide " Beirut Revealed " by Carole Corm

The year ended + the first month of 2013 is well on its way and I even didn't have the time to share this beautiful new guide with you!
325 rich pages by Beirut based journalist and Monocle correspondent, Carole Corm,
& Photographer Nadim Bou Habib.
A little peak at the content proves that it is not your regular basic guide, and even I, the unconditional Beiruti, found many tips!

And there are very interesting contributions about various subjects,
like Gregory Buchakjian's piece about the Beirut Art World:

And Ghassan Koteit's piece about Beirut & Film:

and last but not least ;-) a small contribution by MM ( me!) the foodie, Carole was so generous to include me in the local insights, amidst great Beirut figures like Chef Hussein Hadid, or Rabih Kayrouz to say the least, so I'm really happy and I hope you enjoy my tips!

Click here for the Daily Star's review about the guide.

> Unleash your inner artist!

This funky place was born because of Aline's passion for arts and crafts, and her dynamic quest for inspiring leisure time for herself, her friends and kids... She couldn’t find what she was looking for, so she created it, the perfect haven for art lovers.
A hobby for starters and now a chain of art lounges & cafés, "L'Atelier Art Lounge" has a strong visual identity (that's where i came along), which you can spot not only on the prints but also on the wall coverings and architecture. Have a look:

A quiet moment for you to paint, an evening with friends, a fun birthday celebration or even art classes? All there: like their page for more.

> My greeting e-cards 2012

Well just got 2 minutes away from the holiday rush to show you these, just like I did last year!

>New funky packaging!

I've been sharing art direction and print posts for quite a long time, so I thought why not show you some other stuff as well...
From time to time i am asked to create a new packaging for a product, and this I tell you is really fun work! Of course it should follow the brand guidelines and target but even when it's a casual chic brand like RJ you can have a blast!

Take this for example, it's the latest cylinder box we did for the swimwear collection:

Or this: It's the birthday lunch box of L'Atelier Art Lounge, which is a café and workshop that celebrates arts for all ages...

And last but not least, a project which has not yet seen the light, but I certainly hope it will one day, 'cause it's my favorite: The Champagne bottles of Point Bulles restaurant of chef Karim Haïdar...

Voilà! 

Now I know the three projects are very different, but do you recognize my touch in all three? 

> Pages from RJmag 9, the Celtic issue

As announced previously, we shot RJmag 9 in Brittany and I promised I'd show you some pages so here you are... Concept, art direction and styling by myself (Maya Metni!), photography by Imad Elkhoury, along with a great team to help us! Thank you all for making this possible.

Click here to check the whole mag.

>Breiz, Ma Bro... An ode to Brittany

"Breiz Ma Bro", or rather "Bretagne ma Patrie"/ "Brittany my Home Country"...
Funny thing no? How's a girl from Beirut calling Brittany her Country??...
Don't get me wrong, despite all the mixed feelings, I am still proud to be a Beiruti! But you see, when I call Brittany Home, it is related to deep feeling of serenity and calm and how all fits into place when you actually get home...

It all happened years back when I actually first stepped on the "Granit Rose" rocks of Perros-Guirec. WOW. Breathless, Speechless...
How the wild ocean have sculpted these is simple perfection.
The Lighthouse is there as well to guide you to serendipity.
I was directing a photoshoot last week for RJmag near Guingamp, and i felt like someone introducing his spouse to his family for the time, anxious and eager to see their reaction...
The whole team loved it! There were french models among us who had not set foot there and yet have travelled all around the world: "Funny thing that a girl like you is showing us our country!" they said...
What's there not to love? The nature, the people, the food, the beer, the music..
Long live the Celts!
Some historians say they originally came from the Middle-east, so there you go ;-)
Enjoy...

(All photos by Imad ElKhoury)

> Event branding: From The Heart

It's been quite long since I posted some picks from my portfolio, and it's only 'cause I've been too busy!

I had the chance to work on very challenging projects lately with SANOFI Liban, which included video animations, playlist design and many more. These events were company confidential but I sneaked in 2 or 3 things to show you. 

Below are some artworks for their From The Heart event: Backdrops from the Assembly and Photo-Call wall, CD, & Frame... The logo was hand-drawn and then colored and re-worked on illustrator.

> Fashion goes Downton Abbey, thus proving my point...

As a sequel to my previous Downton Abbey post, here are the new winter 2012-2013 international campaigns and yes milords & miladies Downton hits again!

First Prada with real actors! William Dafoe, Jamie Bell, Gary Oldman...

 

Then Ralph Lauren:

Tommy Hilfiger:

And Vuitton:

Simply take a look at these Downton Abbey shots and tell me the inspiration is not direct !?

 

 

UPDATE: more than 10 days after I wrote this post, it was announced in the press that Ralph Lauren will be sponsoring Downton! Read all about it here.