I'm in the press: RJmag interview

>freshly published: pages from RJmag 8

Monoprix: Non au Junk Design!

I know I'm a bit late to post about this, but the thing is, Monoprix just re-opened in Beirut and I discovered these LIVE! I am absolutely and utterly and madly in love with these Packagings by Havas City agency...
Monoprix wanted to pay a tribute to Warhol and Pop Art as well and every Monoprix item has its perfect palette of colors, bold fonts and  the cutest little joke... I hope you understand french ;-)

(Last pic via mypackaging blog)

>Vintage Hollywood Glamour

RJmag 8 is under press right now, it will soon be in your hands.
It will be fresh, summery & full of colors as you've seen it right here...
However we chose classic black & white for the suits feature, and it is all about Musicals & Vintage Hollywood Glam. Julien Abboud did the styling, Imad El Khoury the photography, and concept and art direction by Maya Metni (me!)... It was huge fun to shoot it so enjoy the sneak peak!

HORECA: Best Stand Competition Review

It was very interesting and so much fun to be in the Horeca 2012 Jury for the Best Stand Competition!

We were: Rana Nasr from Bleu Design Consultants, Malek Salamé, talented architect, and myself for the branding and visual comunication. We reviewed every stand thouroughly, checking the first impression, how does it appeal to you, the general concept, the architecture & volumes, and finally the branding: Is the brand identity present? Is the stand in synergy with its guidelines? etc..

There were 3 categories: Best Stand, Best Small Stand and Best Branded Stand.

Nominees for Best Branded Stand:

>Taanayel Les Fermes

>PowerHorse

> and Sohat

AND THE WINNER was:  Taanayel, very welcoming stand & staff, charming farm design and brand identity 100% there.

Nominees for Best Small Stand:

>Lavazza

> BimPos who really had a very technical product, yet they displayed it in a very nice way

>and La Rose Noire , my picts are of poor quality, but it was a very elegant small stand with a beautiful display, eye candy really.

AND THE WINNER was: Lavazza ! Very intelligent space conception, beautiful espresso-cup tables and all the Italian Spirit in the picture wall...


Nominees for Best Stand:

>KFF alcoholic drinks for the nightclub mood

>IXSIR wine, "the answer is within"... Very Sleek Original Design

>and Prunelle of course, who was the people's choice ;-)

AND THE WINNER was: Prunelle! Smart choice of materials, nice color palette, good branding... However Rana, Malek and me would like to point out that it was not a matter of size, it could've been 50% smaller and we would have liked to see more real bakers and less wax figures...

Congrats to all and good luck for next year! And remember, an original idea is much better than a huge budget...

>LibanPost & St Jude's team up for Mother's Day

Guess what I received in my mail today? 2 great letters from my gorgeous daughters that they wrote at school and sent with LibanPost, as well as a beautiful pin in a lovely little envelope!
How cute is that???
I later investigated and as Hind Fadel, LibanPost marketing director, confirmed, the profits go to St Jude's Children Cancer Center... All I can say is Hats Off!
Thanks a lot and have a wonderful Mother's Day...

>LFA (Lebanese Franchise Association) new book & box design

Very proud to have worked on (and finished! ;-) ) the new LFA booklet with over than 180 members, with a double spread with all relevant info for each... A reference if you want to start a business in Lebanon and the region, or if you want to export Lebanese Creativity and become a Franchisee in any country of the world!

Join their Facebook page right here, and check their website for more...

Oh, and one more thing... GREAT NATIONS MAKE GREAT BRANDS!

>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!

>Nikon School New Campaign

For those of you who enjoyed the Nikon vote last year, and the Nikon Bags,

here is my new design for the Nikon School Lebanon new campaign visual!

>Dermaclinic (Drs Micheline Chalouhi & Maurice Dahdah)

As usual while working with BLEU, my favorite design firm, they send me their moodboard with a detailed brief and we try to create the most accurate identity.
Dermaclinic is, as its name says, a dermatology clinic run by the excellent Doctors Micheline Chalouhi & Maurice Dahdah.
The original theme conveyed the idea of perfect zen ripples. While working with the doctors on various ripple logos, it was suddenly crystal clear to me that skin should be present and not only in the signature. This is how I naturally shifted towards another kind of ripples, the unique and exclusive marks that each and every one of us leaves: our finger prints.
Below the moodboard, the study evolution and the final logo and cards.

>René Gruau, the best fashion illustrator of all time!

Rene Gruau (1909-2004) has always been my favorite fashion illustrator of all time! 

Ever since I was eighteen and studying art in Paris, all through my career, and up till now, I cannot stop being amazed at how, with 2 or 3 little brush strokes, the most astonishing lady appears: Sensual, glamourous and ultra sophisticated.

He collaborated with major magazines like Elle, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar,  L'Officiel, and Madame Figaro, and major designers like Pierre Balmain, Christian Dior, Jacques Fath, Balenciaga, Elsa Schiaparelli, Rochas, Lanvin, Elizabeth Arden, and Hubert de Givenchy and the great Yves St Laurent. Gruau gave life to their haute couture clothing with his captivating illustrations.

I'll let you browse through my favorites right here, and enjoy the lines 

as well as the composition of each page. Total respect!