Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Naji El Mir

Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Naji El Mir

Author: afikra April 27, 2023 Duration: 42:05

Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews Lebanese-French Graphic Designer Naji El Mir about his beginnings in graphic design and animation. The discussion addresses the journey from homeland to becoming a successful independent designer in diaspora. The talk explores ideas on self-teaching, exploration of different media or techniques or aesthetics, following one’s passions, and engagement with one’s community and issues of social justice. Naji’s candid and humble retelling of his visions on the way and what he designs can be summed by his curiosity to learn in order to serve the requirements of a creative project keeping freestyle and hand-drawn arabic lettering as core element. Naji elaborates on these ideas through anecdotes and talking about specific projects that have left a mark on his life and career such as Typographic Matchmaking in the City, a design research project initiated and curated by the Khatt Foundation.

For more information:https://najielmir.com/

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afikra is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region- past, present, and future - through conversations driven by curiosity. Read more about us on afikra.com

 

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ABOUT AFIKRA
afikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity.
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Khatt Chronicles: Stories on Design from the Arab World is a series of dialogues that pull back the curtain on creative processes often overlooked in global design narratives. Produced in collaboration with afikra, each episode sits down with a different practitioner-be it a typeface designer reimagining Arabic letterforms, an illustrator weaving social commentary into their work, or a researcher digging into historical patterns and contemporary craft. These aren't formal interviews, but more like candid conversations that delve into the guest's personal journey, the challenges and inspirations specific to their context, and their hopes for the future of visual culture in the region. When you listen to this podcast, you're hearing firsthand accounts of how ideas move from sketchbook to reality, how tradition converses with modern technology, and what it means to build a creative practice rooted in the Arab World. The discussions naturally cover everything from the intricacies of book design and street art to the philosophy behind material choices and color palettes. Khatt Chronicles serves as an oral archive, chronicling the vibrant and evolving scene of Arab visual communication, one story at a time. It’s for anyone curious about the stories behind the objects, images, and letters that shape our visual environment, offering a nuanced perspective directly from the minds that are shaping it.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 51

Khatt Chronicles: Stories on Design from the Arab World
Podcast Episodes
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Amir Mahdi Moslehi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:18
In this episode of Khatt Chronicles, Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews Iranian type designer and researcher Amir Mahdi Moslehi. They discuss his journey into calligraphy and type design. Moslehi discusses his extensi…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Nisrine Sarkis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:42
Yara Khoury Nammour interviews Beirut-based Lebanese designer Nisrine Sarkis. They discuss her journey into the world of branding and lettering. Focusing initially on illustration and graphic design, Nisrine gradually re…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Nora Zeid [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:15
In this episode of the Khatt Chronicles podcast, Yasmine Nachabe Taan interviews Dubai-based Egyptian illustrator and comics artist Nora Zeid. They discuss her journey into the field of graphic novels and comics through…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Wissam Shawkat [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:27
Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews Dubai-based Iraqi calligrapher and designer Wissam Shawkat. They discuss his journey into calligraphy and graphic design starting from his teenage years as a student in Iraq to his m…
Khatt Chronicles Hosts Introducing Season 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:11
The Khatt Chronicles podcast is back in a third season! Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès moderates a conversation between the hosts of Season 3. The discussion addressed the several topics and themes that are planned for this…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Lara Balaa [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:38
Yara Khoury Nammour interviews Lara Balaa, Lebanese editorial designer and PhD Candidate at Rutgers School of Communication and Information. They discuss Balaa's journey into becoming a graphic designer, and her fascinat…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Lara Assouad [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:19
Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews Dubai-based Lebanese graphic and type designer @laraassouad. Together they discuss her journey into type design and her other passions and side practices such as book-binding, leathe…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Rana Salam [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:17
Yasmine Nachabe Taan interviews Beirut-born Lebanese graphic designer @RanaSalam, "Queen of Arab Pop", founder of Rana Salam Studio in Beirut, Lebanon. Together they unpack her journey as a designer, what inspires her, w…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Mobius Studio [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:13
Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews UAE-based design studio MOBIUS and its founders, graphic designers Hala Al-Ani, Hadeyeh Badri and Riem Hassan. They candidly share their backgrounds and path: a friendship that broug…