ELHARF Tour

I’ve guided the design and crafts tour during the 2nd edition of Amman Design Week, the title of the tour was named after my new established project: ElHARF, which will be the home of calligraphy and Arabic visual arts.

The tour started from Calligrapher Shehadeh Haroun’s shop, to meet him and learn from his experience in silkscreen printing, Haroun still using the old-school methods that he acquired from the sign painters of Damascus once he was there 50 years ago! I’ve collaborated with Haroun to produce the English lettering of Amman Design Week, and to demonstrate the essential skills and give some funny tips for the tour members.

Advertisement

The 10 Commandments of Humanitarian Design

I’ve shared those commandments in my talk at Dar Al-Hekma University, in the Design Week 2015: REINVENTING THE VERNACULAR.

1. Know your skills playground!
And find who might need it so you can serve and use best of your skills.

2. Pause Doodling!
Go make serious stuff.

3. Knock their door!
Intervention is good. Don’t wait for their knock knock, they may be shy, or simply don’t know why you are needed!

4. Create trust!
Good intentions create trust, remember this with your clients.

5. Design for what a human need.. or might need!
You should know what are the needs, include them as a solutions in your offer.

6. Think, design, and apply!
After spending your time in thinking, researching and design. Show the idea when it’s completed, stay away of half-road trip. Make real projects!

7. Stop be perfectionist for sometime!
Perfecting every single damn detail before publishing your work is a very long and hectic process, train your self to take a break, and do quick stuff with 20% effort but that bring 80% of impact and benefits.

8. Don’t be shy!
Show your work confidently, and learn from your mistakes if happened. Other wise you remain in the shadow.

9. Make your clients famous!
Helping people to be recognised would make you very recognised as well. Carry their story with you.

10. Take the shorter route to happiness!
Work > money > happiness
Money makes you happy, so why don’t you make it a step shorter and reach happiness directly without the money headache?

By: Hussein Alazaat

Dar Al-Hekma University, Jeddah, March 5, 2015

…