Muiz | معز

BLESSINGS A map of our physical and metaphysical being, charted in the form of Arabic blessings. From atoms that construct our human form - shared with the oceans, mountains, skies and celestial space - to the murmuration of our collective consciousness across geographies into societies and civilisations. We are interconnected in macro and micro ways we often forget. What these last few weeks have laid bare is that we are all in this together as a region, whether we like it or not. The sooner we realise that and act accordingly, the sooner we place our focus on the key instigator(s). May the year ahead bring us greater clarity, justice and an everlasting peace. Eidkom Mubarak in all the ways you choose to express it, my beloved global family. - Eid Mubarak | عيد مبارك Eid Saeed | عيد سعيد Eid Fitr Saeed | عيد فطر سعيد Kol 3m w enta bikheir | كل عام وأنت بخير Kol sana w enta salem | كل سنة وأنت سالم Kol sana w enta tayeb | كل سنة وأنت طيب

GRIEF Is there a better word in English to describe how those of us with an umbilical cord connected to South West Asia and North Africa feel right now? - Design & Art Direction - Muiz [@3u12 ] Motion Design - Hasan Zarroug [@hpeghasan ] Song - Fairouz - Siobhan Alkalima [“Glory to the Word”] - Honoured to be among 20 designers invited by curator, Amin Alsaden to contribute to his latest exhibition, Lines of Grief مدونات عن الحزن - part of the Elegiac Whispers project - currently on show at the A. M. Qattan Foundation in Palestine. We were each assigned a line or verse of poetry on the theme of grief to render exclusively in Arabic lettering and only in black and white. الحزن لا يعرف القراءة - الشاعر المصري أمل دنقل، من قصيدة “الحزن لا يعرف القراءة” Grief does not know how to read. - Egyptian poet Amal Dunqul, from the poem “Al-Huzn La Ya’rif al-Qira‘a” (“Grief Does Not Know How to Read”) This piece was created not only within the global context of grieving the inhumanity of our current world, but also the slow collapse of my own world via the loss of family members while making it. My love and respect to visionary and curator, Amin Alsaden for his compassion, patience and consultation while developing this work. My gratitude and solidarity to Yasmin Huleileh, Assistant Curator at the Qattan Foundation and their team for organising and producing this exhibition at such a difficult time.] - @qattanfoundation @amin.alsaden

Honoured to be among 20 designers invited by curator, Amin Alsaden to contribute to his latest exhibition, Lines of Grief مدونات عن الحزن - part of the Elegiac Whispers project - currently on show at the A. M. Qattan Foundation in Palestine. We were each assigned a line or verse of poetry on the theme of grief to render exclusively in Arabic lettering and only in black and white. الحزن لا يعرف القراءة - الشاعر المصري أمل دنقل، من قصيدة “الحزن لا يعرف القراءة” Grief does not know how to read. - Egyptian poet Amal Dunqul, from the poem “Al-Huzn La Ya’rif al-Qira‘a” (“Grief Does Not Know How to Read”) This piece was created not only within the global context of grieving the inhumanity of our current world, but also the slow collapse of my own world via the loss of family members while making it. My love and respect to visionary and curator, Amin Alsaden for his compassion, patience and consultation while developing this work. My gratitude and solidarity to Yasmin Huleileh, Assistant Curator at the Qattan Foundation and their team for organising and producing this exhibition at such a difficult time.] - @qattanfoundation @amin.alsaden

“CEASEFIRE” How many times will those of us outside of Gaza fall for this fallacy? The primary negotiating parties who hold all the cards - the US and Israel - have facilitated through economic, political and military support, the wholesale and historic slaughter of a captive population in the so-called Gaza Strip. They have shown despite increased awareness and protest, that there is absolutely no reason for them to stop. These parties have assassinated the political figureheads they were feigning to negotiate a ‘ceasefire’ with over the last two years in countries across the world, only to continue their objectives unabated. Why? In previous ‘ceasefire’ agreements, global headlines emphasised the minimal aid that was allowed in as a sign of progress, before the bloodshed continued at an even more brutal level. Of the 195 recognised nations on Earth comprised of +7 billion human beings - not a single one has enforced any tangible measures to protect the 2.3 million Palestinians trapped in this death spiral with their genocidal occupier. This is not a win in material or moral terms for Palestine by any stretch of the imagination for those of us outside the territory. Oppressive systems that have no checks or balances have only ever truly been de-railed from their objectives via two means - economic suffocation or military intervention. This ‘ceasefire’ to those of us outside, serves only to quell momentum on both fronts, as it seems political progress is being made. It is a distraction before the colonial blender begins to spin its blades again. Remember the power to truly end this doesn’t lay in the hands of negotiators, it’s with you and our collective pressure being maintained on their genocidal and colonial systems. Gaza has been mutilated almost beyond recognition, but she and her children still have a chance. (Artwork says Peace / سلام constructed from a mangled national identity) . . . . . . . . . . #arabictype #arabicdesign #arabicgraphicdesign #aigaeyeondesign #typegang #letterart #lettering

Genocide. Israel has maintained its air, land and nautical siege on Gaza, denying food and medical aid from entering the territory and propagating the starvation of 2.3 million Palestinians trapped there, 50% of them children. 3,000 trucks loaded with food, water and medical supplies have been stuck rotting in the heat at the Egyptian border into Gaza for almost two months because Israel refuses to allow it to enter [UN, 22 April 2025] in contravention of International Humanitarian Law [IHL] which prohibits the use of starvation as a method of warfare. Israel has also armed and is defending criminal gangs in Southern Gaza [Haaretz, 5 June 2025, and The Times of Israel] to intentionally loot the scraps of humanitarian aid that they’ve allowed in - sowing dissent, discord and death. The so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) - a private start-up with no experience of distributing food that bypasses the UN and other established NGOs which have been denied entry to Gaza by Israel - is founded by former USAID manager, John Acree and an American evangelical leader, Johnnie Moore. Their operations which are run by a private American militia force flown into the territory has resulted in the murder of +1,000 Palestinians (UN, 15 July 2025) including at the hands of the Israeli Occupation Forces, both of whom have fired directly upon starving men, women and children gathering there in the desperate hope of receiving food aid. In a report by Dr Yaakov Garb, Senior Lecturer In Sociology & Anthropology at Ben-Gurion University, Israel, published on Harvard Dataverse about the GHF in June 2025, he uncovers a “demographic horror story” in which 400,000 of Gaza’s population are now missing from official records, representing a potentially realistic new death toll. No country on Earth has threatened any tangible repercussions on Israel to immediately stop their indiscriminate killing or starvation, despite these same powers enacting swift military, economic and political measures on other nation states like Russia, Iran and China. No one can claim ignorance in the Information Age. This is record breaking death & destruction. Bare witness. Speak up. Do something.

عيد مبارك Eid Mubarak Today is Eid el-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice. It commemorates and is in reverence of the Prophet Abraham, after God commanded him to sacrifice his son to test the limits of his faith. In Islam it is believed to be Ishmael, in the Bible and Torah is it Isaac. Despite the parental instinct to protect, Abraham prepared to take his son’s life on a mountaintop - trusting there was some divine design or purpose to this immense potential loss - at which point he was commanded to stop by the Angel Gabriel to highlight the symbolism of this request, and given a ram instead. Eastern traditions of sacrifice and resurrection, from Easter to Christmas have become gluttonous, necrotic, consumerist feasts in the West, completely divorced of the idea of personal sacrifice for one another toward a higher, collective wellbeing. Muslims, despite being one of the fastest growing communities on Earth with a population of 1.9 billion, [25% of humanity] frankly seem content to pretend to be impotent in safeguarding a population of 2.1 million - more concerned with maintaining their newfound peace, privilege and power via proximity or allegiance to Western hegemony. Never before has colonial power been wielded so openly, in real-time, via live-stream. Never have so many historic death and destruction records been broken in a single genocide. It’s clear who the modern day Isaac/Ishmael is, who refused to intervene and who we now truly worship. . . . . . . . . . . #arabictype #arabictypography #typemotion #aigadesign #eid #eidmubarak #eidsaeed #eidsaid #dailyposter #bestvector #pictogram #eyemagazine #grafikfeed #motiontype #عيدسعيد #عيدمبارك

Silence. .... عرﻩ [Gaza] The creative community have never stood on the sidelines of history - from slavery, the world wars, civil rights, women’s rights, apartheid and racism - they’ve always been on the frontlines in the battle of ideas, information and justice. Despite this precedent - as exemplified in modern times by creatives and corporations taking public stances on the invasion of Ukraine, women’s rights in Iran, Trump’s presidency and Black Lives Matter - there’s been an almost ubiquitous silence on Palestine. Israel has used this silence to break multiple historic records in its slaughter of Palestinians these last 600 days. - +186,000 Palestinians killed [“conservative estimate” by The Lancet, July 2024] - 13,000 Ukrainians killed since 24 Feb 2022 [UN, 21 Feb 2025] +39,000 orphans - most in modern history [PCBS April 2025] +20,000 amputees - highest child amputee per capita in world [UNICEF, Jan 2025] +1,400 health workers killed [UN, 15 April 2025] +295 UN staff killed - the most in its history +232 journalists killed - more than every historical record combined since World Wars [WIIPA] 50% of Gaza’s population is under 18 y/o. 100% of universities destroyed - Palestinian literacy rate is one of the highest in world 97.84% [Israel’s is 92] 90% of schools destroyed [UN, Feb 2025] +663 educators killed [OHCHR, 29 April 2025] 90% population displaced [1.9 million people] 80% homes damaged or destroyed [UN, March 2024] +1000 mosques inc all 3 churches damaged or destroyed by airstrikes - Church of Saint Porphyrius is 3rd oldest in world - No one can claim ignorance in the Information Age. History has never looked kindly on bystanders no matter their justifications - their inaction enabled injustice, making them complicit. If you ever wondered what you’d have done during the Holocaust - you’re doing it now. Our craft is so powerful because it can transcend language, time and geography - cutting through the geo-political framework that has fractured our world. Do better. Get braver. Create & say something. - Design & Art Direction - Muiz [@3u12 ] Animation - Hasan Zarroug [@hpeghasan ]

Arabic has 12 million words. English has 170,000. The current climate of policing Muslim and SWANA identity in the US, UK & Europe are antithetical to the standards of freedom they claim to uphold & the idea of universal truths & facts above “fake news”. Yet these same countries are legislating our language, culture & faith based on their tacit inability to understand, engage, or correctly define it. The word Jihad is a prime example of this. Last month, my piece entitled ‘Jihad’ was projected onto the 121 year old Tate Britain Gallery thanks to @beingmalcolmgarrett @jrooneyresearch & @barnett.london - poignant given it’s pock-marked facade from World War shelling & bombing. The meaning of Jihad is to engage in a meritorious struggle or effort for a noble or authentic cause. It can be you wanting to stop drinking alcohol within a social circle that communes under the influence. It could be wanting to live a more health conscious life-style after years of self-neglect. It could be wanting to be more spiritually aligned in your everyday personal & professional life. And it can be breaking free from your toxic, abusive environment. The fact that a language as rich as Arabic can be reduced to misnomers primarily because of the lack of translatable equivalents in English, is not the fault of the language of origin or those for whom it is their mother-tongue. With that in mind, English speakers - tell me what your jihad is in the comments. . . . . . . . . . . #graphicdesigncentral #arabicart #eyemagazine #adobeillustrators #posterart #posterunion #dailyposter #goodtype #bestvector #pictogram #eyeondesign #icographica #aigadesign #graphicposter #grafikfeed #arabictype #arabictypography #typespire #typespot #typeeverything #غزة #خط #arabiccalligraphy #arabicdesign #arabiclanguage #arabicwords #tatebritain #projectionart

Jihad | جهاد I was invited by @beingmalcolmgarrett @jrooneyresearch & @barnett.london to interpret the word ‘Authenticity,’ in honour of the life and work of the late David Crow, who passed away aged 60 in 2022. My path crossed with David during my time studying at @mcrschart , where he rose from lecturer in 2004 to Pro-Vice Chancellor & Dean in 2009. David’s fundamental guiding principle has been described as authenticity in design - where graphic design was far more than a commercial exercise, best exemplified by his personal commitment to creative honesty and telling the truth throughout his life and work. This resonates deeply with my own practice and philosophy, which is why my chosen typographic response was to use the word ‘Jihad’, whose authentic meaning has been (lazily at best, maliciously at worst) mis-translated into a short-hand for violence and terrorism. It actually translates to ‘strive/struggle for a noble cause’, which also resonates industry-wide in the age of AI, cultural appropriation and accountability and funding cuts to the arts. Personally, it characterises my exploration of cultural autonomy and heritage by bridging ancient aesthetics into contemporary contexts, which is a struggle all its own given the contentious and colonial relationship between Europe and Asia/Africa. I want to extend my thanks in particular to Malcolm Garrett and Dr John Rooney for strongly supporting my decision to use this word - the only non-Latin contribution to the show - especially in the current climate of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian sentiment that is censoring creatives across commercial, cultural and academic spaces. You can see an exhibition of David’s work and +80 industry/student creative responses to ‘Authenticity’ at @ChelseaSpace until 20 April, in collaboration with @mcrschart.design @msoagraphicdesign @chelseaual & @designmcr .

Land Day | يوم الأرض - From @majazzproject and founder, @mominswaitat Every year on March 30th, Palestinians commemorate Land Day / Yom al-Ard, marking when six Palestinian civilians were killed and over 100 injured in 1976 whilst protesting against land expropriation across the Galilee. Palestinian Sound Archive brings you a compilation of newly digitised music from Palestine, celebrating Palestinian heritage, culture and resistance. This compilation features a number of artists, some of whom were assassinated because of their role in bringing this music to light. Featuring poetry by Toufic Zayyad, whose words were famously used throughout the first Yom Al Ard protests. Some of the artists remain anonymous upon their request, to avoid being targeted, whilst others are still unknown. All the proceeds from this album will go towards supporting Majazz Project to continue their vital work preserving endangered music, poetry and field recordings from Palestine and beyond. 🎶 (Album link in their bio). - Compiled by @MajazzProject / Palestinian Sound Archive Photographer: Unknown Design & Art Direction by Muiz (@3u12 ) . . . . . . . . . . #graphicdesigncentral #arabiccalligraphy #eyemagazine #arabiccalligraphyart #posterart #posterunion #dailyposter #arabic_calligraphy #bestvector #pictogram #eyeondesign #icographica #aigadesign #arabic_art #grafikfeed #typedaily #arabicdesign #designarchive #4rabic #nonlatin #arabictypography #arabiclettering #vintagevinyl #vintagephotograph #archivephotography #letteringpractice

Can you decode this? Language is formed of symbols we’ve assigned meaning to, to communicate or encode information through writing or phonics. And sometimes, language in the form we are familiar with fails us. - . . . . . . . . . . #graphicdesigncentral #printandpattern #eyemagazine #adobeillustrators #posterart #posterunion #dailyposter #graphicstudio #bestvector #pictogram #eyeondesign #icographica #aigadesign #graphicposter #grafikfeed #moderndesign #geometricart #graphicart #minimalart #abstractdesign #abtsracted #abstractart #symbolic #symboldesign #symbology #semiotics

Honoured to be invited to open and participate in the art and design biennial conference, @Tasmeem_Doha on its 20th Anniversary, no less. The 2024 edition has been titled “UNDER CONSTRUCTION”. I will be participating in three key events over the next 4 days in Doha, Qatar. EXHIBITION: 8 February - 15 June 2024 ‘Inner Structures - Outer Rhythms: Contemporary Arab and Persian Graphic Design’ My work will be included alongside a select group of +30 of the best contemporary designers from the SWANA region/diaspora, curated by Dr @HudaSmitshuijzenAbiFares , who is the director and founder of @KhattFoundation for Typography. OPENING PANEL: 2 March 2024 ‘Inner Structures - Outer Rhythms: The Politics of Contemporary Design from the SWANA Region’ - with Dr @HudaSmitshuijzenAbiFares , who is the director and founder of @KhattFoundation for Typography, alongside the wonderful graphic and type designer, @WaelMorcos and myself @3u12 WORKSHOPS: 3 & 4 March 2024 I will be delivering two, four-hour workshops at @VCUqatar exploring the historic power of story-telling using words and images, by drawing upon the cultural and semiotic wealth and heritage of the region. | tasmeem.qatar.vcu.edu - My deepest thanks to Dr @HudaSmitshuijzenAbiFares who has documented and nurtured our diaspora community for decades, and to Richard Lombard and the @Tasmeem_Doha team for the gracious invitation in this landmark moment for their biennial. - Personal note: While I feel tremendous cognitive dissonance achieving this personal career milestone amidst one the bloodiest chapters of the 20th and 21st Century, where my loved ones are directly in harms way - there is also no better time to explain the philosophy of my practise to the next generation of designers in the region - where the responsibility of the creative and the efficacy of their work as a tool to communicate vital information becomes an act of moral necessity in a climate of censorship and colonial conquest.