The Walls Have Ears الحيطان ليها ودان
Documenting the story of the Said Halim Pasha Palace in Cairo
A narrative-driven digital interactive publication documenting the Said Halim Pasha palace through the blend of architectural research, collective memories and visual storytelling, in efforts of preserving its cultural memory amid rapid urban transformation and advocating for the preservation of other architectural heritage sites in Cairo.
Project by Habiba Nouman @habiba_nouman
Thesis Project Supervisor: Bahia Shehab @bahiashehab
The Hidden Secrets of Hammams
An illustrated book documenting and reviving the social and cultural significance of hammams in Egypt.
The Hidden Secrets of Hammams is an illustrated publication that blends information design with storytelling to document and revive the intangible cultural heritage of Egyptian hammams. It explores the social rituals, spatial systems, tools, and sensory experiences that define these communal spaces, while uncovering the myths and superstitions surrounding them. Through a carefully crafted visual language, the project preserves overlooked traditions for new generations. By bridging past and present, Hammam El Hana highlights the cultural, social, and emotional significance of hammams as spaces of cleansing, connection, and collective memory in Egypt.
Project by Maya El Agizy @mayaelagizy
Thesis Project Supervisor: Ghalia Elsrakbi @ghalia_elsrakbi
Thesis Supervisor: Brenda Segone @segonebrenda
Dhil ظل – The Lost History of Egyptian Shadow Puppetry
The project presents an illustrated visual narrative that traces the history of Egypt’s shadow puppetry from its early origins to its gradual decline. It presents four historical eras: Ancient Egyptian origins, its arrival in the Arab world, the early Islamic period, the Mamluk peak until its decline. The project relies on visual storytelling, with short text separators introducing each scene.
Project by Habiba El-Sharkawy @habibaelsharkawy
Thesis Project Supervisor: Bahia Shehab @bahiashehab
AUC Graphic Design Graduation Show 2026
العديد : مراثي للموتى Al-ʿAdīd: Laments for the Dead
An illustrated publication of Al-ʿAdīd lament poems that visualizes their metaphors to reframe the tradition, highlighting its poetic depth and challenging its stigma while preserving its cultural essence.
This project represents Al-ʿAdīd, an oral poetic funeral tradition from Upper Egypt, as a significant cultural artifact. Its poems are not merely rhythmic expressions of grief; they are symbolic texts that help the community grieve and honor the deceased’s life. Through an illustrated publication, the work visualizes this symbolic language and challenges the negative stigma that frames it as a “backward” tradition. The publication organizes the laments into four personas, showing how imagery adapts to each social role. By decoding these verses, the project allows this vanishing heritage to be understood through a contemporary lens and reconnects new audiences with it.
Project by Kermina Morgan @kermina_jazz
Thesis Project Supervisor: Haytham Nawar @haythamnawar
AUC Graphic Design Graduation Show 2026
Unpacking Egyptian Racism
Tracing how racist language in Egypt is normalized through media, and how exposing the narrative can challenge it.
This project explores how racist language in Egyptian society has been normalized through history, media, and everyday speech. Tracing its roots in colonialism, Egyptology, and early advertising, it examines how racial hierarchies were constructed and internalized. The project translates this research into a three-part animated series addressing historical foundations, media representation, and lived experiences. Through archival visuals, film analysis, and a typographic language system, it reveals how jokes and slang carry hidden prejudice. It also proposes a language repair guide, demonstrating how design can challenge harmful narratives and reposition language as a tool for awareness, reflection, and social change
Project by Salma Fahmy @salmafaahmy
Thesis Project Supervisor: Bahia Shehab @bahiashehab
We are happy to feature selected projects from the AUC Graphic Design Graduation Show 2026.
“Labayt” is a collection of Hajj certificate posters that narrate the journey of Hajj through different interpretive perspectives, while shedding light on the forgotten tradition of Hajj certification.
The project is a tribute to the glorification of Hajj and an ancestral legacy of Tiwafa — bringing to light the lost tradition of Hajj certificates through five reinterpreted posters. The project narrates the pilgrimage’s chronological journey from The Call to The Completion, weaving together diverse interpretive lenses. By integrating historical, neuroscientific, and spiritual perspectives, the work illuminates the soul’s purification and the cultural depth of the Ummah. Labayt bridges history and modernity, ensuring that the spiritual and commemorative essence of the Hajj journey remains alive in the contemporary experience.
Project by Reena Sarhan @reinaasarhan
Thesis Project Supervisor: Ghalia Elsrakbi @ghalia_elsrakbi
Thesis Supervisor: Haytham Nawar @haythamnawar
The Graphic Design program at the American University in Cairo is thrilled to announce the celebration of its twelfth and biggest class so far of graduates with our “Mashrou’26” exhibition.
Over the course of the year, our students have immersed themselves in researching and developing design projects exploring themes such as Equality and Social Impact, Reimagining Cultural Heritage, Sustainability and Health.
Opening Date & Time: 5:00 PM, May 14th, 2026
Venue: Sharjah Gallery, AUC New Cairo Campus
(Access through Gate 1)
Join us in celebrating the dedication and creativity of our students and faculty, who have worked tirelessly to bring these ideas to life.
يسر برنامج التصميم الجرافيكي بالجامعة الأمريكية بالقاهرة أن يعلن عن احتفاله بدفعته الثانية عشرة والأكبر حتى الآن من الخريجين من خلال معرض «مشروع ٢٠٢٦».
على مدار العام، انغمس طلابنا في البحث وتطوير مشاريع تصميم تستكشف موضوعات مثل المساواة والأثر الاجتماعي، وإعادة تخيل التراث الثقافي، والاستدامة والصحة.
موعد الافتتاح: الساعة 5:00 مساءً، 14 مايو 2026
المكان: معرض الشارقة، حرم الجامعة الأمريكية بالقاهرة الجديدة
(الدخول من خلال البوابة 1)
انضموا إلينا للاحتفال بتفاني وإبداع طلابنا وأعضاء هيئة التدريس، الذين عملوا بلا كلل لتحويل هذه الأفكار إلى واقع.
Project Supervisors: Bahia Shehab @bahiashehab Ahmad Saqfalhait @saqfdotcom Brenda Segone @segonebrenda Ghalia Elsrakbi @ghalia_elsrakbi Haytham Nawar @haythamnawar
Curation: Bahia Shehab and Jochen Braun
Poster and Communication Design: Mariam Badawy @mirosdesignss + Mariam Mortagy @studiomoumaz
The exhibition is open to the public, and we look forward to welcoming you!
The Graphic Design Department invites you to Open Studio Spring 2026 at the AUC Center for the Arts on Tuesday, May 12, from 11 AM–4 PM for a showcase of Graphic Design student work and projects from this semester’s courses.
Explore the possibilities of graphic design through student work, connect with students and faculty, and learn more about the program’s offerings firsthand.
Participating locations include the Art Media Lab, P008, P019, 1001, 1009, and the courtyard. Look for the yellow signs to lead you!
Generative Type Experiments — GTX 16
This generative poster concept by Shahd Abdelaziz explores layered spatial systems through grids and geometric modules that shift and reorganize over time. By controlling the alignment and transformation of these elements, the poster produces a continuously evolving visual field—moving subtly between moments of illegibility and the emergence of a structured, multidimensional composition.
The title DIMENSION operates as a metaphor for the layered system itself: from background horizontal lines to diagonal triangular modules and modular letterforms that disperse and reassemble in rhythmic cycles. Together, these elements articulate a dynamic interplay of depth, structure, and transformation.
#p5js #creativecoding #auc
Generative Type Experiments — GTX 15
Our student Mariam Shaheen asks “طب إيه” (Tab eh? — “What’s next?”) in a concept that draws on principles of Islamic art and layout systems.
The design reflects a convergence of heritage and technology. Geometric star structures and layered, rhythmic compositions evoke traditional Islamic art, while their algorithmic precision and digital execution highlight the role of code. The interplay between Latin and Arabic scripts further reinforces the work’s contemporary and cross-cultural dimension.
At its core, the project suggests that creativity can emerge from structured systems, and that long-standing visual traditions can be reinterpreted and extended through computational processes.
#p5js #creativecoding #generativedesign #auc
Generative Type Experiments — GTX 14
Human.exe is a concept by our student Zeinab Radwan for an event that reflects on the evolution of digital technology and its impact on human experience. The project explores how technological developments continue to shape new modes of thinking, interaction, and creative output, positioning design as a space where these shifts become visible and open for discussion.
#p5js #creativecoding #generativedesign #auc
Generative Type Experiments — GTX 13
Our student Omar Bazan developed a concept for an audio-visual festival in which the parameters of audio compression are translated into typographic form. The project explores how qualities such as distortion, loss, and signal reduction can be visualized, turning technical sound processes into expressive, generative typography.
#p5js #creativecoding #generativedesign #auc
