The renovation of Jabal Amman’s Rainbowstreet seems to be nearly completed, as was pointed out yesterday by 360east. It is already my favourite neighbourhood in Amman (I’m glad to live here) and the renovation has enhanced the area even more.

Pretty much in the middle of Rainbowstreet they created a location with a terrific view ranging from Jabal Al-Weibdeh to Citadel Mountain. It will most probably become a spot for people wanting to have a late-night chat with a friend. During day-time it offers everybody a good view over the city’s center. A sign explains some important places that can be seen on the opposite hills. Installing that sign was clever, but the sign itself is not.

Apart from the fact that they took the picture when there were still lots of trees impairing the view (add to that the photos’ poor quality), they unfortunately forgot about non-arab-speaking visitors when designing the sign. And I suppose that this viewpoint could become a destination for visitors from all over.

So like Rainbow’s street signage they had a good idea (who is ‘they’? does anybody know?), but then failed when executing it. Why not contracting an experienced design agency instead of having amateurs work on these important tasks?

One of the hardest challenges for a graphic designer in this region is to establish trust in his or her profession.

I have witnessed cases in which clients gave the design agency’s work to a second company to have them continue working on it simultaneously. I have witnessed clients asking for the files of their new Corporate Design, to allow them to “change a few things here and there” themselves. I have witnessed clients telling graphic designers which layout of an existing website they are supposed to copy and what exactly the navigation should look like.

Part of the problem is that with the wide-spread access to computers everyone can handle graphic software after a relatively short period of training. No need anymore to hire a specialist, some people may think. It is a problem that designers all over the world face and are aware of. One step to convince clients of a designer’s added value has been to invent new forms or to recycle traditional skills other than the ones provided by a computer: Photography, illustration, drawing, spraying, cutting and so on.

Advertisement in a coffee bar in Amman

Another countermeasure taken by designers was to focus on conceptual work, on ideas, and on consulting. At our company we try hard to come up with new ideas, we discuss the impact of our work on the audience, we give intellectual input to enable our clients to reach their goals. That’s part of what we’re payed for: to translate a client’s objective into a visual and verbal language that talks adequately to the respective audience.

But in many cases we are asked to simply translate the client’s objective to the computer, without thinking, without asking questions. There’s nothing less satisfying than being a tool for someone else. Sometimes I reach a point where I ask: do clients actually pay us for handling a computer? Why do they refuse to profit from our intellectual skills?

According to what I hear or read, eying our profession suspiciously is a universal problem, but I feel that in this part of the world clients or people in general doubt our skills even more than elsewhere. So, looking at the market that we as a company work for (which is Jordan and the Gulf states), what are the reasons for the particular distrust towards graphic designers in this region?

People rather rely on themselves than on experts
There is a fear of losing power, which has to do with the way some of the societies in this part of the world are organized. People mistrust their institutions where they are forced to look after themselves, in states where social security is provided by the family rather than the state. People are responsible for their own well-being, and that’s why they are afraid to lose control over the things that they are responsible for. In case of a marketing manager that could be the design of the annual report, the corporate website, or the rebranding of the company. That’s why many clients are reluctant to take the leap of faith that eventually is required in every graphic design project.

High quality work is the exception
And there is a second reason why in the Middle East, or at least in Jordan, people mistrust virtually any profession: because customers are aware of the generally low standards. The lack of quality work has to do with the reason why lots of people do the job they do: Because they have to (for financial reasons), and/or because they are born into it (the son takes over his father’s business, for example). Besides, people are often not sufficiently trained and educated.

So sometimes there’s little passion and know-how in what people do, and consequently quality suffers. Companies frequently don’t pay attention to detail, customer service for many is a foreign concept, and many lack basic skills (I just wanted to buy some beef at the local supermarket, and the butcher seriously tried to sell me lamb under the label “beef” — although even the real label on the packaging said “lamb”, and even I can tell the difference between lamb and beef just by looking at it). The more surprising it is that most of the Middle Eastern societies waste half of the potential by forcing women to stay at home or depriving them of a decent education. But there’s hope. Quality will gradually rise, as companies are increasingly under public scrutiny. The companies who don’t listen to their stakeholders will fail, the ones who listen will succeed.

Lots of low-level graphic design
Graphic design faces a particular challenge: It can be seen. And people increasingly understand that the level of graphic design in this region is low, lower than in Europe, for example (though there are exceptions). The more they are exposed to media from other parts of the world, they sense that the majority of their own graphic designers drags behind. But as there is little competition on the local (jordanian) market, they don’t really have a choice (and contracting design companies from the occident is too expensive, and there’s too much distance between the two, both culturally and in terms of flight miles). Add to that the fact that Jordan and the gulf states only turned to modern consumer societies recently and that in this region graphic design is a relatively new realm, and we understand better why graphic design is so much undervalued.

I am optimistic that Rainbow Street in Jabal Amman will be a more welcoming place after the renovation is completed. Recently street lamps, small rubbish bins and benches were installed, and some trees were planted. And then there’s the new signage.

First of all I wonder why on the Falafel takeaway, Al Quds, there is a small, “official” sign that says “Al Quds”, like the big sign above the door. The small one is redundant. The sign itself looks clumsy and is hard to read. And it indicates a direction, it points to the right (at least from a Europeans point of view, who reads from left to right), though the entrance is to its left. In this case, indicating a direction doesn’t make sense.

Then there are the signs that indicate the street name, either attached to posts or even to private property – I bet that these signs on private houses won’t survive there long. And anyway, they don’t look very official, despite their blue color, that we know from official road signs. The ones in Rainbowstreet are rather small and hard to spot, and sometimes placed behind lamp posts where they are hard to see.

Finally there are the signs that indicate e. g. a car park, a crosswalk, and schoolkids. They didn’t use the official pictograms, but photos! Why would you do such a thing? They are not known, unlike pictograms, so you have to learn them. But as they are rather detailed compared to abstracted pictograms, and as they provide little contrast between background and foreground (look at the car park sign) it is hard to grasp their meaning, especially when you drive by, and these signs are meant to inform drivers, above all.

The funkiest sign is the crosswalk sign, a mixture of cut-out image and vector graphic. There’s something totally wrong with it. Or have you ever seen a shadow-absorbing crosswalk? Me neither.

It’s a shame that they supposedly spent a lot of money on renovating Rainbow Street, but then hired a company that has apparently no clue how to design a signage system that’s of help.

Der Verkauf von Raubkopien ist in Amman ein einträgliches Geschäft. Selbst Filme, die noch nicht im Kino zu sehen sind, erhält man für 1 Dinar, also ca. 1 Euro. Weder die Polizei noch sonst jemand scheint sich daran zu stören, im Zentrum Ammans verkaufen zahlreiche dieser Läden die kopierte Ware.

Ein Freund von mir kaufte sich vor einigen Tagen für 2 Dinar eine Grafiksoftware (InDesign CS3, sonst ca. 700 US$) bei einem Straßenhändler, der seine DVDs vor einem Schawarmaimbiß feilbot (ob zwischen Schawarma- und Softwarekonsum ein Zusammenhang besteht, vermag ich nicht zu beurteilen). Eigentlich nicht der Rede wert, wenn man bedenkt, in welchem Umfang dieser Diebstahl vonstatten geht. Bemerkenswert an dieser Raubkopie ist jedoch der arabische Dreizeiler, der auf die Papierhülle gedruckt worden ist:

“Benutzen Sie diese Software ausschließlich für Dinge, die Gott gefallen und im Islam erlaubt sind. Sündigen Sie nicht mittels dieser Software, denn das könnte Konsequenzen haben.”

Nachdem ich heute erfuhr, dass ich beim Nachwuchswettbewerb des ADC (Art Directors Club) Deutschland mit meiner Diplomarbeit nicht zum Student des Jahres gewählt wurde (ja, ich kann es auch nicht glauben), gab es trotzdem noch Grund zum Jubeln.

Die TYPO Berlin ist eine Designkonferenz. Wie der Name schon sagt, geht es hauptsächlich um Typografie (für meine Nicht-Designer-Freunde: Das hat mit Punzen, Ligaturen und Hurenkindern zu tun). Sie findet jährlich in Berlin statt. Wöchentlich kann man bis Dezember eine Eintrittskarte gewinnen. Und ich habe heute eine eben solche gewonnen.

Um zu gewinnen, musste ich lediglich diese Tüte basteln, mich fotografieren lassen, das Foto auf den Typoblog hochladen und auf mein Glück vertrauen. Zu sehen sind das Minarett der großen Moschee in Downtown Amman und ein Mensch mit einer übergestülpten Tüte. Das bin ich.

Für eine Eintrittskarte im Wert von 645 Euro werde ich selbst die Kartoffelsuppe mit Vergnügen schlürfen (mein Chef hat die Verköstigung auf der letzten Typo in recht fader Erinnerung). Auf zur Typo im Mai 2008!

Gut 10 Jahre nach der Erstausgabe von Wallpaper erschien im Februar 2007 Tyler Brulés neues Magazin Monocle. Auf Monocles Website wird die inhaltliche Richtung beschrieben: “Monocle is a global briefing covering international affairs, business, culture and design.” Der Leser erwartet selbstverständlich ein außerordentlich gestaltetes Magazin, und bekommt es auch.

Logo des Magazins Monocle

Kürzlich zeigte mir jedoch ein Kollege das Foto der Verpackung seines Rasierapparates. Auf der Verpackung ist das Logo des Herstellers Moser zu sehen, zusammen mit dem Slogan Schwarzwälder Präzision (Made in Germany hat hier in Jordanien einen hohen Stellenwert). Man braucht kein Monokel, um die Ähnlichkeit mit dem Logo des so benannten Magazins zu erkennen.

Logo des Elektrogeräteherstellers
Moser

Mosers Logo ist beim Deutschen Markenamt registriert, natürlich nicht für Zeitschriften, sondern für verschiedene Elektrogeräte. Markenrechtlich gibt’s keine Probleme. Vermutlich weiß Tyler Brulé bis heute nichts von der Ähnlichkeit, die vielleicht doch nicht so verblüffend ist. Die Idee, die Buchstaben M und O in dieser Weise zu verbinden, ist eben doch nicht originell genug.

Mein Kollege Wael und ich waren eingeladen, die Arbeiten einer Grafikdesignklasse (4. Studienjahr) zu begutachten und mit den Studenten zu besprechen. In der Uni angekommen, begrüßten uns die beiden Professorinnen und baten alsbald die Studenten, ihre Werke vorzustellen. Einer nach dem Anderen präsentierte uns also das Ergebnis dreiwöchiger Arbeit. Gefordert waren Logo und Produktname sowie zwei Anzeigenplakate für ein Haarfärbemittel, eine Produktverpackung, ein Magazincover für das Haarfärbemittel (habe bis jetzt nicht verstanden, welchen Sinn es hat, ein Magazin für ein Haarfärbemittel zu verkaufen) sowie zwei “Icons” für Mann und Frau (für mich ohne erkennbaren Zusammenhang zum Produkt). Anforderung an die Studenten war außerdem, sieben (Haar)Farben zu benutzen (nicht mehr, und leider auch nicht weniger) sowie das Plakat im DIN A3-Format zu gestalten. Das Produkt sollte für Mann und Frau gleichermaßen attraktiv sein – keine einfache Aufgabe.

Die erste Studentin nannte ihr Haarfärbemittel “Aseel”. Logisch, denn die Studentin trug den gleichen Namen, und verriet uns auch gleich, warum der Name deshalb zu besagtem Produkt passe: “It is a beautiful name”. Mein Kollege und ich waren die einzigen, die darüber schmunzelten – die anderen Studenten waren nämlich mit anderen, wichtigeren Dingen beschäftigt Mehr lesen

Vor einigen Wochen präsentierte Rem Koolhaas einige seiner Arbeiten in Amman, und gestern hörte ich 90 Minuten Rayan Abdullah zu (für meine Nicht-Designer-Freunde: Er stutzte vor einem Jahrzehnt unserem Bundesadler die Flügel). Rem lobte den Umgang mit Architektur in meiner Heimatstadt Berlin, also war er mir sympathisch. Was Rayan von Berlin hält, weiß ich nicht, da er 90 Minuten auf arabisch sprach (es ging um Corporate Architecture). Heute schaute er bei uns im Büro vorbei und empfahl uns sein Buch über Piktogramme.

Design made in Qatar! Alles Chatseiten, und alle sind im Pageranking ziemlich weit vorn, werden also ausgiebig genutzt. Wen wundert’s, bei diesem herzzereißenden Design.

chatqatar.com
Die Urheber dieser Seite haben eine Mission:”We created this website to engrave the name of Qatar in the mind of the Qatari people”. Bei mir hatten sie Erfolg, auch wenn ich kein Qatari bin.

www.bnatqtr.com

www.hmsathob.com

www.chatal3nabi.com