Siin Beirut Igikomo by Samara Diab is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 Igihembo cya A' Design Award cy'icyuma in Igishushanyo cy'Amasaro Competition Category.

IcyumaAmasaro· 2022

Siin Beirut Igikomo

by Samara Diab

Client: Samara Diab

Igihembo cya A' Design Award cy'icyuma Winner in Amasaro Category

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Colors

The Design

About Siin Beirut Igikomo

Siin Beirut ni igikundiro cyizahabu cyiza cy'inyuguti 5 zishingiye ku nyandiko y'Icyarabu ya Kufic igizwe n'ijambo & quot; Beirut & quot;, ifite utudomo twa diacritic mu mabuye ya turquoise. Ibyiza nibice bya modular bifite inyuguti ya 2.5x5.5; iyi miterere yemerera abazamuka n'abamanuka inyuguti z'icyarabu kuba imwe mubunini. Mugihe izi nyuguti zikunze guhuzwa, izi zitandukanijwe zirashobora kwimurwa kugirango zikore amagambo mashya. Ibirindiro byerekanwe mumyandikire ni laser yanditseho hejuru kugirango yerekane inkuta ziboneka muri Beirut yubatswe gakondo.

The Recognition

About the Igihembo cya A' Design Award cy'icyuma

Siin Beirut Igikomo ni uwegukanye Igihembo cya A' Design Award cy'icyuma, ishimwe ry'agaciro ritangwa ku bishushanyo byiza bihuza ibyo umwuga n'inganda bikeneye ku bihangano byashushanyijwe neza. Abegukanye icyuma bagaragaza ubuhanga bukomeye, ubumenyi bwihariye, imyumvire y'inzobere n'ubushobozi bwo guhanga bw'ababikoze. Siin Beirut Igikomo biteganyijwe ko izaba igihangano cyubahwa, gishimwa kandi gikundwa, gifatika kandi gifite udushya. Iki gishushanyo cyegukanye icyuma gihuza uburyo bwiza bukoreshwa mu nganda kandi gifite ibiranga bya tekiniki bifite ubushobozi, bifatanye n'ubumenyi n'impano. Siin Beirut Igikomo yubahwa kubera gukora neza, kandi yashushanyijwe kugira ngo inoze ubuzima, ifashe gutuma isi iba nziza.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The charms are the center of my bracelet's uniqueness. They are a combination of Arabic characters and arches as a local and cultural architectural element.
This bracelet has 5 letters of the alphabet forming the word Beirut which the bracelet is named after. One can mix and match between letters to create different words.
Dimensions & Packaging: The letters are based on the Square Kufic calligraphy of the 12th century. This calligraphy is distinguished by its straight lines, right angles, and equal spacing between lines and spaces to conform to a regular grid. This grid follows a system of units. Each charm on the bracelet has a width of 2.5 units and a height equivalent of 5.5 units. The diacritic dot is equivalent to 1 unit of a turquoise stone. The arches are laser-engraved on top.
Tags: Siin, Beirut, Jewelry, Typography, Charms, Typeface design, Arabic typeface, bracelet design
Production Technology: Materials used are yellow gold metal and blue turquoise stones.
Design Challenge: The major challenge I faced was trying to fit all the charms (Arabic alphabet) of the word Beirut into the same grid. Knowing that the Arabic alphabet has many ascenders and descenders within its characters, it required precise measurements and calculations to have all charms fit into the same height (5.5 units).
Research: After the devastating explosion that occurred in Beirut Port on August 4, 2020, much of the city of Beirut was severely damaged. Many historical features were destroyed; this is why the research concentrated on the historical and cultural background of the city in order to revive and hold it dear through charm designs to commemorate a precious and heartfelt memory. Since most of the old traditional houses in the city stood out from other contemporary architecture, the pointed arches, a particular feature, were thus adapted as the design element complemented by an Arabic alphabet.
Inspiration: SiiN is a concept of a jewelry brand that combines typography with cultural design elements. It aims to treasure the beauty of locations across the world through artistic representations, thus it encompasses several collections that represent different cities. The bracelet is a piece from the Beirut collection. Through the charms, the aim is to preserve the written language and the cultural aspect of Beirut city, to be SiiN (seen) by the whole world.
Project Duration: The project is an Academic project that has started in September 2020 and finished in April 2021 in Beirut, Lebanon.
Operation Flow: Each charm creates an emotional link to the person wearing it as it resonates with a memory of certain places visited and their written language. It can also embody a personalized experience as one can form a word or simply choose letters. The Beirut collection specifically was designed as a tribute to the city of Beirut after the devastating explosion on August 4, 2020. To me, there was a direct emotional link to my city, exemplified by the expression “wearing your heart on your sleeve”.