Siin Beirut Serethe by Samara Diab is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 Moputso oa Tšepe oa A' Design Award in Moralo wa Mekgabiso Competition Category.

TšepeMekgabiso· 2022

Siin Beirut Serethe

by Samara Diab

Client: Samara Diab

Moputso oa Tšepe oa A' Design Award Winner in Mekgabiso Category

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Colors

The Design

About Siin Beirut Serethe

Siin Beirut ke serethe sa khauta se khahlehang sa litlhaku tse 5 se thehiloeng ho mongolo oa Kufic Arabic o etsang lentsoe "Beirut", o nang le matheba a hlakileng a majoe a turquoise. Lithako ke tsa modular unit e nang le litlhaku tsa 2.5x5.5 units; sebopeho sena se lumella ho nyoloha le ho theoha ha litlhaku tsa Searabia ho lekana ka boholo. Le hoja litlhaku tsena li atisa ho hokahanngoa, tse ka thōko tsena li ka suthisoa ho etsa mantsoe a macha. Li-arches tse ngotsoeng ka har'a sengoloa li ngotsoe ka laser ka holimo ho bonts'a li-arches tse fumanehang meahong ea setso ea Beirut.

The Recognition

About the Moputso oa Tšepe oa A' Design Award

Siin Beirut Serethe ke mohapi oa Moputso oa Tšepe oa A' Design Award, kananelo e hlomphehang e fuoang meralo e metle e finyellang litlhoko tsa porofeshenale le tsa indasteri tse lebelletsoeng ho lintho tse hlahisitsoeng tse entsoeng hantle. Bahapi ba Tšepe ba bontša bokhoni bo boholo, bokhethehi bo phahameng, kutloisiso ea litsebi le bokhoni ba boqapi ba baqapi ba bona. Siin Beirut Serethe e lebelletsoe ho ba ntho e hlahisitsoeng e hlomphuoang haholo, e ratoang le e ratehang, e sebetsang le e nang le mehopolo e mecha. Moralo ona o hapileng Moputso oa Tšepe oa A' Design Award o kenyelletsa mekhoa e metle ka ho fetesisa ea indasteri mme o na le litšobotsi tsa theknoloji tse nang le bokhoni tse amanang le tsebo le talenta. Ka lebaka la botlalo ba eona, Siin Beirut Serethe e tšoanelehela tlhompho mme e entsoe ho fana ka ntlafatso ea bophelo e thusang ho etsa hore lefatše le be sebaka se molemo.

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”.