Tobcreative

الفن والتصميم .. النظرية والتطبيق

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 23:19:00 +0000

منذ ان بدأ تعليم الفن والتصميم في الأردن ومع نشأة كلية الفنون في جامعة اليرموك وإنتشاره الواسع حتى غدا تخصصا في اغلب كليات وأقسام الفنون في الجامعات والكليات الاردنية. ومع ذلك لم نلحظ اية دراسة جدية تتناول هذه القضية تقييما وتحقيقا عبر قنوات المراقبة والتحليل.
ما زلت اذكر بعض الاوراق التي قدمت في ورشة عمل ادارتها وزارة التعليم العالي والبحث العلمي قبل سنوات في خطوة منها لتحديد معايير اعتماد تصميم الجرافيك والتصميم الداخلي، ولا ادري ان تم توثيق هذه الاوراق ام لا. غياب هذا البحث يعد احد عوامل الضعف في تحديد مسارات تطور وتراجع مستوى التعلم والتعليم لتخصص تصميم الجرافيك. ولمعرفة من هو المؤهل لتدريس الفن والتصميم وان كان هناك ضرورة لوجود هيئة متخصصة لمراقبة ألية تعليم الفن والتصميم و ما اذا كان القائمون على تعليمه مؤهلين للعب مثل هذا الدور ام لا.
لقد كان متوقعا ان يكون للجامعات الريادية في تدريس الفن والتصميم دور مهم لتطوير نظام يحدد المؤهلات المطلوبة للمدرس القادر على تدريس الفنون والتصميم من خلال مبادرتها في الابتعاث المبكر للكوادر وعقد ورشات عمل وندوات متخصصة لرفع كفاءة وقدرات مدرس الفن والتصميم. وجعل هذه الكوادر مالكة للمؤهل والكفاءة ذات لغة قادرة على مخاطبة كل ما هو جديد والذي بدوره سيصب في تطوير أساليب ومضمون تدريس الفن والتصميم في الجامعات والكليات.
الآن و لعلمي ان بعض المدرسين يدرسون بعض المواد بما يتوافق مع قدراتهم بعيدا عن مضمون محتوى المادة واهدافها وغاياتها. حتى ان بلغ الامر ان تكون هذه المواد مكررة لنفسها عند الكثير من المدرسين. فالطالب لا يتعامل مثلا الا مع تصميم غلاف كتاب او بوستر في اكثر من مادة مع ان بعضها لا يتطلب ذلك. او خلط في تدريس المواد النظري دون عكس محتواها على ما يحتاجة الطالب في المستقبل او ربطها بواقع عملي . كيف لنا التأكد من هكذا حالة في غياب المتابعة المرتكزة الى نظام مؤسسي يعتمد على التقييم من خلال ادوات البحث والتحليل واقتراح الحلول التي تكفل التطوير.
لا يوجد ادلة او ثوابت على ان تدريس الفنون في الجامعات والكليات الاردنية قد تميز عن باقي المواضيع الاخرى ولا يوجد قراءات موثقة من قبل التعليم العالي حول تطور هذا المجال التعليمي او تسليط الضوء على الاصلاحات والتغييرات الهيكلية في هذا الاطار ومدى حصوله على مصداقية اكاديمية وبشكل حاسم ارتباطه بتدريس المهارة التي ترتكز الى الابداع والتقنية والمفاهيم الفكرية التحليلية والبحثية دون احداث فجوة بين مفهوم النظرية والتطبيق.
ان د راسة واقع تعليم وتعلم الفن والتصميم سينتج عنه اكتشاف أهمية سنة التحضير في الفن والتصميم قبل التعليم العالي. حيث سيكون الطلبة في المدارس مؤهلين من خلال جرعات محددة تعرفهم على مختلف تخصصات الفن والتصميم لجعلهم قادرين على الاختيار لدراستهم الجامعية او في الكلية. هذا الاعداد يعتبر جسرا اساسيا ين المدرسة والتعليم العالي، تصل المدرسة بالجامعة. علينا ان نقر على ان هناك هوة بين ما يدرس في المدارس وما يدرس في الجامعات والكليات. نجد اختلافاً واضحا في ثقافة المدرسة والجامعة او بين دور ما هو غير مهني للفن . فبدل ان تقوم المدارس بتدريس الطلاب مايمنحهم الخيار بين ان يتذوقوا الفن وان يصبحوا فنانين عند التفكير بالتقدم للدراسة الجامعية او في الكلية. فلا نجد واقعا لدرس الفنون في المدارس مما عززوساعد على هدم الجسر المراد بناؤه بين المدرسة والجامعة او الكلية. مع ان اغلب مدرسي الفنون في المدارس هم خريجو جامعات والمنطق انهم قد صقلوا لنقل تجربتهم وما فادهم مما درسوه، ومن جهة اخرى نتعاطف معهم لعدم سماح منهاج الفنون في المدارس بمنح المدرسين مساحة تمكنهم من تدريس الفن كما يراد له ان يكون بسبب هذه القيود. لا يمكننا القول ان مدرسي الفن في المدارس قد فشلوا في تعلم ما تعلموا في الجامعات. على قاعدة ان تأثير تعليم الفن والتصميم في الجامعات يعكس بنفسه على الخريجين سواء كانو ممارسين لمهنة التدريس او ممارسين للمهنة في السوق.
هذا ما يعزز القناعة بضرورة تغيير المنهاج في المدارس وفي الجامعات وان تم ذلك لا بد من الاخذ بعين الاعتبار خلفيات الطلبة التعليمية ومصادر معلومات الموجهة لهم الخاصة في الفن والتصميم وتعدد ثقافاتها والمتداخلة في التعليم. لا بد من اعادة تجديد او ابتكار وتدوير للعجلة بدءا من المدارس ومن ثم الجامعات والكليات، مرتكزة الى فهم واعي للفرق بين القن والتصميم من جهة ومواضيع اخرى. وهذا يعكس بنفسه على طبيعة قاعات التدريس وهذه بارزة تماما بحيث ان هذه الحقيقة تتعدى حقيقة تدريس الفن العملية. المساحات ليست بالضرورة هي العامل ولكن اختلافهم في نفس الموقع الواحد هو القضية . وهي تعد احد الاساسيات التي تساعد على فهم العوامل الاخري,
ما هو تعليم الفن والتصميم؟
ليس هناك رؤية محددة للاجابة على هذا السؤال، البعض منا قد يقول هو مجموعة من المعارف والمفاهيم التي تقدم الى الطالب. آخرين قد يرونه فرصة للتعبير عن شيء فريد وهناك من يتخذ موقفا بين هذين التناقضين، هو تعلم لانتاج الفن ومعرفته وفهمه وهذا يشمل الممارسة المهنية والمعرفة اللازمة لكي يصبح مصمما او فنانا. مع اننا نرى تعلم حرفة ما تكاد تكون جزءا اكثر اهمية سواء في مستوى التعليم المدرسي او الجامعي وهذا من النادر ان يحدث في الفن او التصميم.
المطلوب تشجيع الطلاب على ان يجدوا انفسهم والعمل على تحفيزهم وتشجيعهم على ممارسة حالة الاكتشاف والابداع. ومفهوم الابداع في تعلم وتعليم الفن والتصميم وهو الرغبة في العثور على الاسلوب الخاص وطريقة التعلم الخاصة لدى الطالب.وهذه مهمة المدرس في مساعدة الطالب على ان يجد اسلوبه الخاص وان يكون مسؤولا عن تنمية تعليمه.لهذا لا نجدها محصورة في مجموعة واحدة من المهارات او المعارف فطبيعة تعليم الفن والتصميم تحررية. ويجب ان يتجه تعليم الفنون والتصميم الى قدر اكبر من المساءلة عبر التركيز على التقييم والبحث. أعتمادا على ان الفن والتصميم يشكلان حالة استثنائية من خلال موقعهما المتميز والنظرة اليهما كتعبير عن قيم اجتماعية مثلى تحدد هوية المجتمع ونموه وتطوره.

ثقافة اسمها تصميم الجرافيك

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:58:00 +0000

من الجميل ان يكون لدى الانسان المتعلم والمثقف ثقافة فنية تمكنه من معرفة حقائق تكاد تكون بسيطة، او حقائاق ضرورية عن علوم محددة كتصميم الجرافيك. جميل ان تجد انسانا عاديا قادر على اجابة السؤال التالي: ما هو تصميم الجرافيك؟
كثيراً ما يتردد هذا السؤال على العامة وحتى المتخصصين، وعند توجيه مثل هذا السؤال نجد احدى هاتين الحالتين، الاولى ان تُصطنع الاجابة والثانية ان يحدق بك في حيرة من امر من تريد ان يجيب. لنقل ان هذا امر طبيعي. ولكن بالرغم من تطور صناعة التصميم في وطننا، الا اننا نجد ان ثقافة الكثيرين تفتقر لمفاهيم واضحة حول مفهوم تصميم الجرافيك ودور مصمم الجرافيك .
مفهوم بسيط يلزم المختص بوضع الاجابة وان يقدمها دو تردد قائلاً ان تصميم الجرافيك هو جزء هام من حياتنا اليومية وهو الان احد اهم الاشكال الفنية التي نشهدها في كل مكان، اينما كنا، في البيت وفي السوق والمطعم والشارع وعلى الطرق الخارجية وفي دور السينما والمسارح وفي كل متجر ودائرة حكومية او خاصة. المطلوب من السائل فقط الامعان في هذه الاماكن وتصور معلوماتها. من المؤكد ان علامات الارتياح ستظهر على وجه السائل، حيث تبدأ رحلة الاستيعاب مع اعطاء امثلة لمواطن استخدام تصميم الجرافيك في الاماكن السابق ذكرها. ان تفوهت بكلمة تصميم جرافيك ستسمع كلمة اعلان كرد فعل سريع... السؤال الان هل هناك فرق بين الاعلان وتصميم الجرافيك؟ وان وجد ما هو؟
لماذا حالة الصمت هذه؟ ولماذا هذا الانكماش؟ لنرى ما هي الاجابة!
عرف تصميم الجرافيك على انه اداة ترويج المنتجات والخدمات والاعلان هو اداة بيع المنتجات والخدمات، اتدرون ان مثل هذه الحالة لا نجدها الان، الحواجز بين الترويج والبيع أصبحت اكثر وضوحا مع ظهور نظام العلامات العالمية والذي يرتكز الى تعزيز نمط الحياة من خلال بيع المنتج او الخدمة. ترويج وبيع اصبحتا ضمن القوة العالمية الجديدة. بناء عليه اصبح لتصميم الجرافيك تعريفا عصريا وهو فن الاتصال البصري للاعلام والتعليم والتأثير والاقناع وامتلاك التجربة البصرية التي تجمع الفن والتكنولوجيا لتوجيه رسالة محددة، لربما تكون حيوية في حياتنا اليومية وهي ببساطة قوة ثقافية.
ما الذي يقوم به المصممون؟
المصممون يتخيلون، يخططون وينفذون التصميم القادر على الاتصال والتوجيه المباشرلجمهور محدد. وكلمة مصمم هي بحد ذاتها تشير الى التخطيط وهو ما شاع تعريفه على انه فن ترتيب عناصر مادة ما يراد طباعتها اوعرضها الكترونيا. خلالها يحدد المصمم الاولويات ويضع عناصر التصميم في شكل متماسك ينتهي على شكل رسالة بصرية.
يمكن ان نجد أالمصمم ضمن حقول متعددة يتواجد ويعمل من خلالها كالقطاع الصناعي والثقافي والتعليمي، يمكن ان يكون ضمن قطاع الانتاج الضخم والمتوسط كالمطابع صناعة والوسائط المتعددة والافلام، في دو النشر وفي الدعاية والاعلان والتغليف واللافتات والانترنت ووسائط معلوماتية اخرى. وبطبيعة الحال المصمم يتعامل مع الصورة وتزاوجها مع الكلمة لابداع افكار تلبي طلب زبونهم وتؤثر في جمهورهم.
اين يبدأ مصمم الجرافيك؟
شبابنا اليوم يطرح هذا السؤال، اكثرهم يريد ان يصبح مصمماً معتقدين ان الامر لا يتعدى كبسة مفتاح الكمبيوتر واستخدام برامج التصميم دون الاحاطة بضرورة الاعتماد على مواد تأسيسية اخرى وهي اسايسة في دراسة التصميم، مبادئه ونظرياته ومنهجياته.ببساطة اساليب بناء الفكرة والتحكم بالعملية التصميمية. البعض يرفض مثل هذه الاطروحات ويكاد ان يتهموك بالتضخيم وخاصة عندما تتحدث عن اهمية تعلم الرسم والتعرف على مفردات اللغة البصرية حتى يمكنهم من التأهل الى بلوغ عملية االاتصال وتمكين الاخرين من الفهم. لا يعلمون ان اللغة البصرية تتكون من عناصر التصميم الاساسية في نظام البعدين او الثلاث ابعاد وفي الخط والشكل والملمس والقيمة واللون والتكوين والحجم والكتلة والفراغ و كيف له ان يجمع بين هذه العناصر ليخلق توازنا ووحدة ونسبة وتناغما وتسلسلا.
التصميم فكر وخطة وعملية متسلسلة ومتماسكة.
العملية التصميمة !
في المجال المهني تعتمد العملية التصميمية على قدرة المصمم في تحديد اهداف زبونه من المشكلة البصرية المراد حلها ومن ثم التحليل حيث تصبح الاهداف محددة وواضحة ومفصلة. وتتطور العملية التصميمية من خلال قدرة المصمم على تطوير تصوره لكل مرحلة اعتمادا على نظرته الشاملة لموضوع العمل المحدد. قدرته على الاستماع لزبونه عند تحديد اهدافه وتوضيحها فالهدف هو النتيجة المرجو لايصال الرسالة المحددة. قدرته على التعرف على المشكلة وفهمه الواضح لها هما اساس البديء في تصميم ناجح. ونعني تحديد المشكلة والبحث والتحليل والتنفيذ كأسس للتصميم الناجح وهي مراحله.
البعض يعتقد جاهلا ان العملية التصميمية تبدأ مع مسك الفارة والبديء بالعمل بالارتكاز الى مكتبات وادوات برامج التصميم دون عصف ذهني وتطوير للافكار. الكمبيوتر اداة تساعد عل تنفيذ التصميم الجيد ولكنه لا يخلق فكرة جيدة متميزة. جوهر تصميم الجرافيك اكبر من تصميم لاجل تجميل رسالة ما لجمهور معين. مفهوم خاطيء لدى الكثيرين عن الفكر الابداعي واهميته، وضرورة امتلاكه فهو الاصالة لبناء فكرة وتطويرها وتوجيهها لأهدافها معتمدة على خلق ثافة بصرية وفكرية للمصمم تكون ارضا خصبة لانتاج وابداع الأفكار من خلال الاطلاع على اعمال ممتازة وقراءة مدروسة تعزز المضمون الفكري والابداعي وتساعد عل الاهتمام في المضمون وحل يحقق المعنى والاهمية.
لهذا تأتي أهمية تدريس المصممين في الكليات والجامعات، لاعدادهم اكاديميا لكي يكونوا قادرين على استيعاب مه هم قادم في الممارسة المهنية، اعتمادا على فكرهم الابداعي واتقانهم للعملية التصميمة التي ترتكز الى مهارات ومؤهلات يجب ان يسلح المصممون بها، لتمكين وعيهم بالواجبات النظرية والعملية التي تمكنهم من تحديد الاسس البصرية وتحديد الحلول البصرية المناسبة اعتمادا على منهج عملي وعلمي من خلال البحث والتجربة على قاعدة الفكر الذي ينمي الفضول الاصيل وحثهم على المشاركة في التعلم والممارسة.

المصمم دراسة وموهبة أم ماذا؟

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Thu, 20 May 2010 19:45:00 +0000

المتابع لنتاج الجامعات والكليات التي تنتج طلبة في مجال التصميم، يلاحِظ حجم الهوة الواقعة بين العدد الهائل من الخريجين ونوعية اعمالهم في السنة الأخيرة..
لماذا نجد ان جميع الطلبة من نفس الكلية او الجامعة ، لنقل تحديدا نفس الدفعة والذين حصلوا على نفس القسط من التعليم لم يستطيعوا انتاج اعمالهم في نفس المستوى التقني والابداعي اوبمستوى متميز..

ما السبب وراء هذا الاختلاف؟

كيف لنا ان نرى الطلبة الذين مروا بنفس القناة التعلمية قد تفاوتوا بشكل غير طبيعي في الانتاج، وان العدد القليل جداً قد تميزت اعمالهم بالفكرة والاداء.
انا ما زلت ارى ان هناك مجموعة من العوامل التي تترك اثرا على مفرزات العملية التدريسية واولها الموهبة لدى هذا الطالب المقبل على دراسة التصميم. هي العامل الاهم الى جانب معرفته وعلمه بنوع التخصص ومتطلباته. نعم، انا لا انكر ان التصميم يمكن ان يكتسب بالتعليم في ظل غياب الموهبة ولكن هؤلاء من يمتلكون الموهبة سيكونون الاكثر تميزا وسرعة في تطوير الاداء وتنويعه.

من العوامل الاخرى نظام القبول في هذه التخصصات واستراتيجية تدريس التصميم وآلياته ونوعية القائمين عليه وهنا لا اقول التخصصية، أي تخصصية المدرس في الحقل نفسه ولكن قدرته على معرفة الدور المنوط به لتدريس هذه المادة او غيرها، واسلوبه في التدريس والتقييم. اسلوبه في البحث والتحليل و قدرته على التحفيز من خلال التركيز على القدرات الفكرية والعملية.
من خلال معرفته بما هو مطلوب منه في مراحل عمليات الانتاج ولماذا. أي نهايات العملية وشكل المنتج.

نعود للطالب ونقر له بان حجم المعلومات الموجودة على شبكة الانترنت والمتخصصة في مجال الفن والتصميم هائلة جدا، وامكانية الوصول اليها سهلة ، وسهولة استخدام البرامج قد تجعل الكثيرين يعتقدون بانهم قد اصبحوا مصممين. فقد تعلموا الكثير . هذا ممكن ولكن للآن القليلون يعرفون الفرق بين التصميم الجيد والتصميم المتميز. نرى عدد لا بأس به من اعمال الطلبة جيدة ولكنها ليست متميزة. وهذا ليس ذنب الطالب وحده بل ايضا مسؤولية مدرسي التصميم والمنهاج نفسه، فهو احد اركان الاحتراف للمهارات المطلوبة لا اعني فقط برامج التصميم. بل العملية التصميمية التي ترتكز الى البحث والتحليل والعرض والتنفيذ. هذه لن تكتمل ان كان أحد اركان العملية التعليمية وهو الطالب (او المدرس) يفتقر الى موهبة الخيال التي ترتكز ايضا الى ثقافة ذاتية شاملة.

النتيجة لهذه الحالة نجدها في عدد الذين حصلوا على الشهادة الاولى في التصميم من احسن الجامعات والمعاهد او الكليات ولكنهم للاسف لم يستطيعوا الارتقاء بمستواهم لكي يكونوا في المواقع المتقدمة الا القليل اليسير، لغياب الموهبة في الدرجة الاولى والثقافة الدائمة والشاملة. الممارسة وحدها لا تكفي ان لم تصقل بالطموح لتحقيق الارتقاء
بالرغبة والتذوق.
هذا مطلوب في ظل وجود عدد هائل من الخريجين مع وجود متطلبات لسياسة العرض والطلب.

كمصمم جرافيك ماذا اقرأ؟

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 19:20:00 +0000

قبل ايام وصلتني رسالة بالبريد الالكتروني من طالب قديم كنت قد درسته في جامعة العلوم التطبيقية وهو الان زميل مهنة وصديق. سألني ماذا تقرأ لكي تعزز قاعدتك المعرفية والمعلوماتية كمصمم جرافيك؟

في عملي وحياتي كمصمم / مدرس ، وجدت أن الكتب والقراءة الواسعة لمجموعة من المواضيع المتنوعة المتخصصة والعامة قد وضعتني دائما في حالة تأهب ذهني ، مما دفعني لان اكون فاعلا وملما في قضايا كثيرة في التصميم واتجاهاته والمتغيرات الثقافية التي تؤثر بشكل مباشر على كل عمل أقوم به ، بالإضافة إلى انها قد ولدت لدي أنماط جديدة تماما في التفكير وأكثر من أي وقت مضى اضافة الى مسارات في الفضول نحو معرفة الأشياء اكثر. أحب الكتب لانها وسيلة لتوصيل المعلومات بسرعة وكفاءة عالية ، وتضفي سعادة خاصة في جذب الاهتمام بالاشياء في الفكر والعقل لاسناد الفكر والمهارة والجمع بينهما.

هناك الكثير من الكتب التي تتحدث عن التصميم وفي كل مجالاته وتطبيقاته النظرية الفكرية والعملية. لان التصميم متصل او مرتبط مباشرة بالوظيفة والثقافة وتعزيزهما.. في الماضي كان الكتاب جليسي في المكتب والمنزل، اما الآن فهو معي في كل مكان.

كتبي مصنفة تحت بنود تحصصية محددة منها:
- أسس التصميم : التكوين،الاسس والعناصر
- التايبوغرافي: العناصر والاسلوب، علاقة التصميم بالحرف
- التصميم والتنسيق: نظام الشبكة، الهيئة والشكل،
نظرية جاشتلات
- نظريات ومناهج التصميم: تحليل، بحث، ادراك
- الاتصالات واللغة البصرية: القواعد البصرية، التفكير بصريا،السيميائية،تاريخ الاتصال البصري، محو الامية البصري
- التصميم التفاعلي
- ادارة عامة وتسويق
- تاريخ التصميم
- تقنيات الطباعة التجارية
-تقنيات البناء: العملية التصميمية، مراحل تنفيذ التصميم المطبوع (كتاب، علبة، صندوق،صفحات مطوية)

نلاحظ ان هذه المجموعة تغطي جميع المهارات الذهنة والعملية التي تترك أثرها الايجابي على آلية التفكير واساليبها، والتي مما لا شك فيه لها الدور الاكبر في زيادة التنوع في الانتاج وغزارته وتوسيع رقعة قاعدة الابداع.

فلسفة مدرس التصميم!

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 00:41:00 +0000

لن نشكك في الحب الذي يختزنه مدرس التصميم لمهنته، نجزم بأنها قضية ثابتة كغيره من مدرسي العلوم الأخرى، فهو مدرس له نهجه الذي يعتمد الصرامة العلمية والمنفتحة على فهم مناحي كثيرة كالتاريخ والمنهجيات التي يتضمنها تعاليم الفنون والتصميم. يحاول من خلالها تطبيق وممارسة الأساليب التجريبية التي تؤمن مساحة معقولة للتعامل مع المتغيرات في الأدوات والوسائط وجمهور الفنون والتصميم وقدرتهم على التكيف معها.

مثل هذا النهج يعتبر نهجا تجريبياً يعمل على تحدي المنهجيات التاريخية في نقاط استراتيجية رئيسة مع ثبات الهدف الشخصي المتعلق بالتعليم من أجل إنتاج قادة في مجال التخصص وليس اتباع له. هؤلاء القادة يتبعون تعليمات تحاكي المعاصرة من خلال الممارسة التي تجعل من منتجهم كوادر مؤهلة نظريا وعملياً.

انه نهج مدرس جيد، مدرس يجعل من جل اهتماماته وطموحه خلق كادر مبدع ودائم التطور في حقول الفن والتصميم، ومن أولوياته كمدرس جيد تحفيز طلبته بشكل معياري، وليس اعتباريا عبر إرادته الصادرة عن عمق معرفته برغبة الطالب وحاجته والغاية التي تجعله متحفزاً للإبداع. وهذه بحد ذاتها تعتبر تحدياً للمدرس لتحديد البيئة المناسبة وتهيئتها لكي يكون الطالب عاشقا لما يقوم به ولكي يجد ذاته و يبدع بنفسه.

بالطبع لن يحدث هذا إلا إذا اتفقا على أن المدرس والطالب هما شريكان في العملية التدريسية، وبذلك يعملان كأساس محفزٍ على الإبداع والإنتاج لكليهما وإضافة إلى ذلك إيمانهما بنفسهما ودور كل منهما كمرسل ومستقبل للمعرفة، وبطبيعة الحال فإن حالة التحفيز وانطلاقها لن تبدأ إلا من داخل الطالب، وأما المدرس فهو يلعب دور المثير لهذه الطاقة الكامنة.

من مهام الطالب أن يعي أهمية تواجده الدائم وتواصله وفعاليته داخل قاعة التدريس، فهذه مهمة للمدرس حيث تعتبر أداة قياس لقدرة الطالب الفنية والفكرية التي تعكس بنفسها على إنتاجه. ولهذا نجد من الضرورة أن تتواجد نوعية خاصة من الطلبة القادرين على الشروع بالعملية الفكرية والتأملية بالممارسة خلال سنوات الدراسة. وهذه مرتبطة بأهمية اكتساب الطلبة للمعرفة الذاتية والوعي الذاتي لأساليبهم مما يمكنهم حينها على العمل ضمن حالة من الإبداع. بالحفاظ على هذه الخاصية سيضمن الطلبة بقاءهم تحت سقف حالة الإبداع الدائمة. مع ضرورة عدم اعتبارها حالة من الكمال حيث تتطلب أخلاقيات العمل أن تكون حاضرة حتى تكتمل. وهذا ما يجعلها تتقدم سلم الأولويات لكي يسلكوا طريق الاستمرار في النجاح.

مثل هذه الحالة تتطلب من المدرس إعداد الطلبة لكي يكونوا دوما في الدور الريادي والديناميكي ومن خلال الإجابة على الأسئلة التالية:

- ما هو المناسب له وللطالب؟

- ما نوعية المنتج (الطالب) المراد إنتاجه بما يكفل متطلبات صناعة التصميم؟

- ما هو المطلوب تقديمه من معرفة ومؤهلات وكيف؟

- ما هي الآلية المناسبة لتحقيق ذلك؟

في بعض الأحيان يجد المدرس نفسه في علاقة متضادة وموقف حرج بين مدرسته والمدارس الأخرى، القديمة منها والحديثة؛ بين أوروبا وأميركا على سبيل المثال، وبين واقع البيئة المحلية والثقافة والتراث. كيف له أن يوظف ذلك إلى جانب التكنولوجيا ويقدمه للطالب لكي يكون مصمماً فناناً، باحثاً ومفكرا، مدركاً وناقدا وأخيرا مستقلاً.

هذا كله يدعو إلى إعادة النظر في المناهج والخطط الدراسية لتدريس التصميم والنظر بعمق إلى المشاكل البسيطة منه والمعقدة والتي تشكل معايير وعلاقات ثابتة منها ما هو معروف وغير المعروف، الديناميكي وغير ذلك. هذه نلحظها في أساليب تدريس التصميم التقليدية وتطور التكنولوجيا. علينا الإقرار بأن الممارسة العملية ليست حالة ثابتة، وهي معقدة رغم ديناميكيتها، فهي تحتاج إلى وسائل إنتاجية استكشافية تعمل على تخفيف حدة وضعيتها الديناميكية المعقدة، وهذا ما نراه واضحاً للعيان لدى اغلب الطلبة في المستويات النهائية المتقدمة وبالتحديد ما نراه في مشاريع التخرج، بعضها لا تعكس أدوات حقيقية لحلول بصرية لمختلف المعايير التي يمكن حلها أو علاجها.إن المشكلة التي يواجهها الطلبة تكمن في التحدي الهائل لتحديد وتوضيح المعايير الخاصة بالحل للوصول إلى الحل المناسب، وهي آلية وضع حلول لحالات فنية وعملية، وتنفيذ ذلك من خلال القدرة على الرصد والتحليل أثناء عملية التفكير النظري وعكس النتائج على آلية اختيار الحلول المناسبة.

مثل هذه الحالات تعتمد من الناحية النظرية على المدرس وقدرته على تجهيز الطلبة لكي يكونوا أكثر استعدادا لمواجهة المتغيرات التي تفرض نفسها عبر تطور وسائل الاتصال والتكنولوجيا وتسليحهم بقدرة التحليل وفهم الظروف الغامضة التي ترافق عملية التصميم والتحرك بما يتناسب مع متطلبات العمل.

مثل هذه الفلسفة لن تتحقق واقعيا من خلال النظريات بل من خلال الممارسة العملية والتطبيقات المرتبطة بها. التخطيط لكل مادة مراد تدريسها والوسائل العملية والنظرية التي تحتاجها وإقحام الطالب بعملية العصف الذهني لتفعيل حالة التحليل والابتكار.

* نشر في جريدة الغد يوم 20-3-2010 /المنتدى

A talk with Graphic Designer, Academic and Blogger Essam Abu Awad. (Article by Nataleen Daas)

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:29:00 +0000

Not only a great graphic designer, Essam Abu Awad is the teacher that inspires any student to do better. Whenever you hear his passion and his talks about design, colours, theories, etc. you get deeply involved with his world, which thrives with brilliant knowledge and sound experience. A tutor and a friend I was lucky to meet in my life, since I had the honour and pleasure to attend his classes during my bachelor. This is just a glimpse of his biography and works, Essam keeps his background intro brief as he does not intend to get anyone sleepy!
Essam Abu Awad was born in Amman in 1958. He finished his secondary education in 1977. At the tender age of four he showed an interest in drawing and, by the age of 11, he started exhibiting his works in the annual exhibition held by his school. At that time his work had alreaby been recognized as promising by tutors and many professional artists around him.
In 1977 he enrolled in the Faculty of Arts and Design at the University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. He was granted a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1983 and a Master of Arts degree in 1985, both in the discipline of Graphic Design. During his studies at Lahore, Essam was able to build a hefty portfolio of high quality work which assured him professional practice as a freelance designer, while studying in Lahore and Karachi until 1986.In 1988, after military service, Essam joined one of the biggest commercial companies in Jordan (SHARRAWI) as brand and corporate designer. He was responsible for creating new brands for imported products such as fashion garments, food, textiles and other merchandise. He designed successful brands and instantly recognizable packaging for many prestigious companies operating in the Arab Gulf region, such as AL-SHAYAKAH, DAFA or ALASEEL among others.

In 1992 Essam started his own studio – MIDAS – in Amman, Jordan. The studio performed well and produced many highly recognized designs for both Jordanian and other Middle Eastern clients from Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Essam’s studio mirrors his solid background as an artist, as well as his ability to meet his customers’ requirements with professionalism and friendly manners. Chinese word-of-mouth have quickly assured him many succesful cooperations.

Essam believes that high quality and focused design can trasform an instant into a lasting impression on customers, while involving them after the first glance thus creating a strong brand identity. To meet this challenge, Essam offers his own clients a range of customized designs which include the product identity, branding and marketing. Everything aims to attract interest and give his clients the edge over their competitors. He has worked for different kinds of clients including industrial and commercial firms, banks, food manufacturers, computer and IT business companies, chemical industries, and construction firms. Among the most prestigious commercial customers: the Zalloum Group, Jordan Investment Bank, Creative Concrete Concepts, PCstores, Ayla, RamPHARMA, Hamoudeh (Al-Emlaq) and EuroGulf Trading.

Essam’s design process always starts with a pencil and a piece of paper. He begins by mind mapping, to get keywords and imagery flowing through his mind, and then moves on to roughly sketched concepts and logotypes. Once he discovers that he has a solid direction to move on, he digitizes his ideas.

Essam is proud of his work and always enthusiast of graphic design. Though he thinks his work is pretty good, he does not consider it to be flawless. A designer can undertake a job with the goal of doing his best possible, or he can undertake a job for the purely monetary reward. Essam has always tried to approach his business with the goal of doing the best. At the beginning of a project, he asks himself, what is needed for this work and how can it be realized at its best? How is this design going to attract one’s attention? He always takes into consideration the customers’ feedback – as the design is for them, not for the designer himself. When occasionally receiving questionable feedback about his design, perhaps unfavourable, he has to realize it is not always possible to do the best job. That was when he knew that he would just have to get the job done and get paid, since it is not always possible to please every customer, or agree with what every customer wants, however hard you work to achieve harmony.
In 1999, Essam left the commercial market and joined the academic field to teach at the Faculty of Art and Design of Applied Science University, Amman. Essam says that teaching is his true vocation and he’s completely devoted to it. He thinks that the faculty is an ideal environment to modernize Graphic Design and teaching itself. (His good reputation as a professional designer granted him the ability to transfer his concepts to the faculty, by developing his thoughts on design issues and sharing his insight with students and colleagues.) He attempted to arrange in logical order certain important principles governing the methods of teaching Graphic Design. His teaching combined Bauhaus analysis, Gestalt theory and other influential texts including Paul Rand, Tschichold and constructivist manifestoes. He always focuses on the wider practice and role of Graphic Design.

Essam remains active in both the academic and professional fields of design. He regularly participates in academic conferences discussing important issues in Graphic Design, its relation to the arts and technology and the challenges of teaching Graphic Design to students.  His other achievements include:
- Preparation of “An Introduction to Textile and Fashion Design” Course and Textile Printing Techniques’ for Jerusalem Open University, in 1991.
- Participating in Graphic Design conferences in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Copenhagen, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.
- Participating in Graphic Design seminars and forums held both in Amman and abroad, which focus on exchanging experiences and views on different issues concerning the process and techniques related to Graphic Design.
- Editing in process: An academic textbook tackling the issue of Graphic Design in a new way. It helps undergraduate Graphic Design students by teaching them how to define a problem, explore attributes of a problem, create awareness, and improves their ability to attend to different angles in order to discover new means and methods in design.

In 2006 Essam left the Applied Science University on a scholarship to gain his PHD in Graphic Design. His research demonstrates that regulation alone is insufficient to create improved commercial signage in an urban environment. This has been found in Jordan, where the introduction of regulation on the type and placement of urban signage produced only partial improvement in the urban environment. This study argues that such regulation must be supported by both educators in sign design and by properly trained, commercially practicing designers.
Examination of current design teaching shows that there is a lack of specialized and sufficient training in the practice of sign design within curricula. This leads to designers entering the market place with little understanding of the skills and techniques central to the design of effective and aesthetically pleasing signage. By developing designated and specialized teaching in sign design, sign designers would be better equipped to design and situate signage appropriately within the urban environment. Such teaching may be offered as part of existing Graphic Design courses, or as separate training. It is anticipated that these competencies will contribute to the development of improvements within the sign industry, as designers become better equipped for the task of sign design. It is also hoped that the involvement of stakeholders in both education and industry will provide support for the regulations introduced by organizations such as Amman Municipality to improve the urban environment.

Source:http://www.ymag.it/2010/01/14/a-talk-with-graphic-designer-academic-and-blogger-essam-abu-awad/

في الأفق مصمماً

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:01:00 +0000

مصمما يحلم بأن يكون يوماً ما مرشدا روحياً للمصممين في الاردن ومثلاً اعلى يتمتع بسمعة ممتازة تمكنه من صنع الكثير.. منتشراً بين عدد كبير من الزبائن ذائعي السيط. فهو مصمماً قادرا على الولوج والتهوض بابداعاته لوضع الحلول الابداعية المناسبة لمشاكل بصرية مهما كان نوعها وحالتها وطبيعة زبونها.

كلام جميل... كلام معقول ولكن كيف لهذا المصمم ان يصل الى ما يريد.. فما هي كفاءته التي تستند الى خبرته التي تنضوي تحت لوائها عناصر عدة كالعمل والتدريب والـتأهيل والثقافة والتعليم. نجاحه ليس مرتبطاً فقط بمهنته كمصمم بل بقدرته على الاندماج والانصهارمع زبونه ومساعدته على النجاح وهكذا مصمم هو مصمماً قادرا على مزاوجة عناصره الثقافية والحضارية. ولهذا نجد ان لثقافته وتعليمه الذاتي الى جانب ما يتعلمه في المؤسسة التعليمية امران مهمان.

نعم... الموهبة ايضا عاملا مهما الى جانب الثقافة و التعليم ...علينا ان نعي حقيقة و الكثير منا يعيها وهي عدم القاء اللوم على المؤسسات التعليمية فقط... لا بد من الأخذ بعين الأعتبار القدرات الذاتية للمصمم طالبا كان او ممارساً. على مستوى الطلاب فهناك العديد من الطلبة الذين لا يحتاجون الى مساعدة وعلى الجانب الأخر هناك منهم مساعدتهم صعبة وتكاد تكون مستحيلة. من الصعب خلق مصمم من العدم.. والقائمون على تعليم التصميم ( البعص منهم) لا يمنحون طلبتهم ممن يملكون القدرات المهارات اللازمة. بعض مدرسي التصميم يتعاملون مع تعليم التصميم كانه احادي الجانب وليس على اساس حلقة تبدأ بالمصمم والزبون والجمهور وهذا ما يكون دائما ظاهراً في العملية التصميمية والتي يقلل من اهميتها في الجامعات. التصميم ليس انجاز فردي كما هو عليه في الفنون الجميلة. وللأسف يعض المصممين العاملين في قطاع التصميم والقائمين عليه لا يعون هذه الحقيقة. ولهذا نجد كما من التصاميم الفاشلة التي لا تحقق غايتها النهائية التي لا تعتمد الابداع موجها لها.

فكرة المصمم تنتج صدفة وتأتي مرة واحدة ان تم اغتنامها من قيل المصمم اعتماداً على فطنته وبديهيته. فهو متوقع منه التعامل مع اللامعقول او اللامتوقع .. من بينها ممكن ان يكون موضوع التصميم اة طبيعة وعقلية زبونه او مديره الفني. للأسف من الممكن ان يصطدم بعقبة موضوع التصميم وهذا سهل حله بالبحث.. اما االمشكلة الاهم فهي ان يصطدم بجدار زبون يدعي الفهم او مديرا فنيا معتد بنفسه ولا يرى غيرها وكلاهما يدعي العلم مع ان حقيقة الامر عكس ذلك.

في هذه الحالة يتطلب ان يكون المصمم قادرا على ان يفهم الاشياء كما تبدو له وان يعرف نفسه ايضا وقدراته وان يعرف حقيقة مهمته ودوره.
المصمم بمثابة خبير في الاتصال والتواصل وله القدرة على فهم لغة من يتعامل معهم واحتياجاتهم وان دوره هو المساعدة في وضع الحلول وله القدرة عل ادارتهم وادارة ذاته.

إدراك أهمية التصميم/ الية التصميم

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 02:12:00 +0000

آلية التصميم ( العملية التصميمية)

عجباً! عندما نذهب للطبيب نشكو حالتنا، يستمع الينا، نتلوا عليه وصفاً لحالتنا وأعراضها، يقوم هو بعد ذلك بتحليل ما يسمعه ويبدأ بالفحص الاولي وبعد ذلك، إما ان يصف العلاج او يطلب فحوصات مخبرية اخرى تساعده على تحديد الحالة والعلاج المناسب.
المحامي يستمع الى شرحٍ مفصل لحالتك، حيث تعرض عليه قضيتك وحيثياتها ومن ثم يقوم هو بدوره بتحليل ما سمعه منك ويربطها بالحل المناسب بناء على متطلبات قانونية.
كلاهما اعتمدا على دراستهما السابقة الاكاديمية وخبرتهما المكتسبة من تجربتهما او تجربة من حولهم او بعيدا عنهم، وقدرتهما على التحليل من خلال استيعابهما وادراكهما لمجموع الظروف والعوامل المرتبطة بالقضية او الحالة.
انت كمصمم ليس ببعيد عن هذا الدور...ولكن للأسف هذا الدور ليس ممنوحا منحا مطلقا للمصمم لكي يلعب هذا الدور، يعود هذا الى عامل غياب ثقافة العامة بأهمية دور المصمم وماهيته. عند الذهاب للدكتوراو المحامي نجد الولاء والسمع والطاعة. عند المصمم الجميع يفهم في التصميم. وعلى الطرف الآخر نجد ان ضعف المصمم نفسه قد دعى الى هذا الاستهتار.
ان المشاكل التي يتعامل معها المصمم ، اعني المشاكل التي تتطلب حلاً بصرياً وهي كثيرةُ جداً وتكاد تكون غير محددة وليس لها حل واحد. وهذا بسبب تعدد انواع الوسائط المستخدمة في حلول الاتصال البصري.
لنعد الآن الى آلية التصميم الكفيلة باتساع افق المصمم الفكري وطريقة اداء، وتحفيزه على وضع الحل المناسب للمشكلة البصرية المناسبة.
الآلية تندرج ضمن ثلاث مراحل وهي:

- جمع المعلومات واستيعابها وتنظيمها

وهنا يقوم المصمم ببناء هرم المعلومات باسلوب منهجي ومنطقي ومنظم، للسيطرة عليها وتوظيفها خلال عملية التصميم حتى تلج الى نهاياتها. هنا يستلم المصمم المعلومات الاولية من الزبون وتعرف باسم Design Brief والتي تتضمن معلومات حول الوسيط المطلوب، شكله وحجمه، لمن موجه ، الصور او الر سومات التي ستسخدم ومادة النص وغيره من معلومات.
هذه المعلومات يزود بها المصمم من الزبون مكتوبة، من الممكن ان تكون ناقصة ويتطلب مراجعة الزبون للاجابة على استفسارات المصمم التي تعتبر جوهرية اكثرها يمكن ان يكون مرتبط بامور فنية او تقنية، يعتمد هذا على فهم المصمم للاسباب الفنية والشكلية والمادية للتصميم. منها ما هو مرتبط بالهوية التجارية للمؤسسة او المنتج او الخدمة.
العامل الزمني للوسيط ( العمر المفترض)، المنافسون وطرق ترويج وعرض مؤسستهم او منتجهم واللغة المستخدمة والاسلوب. الجمهور المستهدف وثقافته ومؤثراته.

- تحليل المعلومات وترجمتها للغة بصرية
في هذه المرحلة ينتهج المصمم استخدام قنوات متعددة للحلول البصرية لاعداد مقترح التصميم Design Proposal للولوج الى الحل المناسب، فلا يوجد قوالب جاهزة لاعتمادها، وهنا يشكل المصمم بادائه قاعدة بيانات انسانية لاساليب بصرية متنوعة تتضمنها تقنيات واساليب متعددة لوسيط يقرأ او يشاهد.
في هذه المرحلة يتطلب من المصمم اليقظة، المعرفة التامة بوظيفة كل وسيط والغاية منه والفرق بينهما ليكون على دراية في اختيار الوسيط المناسب، مثلا الفرق بين البوستر والفلاير، الفلاير والبروشور، البروشور والكتالوج وغيره.
التعامل مع عناصر تصميم الوسيط ككل كوحدة واحدة واهمية كل عنصر كل في موقعه، حيث يكون التكوين محكم الايقاع بعيدأ عن الصراع خدمةً لغايات التصميم النهائية ومحتواه ومضمونه وهذا يتأتى كنتيجة لتحليل سليم وتنظيم شامل للمعلومات الواردة والرسالة الموجهة.
المصمم الجيد هو المصمم المنظم الذي يمتلك اجندة وقائمة لمراحل العمل وعناصره، يدققها بشكل دائم ويستند اليها في اداءه. تتضمن معلومات نهائية عن النص المكتوب وتوافقه مع الرسالة وعناصر التكوين، نوع الحرف النستخدم للنص وارتباطه بالموضوع، نوع الرسومات المطلوبة ونوع الصور التي تتناسب مع الفكرة والرسالة والمحتوى والنظام اللوني. أخيرا هيئة الوسيط المراد استنادا الى السببين الشكلي والمادي وهذا يتحدد بطبيعة محتوى الوسيط وغاياته واستخداماته.

- تحديد الهيئة النهائية للوسيط وادراكها
المصمم يلعب دور الاستشاري والمشرف ولهذا ابداعه يعتمد على مدى قدرته في فهم السبب الشكلي والفني والمادي للتصميم ، طرق واساليب تنفيذ الهيئة النهائية للوسيط. الجانب التقني مهم وخاصة المراحل التي يمر بها الوسيط بعد التصميم .
هذه الخبرة والمعرفة تمكن المصمم من ادراك نموذج تصميمه مسبقا وتقييمه مما يمكنه اكتساب القدرة على نقل الفكرة من الخيال وتجسيدها في الواقع دون اشكاليات، لمعرفته مسبقا بطريقة او اسلوب التنفيذ واليته ونوع التصميم المناسب لذلك.

إدراك أهمية التصميم (2)....ب

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 01:57:00 +0000

الجميع يتفق على ان تصميم الجرافيك هو عملية ترجمة لهوية تجارية(منتج، خدمة، مؤسسة)، هو لغة بصرية تناسب الهدف التسويقي. اذن هو عملية تمر بمراحل متعددة تنتهي بالوسيط ، يمكن ان يكون هذا الوسيط ورقة مراسلات، كرت، بروشور، بوستر، اعلان مجلة، صفحة انترنت وغير ذلك من الوسائط المعروفة.
قبل الخوض في العملية التصميمية دعونا نتطرق الى بعض المغالطات لدى البعض وعلى سبيل المثال:
- تحديد هوية التصميم، هل التصميم هو ما ينتهي اليه كوسيط؟ أي هل هو نتيجته النهائية؟ الحقيقة ان التصميم هو حالة نشاط او عملية وليس نتيجته النهائية كوسيط ( بروشور، بوستر)، هذه نواتج العملية وليس التصميم نفسه. تحت بند هذه الحقيقة نجد ان مهمة المصمم تتلخص في الترجمة والتفسير بين جمع المعلومة وتحليلها والتنفيذ، ولهذا فإن الوسيط ما هو الا ناتج لعملية معقدة وبمعرفتنا لها سنستطيع الحكم على الوسائط نرتبطة بعملية التصميم وليس مجردة. مما يضع المصمم في مأزق التركيز على المنتج النهائي الوسيط تحت اسم التصميم دون الامعان بعملية التصميم، مما يجعل العملية غير واضحة المعالم تاركةً اثرها السلبي على الوسيط. ومركزة على قيمة دور المصمم الحقيقي في دائرة الفعل واستراتيجيتها.
- القضية الاخرى وهي هل دور المصمم كدور الفنان؟ وهل التصميم يرتبط بالفن اكثر من ارتباطه بقطاع صناعة التصميم؟
الحقيقة ان الرابط بين التصميم والفن قوي، كبير ومحدود رغم شيوعه من خلال استخدام الصورة والرمز لغايات جذب الانتباه والتوضيح والتواصل مع المشاهد تنفيذا لرغبة الزبون، بينما الفنان ليس لديه مثل هذا الاهتمام، فهو ينفذ العمل تعبيراً عن خلجات نفسه، داخله، ميوله وافكاره. المصمم يعمل لارضاء زبونه بالتأثير على الجمهور المستهدف لارضاء زبونه.
لو القينا مظرة سريعة على مجمل التصاميم في اسواقنا لوجدنا نسبة كبيرة منها تقع في دائرة العمل الفني البحت، جمالي وزخرفي مما يضعف مهمتها الرئيسة وهي الاتصال من خلال رسالة الوسيط المراد ايصالها الى الجمهور المستهدف، السبب يعود الى ان القائمون على عملية التصميم و زبائنهم يرتكبون خطأ الحكم على المنتج النهائي لغياب العملية التصميمية، غياب التركيز الموضوعي على الوسيط عبر العملية التصميمية، ولتركيزهم على ابراز النواحي الجمالية الفنية دون الخضوع لهدفه المهني او وظيفته في العرض والترويج.
وهنا يتطلب منا ان نسأل، من المسؤول عن تنفيذ التصميم، وما هو ميوله؟
من يختار الصور ونوع حرف الكتابة والالوان، كيف يتدافع نحو خلق التأثير من خلال نمط او اسلوب معين؟
ما هو طبيعة المظهر الفريد الذي يبحث عنه؟ وكبف يفكر له؟
عند تبني العملية التصميمية، سيتبادر الى ذهن المنفذ ( مديرا فنيا او مصمماً) أهمية السببية وبناء الافكار دون انكار اهمية الاسلوب ( الجماليات) للولوج الى تأثير بصري مميزوشامل ومتكامل لجميع الوسائط ، تحتضنة توازناً بين النمط المستخدم والية الاتصال. حيث تكتسب الوظيفة نسبة عالية من الاهتمام مدعومة بالنمط او الاسلوب الجمالي وبهذا يتحقق التواصل.
بتبدد هذه المغالطات والمفارقات سنتعرف على ألية التصميم...!

إدراك أهمية التصميم

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:29:00 +0000

يشكل التصميم حلقة رئيسية في حياتنا الاقتصادية والاجتماعية والسياسية والثقافية، فهو اداة العون لأغلب هذه القطاعات، يعمل على تحقيق اهدافهم من خلال نقلها عبر تحويلها الى لغة بصرية مؤثرة تعمل على مبدأ الإتصال والتواصل، منها ما هو توعية و ارشاد او ترويج. من خلال قدرته على الجذب والتأثير اعتماداً على تسهيله لعملية ايصال المعلومة مهضومةوواضحة مما يمكنه من ايصال الرسالة المرجوة بغرسها معناً وفعل عبر اناقة لونية وتكوين جذاب.
مهما كان هدف التصميم التوعوي او الترويجي لخدمة او منتج او مؤسسة وفي أي قطاع كان، لا بد للتصميم ان يرتبط بهوية المؤسسة ولهذا تتنوع وسائط التصميم مع هذه السياسة ويتطلب عملية تصميم خاصة لكل وسيط . هذا الوضع ترك تأثيره على اسم تصميم الجرافيك، فهناك تصميم المعلومات وتصميم وسائط الاتصال البصري، مما جعله شاملاً متكاملاً لكل ما هو مطبوع او مرئي متحرك ( تلفزيون، انترنتـ ، سينما ).
عند الحديث عن تصميم لغاية الاتصال، نحن هنا نتحدث عن عملية التصميم التي ينتج عنها علاقة بصرية بين عناصر مختلفة من الافكار والصور والرموز والكلمات والرسوم، ترتبط ببعضها البعض مما ينتج عنها حالة من الاهتمام ومن ثم التواصل.
الاتصال يعني لنا تفاعل لايصال الرسالة المرجوة، ولهذا نرى في مدار الاتصال او اليته انه يحتوي على مجموعة من العناصر التي تنتهي بها العملية وهي التأثير من خلال خلق الصدمة الاولى لدى المشاهد لجذب الانتباه الذي يأتي بعد التأثير ومن بعد ذلك يأتي التفاعل الناتج عن وضوح الرسالة واستيعاب مضمونها، مما ينتج عنها مجتمعة حالة التجاوب واتخاذ القرار، أي رد الفعل المناسب. الانجذاب بعد التعارف.

واقعيا عملية الاتصال لا تتضمن حرفيا مثل هذه العناصر، فهي تحدث دون تجزيء للكل. ولكنها تتوقف على التصميم وقدرته على تقديم نفسه، مراعياً الهوية الخاصة بالمؤسسة او المنتج او الخدمة، واعيا للسوق والتسويق، التمويل، التصنيع وغيره. هذا يتطلب ايضاً الادارة الجيدة.
كمصممين من الواجب علينا فهم العملية التصميمية، ما هي؟
عندها سنفهم ما هو التصميم الجيد؟ وما هي مواصفاته؟
وكيف لنا ان نصل اليه...!

A Trip to The Future

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:41:00 +0000

On 25 March 2009, I had the chance to hear the futurologist Ian Pearson at the Royal Signals Institution in London. In his lecture "A Trip to the Future", Pearson stated that the number of new life-changing technologies increases exponentially every five years. For example,in the ten years between 1990- 2000 we became more accustomed to PCs, office networks, MS Office, satellite TV, Filofax, Gameboy, Mobile phones, home PCs, office internet, e-mail, laptops, Play Station, camcorders, and Amazon.com.
In the ten years, 2000-2010, it seems to be the turn of home internet, digital cameras, wireless LANs, PDAs, chat rooms, search engines, e-commerce, Expedia, SMS, instant messaging SatNav, Blackberry, broadband, iPods, memory stick, HD video recording, eBay, home shopping, Skype, online multi-player games, virtual environments, Google maps, blogs, hard drive recorders, music downloads.
In the next five years, 2010-2015, we can predict HDTV, RFID, augmented reality, virtual reality, dual appearance, electronic jewellery, digital bubbles, smart make-up, smart clothes, smart buildings, digital paper, life-on-a-stick, personal black box, robotics, voice recognition, active skin.

The Web is picking up speed; its growth is exponential. Because we have reached critical mass, 30-50 percent of the population goes online every day. Which means functional decomposition of industries and commerce using the Internet? Nineteen years ago, it was the convergence of telecoms and computers. Today we find that convergence is between four new technologies - nano, bio, info, and finally cognitive with the ability to link to our nervous system. Convergence means a lot of new green fields; very big markets are at the boundaries where convergent industries intersect; new business models/new kinds of businesses where completely new trading conditions apply. For example
- Blurred boundaries
- Porous companies (semi-permeable membranes instead of walls)
- Highly distributed companies
- Individual knowledge workers using the web to group together into virtual enterprises.
Once people can do everything, they will have to re-evaluate what they really want to do. Ian Pearson suggests a different reading of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, saying that the value is now in the top layers (self-actualisation, esteem, social ). He affirmed that technology helps people to do more, interact more, have more fun, be more, and feel better about themselves.

With the rate of technology development faster than ever, and the web fully integrated into our everyday lives, the next big convergence is between cyberspace and the real world. Video visors and eventually active contact lenses will allow overlays of computer games and anything from the web to be overlaid onto our field of view everywhere we go.

People will even be able to customise how they appear to different strangers in the street, which will also be inhabited by computer game characters and avatars. Electronic jewellery will replace the mobile gadgets we use today, making it possible to have the highest technology while making little environmental impact. And as it becomes easier for ordinary people to make Information Technology do what they want, it will also be much easier to mobilise political power from the grass roots.

Designers at work

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:10:00 +0000

Working circumstances and places of employment are different. Designers employed by large advertising, publishing, or design firms generally work regular hours. Designers in smaller design consulting firms and those who freelance generally work on a contract, or job-basis. They mostly fit their workday to suit their clients’ schedules and deadlines. A number of designers make a choice for work that pays high salaries, with more worries, overtime and long working hours. Others decide to work in a place that pays less but with less stress. Some work as freelancers so as to be able to manage their own time but also taking the risk of not getting enough work.

When designers love their work, this will be reflected in their daily life. When they enjoy what they do, and start to think of it as more than a job, but with desire; as fulfilling, interesting, and worthy, they will feel the change, and their job will not be a mixture of stress, tiredness, frustration, and worry.

The designer must ask himself a question; am I at the right place? Do I need to work hard? Designers may work in their own offices or studios. Designers who are paid by the assignment are under pressure to please existing clients and to find new ones to maintain a steady income.
No matter where you are, the best way forward for all designers is to manage their time and cut the hours they work. It might be a hard choice and a tough decision, but designers must make sure that they are in the right place of work. Examining what they do for the sake of their living requirements and examining the relationship between their job and their time, their impact on community, their joy and finally fulfilment.

They must judge where their job will lead them and what they should do best.

Most designers neglect the fact that recording many hours of work and a good portfolio will do nothing if their personal life is getting worse or falling apart. The importance for them is to look after work practices. They should look after practices that help them to integrate them into their job. It is the way they manage their days and working hours. What is important for them is to develop their working life at the expense of their personal life. Their priorities should be to manage their time carefully so that it benefits their careers without wasting time on peripheral activities with no benefit.
Could you plan your day and keep a daily diary of activity?
Could you identify your progress and any wasted time?
This will help you in knowing the best working methods, and how many hours you can work and still make progress, (how to do a work at a time not many) what interruptions or distractions you allow yourself at work (chatting, looking at Facebook, replying to mobile calls), how to complete your task and how to be free from stress and uneasiness or apprehension.

This will be obtained by organising your diary (personal diary), if you do not have it create one and make it clear, and stick to your daily agenda. Organise your environment at work, by not allowing clutter to exist around you. Clear it or organise it. Write short reports daily. It is tempting to ‘get going’ first thing in the morning, so feel like you are getting things done, where it takes you 10 minutes or less to review your diary and decide how you plan to tackle commitments.

Practice self-brainstorming, allow yourself to focus on the priorities, your needs and consider important things and pick up on all those loose ends. This way you will be able to plan your diary.

You will find that you love yourself the way you love your work. It will be reflected in the way you produce work; work which shows your joy, desire, interest - and you will find your working life fulfilled. Everything will change by controlling your time, effectiveness, distraction rate and your work flexibility.

I will act always as a designer!

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:30:00 +0000

It is my daily nightmare. No, it is not a true nightmare, let us say, a visitor. It is not only a night visitor; it is a visitor of every time. I am a designer, and as a designer cares for everything, I frequently find myself thinking like a designer. I ask questions that a designer asks. I attempt to find functional design solutions to a design problem I have uncovered while being a designer. I think of design brief, design proposal and design principles to guide me through the process. I rely on design thinking.

This is does not concern how much experience I have, no matter who am I, a great designer or not, it is normal to find something missing when I forget myself as a designer, or I do not consider my self as one of the audience, a user, a consumer or an audience. If I do not act as so, I will not be able to solve a problem.

All design solutions are considered as conjecture. Ok, that is fine, but this requires me using design thinking and principles; and how good to solve problems, and simply be not only a designer. How important for me to know whether the design works in a positive sense or not. Am I able to answer the question. I think that the answer can be achieved best by incorporate user feedback in the design process, by allowing myself playing a double role, a designer and a consumer, or one of the audience.

It is simply to act on behalf of others by allowing myself to get into their world, better than inquiring what they have in mind, and living their role not investigating it.

This way, I will always act as a designer.

Hello, Amman Designers! Hello, Design Education Sector.

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:12:00 +0000

Do you know that we all need to teach ourselves a lesson, not only professionals, but colleges and universities, from the school to vocational training to career developments:

Students and designers must be equipped with the right skills to meet design and business needs.
Can you identify skills gaps?
Obviously, Amman has more than its fair share of design skills! Isn't it?
If that is true, what about the country?

Improving designers' skills is a huge task, it is like creating a new era in which the right mix of design skills can be found in the right places.

Note that design is a way of thinking, not a way of making things look pretty.

A whisper in the ears Jordanian Designers !

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:29:00 +0000

Never mind, and no matter what type of classification we have,

Why do we consider ourselves and others designers?

How do we perceive our task, culture, identity and our future?

Where we are? What do we innovate, alter and create?

We are what we are! Designers.

We are the designers of Jordan. We came here to make a practical and substantial difference to our Country, people and ourselves.

Let each one of you ask him/her self these questions:

Have you ever thought of taking part in the development and well- being of Jordan, of course by using the design?

Have you been up to the challenges that face you in developing and promoting sustainable design solutions in all fields serving our country?

It is not an easy task! But it could be easy if we design and import our own ideas and styles, and at the same time, we preserve our identity and character and shy away from imitation.

I should be genuine. To be so, I should answer these questions to identify and define my objectives:

- What is a designer, who is he, and what is his\her role?
- What are the characteristics that should mark the Design?
- What should our design academics plan and how they embark on teaching Design?
- What public services that need Designs?
- What type of design business should exist in Jordan?

Amman, as many other Arab cities, is proud of its design status\identity.
But, does Amman promote design in other cities of Jordan?
Does Jordan raise the awareness of design among the public?
Do Jordanians demand products and services that meet their needs?

These questions need an answer, for the future!

Design characteristics for the Future

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 16:12:00 +0000

Is it possible for us to perceive the future? Is it possible for us to understand the design characteristics of the future?

Of course we can!

We can do that if we change the way in which we perceive the present and future. To do this, we will need to transform ourselves from being mere observers to being initiators who fully use our creative potential to anticipate future needs and to develop solutions.

We may already know that the answer lies within ourselves, specifically, within our way of thinking about and evaluating the world. But theoretically, bridging the gap between theory and practice is difficult since our thinking is affected by traditionalism, dependency and waiting to adopt the results of others' experiments, rather than developing our own.

The real situation in professional design is quite different, for example in the fields of visual communication, multimedia, architecture, interior and industrial design. Similarly, all academic and professional institutions are responsible for their own production.
Any designer will be unable to produce adequate work if he/she is not essentially a creative being. A designer's productivity is also related to the environment in which they are working which must support the creative process at all stages of the product's design and manufacture. It is so important that the designer works within an environment that supports their vision, allowing them to anticipate and design for future needs on projects which are also supported with financial input and the necessary craftsmanship.

Politicians observe and analyse the world and then produce strategies to solve the problems they find. In design, we employ observation, analysis and strategic problem-solving as well. Our present, past and future are interconnected. Transformation of our present involves both observation of our current situation and extending our eyes towards the future and towards the vision we wish to achieve. Even if no-one has succeeded with these ideas before, we may still aim towards them. It is also necessary to be well-prepared, to have the correct tools, knowledge and learning in order to work towards our goals.

Confusion is caused by the amount of information that we deal with when observing the future and its constant changes: geographical information, economics, environmental issues, etc. For example, worldwide differences in climate, global warming, CO2 pollution, overcrowded cities, increased motor-traffic, air pollution, the increasing growth of the human population and it's needs. Life itself involves constant development in all fields! Yet, it seems that we ourselves are the source of these crises! Yes indeed we are and this is primarily because of our carelessness in failing to think positively about our future needs. So often we deal only with our immediate daily responsibilities and requirements, without anticipating the need to provide for the future.

The question is then: what type of role must the designer adopt to face these changes in our lives and our future requirements? The answer is simply: that the designer must allow his creative potential to interact with the environment to anticipate product needs and to create the best design for the future. The designer should not overload himself and his concepts with concern for the near past and the present. If we think about it, the distance between ourselves and source of our creative inspiration, our history and the present environment, is very small.

We should permit ourselves to positively create, understand and learn about the future language. This will be achieved through developing ourselves, our potential and expanding our knowledge. As designers, we need to be able to be innovative and creative, to think deeply about the present issues and relate these endeavours to the future. Creativity is not the place for fear, and we should not allow the fear to stop us being innovative and creative. Further, the aim of our design must be to produce a product that is useful with relation to it's intended function.

What we need is called Optimistic Futurism, it is the way towards confidence, transformation and creativity, Optimistic futurism will enable us to develop our technical potentials, skills, and enable us to deal with digital softwares and new technologies.
Optimistic Futurism is an attitude that will serve our creativity, as it is a logical solution and will not affect our ability to create and innovate. Indeed, a designer equipped with knowledge and experience will be a source of power, having the ability to control his production in a positive and useful way.

As much as our task is to deal with the future, we will be able to increase our creatively and innovation to achieve this end by adding self-belief and a desire to be forward-looking to the mix.

* An eye on Graphic Design in the Arab world

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:51:00 +0000

We find it mandatory to say that graphic design, this late specialty, quick in its development, related to all walks and activities of life, this only comprehensive technical specialty due to its relation with a piece of information and technology, we know it by its many names besides graphic design, for it is a design of a piece of information and design of communication means. All of these names refer to the extent of its development as an independent science, the task of which in to find solution to problems in the field of promotion, presentation or communication. Therefore, it is the language of time, a language that is not stationery or static, but developing and keeping pace with the changes of time thus, we find that graphic design is in need for a qualified and developing cadre able to deal with modern life requirements in a language that has a brief, simple and direct message, we acknowledge also the relationship of graphic design with writing, printing and publishing since its origin and it is an innovative work that couples word with shape using art and technology as a means of communication which begins with a message innovated by a designer that develops to become a means of visual communication beyond words and excels them with control of color, letter, picture and ideas through the designer's imagination and production of media through which he can convey the desired message to the crowd.

Hence, its importance emerged to play an important role in modern life and to be a critical factor in promotion, media and other means in fast conveying a piece of information to community dominated by speed that excels the speed of light, therefore, it becomes fast in changing due to its relation with community. We find ourselves in front of the fact of graphic design origin and its development stages. Through reading its history, we have been able to know the stages it had gone through since its beginning at the early of 19th century and how Europe was its first home and the role played by some of the pioneer designers, each in his specialty, through developing its tools and techniques besides knowing its means which developed and multiplied after the first poster and book. Further, we know the factors that made it an independent science in addition to its influence by the late artistic trends.

I talked about the relationship of graphic design with special techniques confined with printing which developed to visual media and become conclusive of multi phenomena that get developed by the development of modern technology, therefore, graphic design changes into a knowledgeable science with a constant developing concept. This reflects the limits of the classical concept of graphic design and the development in what is called net vacuum which brings back to the mind the necessity of assessing the individual skills and characteristics of cadres in this field in addition to limiting the classical concept of the term graphic design as being fictitious and imaginary though organizing theoretical or imaginative factors to produce them by the use of different techniques that suit the production mechanism, so, production may be one of the media contained in graphic design.

The close relationship of graphic design with printing can not be ignored; therefore, I would rather clarify a misunderstanding that confuses between graphic design and graphic art and the role of each of them. Relying on this definition, we were able to clarify the role played by the graphic designer who uses design factors in an idea and prepares a special design for each media depending on its end i.e., what printing style he will use, keeping in mind that the success of printing depend first on the designer.

All of this makes us ask, is graphic design philosophy able to, through imagination and fiction, face the challenges of the information time in an effective way? For sure, the answer is determined by the fact that a designer should have absorbed the product of his time concerning information in on effective way and he has to develop his fictitious impression of the piece of information in order to produce it in a form that suits his time and his requirements. I also talked about how graphic design deals with given material and information and how to manage each of them to realize the required message.

We can not talk about technology without talking about computer which since its beginning has an important influence on the development of performance of graphic design since 1970 outside the Arab World and at late 1980's in the Arab World. By nature, the availability of computer makes available many programs that serve graphic design at all levels besides the innovation of the internet. The computer has helped a lot in developing the abilities of designers as well as introducing the attribute of speed performance through a group of solutions special to picture, letter, shape and color.

We can not deny the importance of developing means and curricula of graphic design besides diversifying them in order to cope with the speed of its development and not to forget the requirements and the development of the market. The academic process should depend on time requirements determined by the constant developing technology and the requirements of time. Therefore, the goals of innovative work combined with designer's competency and qualification are the basis on which planning strategy depends to prepare study plans that motivate and activate creative thinking and relate it to information technology relying on the different levels of human knowledge and scientific programs supporting the principle of how to understand and apply comprehensively graphic design program in order to protect it from short term programming relying in this respect on the designer's material cognitive theory, the language, how to talk and his ability to know how to deal with time changes, technologies, training and qualification for what is in the future concerning the stages of human knowledge developments, developed curricula and programs that are subject to constant development.

Thus, the nature of graphic designer work is different from other professions not only because it is the most innovative field through the approach of dealing with a piece of information and visual communication means but also through the different standards constituting the work scene which follow a special innovation and an advanced approach to realize the goals of this innovative work as well as the competence and qualification of the designer. Graphic designer is not only an artist but also a technician who is able to make use of the available programs and their techniques in order to fulfill the task he is charged with. As a result, he is a designer who, through his imagination, reaches the crowd, promotes his imagination, reaches the crowd, promotes and presents through effective implementation with little technical exaggeration to realize successful work.

The fact is that graphic design is firm in its core, developing in its tools which needs close follow- up and cadre distinguished with a lot of knowledge in the field of arts, psychology, marketing, knowledge and information techniques. It is considered the assistant partner of technical development in terms of computer, the internet or programming and its systems. We find it developing in the ways of presenting its different media which come in the form of stationery, poster, brochure, flyer, catalogue, directed post, pamphlet, website and other large group of media.

The core of graphic design is the design foundation factors and their theories and philosophy which are constant any whereas the variable is the style of implementing the design, the form of the medium and the tools of implementation which have moved to the practical side of using computer and a large group of programs that deal with picture, hand writing and color. The development of the ways of promotion, presentation and communication besides the diversity of their developed forms, all depend on digital media.

We conclude, after studying these factors and phenomenon in which and with which graphic design plays an important role that graphic design is constantly developing.

* THE FUTURE OF GRAPHIC DESIGN IN THE ARAB WORLD
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A designer for the future

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:42:00 +0000

We can not deny that there is a considerable number of innovators working in the field of graphic design, some of them are academic whereas others are far away from this specialty. The market is crowded with those who knew this field of knowledge as a result of dealing with computers and the availability of design programs that are not subject to copy rights. This enables many to practice this art without the minimum knowledge of the rules of this specialty which is considered one of the disadvantages of the unlicensed technology.

The academics who worked in this field, some of them do not hold the academic specialty, they, naturally, lack full qualification to play this role at the competency required, so, it is not enough to able to use design programs and its techniques if you are not qualified to know when and how to manage the ideas and how it could realize the desired target.

It is necessary to find a designer who know how to deal with the changes of time and its techniques besides providing him with training in what is to come in future as we see fast developments in human knowledge and the developed curricula and programs that are subject to constant development to be able to keep pace with the concept of information and knowledge technology.

The expansion of graphic design base in visual communication media determines an important characteristic for a graphic designer who should be able to acquire courage, innovation and the ability to judge and assess, combined with curiosity through the size of information, knowledge and content acquired which can not be reached unless through:
− The desire of learning, curiosity and the enjoyment of expanding knowledge net.
− The courage of challenging the status quo and taking intellectual risks.
− Meditation and imagination in thinking of new methods to develop work mechanisms and its approaches.
− The ability to assess and direct imagination to the service of the real world, human circumstances and responsibilities.

These are the goals of teaching professionalism, which call for developing the challenging ability of designers in order to find solutions to contain problems by the use of special techniques found in certain profession. Thus, the designer is able to direct and adapt his knowledge among professional barriers i.e. the importance of designer's knowledge of other specialized subject related to graphic design such as computer programming and program techniques used in the field of visual design.

The nature of graphic designer work in different from other professions not only because it is the most innovative field through the approach of dealing with a piece of information and visual communication means but also through the different standards constituting the work scene which follow a special innovation and advanced approach to realize the goals of this innovative work as well as the competence and qualification of the designer.

Graphic designer is not only an artist but also a technician who is able to make use of the available programs and their techniques in order fulfill the task he is charged with. Therefore, he is a designer who, through his imagination, reaches the crowds, promotes and presents though imagination, reaches the crowds, promotes and presents through effective implementation with little technical exaggeration to realize successful work.

THE MEDITERRANEAN ARTISTS GROUPAT THE ANTALYA MUSEUM ART GALLERY

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:53:00 +0000

THE MEDITERRANEAN ARTISTS GROUPAT THE ANTALYA MUSEUM ART GALLERY

The Mediterranean is the region of firsts and beginnings, at the key point of worldwide civilizations.Starting from prehistorical eras, the development process of Humankind and Universe in this region will be determined by ancient Egyptian, Minoan, Anatolian,Greek, Roman Civilizations and the Renaissance...Beside its fundamental history, its sky-blue sea, its burning sun and its vivacious people combine themselves with its huge cultural and artistic richnesses on an exciting attractive field.The Mediteranean Artists Group has been created in this attraction field by the unification action of artists, who have been molded within this culture and sprouted from this climate. Our aim is to add new visions to worldwide fine arts and world peace under this framework and to arrive to one of the steps of artists international unification and solidarity...The Group is going to realize its first exhibition at the Art Gallery of the archeological and ethnological Museum of Antalya,the favourite touristical metropolis of Turkey’s Mediterranean coasts.We would be pleased and honoured to participate at the Antalya Museum Art Gallery with our artworks as The Mediterranean Artists Group Members.We would like seeing Art&Mediterranean Lovers in our exhibition in order to share Art and Mediterranean Love, on the Dates of 1-15 November 2008 at the Antalya Museum.

Sevgi ÜRÜM /Artist/TURKEYFounder Member of Mediterranean Artists Group

Why we would say " Visual communication Design"

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 12:28:00 +0000

Here is the official explanation directly from Icograda:

“A policy decision that was made by the Icograda board at a board meeting in April 2006 in Montreal. In 2006 they have been concentrating on renewing Icograda’s strategic objectives and measuring the relevance of our best practices and policies as well as identifying gaps.In April, as part of the policy discussion on competition guidelines and best practices on soliciting design work, it became apparent that there was consensus amongst the board that the term ‘graphic design’ did not reflect either the current state of the profession or how Icograda members described themselves. So Icograda made time within the agenda to devote a session to the topic of defining the profession.As designers, Icograda members work in increasingly rich media and collaborative environments. In addition, the senior members of the profession are working increasingly in consulting capacities with less focus on ‘traditional’ design production. In many ways, it reflects the shift from thinking about design as an artifact – producing a thing – and embraces the reality of design as a process – a means of creating communications solutions.There was unanimous support as the outcome of this policy session and subsequent follow up in a virtual environment to shift from ‘graphic design’ to ‘communication design’. In general, it has been well received by Icograda stakeholders, especially design buyers, who understand the idea of communication design more clearly than graphic design and the value and role that it plays in their businesses.”“The borders between graphic design and its associated creative disciplines have been blurring for some time. The discipline is currently in a state of flux. This is due in part to the computer revolution and the multimedia phenomenon, but mainly to a changing attitude towards design itself. Design is now referred to holistically.

Multi-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary practise is growing.”from the AIGA website:
“In an ongoing quest to fulfill both needs, AIGA’s board and chapter leadership recommended a shift in positioning. The organization has begun using the existing acronym along with a new tagline that better describes AIGA, its members, and their interests instead of using the full name of the organization. “AIGA, the professional association for design” was chosen for its ability to help the organization create a greater understanding of our members’ potential role, the value of their role and importance of their contributions. Retaining the brand equity of the acronym “AIGA” has been a priority, as it preserves a rich legacy of graphic design. By shifting the language away from “graphic arts” and towards “design,” AIGA can achieve greater recognition for design’s role in culture, civic society and business.”

From the Cdot website:
“Cdot emerged out of the need for graphic designers to go “beyond graphic”. Industry research via beyondgraphic.org made it clear that once again the role of the “graphic designer” was evolving — and that our professional title must evolve with it. The term communication design deliberately emphasizes readability (function) first and aesthetics (form) second. Design with a message…”It seems that designers have polled in the last year that the word “graphic” fails to accurately describe the design solutions that they create. Many feel that the word “graphic” refers primarily to pictures and images — not the strategies, concepts, words, sound, animation or any other immersive experiences we may choose to include in the design solutions we produce. It is time to ask ourselves if we are holding on to outdated terminology that is in effect putting our reputations and entire industry at risk of being misunderstood and confused with desktop layout providers.Some people argue the other perspective - quite angrily in fact - claiming that trying to educate the public is too high a hill to climb and we’d be better served to just focus on doing good work. Easy to say, not so easy to do as the marketplace gets increasingly competitive. Many get hung up on arguing over the technologies designers use these days or the difference between an artist and designer, but computers are just tools and art will always be a huge part of what we do.
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A fool may talk, but a wise designer speaks

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 12:22:00 +0000

Creative designers, fear less, hope more; fantasy less, imagine more; complain less, breathe more; Talk less, act more; create more, and design more.

True designers own their world of creativity and innovation.

Creative designers spent the best part of their life designing for success, whether it is identity, print, packaging, media or interior, they approach every brief with the same goal- to create something engaging. In a world where everything else shouting, engaging design creates dialogue with people.

The State of Graphic Design in Jordan

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:03:00 +0000

Jordan’s unique geographical position results in its experts choosing self development, which includes graphic design. Experts are also involved with developments taking place in neighbouring countries and the internet was extremely useful in putting interested parties in these two fields in touch with each other and sharing possible development tools. The development of Graphic Design is also assisted by annual exhibitions and specialised conferences held both in Jordan and outside the Arab world.

The academic and professional specialists for the basis in developing graphic design through the formation of local learning institutions. In these institutions academics, programmers and graphic design teachers can meet with professional designers and discuss the way business is moving forward and requirements of the labour market.

Practical training is considered the foundation of Graphic Design, upon which the academic skill of the student and his creativity are built. Working in a design office is considered to be the most important and effective tool in measuring the level of academic learning. It also gives an indication of the effectiveness of teachers in producing a generation of students capable of dealing with the academic ethos and engaging with the requirements of the profession. This training provides the students with opportunities to polish and develop their skills by working along side established practitioners.

Today’s graphic design tools rely on information technology for producing visualisations of scientific developments. This visualisation requires an understanding of the scientific theory and the visualisation tools available, which in turn relies on the expertise of graphic designers.

In this paper I will focus on the profession of graphic design and its development by discussing its early development. I will review the positive and negative aspects of that development and how they related to changes in the market and the size of the market and labour force. I will also discuss the academic concepts, and the requirement for graduate graphic designers.

In this paper I draw from my experience of working in Jordan since 1987 at the MIDAS Establishment and my roles in student training at Yarmouk University and the Applied Sciences University, which I had been attached to since 1999. This paper addresses many questions and aims to explore the mechanics of enhancing graphic design in the academic and professional sectors.

The historic and technical initial stages of graphic design in Jordan

Graphic design developed alongside the printing and information technology industries. Printing was brought to Jordan in the 1940s by people who had learnt the trade in other countries. Jordan’s printing evolution was similar to that of other countries. Printing started using wooden moulds, then zinc clichés and letterpress, as well as other printing tools, symbols and shapes. It was the printing technology that restricted the scope for producing new designs. The range of items printed was limited to newspapers, cards and stationary. Printing started mainly in black and white, and was then developed to make photo made clichés through which the printers were able to print in full colour. Typolography, or raised printing was the main method and is still used today. Offset printing enhanced the quality of production, providing improvements in colour and picture reproduction. Around the same time the role of the graphic designer was developed, involving the preparation of makettes and then film montage and plates to be ready for printing (prepress); this relied on the professionalism of the film montage technician for the preparation of backgrounds for the pictures and words. Prepress was considered the most important process in the production of the final printed article. This process was carried out at the prepress service centre which was limited to a single institution until 1987. This centre had the capability and technology to perform a range of techniques where an artistic touch was required.

In the late sixties, design pioneers were not graphic designers, but had learnt the technologies of collage and calligraphy. They were able to imitate designs from abroad and in some instances reproduced them. Their work initially ranged from greetings cards, business cards, social stationary, letterheads and envelopes, then progressed to brochures and folders. The work was mainly limited to newspaper advertising which relied predominantly on the offset printing method.

We shouldn’t forget the air brush technology that provided designers with the use of graded colours, achieving three dimensional effects for some designs, although the number of people using this was limited.

From 1980-87 design was performed by specialists in Plastic Arts and Architecture, as well as the first graduates of the college of arts at Yarmuok University and similar institutions.

By the end of the eighties, the computer Linotype was used as a publishing tool by newspapers to prepare text for layout and paste it on the required pages next to advertising. Some publishing houses have graphic design offices which also acquired these systems to ensure the production of books and magazines to a similar quality. Linotype was also used to prepare the design of brochures and advertising materials that cannot be hand drawn. With time Linotype was also used for the preparation of other material by this method, including greeting cards, posters and advertisements.

The design and printing sectors found the computer to be an effective way of improving productivity. In 1988 with the arrival of the first design computer by Apple Macintosh, the numbers of workers in the field increased and performance progressed in the pre-printing stages such as film making and separation. However, the expense of computers meant that there use was still limited.

The production of personal computers by competitors of Apple Macintosh as well as the ease with which film can be processed through its programs, created a huge increase in the number of professionals interested in graphic design. This became evident by the growth in the number of agencies, design offices, publishing houses and service centres.

Personal computers affected the technical and artistic aspects of production. Some production centres were able to develop their skill base and by recruiting experienced designers and developing them by organising training courses. These highly trained individuals achieved high standards of work within and outside Jordan and were able to compete with others in the Arab regions and captured a share of these markets, producing many publications. Jordanian specialists became serious competitors against other Arab countries which had previously monopolised the fields of design and printing.

Jordan has developed so that it can meet the demand for design and printing within the country. Jordan has become a magnet for many publishing houses in the Arab region.

Many production and publishing organisations were able to catch up to the levels of the latest technology. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that they will develop further, using modern production tools, and this will ensure there are enough local specialists who can continue to produce work of the highest quality.

The pace of technological development made it necessary for the academic institutions to provide the Jordanian market with the skilled workers who can work to the high standards required. These institutions have to continually adapt to the advancing technology as well as support the academics in their quest to enhance the artistic, scientific and technological aspects of production and publishing.

Relationships must also be strengthened by co-operation between business leaders and academic institutions in order to provide the mutual benefit of improve standards, with the ultimate aim of keeping up with both local and international developments.

The easiest way to judge the standard of design and printing in a country is through the newspapers, magazines and books published. Television also provides a showcase for visual communication through locally produced advertisements.

The speed of printing development has made impositions on graphic design and the designers themselves. Designers have to continuously update their training to keep abreast of new technology. This enables them to be at the forefront of improving quality and creativity in all aspects of production.

The advantages and disadvantages of sectors allied with graphic design

When discussing the organisations involved in design and production in Jordan it is easy to become overwhelmed by the variety and abundance of them. These organisations saturate the market. One of the reasons for the number of organisations is the variety of production formats, each of which has its own structure. Computerisation has lead to many operators being made unemployed.

Production sources can be divided into;
- Design
- Commercial printing
- Publishing houses
- Pre-press services centres
- Computer software training centres

These are the organisations where people often look for graphic designers, although most of them do not have academically trained staff who specialise in graphic design. Many of the people who own these organisations have chosen to specialise. Some of them specialised because the profession does not require a large capital outlay, others specialised because they had a knowledge of the tools used. Most appear to have specialised because this provides them with status in their community.

Although there are many organisations working in graphic design, the workers and owners in these establishments often lack awareness of the professional graphic design concepts as they have not studied the subject in depth. Employment opportunities for graduates only began to develop after 2000 when some organisations recognised the need for such skilled workers and academic institutions were able to produce professionals of this standard. The impression of graphic design graduates has changed so companies are no longer choosing graduates who studied abroad. Design establishments have noticed the high quality of products which trained graduates can produce with their competence and skills, and their ability to use the full range of design and printing equipment. Without this properly structured training program, experience had been gained through hap-hazard on the job training.

One of the weaknesses of those producing the designs is that they are not always confident about how to use the latest techniques. They often ask advice and prefer to work within their comfort zones, failing to produce designs that would demand a great deal of time, effort or care. Graduates are much more comfortable with change and willing to develop new skills. There are a few professionals, however, who have been invaluable in the development of graphic design by training others and developing their own technical and professional skills. These people have also monitored the pace of development in the fields of printing and graphic design.

Many of the professionals have established themselves thorough the high quality of the work they produce. This is not possible without a capable, aware and educated body of co-workers, who have scientific knowledge and are creative rather than imitating the work of others.

The increasing gap between academic designers and employers, or art directors and creative managers is often due to misunderstanding the role of graphic designers. In industry, the priority of some designers or agency owners is profitability regardless of the quality of the results.

The first problem is that some of the art directors or creative managers are not aware of the importance of their position, and often the employer is equally ignorant of this. Job titles are often arbitrary so artistic or creative managers frequently lack experience and expertise.

There is an absence of a common language between academic designers and managers or employers. This often frustrates designers, creating insecurity and hindering creativity. Such an environment can be an attempt to reduce a designers` status and restricts him from engaging in the creative thinking he would have been taught and university.

Adequacy of the professional reality

Graphic designers are distinguished from other fields by being one of the most creative professions; they work with information technology and visual communication. It also involves dealing with the business world, in which credibility and ability are necessary to achieve the creative work. Qualifications and talent are essential for this.

A graphic designer is not only an artist but also a technician who is able to use software and techniques to tackle the project in hand. His approach should go beyond communication with the audience, to effective promotion and display. His aim is to produce clarity and he should be able to do this from the information using the techniques available to him. The aim is to connect the data and in order to do this must understand the development and design of the software that could be used. He has to understand all the innovations and methods of designing texts.

The design sector requires professionals to have the experience to be able to select and classify information, and to create links between related elements. However, this won’t be enough if they can not interpret this and transform it into definite forms. It is also important to understand the vocabularies of with language, sound and music as they are the most important tools of communication. Added to this, the designer must understand how to use the specialised design software to write texts, prepare drawings, animated cartoons and websites. The designer should know about design, timing, transformation, rhythm and visual presentation.

The potential of the design sector should be realised by knowledge of the necessary theories and techniques to improve communication with the audience, enrich the design proposals and understand the reflective aspect of the design process, studies and research.

There is much variation in the qualifications of staff within the design sector. It is important to differentiate between the craftsman and the academic designer. The graphic designer is a complete cultural and intellectual entity that is noted in the sensational theory, linguistic theory, visual eloquence and the cultural history of art, literature, science, technology, industry and humanity. They cannot isolate themselves from developments in theories of communication, information development, and from management and criticism. Moreover to improve the added value of the final product, all methods and tools used in production and publication should be understood. They must understand the stages before the design, and they must understand the printing process and its implications on the design.

The market is crowded with many people working in graphic design. Due to the wide use of graphic design in many fields of work, the widespread use of computers and availability of basic software packages there is a role for people using graphic design without any prior knowledge. The expression of graphic design is still not adequately understood by some employers in industrial and commercial firms and organisations that need graphic design services.

I do not doubt the potential of the vocational sector but this is the reality of graphic design. It must be remembered that well qualified people now occupy high status positions in the Jordanian market, showing its expertise and its ability to demonstrate the highest levels of graphic design.

The size of the market and people working in graphic design

There are now more than five hundred establishments working in graphic design. There are many who would not classify themselves as an agency, centre or office, as they have found their own market niche. Therefore these classifications can not be meaningfully applied in Jordan.

The sector is large compared to the market. The establishment of new graphic design organisations peaked in 1999. Since then, some have declined while others have expanded. Some have stagnated or changed management, while others have merged.

A quick look at the design sector will show that 85% of those working in the field can be classified as;
- Computer science graduates
- Architecture graduates
- Interior design graduates
- Graduates in ‘Computers and the Fine Arts’ from community colleges
- Fine arts graduates (both graphic design specialists and non-specialists)
- Graduates of design courses run by computer centres
- Unemployed people who are interested in computers

University educated graphic design graduates fulfil an important role because;
- Universities produce Graphic Designers with a different outlook to those mentioned above.
- Organisations run by people who understand graphic design will be better able to develop designers skills and adapt to the future

I am concerned for students who study graphic design at university but do not try to improve his rate of innovation and creativity in order to improve. This will affect whether he is employable.

Academically and scientifically talented students will have few problems because good employers need students who are able to form ideas quickly, use appropriate design programs for his ideas and able to produce those.

Other organisations are not useful for the academic designer. These are the push-pull level of the graphic design sector which reflects the levels of awareness of the concepts and functions of graphic design.

The market is capable of absorbing all graduates. This is dependant on the development of visual communication methods through graphic design. Such development requires the presence of skilled workers capable of meeting the needs of the market. This places incentives for educational organisations that deal with design to plan to suit the graphic design market.

The academic reality of graphic design

The emergence of academic institutions that specialised in the arts started at the Yarmouk University where the first arts and music department was established in 1980. This became a faculty in 2001, teaching drama, design (industrial, interior and graphic), plastic arts and music. The university awards bachelor degrees. It started in 2001 at the height of the computer revolution within the design sector in Jordan. In1991 teaching graphic design started as an independent specialisation within the Arts Department at the Applied Sciences University. This was followed by the Ahiya Amman University, the Petra University, Philadelphia University, AlZaytouneh University, the University of Jordan, and later the Israh University.

Apart from universities, during the time when graphic design became popular and a profitable profession, community colleges started teaching graphic design. These included the Al-Quds College, Granada College, Middle University College and Princess Alya College.

The work of the universities that award bachelor degrees is similar to colleges that grant two year diplomas, because both produce students with a certificate in graphic design. But in reality where creativity and technical skills are concerned we find differences. The differences are in the course curricula, and include understanding the production process, product identity, knowledge of software and design innovation.

There is confusion between graphic design and graphic art. These differences affect the student, particularly when he enters employment. He is judged by both his creativity and innovation in producing new ideas and his ability to use technology which now involves the computer, the main graphic design tool.

The reason for these differences becomes clear when we look at the number of workers in the market and where they graduated from. During the time that the largest number of graduates was being produced, the highest quality graduates were produced by well-known institutions and these were recruited by the most successful companies.

A distinction has developed between artisan and designers. This is because some academic institutions concentrate on technology and the practical aspects of design software, whilst others developing the ability to use knowledge and know how to connect ideas to the psychological and social context and include qualitative studies of theories and design curricula.

The reasons for this are;

- The absence of specialised academic experts in graphic design and the poor quality of some of the teachers.
- The absence of appropriate study plans for creating graphic designers
- The absence of a system defining the role of universities and colleges in teaching graphic design
- The absence of entry examinations to graphic design courses, unlike courses in the art specialisations
- The absence links to the outside world, other than through books.
- Some universities and colleges do not understand the concept of graphic design in an industrial context.
- The absence of official government support for finding a way to establish a core curriculum for university courses.

Conclusion

I have taught in the art departments of a number of universities and have assessed many graduation projects. These gave me the opportunity to find out about graphic design teaching, the standards of students, and showed the need for appropriate study plans. There is a lack of competitiveness which would improve educational standards and there is an arbitrary use of teaching methods. Objectives can be clear, but often mistake in not using the appropriate teaching methodology leads to them not being achieved.

In order to develop and improve, the graphic design sector needs skilled and competent workers. The workers will not be able to respond to the changes in technology unless they have a formal academic training. In order to achieve this advancement it is essential that graduate students are used as graphic design specialists.

There is a requirement in the Jordanian arena for the academic and professional sectors to review their experiences and identify their strengths and weaknesses. This is used by them to set a strategy capable of giving graphic design the respected position it deserves.

There is a requirement for government intervention to provide arena where specialists in graphic design may discuss many of the concepts that help them make company owners and managers aware of how to make the best use of graphic designers.
As well as teaching graphic design, universities and community colleges must support the markets needs for designers and artisans within the new specialisations which need to be introduced in order to reduce unemployment.

There is a need for a professional body in graphic design to give support to designers, co-ordinate educational and technical preparation and for making contacts with the outside world.

It is important to hold workshops and symposiums that enhance the competence of teaching staff, designers and students; these should be held with assistance from international institutions which are respected in this field.

It is also important to hold national and international competitions to encourage creativity and innovation. This will create a competitive atmosphere in which graphic design can flourish.

Finally, it is important to create a national identity in graphic design, which can cement its position in the international arena.

مقومات التصميم للمستقبل

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 11:01:00 +0000

هل يمكننا استشراف المستقبل لكي نستطيع ان نعرف ما هي مقومات التصميم في المستقبل، الجواب نعم، يمكننا ذلك ان غيرنا اسلوب تفكيرنا في تناول الحاضر والمستقبل، ورفعنا من وتيرة دورنا من الوضع السطحي الى المبادرة ومن ثم التحكم. حتى الى مرحلة استخدام كامل للطاقة الذاتية الابداعية دون هدرها، واستغلالها استغلالا كاملا لصالح المستقبل ومستلزماته. يمكن ان يكون البعض قد عرف مقومات الجواب ولكن للأسف بقيت هذه المقومات في زاوية من زوايا الدماغ التنظيرية، مما هو اوسع من الفجوة بين النظرية والتطبيق، التقليدية والاتكالية وانتظار النتائج عند الغير لكي ننحصد وننهل منها ما طاب .
الواقع يقول عكس ذلك، وهنا لا اخاطب ممارس مهنة التصميم في كل فروعه الاتصال المرئي والوسائط المتعددة والداخلي والمعماري الصناعي وغيره، بل ايضاً القائمين على المؤسسات الاكاديمية المتخصصة والمهنية، فالكل مسؤول عن نتاجه.
المنتج او الناتج، كان مصمماً او تصميم ، كيف له ان يكون فاعلا ونافعاً ومبتكرأ ان لم يكن مبدعا، ان لم نكن نحن الوعاء الحاضن او البيئة التي تتفاعل بها عناصر العمل قادرين على استشراف المستقبل بما يتعدى ما طاقت به عقولنا وايدينا وجيوبنا.
كما هو في السياسة، نستشرف ونحلل ونضع الاستراتيجيات ايضاً في التصميم نستشرف ونضع الاستراتيجية، حاضرنا مرتبط بماضينا ولن نستطيع تطويرحاضرنا الا اذا توجهت انظارنا الى المستفبل، ولكي نتمكن من تحقيق ذلك لا بد من التركيز على مجموعة من القضايا لربما قد وصل اليها وتعامل معها غيرنا ونحن ايضا نعلمها ولكن ما زالت بعيدة عن اولوياتنا كافراد ومؤسسات، كوننا قادرين على ان نسمي الاشياء ونميزها عن غيرنا ضمن دوائر تخصصاتنا.
هناك تشويش في حجم المعلومات التي تتعامل مع المستفبل ومتغيراته الجغرافية والبيئية والاقتصادية وغيره، على سبيل المثال اختلاف درجات الحرارة ونسبة الكربون وثقب الاوزون وازدحام المدن واحتياجات الانسان النفسية والجسدية خلال التنقل والسفر ، وتطور الحياة بكيفياتها المتنوعة وعلى مختلف الاصعدة وفي شتى مناحي الحياة. مصدر هذا التشوه هو نحن ! نعم نحن . لأن بعضنا لا يكلف نفسه التفكير باحتياجات المستفبل وتوقع ذلك.الا بقدر الدائرة التي نعيشها .
السؤال ما هو دور المصمم المسؤول حيال مجموعة المتغيرات القادمة؟
الجواب بكلمات بسيطة، ان يسمح لطاقاته ان تتفاعل لتصمم الأفضل وما يناسب المستقبل، ان لا يبقى حاصراًً ابداعه بالماضي الفريب والحاضر الذي ان تحققنا فيه لوجدنا ان هناك مسافة ليست بصغيرة بين مصدره ووقت انتقاله لنا.
تحريض الذات على فعل اقصى الامكانيات الفاعلة والايجابية القادرة على ممارسة لغة المستقبل، وما يتكيف مع ما هو متوقع في المستقبل. تطوير الذات و الكفاءة ، توسيع دائرة الاتصال والوعي.
الرغبة لدى المصمم المبدع مهمة والقدرة على التفكير العميق في قضايا الحاضر وربطها بالمستقبل،هي قوة دافعة للابداع والابتكار، وكسر حاجز الخوف وعدم منحه فرصة التحول الى شلل فكري،جميعها تعزز من دور المصمم ونوعية نتاجه، فالمصمم لا يخاف تصميم أي شيء بديع وعملي مرتبط بغاياته.
ما نحتاجه هو ما سمي بالمستقبلية المتفائلة لا المحبطة، لان المستفبلية المتفائلة تشعرنا بالعزيمة والثقة، وتمكننا من رفع قدراتنا التفنية للتعامل مع الانظمة والبرامج الرقمية والتحكم بها لخدمة ابداعاتنا، كونها حلولا للتغيير المنطقي والوظيفي. التقنيات لا تتحكم بالقدرة على الخيال والابداع لدى المصمم المثقف الواعي ، بل تجعل منه قوة تحكم. عمل الشي الاحسن للآخرين مفتاح المصمم للتعامل مع متطلبات المستقبل.
ما دمنا مستمرين في التعامل مع المستفبل كهدف لابداعنا، سنكون قادرين على جعل المستقبل يسير خلفنا، بايماننا بقدرتنا على استشراف المستفبل، كون المصمم للمستفبل هو يمتلك القوة في الابداع والابتكار والاقناع والوعي، القادر على العمل ضمن روح الفريق، والقادر على التطور واستنباط الافكار الجديدة من خلال ما يملكه من نفاذ البصيرة والالهام.

Ergonomics and Design

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 13:02:00 +0000

Ergonomics refers to ''designing for human use'' (Sanders and McCormick,1992). It focuses on human being and their interaction with products, equipment, facilities, procedures and environments used in work and everyday living. The emphasis is on human beings and how the design of artefacts and environments might effects them. It seeks to change the objects people use and teh environments in which they are used to better match people's capabilities, limitations, and needs. This is in contrast to engineering where the emphisis is on more technical considerartions.

In terms of design, information about human capabilities, characteristics, behaviour and motivation should be applied systimatically to the development of products, systems and procedures people use and the environments in which they use them. This information may be used in design recommendations, to predict the effects of different design option and to set criteria for use in product evaluation.

* Andree Woodcook, 2000. Supporting Ergonomics in Concept Design

Impacts of Signboards on Environment

tobcreative@hotmail.com (Essam Abu Awad) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 21:49:00 +0000

A visitor to Jordan, mainly to the capital Amman, who travels in the main and sub streets of that city, will take a close look at the huge amount of signboards. They may draw his/her attention for quite reasons as their design, which reflects the professionalism of the designer, or their location on the buildings, or their size and the material used in their manufacturing. All these are important factors that would determine the quality of the sign, its design and implementation, the way people perceive the signs, and more, it will determine the relation among man, architecture and environment. The signs has an important role in advertising different type of buildings , such corporate, administrative, financial and retail.
In spite of that Sign target is to communicate a message, so clarification of the use of language is important, as it allows all the people involved in the process to understand each other, and understand or feel their signs sre effective and achieves its aims and considered to be an assert to the building.

The sign aspect related to the environmental graphic design, which is in-tended to plan, design and seek a specific sign system as well other forms of visual communication in the built and natural environment.
In Jordan, I have noticed that the graphic and interior designers as well the architect, who have their own areas of expertise, are not instructed on the specific skills necessary to design a sign. To the majority of the designers in Jordan, designing seems to be deceptively simple, whereas in fact it is usually a complex design matter requiring distinct and innovative skills. Their design process is an appropriate design process in such case should be fed by the designer visual communication skills and knowledge of the relation between the sign and architecture and the environment.

How will the environmental graphic design in Jordan serve the urban environment?
Environmental Graphic Design in Jordan should serve three basic functions: To assist users in negotiating through space by identifying, directing and reflecting the environment visually and protect the safety of the public.
In creating graphic elements for a building or a site, environmental graphic designers analyze the architectural, cultural and aesthetic factors in order to meet the needs of the given society.
It is important for the environmental graphic designers to be professional and qualified by their skills, education and experience. The other fact is that environmental graphic designers will not be able to do their work in an excellent way in the absence of special rules that will manage and organize all sign system in the city. Some sorts of regulations are issued by municipalities, other responsible authorities, and agencies of the executive branch of government. These rules will help preserve environment elements and the most important issues of architecture, culture and aesthetics.
The environmental graphic designers in Jordan need to work with awareness that they design to achieve the standards of visu

al amenity varies in different parts of the city, and is generally defined by the range and nature of land use. In areas where the visual amenity is more diverse, such as commercial or industrial areas, the potential adverse effect of signs is limited by the existing mix of visual amenity. Because of the range in needs and the visual sensitivity of different parts of the city, both rural and urban, consideration needs to be given to different standards for signage in different areas.

The evolution of signage industry in Jordan

Making signs has a long history in Jordan (We can say that evolution of the sign industry is not determined yet) but, we suppose that it goes back to the 1920s of the last century. Since then it started to develop rapidly with increasing development of the economic life in Jordan.

Scholars of the history of signage in Jordan will realize that this industry was characterized with great deal of variation in the raw materials used in making signboards which included metal, leather, clothe, paper, and florescent lighting, and all determined by the function intended for the signboard and the location. But, what clearly characterize this industry in Jordan is that its pioneers were basically calligraphers who studied the Arabic calligraphy, its rules, types, and how to write them, and some of these calligraphers where mainly specialized in the Latin letters. All these pioneers have integrated their knowledge in both the raw materials and the Arabic calligraphy and employed it in the production of signboards. Sometimes, signboards were executed at the location intended for it, i.e. doors, gates, stone, wood, or metal facades. The calligrapher's main role is to produce the most convenient form, by using limited number of colors which are usually determined by the surface to be used.

Signs Industry in Jordan has developed rapidly, in relation with the marketing and advertising development, consequently their materials and techniques have developed as well, a matter which made those calligraphers to utilize the Air Brush technique, and Stencil System to engrave the letters over the surfaces, and to produce the necessary masks to give maximum professionalism at the end. Using Metal (especially, aluminum and copper) as a 3-D material, has flourished at the end of the seventies and beginning of eighties. Before that plastic was used as a surface for painting and designing.

However, the Artists with great knowledge in the rules of calligraphy and its aesthetics were dominating the industry of signage. Few of them were well known, as trademarks, as Sabanikh, Kayal, kattan, Abed Jokhi, Yassen, Hamdi, and others.

But with the emergence of computer in this industry, this has tremendously increased the production and the number of people working in this field as well. But, computer has underscored the role of professional calligraphers, and paved the way for the entrance of professionals who contributed to a large extent to being the developments in signage into Jordan and employed high techniques and potentialities to produce the best of signage. And still they are trying their best to cope with the world Systems of advertising.

How signs are perceived in Jordan?

With development of the economic climate and emergence of the proper marketing tools amongst agents of world trademarks and the versatile products, this industry has witnessed a huge development and become very competitive. It became one of the most important advertising medias in Jordan, as we witness a big amount of signs everywhere especially in Amman the capital of Jordan. Amman now can only be described as a "Jungle" of signboards, the good and bad ones, as concerning designs, locations and shapes. Thus, it becomes necessary to control or put add some discipline to this jungle to protect and maintain the Architectural identity of Amman.

Scholars of these signboards may realize these important pointes which need a thorough examination:

- Abuse of the architectural Identity or character.
- Abuse of the principles and elements of design.
- Abuse of the surrounding environment.
- Visual pollution.

All these elements make us meditate for a long time to find the proper solutions for such negative phenomena. To simplify this attempt, samples have been taken from different geographical area in Amman as a case study for thorough examination and afterwards to suggest the proper solution for each case. By means of employment of number of practical applications, in which some outcomes will be realized, and will be developed into laws to regulate the correlation among partners working in this industry, i.e.:

1- The Architectural Engineer
2- The Graphic Designer
3- Municipalities
4- Signs Industry
5- Owner of the building or the architectural facility.

All partners are correlated together in this system, but each one's role can be identified by exploring certain work machineries which hopefully will be the tool to put an end to such flagrant assaults of this chaotic spread of signboards in the streets, buildings, and commercial facades In Amman. However, the following considerations should be taken into account;

- Man
- Architectural form and character
- Surrounding environment
- The design (Principles & elements)

Suggested Applications:

This mission require to work with awareness that design will achieve the standards of visual amenity varies in different parts of the city Amman, and is generally defined by the range and nature of land use. In areas where the visual amenity is more diverse, such as commercial or industrial areas, the potential adverse effect of signs is limited by the existing mix of visual amenity. Because of the range in needs and the visual sensitivity of different parts of the city, both rural and urban, consideration needs to be given to different standards for signage in different areas.