Nihad Nadam

Brief bio

I am a Creative Strategist, Visual Artist, and Digital Arabic Calligrapher, based in Dubai, specializes in branding, marketing strategies, and digital product design, as well as digital Arabic calligraphy. Since the year 2000, I’ve worked for a variety of advertising agencies and technology firms. I appreciate the challenge of resolving complex customer issues and designing the user experience from the ground up.

I was fortunate to have my work featured in several books, foreign publications, and art galleries. During this time, she worked in a variety of areas, the most important of which was the “digitization of Arabic calligraphy” products and the launch of some of the biggest international brands in the Middle East.

I enjoy tweeting, blogging, and speaking at design forums and colleges to share my knowledge and enthusiasm for design and Arabic Calligraphy.

I believe it is essential to take breaks from screens, and when I do, I work with ink and watercolors or tend to plants in my small garden. My favorite time of day is spent with my family.

Nihad Nadam نهاد ندم

How did you get started in the creative industry?

Since my childhood in Damascus, “one of the oldest cultures in the world,” I’ve been fascinated by the rich artistic legacy and the dialogue of cultures in all its manifestations. I’ve always considered written letters and words to be the essence of life, and visuals to be one of the most important mediums for conveying our thoughts and emotions, as well as the foundation for our knowledge of the world and history.

Like many students in Syria, I used to work during the summer, where I got to know many calligraphers and designers, and I used to sit fascinated as I followed the calligrapher working on a manuscript or designing a wedding invitation or a name plate for a shop. So I selected this field and began studying fine arts at the Adham Ismail Institute of Fine Arts. I studied with a few of Damascus’ most prominent painters, sculptures, and calligraphers. I was also studying design tools at the time.

Between 1995 and 1999, I worked as a designer at Kodak while also doing independent design work. Then, in the middle of the year 2000, I relocated to the United Arab Emirates to work for Promoseven, the largest advertising agency in the Middle East at the time. After that, I worked for several businesses, including Winsoft, where I was a creative product manager in charge of marketing Adobe products in the Middle East. I also worked as a marketing manager for one of the top private aviation services companies.

Facts

  • I was a member of the starting team for the Mashq tool, the first digital Arabic calligraphy tool.
  • I collaborated with Decotype on Tasmeem software, which is a computerized Arabic calligraphy tool for InDesign, as well as the Muscat Digital Qur’an.
  • I was part of the team that launched the Mini in the Middle East.
  • I was the Arab designer who worked with the launch team for the first phase of The Dubai Mall and The Burj Khalifa.

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