There is an urgency and relevance to Rana Salam’s work, because of its ability to cross cultural borders, while inviting individuals to reconsider their perceptions of the Middle East through design. For over 25 years, the award-winning art director has researched and collected the Arab World’s popular and visual culture. Her socially conscious approach to design merges the worlds of art, fashion, publishing and interiors among many other disciplines.
A product of many cultures, the multi-lingual art director is equally at home in Beirut, London, Paris and Miami, where her practice is currently based. A graduate of Central St. Martins and of the Royal College of Art, Salam is among the most celebrated designers known for her use of Middle Eastern popular art and culture, drawing on vibrant imagery and merging it with the latest design technology to create a unique vision of graphic design and art direction. A part of London’s creative scene in the 1990s, Salam’s peers include noted designers such as Hussein Chalayan and Michael Anastassiades. Shortly after graduating she was tapped by the upscale department store Harvey Nichols to transform its display windows. For the project, she commissioned artists in Beirut to paint monumental murals inspired by vintage Egyptian movie posters. In 2000, she launched Rana Salam STUDIO in London before relocating to Beirut in 2010, where she contributed to the Lebanese capital’s rebirth and the region as a destination for innovative design.
Offering services ranging from branding to interiors, as well as product and exhibition design, her clients have included Liberty of London, V&A, Converse, The London Design Biennale, Kartell, architect David Adjaye, as well as fashion designers Paul Smith and Duro Olowu. Featured in numerous publications such as Elle Decor, Wallpaper and Harper’s Bazaar, in 2008 she co-authored the bestselling book, The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie.

In addition to lecturing on contemporary design and visual culture of the Middle East at international institutions, in 2015 she curated the groundbreaking show “Brilliant Beirut” at Dubai Design Week. It was the first exhibition of its kind to document the development of design across disciplines in the Lebanese capital over the course of seven decades since the country’s independence.

 

• Company: Rana Salam DESIGN SARL
• Nationality: Lebanese
• Website
• Instagram: @ranasalam