Show us your type /// Beirut

“SHOW US YOUR TYPE is a project about type and cities.
We started this project to provide a creative platform for designers to share their talents and explore cities from a different perspective.”

Show us your type /// Beirut

By Admin I: I’ll try to be clear and brief this time; when those posters came online, they kind of confirmed what we know but keep denying: we cannot design! And by ‘design’ we’re not really hinting the cliche definitions of ‘problem solving’ or ‘visual communication’. Design should do what societies have been doing since ages: finding means of communication emerging from their own cultural attributes (yes, i just invented that, but it works, at least to me and my alter ego).

We cannot design simply because we cannot culturally communicate our beliefs and thoughts, and that was very clear looking at the submissions for ‘Show us your type’, and I’m here talking about both Lebanese and international posters. Why?! Because local submissions – in general – lacked the core of the subject: INSIGHTS. Most of Lebanese submissions came from shallow perceptions of Beirut (the tires, rooftops, cityscapes…) and lacked a true reach for what Beirut really reflects. Only Maajoun’s submission came to visually reflect a cultural aspect of what looks like a blend  between religious stained glass and Islamic Arabesque, in what is visually one of the most interesting looking posters I’ve seen since quite a while (and yes we have to mention those guys in every post, go die if you don’t like it!)

A poster by 44flavours also depicted cultural aspects, even if designers don’t really identify with ‘our’ city, meticulously done illustrations, and a very engaging visual treatment. Wael Morcos did quite a good job on the visual and conceptual level, in a work that diffuses a certain cultural feel through mere abstraction while the rest looked unfinished, hasty and very few showed potential.

Our personal selection is displayed above while the whole set of submitted posters can be found here

Cheers to a failing/falling chain of cultureless Beiruti Design!