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Dubai, UAE – Middlesex University Dubai is gearing up to host THAT Design Festival from 7th to 8th March 2022, one of the first university-led festivals in Dubai that is dedicated to deepening the understanding and impact of graphic design in the MENA region and promoting the growth of the UAE’s creative industries. The event is taking place just a few short months after the launch of the UAE’s National Strategy for the Cultural and Creative Industries, which places sectors like graphic design at the forefront of the UAE’s national development.
Free to attend for all participants, the event will take place virtually and provide a platform for the world’s design students and professionals to collaborate on the future of the industry. Strengthening the global network of budding designers and established practitioners is a core aim of the festival, which will expose students to high-end professional practice and enable them to make connections with leading visual communicators.
Throughout the programme, attendees will be able to explore firsthand how design and branding agencies are adapting to today’s rapidly evolving business environment. Sessions will encourage participants to reflect on graphic design’s societal responsibilities from a diverse range of perspectives, from practical workshops on storytelling and tone of voice to interactive discussions around the social and environmental impact of branding and neuro-divergent approaches to the design process.
Edward Ryan, Head of Graphic Design at Middlesex University Dubai, said: “We’ve launched THAT Design Festival to not only help our students develop their design practice and gain a stronger picture of the opportunities available to them as graduates, but also produce the world-class talent who can contribute to the growth of the UAE’s cultural capital and thriving creative industries. Middlesex University Dubai is excited to connect our extremely talented and passionate student design community with leading practitioners and contribute to this important creative vision.”
THAT Design Festival has seen strong support from the UAE and international graphic design communities and is set to feature celebrated industry practitioners from design hubs across the world. Confirmed speakers include Stefan Sagmeister from Sagmeister and Co in New York City; Sanaz Soltani from Studio Kargah in Tehran; and Adrian Shaughnessy from Unit Editions and the Royal College of Art in London.
Ryan continued: “We are honoured to be welcoming so many legendary designers, copywriters, typographers, brand developers and illustrators to share their expertise at THAT Design Festival, and we thank them for their tremendous support. In fact, the idea for this festival was borne out of discussions with UAE and internationally-based brand managers, graphic designers and design agency owners at our Graphic Design Career Day, so this is a truly collaborative effort to further the progress of our industry on a global scale.”
Middlesex University Dubai launched its BA Honours Graphic Design programme in September 2017. With Ryan and Senior Lecturer in Graphic Design Margo Tummel at the helm, the UK-accredited course has quickly established itself as a platform for student designer success and a provider of excellent art and design graduates in the region. Both Ryan and Tummel are leading educators with extensive visual communications portfolios in global markets such as the UK, Australia and Ireland.
In the short period since the programme’s inception, many of Middlesex University Dubai’s Graphic Design students and graduates have secured prestigious industry awards and competition short-listings, including a cohort of students who were shortlisted for the 2019 Dubai Lynx Awards. Recent graduate Marie Rubiella entered her typographic work into the 2021 International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD) Student Assessment Scheme and received the first ever ISTD award given to a student in the UAE. Arshya Rais, another recent graduate, was also selected to showcase her final project at the Global Grad Show as part of Dubai Design Week 2021.
Graphic design professionals, students, academics and enthusiasts are invited to benefit from the free visual communications education on offer and register their place for THAT Design Festival now at www.mdx.ac.ae/that-design-festival.
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Media contact:
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Shireen Shakeel
E: shireen@cosmopole.com
About Middlesex University Dubai:
Middlesex University Dubai is the first overseas campus of the renowned Middlesex University based in London, UK. The University’s first learning space in Dubai opened at Dubai Knowledge Park (DKP) in 2005 and has over 3,800 students studying from more than 118 nationalities. It is an exciting, diverse and multicultural campus that prides itself on providing a student experience with a difference. As a testament to the growth and success of its thriving international student community, the University opened a second campus location in Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) in September 2021. This is the first time an international university in Dubai is offering a multi-site campus experience across both of the emirate’s international higher educational hubs. DKP and DIAC were set up in 2003 and 2007 respectively for international institutions that promote learning. Middlesex University Dubai students, therefore, have the opportunity to participate in a much wider student community.
The University offers a wide range of foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across both locations, including: Accounting and Finance, Business Management, Marketing, Computer Engineering, IT, Data Science, Robotics, Education, Psychology, Law, Digital Media, Film, Creative Writing and Journalism, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, and many more. As well as having all the advantages associated with being a world-class British university, students at both Middlesex University Dubai campuses can benefit from all the opportunities afforded by a rapidly-developing modern city in the heart of the Middle East, while experiencing the diverse nationalities and cultures that make up the population of Dubai.
Middlesex University is a global university committed to meeting the needs and ambitions of a culturally and internationally diverse range of students, by providing challenging academic programmes underpinned by innovative research, grants and professional practice. Middlesex University Dubai prepares its students to be professional, skilled individuals fitted for the modern world, committed to life-long learning and able to contribute to the communities in which they live and work.
For more information about the programmes and the range of scholarships and grants available, visit www.mdx.ac.ae.
© Press Release 2022
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