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February 25, 2014
NURTURING THE CREATIVE PROCESS

NURTURING THE CREATIVE PROCESS IN 2014

2014 has certainly kicked off on a busy note at Zaman. We have lots of interesting projects in the pipeline, and while we can’t divulge too much at this stage for some of the projects we’re working on, the 2nd edition of the Al Ain Photographia Award which we worked on in 2011, now in full swing, is one project we can speak about and you can read about it in our previous post here & visit the official award website here to find our how you can participate.

Thanks to the good client rapport and reputation Zaman has built for itself over the last 17yrs, we remain excited about the continued opportunities some of these wonderful projects give us in terms of extending our capabilities & flexing our creativity caps. In light of this it only seems appropriate that today’s blog post puts a spotlight on the importance of creating and maintaining a creative environment in our studio that inspires us and also realizing how to balance the dynamics of personalities and cultures (9 nationalities & counting!) within the team to be the best that we can be. With that said, here are three videos which we’ve bookmarked and hope that they are of inspiration to you.

Video 1: The 3 habits of creative teams

Based on his work with over 1000 teams, speaker Keith Yamashita shares his insights about great collaborative environments including: having an awareness beyond your day-to-day, respecting the unique talents of your team members, and actively cultivating meaningful one-on-one relationships.

Video 2: The 6 Characteristics of truly creative people

Tina Seelig
Tina Seelig, director of the National Center for Engineering Pathways to Innovation (Epicenter) at Stanford University’s School of Engineering, teaches courses on creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship in the department of Management Science and Engineering, and within the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford. In this video she makes a strong case for a combination of elements that make good ideas spring forward, by presenting her “innovation engine,” a special mix of six characteristics like attitude, resources and environment.

Video 3: Why “gut churn” is an essential part of the creative process

What’s gut churn or gut feeling? Speaker Jad Abumrad describes it as the radical uncertainty that’s a core part of any creative process that really pushes the envelope. You’re entering unknown territory, and working without a map.
 Using examples of his own business ventures, Jad shares the benefits of negative feedback and how we can look out for “pointing arrows” that can help guide our work (even when it hurts).

January 8, 2014
CROWDSOURCED STORYTELLING THROUGH

CROWDSOURCED STORYTELLING THROUGH #MYDUBAI

A few days ago Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Crown Prince of Dubai launched an initiative to write the world’s first autobiography of a city through social media. Playing on the popularity of hashtags as seen in 2013, the initiative aims to tell the story of modern day Dubai through the eyes of its nationals and foreign residents that have come to call this city home.

Set to run for 12months, participants are invited to contribute their photos or short videos via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter by using the hashtag #MyDubai. By doing this they will be able to introduce the unique values and culture of the Emirate to the world through social media, which has become one of the most important channels to tell a story, the world over.

In past posts we’ve spoken about the power of imagery and presented various contexts by way of sharing some of the client projects we’ve worked on. In 2011 Zaman worked with the Al Ain City Municipality to conceptualize and manage the inaugural Al Ain Photographia Award. Although this was a contest with rewards for participation provided by sponsors, the spirit of the campaign was the same as that of #MyDubai; showcase Al Ain through the eyes of its residents.

“In the fabric of Dubai there are more than 2.1 million stories – the individual lives and experiences of all those who call Dubai home. A city’s story is created by its people and as we look towards a prosperous future, it’s time to join together and show the world how 2.1 million people can create one remarkable story. Together we will create the world’s first autobiography of a city.” Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed

Crowdsourced storytelling – this is a powerful aspect of the campaign. In past posts we have referred to the fundamentals of storytelling which include authenticity, honesty, consistentency. We’ve also discussed fairly extensively destination branding and how the most successful campaigns conducted by countries or cities are those that have a 100% buy-in from the local residents, who in turn become almost brand ambassadors championing key narratives to entice would-be visitors.

According to reports from the Dubai’s Department of  Tourism & Commerce, parallel to this a number of activities and events related to the hashtag will be launched throughout the year. Likewise, a specialised team will work on the project, curating people’s contributions for use across different media platforms, for example at international exhibitions and to inspire art installations, films and books.

Although its only been a couple days since launching this sounds like the makings of an interesting case study at the end of 2014 on the creative ways that destination branding can leverage social media to be more engaging. Best wishes to all participants of of #MyDubai!

August 12, 2013
TEDTALK – SHEIKHA AL MAYASSA

TEDTALK – SHEIKHA AL MAYASSA ON GLOBLAZING THE LOCAL

On a mission to establish Qatar as the Middle East’s foremost destination for the arts and culture, today’s post is a TED talk delivered by Sheikha Al Mayassa – a patron of Qatari artists, storytellers and filmmakers. As chairperson of the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA), Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani uses the rich history of her country to drive education and cross-cultural interaction today.

The QMA’s flagship project is the Museum of Islamic Art, an institution built to serve as the world’s center for education and information on art in the Muslim world. According to H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa’s vision, the museum will not only preserve and document the vast diversity of Islamic art, but also provide a welcoming place for the international community to learn more about an often-oversimplified culture.

Enjoy!

July 29, 2013
DESIGN IN A NUTSHELL

DESIGN IN A NUTSHELL

‘Design in a Nutshell’ is an interesting six-part series produced by free learning platform The Open University. Initially published earlier this year in May, the series provides a lowdown on six key design movements that had significant impact on various design disciplines from architecture to the revolution of design education via the introduction of a cross-disciplinary curriculum.

The six disciplines presented in animated primers are: Gothic Revival, Arts & Crafts, Bauhaus, Modernism, American Industrial Design & Postmodernism.

All six animations, which can be viewed on Brain Pickings, are definitely worth a bookmark for design professionals.

June 4, 2013
Libya’s flags of brand opportunities

Back from his business trip to Libya last week,  Zaman GM John shares a few thoughts on what Libya has to offer itself and the world in the aftermath of the Arab Spring uprising.

“The colours of Libya’s new flag are everywhere and so is the sense of infinite opportunity. After 42 years of not being able to do much at all people now have the clear belief that anything is possible. Tripoli, mostly undamaged by the war, is lively and bustling and according to regular visitors an entirely different environment.

It is, however, unimaginably underdeveloped for an oil rich capital especially when coming from the Gulf. The feeling of frontier is never far beneath the surface and political dialogue still involves taking to the streets. Unsurprisingly global brands are staking their claims.

New cars are everywhere (though old school driving still rules) and mostly Korean. LG and Samsung rule the billboards, the city’s dominant media, selling household electronics that are breaking the back of the electricity grid. Marks & Spencer, BHS, Babyshop, Monoprix now live in shiny new premises that overwhelm the merchants around them. They are demanding a change in lifestyle and if the world is their test case they should get the response they are looking for. But for now the habits of a lifetime are, for the vast majority, unchanged and we hope their intrinsic ‘Libyaness’ will remain strong and prominent as the country takes its new shape.” ~ John Eccles

Head to our Facebook page to see more photos from John’s trip.

June 4, 2013
LIBYA’S FLAGS OF BRAND

LIBYA’S FLAGS OF BRAND OPPORTUNITIES

Back from his business trip to Libya last week,  Zaman GM John shares a few thoughts on what Libya has to offer itself and the world in the aftermath of the Arab Spring uprising.

“The colours of Libya’s new flag are everywhere and so is the sense of infinite opportunity. After 42 years of not being able to do much at all people now have the clear belief that anything is possible. Tripoli, mostly undamaged by the war, is lively and bustling and according to regular visitors an entirely different environment.

It is, however, unimaginably underdeveloped for an oil rich capital especially when coming from the Gulf. The feeling of frontier is never far beneath the surface and political dialogue still involves taking to the streets. Unsurprisingly global brands are staking their claims.

New cars are everywhere (though old school driving still rules) and mostly Korean. LG and Samsung rule the billboards, the city’s dominant media, selling household electronics that are breaking the back of the electricity grid. Marks & Spencer, BHS, Babyshop, Monoprix now live in shiny new premises that overwhelm the merchants around them. They are demanding a change in lifestyle and if the world is their test case they should get the response they are looking for. But for now the habits of a lifetime are, for the vast majority, unchanged and we hope their intrinsic ‘Libyaness’ will remain strong and prominent as the country takes its new shape.” ~ John Eccles

Head to our Facebook page to see more photos from John’s trip.

May 23, 2013
TRAVEL DESTINATIONS

TRAVEL DESTINATIONS TO INSPIRE…

he days are getting longer and temperatures are steadily rising – summer is most definitely here. Although we are still busy over the next couple of weeks finishing off a few projects before the annual exodus of expats and start of Ramadan, today’s post is a collation of destination videos to perhaps inspire you for your holidays. Enjoy!

A Spanish road trip

Paris, the city of light

Pondicherry to Chennai by bike

For those of us who are thinking of staying in Dubai over the summer, apart from the heat, this video is nice reminder that it may not be such a bad.

And last but certainly no less appealing is South America by way of Bolivia & Peru.

May 1, 2013
Spotlight: dubai film screening of ‘ampoule’

Yesterday evening, after a productive day at Zaman I made plans to attend the first private screening of a short film called ‘Ampoule’, at the Meydan IMAX Theater.  Ampoule is a fantasy drama directed and written by SAE course coordinator of the film department, Stephane Randjelovic. It’s set on the aftermath of a cataclysmic solar flare that has destroyed all electronic devices and energy sources, taking away our digital memories and humanity along with it. One of the lead characters is the Butcher who becomes one of the few strong enough to survive in this desolate wasteland. While he rests in his antiquated cabin he discovers a young boy named Ampoule hiding out behind the rubble and the most unlikely friendship develops. Together they journey into rediscovering the humanity and kindness that has been denuded from the world and they flourish in bringing back the joy of film, friendship and compassion.

On reaching the Meydan IMAX theater for the first time, along with my colleague Dejana and my friend Ayham, we were astounded by the unexpectedly high amount of people that had gathered to watch Ampoule for the first time. I entered the lobby where everyone was assembled and started to converse with folks in the film industry varying from actors, directors and media-equipment providers. I bought myself a snack and queued between eager people also waiting for the film to start. I also bumped into Grace and John (Zaman bosses) in the theater.

The movie began with stunning direction, direction of photography (DOP), and a great story. I found the story very powerful since it was highlighting the fact that cinema reels are not being used anymore and have been replaced by a virtual format called ‘Digital Cinema Package’ that would be destroyed and forgotten following a catastrophic event that could wipeout electricity and power sources from our world. The make-up artistry and effects were alright although it could’ve been done better, for example when the Butcher slashes one of the thugs with his meat cleaver, the blood splash looked very fake and there was no blood on the meat cleaver and when Ampoule was playing the violin the music was not synched with his movements.

Overall, the film was intriguing and exciting with a few less than stellar actors and visual effects.

**Post by Sari Al Houseini, Zaman’s newest & youngest team member.**

May 1, 2013
SPOTLIGHT: DUBAI FILM

SPOTLIGHT: DUBAI FILM SCREENING OF ‘AMPOULE’

Yesterday evening, after a productive day at Zaman I made plans to attend the first private screening of a short film called ‘Ampoule’, at the Meydan IMAX Theater.  Ampoule is a fantasy drama directed and written by SAE course coordinator of the film department, Stephane Randjelovic. It’s set on the aftermath of a cataclysmic solar flare that has destroyed all electronic devices and energy sources, taking away our digital memories and humanity along with it. One of the lead characters is the Butcher who becomes one of the few strong enough to survive in this desolate wasteland. While he rests in his antiquated cabin he discovers a young boy named Ampoule hiding out behind the rubble and the most unlikely friendship develops. Together they journey into rediscovering the humanity and kindness that has been denuded from the world and they flourish in bringing back the joy of film, friendship and compassion.

On reaching the Meydan IMAX theater for the first time, along with my colleague Dejana and my friend Ayham, we were astounded by the unexpectedly high amount of people that had gathered to watch Ampoule for the first time. I entered the lobby where everyone was assembled and started to converse with folks in the film industry varying from actors, directors and media-equipment providers. I bought myself a snack and queued between eager people also waiting for the film to start. I also bumped into Grace and John (Zaman bosses) in the theater.

The movie began with stunning direction, direction of photography (DOP), and a great story. I found the story very powerful since it was highlighting the fact that cinema reels are not being used anymore and have been replaced by a virtual format called ‘Digital Cinema Package’ that would be destroyed and forgotten following a catastrophic event that could wipeout electricity and power sources from our world. The make-up artistry and effects were alright although it could’ve been done better, for example when the Butcher slashes one of the thugs with his meat cleaver, the blood splash looked very fake and there was no blood on the meat cleaver and when Ampoule was playing the violin the music was not synched with his movements.

Overall, the film was intriguing and exciting with a few less than stellar actors and visual effects.

**Post by Sari Al Houseini, Zaman’s newest & youngest team member.**

March 27, 2013
TYPOGRAPHIC MATCHMAKING

TYPOGRAPHIC MATCHMAKING IN THE CITY

‘Typographic Matchmaking in the City’ is a documentary about an urban typographic research project investigating new approaches for bilingual lettering and poetic narrative for public space.

Bringing together designers from different cultural backgrounds to intensely collaborate, over a period of 2 years, on creating coherent products with groundbreaking results, a project such as this demonstrates the important role that design can play in initiating cultural change, assimilation and integration—by simply using our daily basic communication mode: the written word.

The project consisted of 5 teams of 15 Dutch and Arab designers (type designers, graphic designers, architects, and industrial designers) who collaborated on designing new bilingual typefaces conceived for 3-dimensional/architectural design applications. The documentary film gives a visual insight into the design process and the people behind it, and is really one of the bi-products of  a project which gave birth to 5 new bilingual font families (Arabic & Latin) that are inspired by and made for the urban public space as well as one book. More details can be found here about the project can be found here.

 

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