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Tribune News Network
Doha
Encouragement – be it in the form of timely moral support, advice or generosity – can trigger levels of impact and inspiration that go beyond the expectations of the benefactor or the giver, to run into years, decades and even lifetimes.
When Ibrahim Jaidah, GCEO of Arab Engineering Bureau (AEB), initiated the AEB Awards for Design Excellence for senior students on the interior design and graphic design pathways in 2007, and the AEB Award for Creative Achievement and Potential for junior students in 2014, at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar), he possibly couldn’t have foreseen the different ways in which the Awards would go on to change the lives of the recipients.
As the Awards enter the 15th cycle this year, three alumni who received the honour during their time at VCUarts Qatar take a look back at what the Awards meant to them then. And now.
Zlatan Pejdah won AEB’s Design Excellence award, for Interior Design, in 2012. For the Bosnian, who currently works in Dubai as a design manager, the award not only recognises individual achievement and talent, it also acknowledges how a designer’s career is a “life of dedication”.
What did winning the AEB award mean to you?
Like a lot of prospective applicants, I dedicated a year of my life in preparation to apply to VCUarts Qatar. When I got accepted I was elated, and I see the AEB award as the final flourish in my university experience. More than the monetary elements involved, the award becomes a permanent record that boosts the receiver’s career prospects. The award itself is an amazing contribution that Ibrahim Jaidah provided young students like myself, and for that he has a very special place in my heart; in VCUarts Qatar’s heart.
A few years ago, Hazem Asif – currently a Science Illustrator in Pakistan and recipient of the AEB award for Creative Achievement and Potential, in Graphic Design, in 2015 – was a student “holding multiple on-campus jobs to support myself”. Asif used part of the prize money to buy a new laptop – which he uses to this day.
The AEB awards are in their 15th year. Why are such awards important to young designers like yourself?
Such awards are crucial in highlighting unseen, raw or hidden talented individuals. Such support assists students like me to realize that we are respected and appreciated, to become the future change makers and designers in the country. Additionally, they expose students to real-world opportunities outside academia such as possible internships, collaboration with like-minded individuals on exciting projects and future job opportunities.
Reham Mohamed won the AEB award for Design Excellence in Graphic Design in 2019. The award helped her travel to Lebanon to attend one of the best Arabic Type Design workshops, adding value to her creative practice.
In the context of where you are now, how did the award help you progress in your career?
With the help of the award, I was able to travel to Lebanon to attend one of the best Arabic Type Design workshops, adding value to my creative practice.
I currently work within a contemporary graphics art context, applying design, typography, computational art, and print media to the creation of printed ephemera and designed objects. I’ve always been an advocate for the support of education and learning, and Mr. Jaidah’s consistent support to the young designers at VCUarts Qatar is no exception. When I met him, he shared words of encouragement to excel, and give back.
Doha
Encouragement – be it in the form of timely moral support, advice or generosity – can trigger levels of impact and inspiration that go beyond the expectations of the benefactor or the giver, to run into years, decades and even lifetimes.
When Ibrahim Jaidah, GCEO of Arab Engineering Bureau (AEB), initiated the AEB Awards for Design Excellence for senior students on the interior design and graphic design pathways in 2007, and the AEB Award for Creative Achievement and Potential for junior students in 2014, at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar), he possibly couldn’t have foreseen the different ways in which the Awards would go on to change the lives of the recipients.
As the Awards enter the 15th cycle this year, three alumni who received the honour during their time at VCUarts Qatar take a look back at what the Awards meant to them then. And now.
Zlatan Pejdah won AEB’s Design Excellence award, for Interior Design, in 2012. For the Bosnian, who currently works in Dubai as a design manager, the award not only recognises individual achievement and talent, it also acknowledges how a designer’s career is a “life of dedication”.
What did winning the AEB award mean to you?
Like a lot of prospective applicants, I dedicated a year of my life in preparation to apply to VCUarts Qatar. When I got accepted I was elated, and I see the AEB award as the final flourish in my university experience. More than the monetary elements involved, the award becomes a permanent record that boosts the receiver’s career prospects. The award itself is an amazing contribution that Ibrahim Jaidah provided young students like myself, and for that he has a very special place in my heart; in VCUarts Qatar’s heart.
A few years ago, Hazem Asif – currently a Science Illustrator in Pakistan and recipient of the AEB award for Creative Achievement and Potential, in Graphic Design, in 2015 – was a student “holding multiple on-campus jobs to support myself”. Asif used part of the prize money to buy a new laptop – which he uses to this day.
The AEB awards are in their 15th year. Why are such awards important to young designers like yourself?
Such awards are crucial in highlighting unseen, raw or hidden talented individuals. Such support assists students like me to realize that we are respected and appreciated, to become the future change makers and designers in the country. Additionally, they expose students to real-world opportunities outside academia such as possible internships, collaboration with like-minded individuals on exciting projects and future job opportunities.
Reham Mohamed won the AEB award for Design Excellence in Graphic Design in 2019. The award helped her travel to Lebanon to attend one of the best Arabic Type Design workshops, adding value to her creative practice.
In the context of where you are now, how did the award help you progress in your career?
With the help of the award, I was able to travel to Lebanon to attend one of the best Arabic Type Design workshops, adding value to my creative practice.
I currently work within a contemporary graphics art context, applying design, typography, computational art, and print media to the creation of printed ephemera and designed objects. I’ve always been an advocate for the support of education and learning, and Mr. Jaidah’s consistent support to the young designers at VCUarts Qatar is no exception. When I met him, he shared words of encouragement to excel, and give back.
