"Application of the Arab Visual Identity in Designing Prefabricated Display Units for Seasonal Fairs"

Abstract

Our Arab civilization is rich with numerous elements that are common among many Arab countries, so we are obliged; as research designers; to detect the mutual factors that can provide a general framework which congregates all Arab nations in a formation that distinguish them from the rest of the world.Considering the Arab countries’ openness to the outer world and competitive markets; seasonal fairs and conferences have become a pivotal channel through which we can disseminate our Arab culture to the world; and cherish its elements and motifs. Therefore; Arab designers have to bear the burden of designing the pavilions of their countries in international fairs to act as a representative that elegantly and attractively convey the Arab identity. From the above; the problem of this research can be identified in the multiplicity of the visual conceptions of the Arab countries; according to the foreign cultures that have invaded each country; thus losing the visual coherence of these conceptions. In addition; Arab furniture and interior designers turn to the international designs for Arab pavilions in international fairs, as they are easy to execute and rely on modern materials and simple designs.The significance of this research comes from the necessity of finding a feature that distinguishes the Arab identity, in order to maintain our culture and extend our visual identity in international forums. Therefore; the objective of the research can be summarized in generating design solutions that integrates the visual perceptions of all Arab countries in one framework that is easy to apply using modern materials and techniques.The research discusses several aspects; including: studying the visual identity of some leading countries that can be utilized in building a general image for the Arab culture / the study of some design models of prefabricated display units and the analysis of the elements of visual identity of each / supposition visions Philosophical models representing the features of Arab visual identity / survey studies to monitor the controversial problem of the idea of dictating a visual identity in seasonal fairs / design proposals that combine the researchers’ different fields of expertise which aim to achieve the objective of the research.

Keywords

• display pavilions; seasonal fairs; visual identity; arab cultural identity