Contemporary Design on Mowasalat Iconic Limousines
With a design that touches on Qatar’s progressive yet deeply engrained in heritage and culture background, Maya Maasri Shaybane, a Lebanese designer based in Qatar won the “Iconic Limousine Design Concept” competition by Qatar Tourism, in partnership with Mowasalat (Karwa).
With 450 submissions, the Iconic Limousine Design contest captured the attention of the nation with just a month for the most anticipated FIFA World Cup 2022 soon to be held in the country.
The jury voted for Maya Maasri Shaybane as the winner, and her design was displayed on the limousines. She was awarded QR 100,000 for her efforts. With over 6,500 votes, Chamseddine Chakroun’s received the highest number of public votes and was rewarded an amount of QR 50,000. In addition, the 20 shortlisted participants received a cash prize of Qr 1,500 for their contribution, according to the officials of Qatar Tourism.
Shaybane talks to SCALE about her vision for the design and her appreciation for the country that is now home for her. She says, “I deeply respect the Qatari people, and wish success to this inspiring country.”
“The iconic limousine award, was an important achievement for my career as a designer, and I am very proud of it. I feel that a designer can bloom in Qatar following the wide variety of projects, and visions. Qatar is an innovative country and we can see the huge strides made in the country every single day,” she says.
Her design process was detailed and concise. She has used fonts, lines and modern representations to give the brand design its identity. “Integrated in an arrow shape, pointing the sky, the stylised skylines means the modern vision, going from the smaller to the bigger, to reflect the progressive future, the success, and rise above challenging situations. It also touches on wisdom, vision, and protection,” she explains, “Reflecting Qatar’s heritage, one part of the branding is in Arabic, and designed with golden Islamic arabesque art with a cubic typography that reflects honesty, and stability of Qatar. The straight lines and sharp right angles give the entire branding a very mathematical, organised and balanced feel.”
For Shaybane, the biggest challenge while designing was the fact that she was designing for a moving object and hence the design had to make sense while in motion as well and she took utmost care to make sure that the design was dynamic, bold yet simplistic while replicating on to a moving object.
The jury consisted of the Chairman of Qatar Tourism and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, Chairman; Secretary General, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, His Excellency Hassan Al Thawadi; Chief Executive Officer of Mowasalat (Karwa), Fahad Saad Al Qahtani; Dean of Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCU-Q), Amir Berbić; and Director of Liwan Design Studios and Labs at Qatar Museums, Aisha Nasser Al Sowaidi.
“We are honoured to showcase the winning design of our nation-wide creative contest which drove community engagement and celebrated Qatar’s cultural identity and sustainable future. Through such initiatives we witness the diverse ways in which our nation perceives our rich culture while creating an opportunity to share these authentic representations with our visitors and enrich their experience at every touchpoint during their stay in Qatar. I would like to congratulate all the winners for their efforts and give thanks to everyone who keenly participated,” said Al Baker at the event.
Images Courtesy Maya Shaybane.
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