Kholoud Attar, founder and creative director of Design, the first magazine focusing on design in Saudi Arabia, has barely three decades in this world, and far less in the design world, yet has the understanding and wisdom, one can confidently say, of a design sage.
“I think a person always has a choice of whether to go out there, and even though that might be very tense and very upbeat, and very challenging, one can get a broader perspective, a chance of opportunity to experience new things, or live in isolation without any chance to explore the opportunities,” Attar told life & style in an interview.
Attar felt a gap in society in relation to design and creativity, so she decided to promote it and elevate its status in society.
According to her the youth of today, especially after the Arab Spring, or uprising, was thinking about how they could make society better and elevate the way they were living. She said the magazine brings a positive vibe from all the talent that already exists in Saudi Arabia.
Attar said it is a welcome sign that as of late, art and design appreciation in Saudi Arabia was increasing. An art gallery had opened in Riyadh recently and there was a group in the capital called … that was making videos and promoting art and design, which was an indicator of the value, importance and place that design and art had come to occupy in Saudi society.
“We recently transformed the magazine from English to Arabic. It is Arabic printed, but an English version can be found online, resulting in a huge expansion to its readership. We are now getting a lot of feedback from people we were previously unable to reach. The increasing demand has taught me that it isn’t just for the magazine I work so hard for, but rather that there is a demand and a desire for everything that is creative. As I said the youth is now looking for the next futuristic creative way of living and dealing with life issues,” said Attar.
Although many females are interested in design by default, a lot of men as well are interested in such aspects as photography and architecture. “Creativity has no age, gender or nationality,” she stressed, and mentioned a boy of 13 “who does amazing calligraphy” and a very old woman “who can do the most beautiful art pieces.”
The magazine she founded after graduating with a BA in graphic design from Dar-Al Hekma College and working on several major freelance projects, tries to promote Saudis.
“We are promoting Saudis and people living in Saudi Arabia, but it is not just about the nationality, it is about the culture, the ethics and values that I think the media is not showing. Now you watch TV and you see the media that is covering and influencing our children and our society that has nothing to do with our values and ethics, and I hope that Design magazine and all the products that we conceive help to reinforce our culture and promote and make it part of our society, rather than the negative things that the media sometimes is feeding us,” she said.
Attar also tries to promote the younger generation, because she thinks they are the ones who show a lot of talent.
She said a lot of people thought that Design magazine was just for people in the design industry, such as interior design. “Actually it is a way of thinking. It is about creativity, you can be creative as a doctor, as a cook or chef, everything you do in life you can either do it in a way that you used to, or think of new and creative ways of doing it,” she explained. “This is what the magazine tries to promote, different ways of thinking, new approaches. It is a social magazine, but it is a social magazine that really empowers creativity and art.
“We just initiated short courses in the field of design, like graphic arts, photography, and interior design, because when people see the magazine, and the talent and the work that is being done, they wanted to learn that method of thinking, so we tried to bring in experts from each field to demonstrate and teach how they too can have that same method, same process of thinking.
“Each course is different. Some of them are two weeks, and some are three months duration. It is just the beginning, but the plan is to expand – to have workshops, to have machines, tools and such,” she said.
Most of the people are already experts in the field but they want to learn something extra. “In the future, we plan to introduce simple courses for people who, for example, want to know how to design their room, as in floor design. Hopefully later on, people will also be able to showcase their work in the magazine and create an industry that can elevate the process of design and creativity in the country,” said Attar.
The magazine was started four years ago with a small group of three to four friends and has now expanded to a staff of 30 including photographers and contributors, with offices in Riyadh and Alkhobar.
Starting out as a small idea in the beginning, it has improved and grown a lot. It is noteworthy to mention that from just 2,000 copies distributed only in Jeddah, the number has jumped to 40,000 copies throughout the Middle East.
“The success of Design is based on providing great products and services to our customers every day. Our motto is ‘network creativity’,” said Attar, who received training at such international advertising agencies as TBWA and DDB, and also won many photography awards, including the Panasonic Award, and has exhibited her designs in several exhibitions as well as solo.
“It has become a community. People have begun to collaborate, it is no longer just a printed media, it is no longer just a magazine. We are looking into product lines. The idea is not only to form ideas into written words, but also let people produce their ideas into products.
“The idea is basically to network, showing the activities that are happening in Saudi Arabia, specifically after the Arab Spring. We want to see what is next for the future, what is happening afterwards,” she said.
Attar explained that graphic design is not just a specialty. “It is a way of thinking, although lately we are focusing more on developing the business part of how to foster ideas around developing the network, the design. I am developing the ideas and creativity behind it. I call everyone on the team ‘familia’ because we are really like a family, rather than each one having a specific role, contributing and offering ideas, and joining together to make it happen. So I do encourage people to initiate ideas, come up with creative ways of promoting design activity in Saudi Arabia,” Attar said.
The future plan is to expand the network in the sense that it does not have to be a printed magazine.
“We want to have a product line to actually get the designers to apply their design creativity to ideas that are found in society in general,” she said.
“It’s not just art for art’s sake — it’s also art for life’s sake. It is all about creativity of art and it’s a way of thinking. Everything around us is a design, everything we use is designed,” she said, arguing that if we can get people to locally create designs using high standards, like designs from China or Italy and so on, then we have created a value for things in our minds and our products. Attar continued “If we can send that abroad for Saudi Arabia, people will look at us, and it will become a source of income, a source of economy that changes the economy of the country. Saudi does not have to be dependant only on oil; it could also depend on the value of the intelligence of a person’s creativity and exclusion to other designs.
“What I mean to say is what we create individually or as an institution. If it has value, if it has beauty, if it is unique, it can bring more value and it can bring more money.
“What I am saying basically is that Saudi Arabia’s economy as a country depends on oil. Italy and France depend on fashion. They can fetch high prices and have an industry that changes the economy of that country because of the creativity of the designers and the value of those designers. If we are able to do such a thing in Saudi Arabia, where we have a lot of talented people, we could create such an industry that could produce products, like furniture and designs, and it could be the next new income for the country.
About the importance of her family in her endeavors, she said “My family supports my efforts in many ways, standing by me, allowing me to have space to develop, travel, and do my own thing. I am blessed.”
Kholoud Attar: Designed to lead
Kholoud Attar: Designed to lead
