A Senior Communication Designer & Creative Strategist | Multidisciplinary Cultural Specialist


Raghad Salman, a multidisciplinary designer and strategist from Saudi Arabia, graduated with an MFA in Communication Design from Pratt Institute in New York, USA. Her journey as a designer is deeply influenced by her roots and upbringing in Saudi Arabia. Committed to bolstering the local creative landscape, Raghad engages in work that not only delves into cultural topics but also allows her to immerse herself in design research. Through her creative practice, she explores her identity and Saudi culture, believing that her work speaks powerfully to her generation and serves as a bridge to their collective heritage.

Raghad's creative range encompasses hybridity, concept development, research, design illustrations, and video. She is passionate about investigating her culture and engaging in dialogues through her work, aspiring to be a contemporary voice that produces evocative and dialogic expressions of lived experiences. Her approach to storytelling in design is rooted in personal experiences, which she believes ensures a true engagement with the world.

How does design, starting from personal experiences, establish a more direct relationship with the world? For Raghad, the focus is on research essays and hybridity in design, considering them as excellent mediums for investigating auto-ethnography. She views design not only as a tool for personal expression and cultural exploration but also as a means of making sense of the world. How does one navigate this intersection of personal narrative and universal understanding through the lens of design?

Great at  
Multidisciplinary Design
Research Skills:
    Qualitative research
    Market Research
    Participatory Research
    Consumer Behavior                                
    Wireframing
    Prototyping
    Concept Development
     Cultural Engagement
    Auto-ethnography in Design
    Hybridity in Design

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Soft Feminism: The Interplay Between Feminism, Digital Media, and Creative Expression in Saudi Arabia

My book is conceptualized to embody the evolving narrative of Saudi women through its structural design, comprising three distinct but interconnected pieces. Each piece symbolizes a pivotal moment in the journey of Saudi women, crafted to reflect the progression from constraint to openness, mirroring their expanding roles. The book's form, with its three shapes, transitions from smaller and more condensed to larger and more expansive, adding depth and nuance to the narrative. 

The design intentionally allows one piece to nest within the next, symbolizing the layered experiences of Saudi women and the complexity of their stories. The overall aesthetic is one of openness and transparency, aiming to create a poetic dialogue between the book's form and its content. This design choice reflects a commitment to visualize on the nuanced experiences of Saudi women, offering a tangible representation of their ongoing journey toward greater expression.

 Editorial Design
Visual Direction
Illustration
Creative Writing
Concept Development
Auto-ethnography Research
10–05–2024


Al Hay Initiative مبـــــــادرة الحــــي

My project focuses on revitalizing urban spaces, particularly in Jeddah Al-Balad, by prioritizing pedestrian safety, sustainability, and community engagement. I aim to learn from successful global urban revival projects that have effectively integrated heritage preservation into my designs. By researching and adopting best practices, I seek to enrich the walking and socializing experience in Al Balad, fostering deeper cultural engagement and a sense of community.

My primary goal is to understand how people utilize urban spaces and what they find appealing or challenging about them. Through this research, I aim to identify strategies that can enhance the social and cultural experience of Al-Balad, with a special focus on fostering a sense of community and enriching cultural engagement.

Design Response:
A community-based initiative that focuses on creating and curating workshops with both the local community and visitors to Al-Balad, aimed at enhancing their experience of the space from diverse perspectives. Our goal is to provide opportunities for participants to engage with Al-Balad in new and meaningful ways, enriching both their understanding of the area and the overall experience for all.



User-Research
 UX design
Cultural Probe
Affinity Clustering
Research synthesis
Co-designing
Website Design
Brand strategy
Concept Development
Visual Direction10–05–2024


Bloomingتزهـــــــــر
Blooming is a collaborative project around cultivating connections through the exchange of personal stories. Our aim is to offer a positive impact on our community by connecting people to intimate storytelling and sharing.
In Blooming, we use flowers as a special way to connect with each other. We chose flowers because they are like stories - unique and beautiful in their own way. When we give someone a flower, it’s like inviting them to share a part of their life with us. This simple act helps us grow closer and understand each other better. Flowers help us remember that, just like them, our stories and connections can grow and bloom into something beautiful.

Collaborators:
Shuli Zheng
Yingxin Liu 


Editorial Design
Market Research
Concept Development
Visual Direction
Illustration
Creative writing10–05–2024


Forward

Designers have many sustainable ideas that often don't see the light of day. Our challenge is to make these innovative concepts a reality, turning them into actual products. We're looking for interdisciplinary designs that address environmental problems and incorporate future impact considerations. Our goal is to combine sustainability with forward-thinking design, bridging the gap from idea to implementation.



Collaborators:
Shaun
Jiangyue


Market Research
Concept Development
Visual Direction
Brand Strategy
Business Strategy
Brand Identity
Campaign Design
10–05–2024