Kinda Ghannoum

Mary Hemingway
Aug 6
6 min read

Updated: Nov 18

Kinda Ghannoum is a Syrian-Polish graphic designer with a background in architecture. Growing up in artistic family in Syria, she developed a deep appreciation for art, design, and Arabic calligraphy. She later shifted her career to graphic design, becoming a self-taught designer before earning a Master of Visual Arts from Sint Lucas Antwerpen.

Her work focuses on branding, typography, and research, drawing inspiration from Arabic typography and cultural heritage. She has collaborated with international entities and organiations, and she co-founded the Syrian Design Archive as a non-profit documentary project, which archives examples of Arabic typography and graphic design. Kinda has participated in and organised many events, including TEDx in Damascus, Syria and has recently launched a course on Domestica called Bilingual Branding with Arabic Signs.

Kinda’s approach is deeply influenced by her Syrian-Polish background, blending elements from both cultures in her design practice. She explores typography as a storytelling tool, using letterforms and patterns to communicate identity, memory, and cultural narratives. Her work often connects Eastern and Western design influences, creating a dialogue between tradition and modernity. Through this fusion, she challenges stereotypes, preserves heritage, and reinterprets cultural symbols in contemporary contexts.

We talked to Kinda to learn more about her career so far, projects she's particularly enjoyed working on, and her motivation in co-creating the Syrian Design Archive.

How did you first become interested in design as a career?

I am a Syrian Polish graphic designer. Born to a Polish mother and a Syrian father in Poland, my family moved to Syria when I was 3 years old. I grew up in a very artistic family; my father and uncle both taught at the Damascus University School of Art where I was consistently exposed to Arabic art, architecture, and calligraphy. I don't remember a moment when I was not surrounded by art and design—this fed my own desire to create.

Can you tell me about your career as an architect and designer so far and why you made the switch?

I earned my bachelor's degree in architecture from Damascus University and soon after began an architecture internship. While there I participated in Startup Weekend Youth of Damascus as a graphic designer. My team and I won first prize at this annual festival, and the experience sparked my passion for graphic design! I began to study on my own and decided to shift my career to graphic design and branding, with Arabic type, patterns, and geometrical ornaments becoming a massive source of my inspiration. Currently, I'm based in Belgium, and I've just finished my master's in visual art, Design, and Image in an applied context focusing on Arabic identity and branding in Sint Lucas, Antwerpen. My journey has led me to create award-winning work for various international books, NGOs in Syria, the Obama Foundation, companies, and start-ups around the world.

What inspires your work?

My mixed Syrian Polish background is a big influence, as I love blending these two worlds in my design. Architecture, heritage, and old manuscripts also play a huge role, along with Arabic typography and forgotten design archives. I'm constantly inspired by everyday moments, conversations, and personal stories. I love sketching and experimenting with different forms, always seeking new ways to express cultural narratives.

What has been your greatest struggle as an artist and how have you overcome that?

Learning to accept that not everything has to be perfect. Allowing mistakes to happen instead of fearing them has been a huge shift for me. There's a certain beauty in imperfection, and once I started seeing that, my approach to design (and life) became much more freeing.

Can you tell us about some of your favourite design projects that you've worked on?

She for Dialogue was a collaboration with a friend of mine Joud Tanta, for the International Dialogue Center (KAICIID) an inter-governmental organisation based in Austria, whose mandate is to promote dialogue globally to prevent and resolve conflict and to enhance understanding and cooperation. I was happy to work on a project that highlights women’s roles in resolving conflict and to have the chance to work with Arabic branding, which is something that I am trying to focus on lately.

The Swimmers x Choose Love, which was a collaboration with Choose Love and Netflix. This project was launched to celebrate the release of the film The Swimmers. Choose Love created a limited edition t-shirt featuring the words "Choose Love" in Arabic, to raise funds to help refugees. I was honoured to contribute the artwork for this powerful story of the courageous sisters, Yusra and Sara Mardini. Their journey as Syrian refugees and incredible bravery deeply moved me, and it was deeply fulfilling to be part of this project.

Can you tell us a bit more about the Syrian Design Archive?

The idea started out of a personal challenge, I was searching and studying Arabic graphics in the Arab world, which made me curious to know more about design in Syria and information on this topic proved extremely limited, so I took it upon myself to change that. As I realised that the project was bigger than me and I could not do the work alone, I formed a team that brought together individuals with similar interests. Sally, Hala and I, all three of us are architecture graduates with an interest in design and art.

We took it upon ourselves to start the Syrian Design Archive — a non-profit documentary project to help to archive graphic design elements and visuals including Arabic typography and its evolution into a digital archive preserving its applications in many forms of Syrian design (prints, media, street, and stamps) aiming to create an open archive as a resource for researchers and students, preserving the Syrian design heritage in our time of rapid technological change.

Syrian Design Archive was a rapid success due to its ability to grow by popular participation. It allows people to relive the past through shapes and elements that shaped and influenced their lives and makes them known to young generations.

Syrian Print Archive mainly archives books, magazine covers, tickets, posters, and anything which is designed by Syrian designers. The importance of the project comes from gaps in the documentation of Graphic Design in Syria, particularly during the war when loads of data and materials were lost.

“Our mission is to create a place where people can find comprehensive information on the history of Syrian graphic design.”

We have the names of great artists in fine arts, but students who want information about Syrian designers will not find it. The only information available concerns the journey of the artist Abdelkader Arnaout and Professor Mouneer Alshaarani, which we obtained through books published in the Netherlands and a book published by the American University in Egypt. In general, any initiatives for documentation come from external sources or the personal initiative of the artists themselves. There are archival initiatives in Syria, but they are incomplete and are not available to everyone. Our mission is to create a place where people can find comprehensive information on the history of Syrian graphic design.

The archive was exhibited in Berlin at A-Z presents gallery part of Graphic.Designers.Collectors. exhibition and featured on It's Nice That. The Syrian Design Archive Team is comprised of Kinda Ghannoum, Sally Alassafen, and Hala Al Afsaa.

Have you faced challenges as a woman in the design industry?

I am lucky that I grew up in a family where women had the freedom to do whatever they want, to work and follow their passions. I know it's not easy to have this in our country. But being Syrian/Polish in Belgium I had to deal with a lot of stereotypes about my identity. The situation made me think about how I can show part of our Syrian identity that has never been talked about before and that was the main reason to start the Syrian design archive.

What advice do you have for young artists?

Stay curious, keep learning, and don't be afraid to experiment. Share what you create, even if you think it’s not perfect, what you see as "bad" might be beautiful to someone else. Lately, I've been drawn to wabi-sabi, finding beauty in imperfection. Be patient and gentle with yourself, growth takes time. And most importantly, don't compare yourself to others, everyone has their own journey.

Can you recommend any other Arab and/or Syrian graphic designers we should follow?

There are many, but if I had to pick just a few it would be:

Syrian: