I had the privilege of working as an art director and illustrator on some of the most prominent cultural events in Saudi Arabia: Jeddah Season, Red Sea International Film Festival and the Saudi Film Festival. The work included background paintings, animation, and supervising some of the most talented teams of artists externally and internally.
Jeddah Season
Red Sea International Film Festival
Saudi Film Festival
JEDDAH SEASON
NEC came to us with their new logo for Jeddah season and wanted an animated intro for the 2023 Jeddah Season activation campaign. I illustrated the scenes which were then animated and displayed around popular streets in Jeddah and in the main event location, City Walk.
The idea was simple, what if we showed people what the extended illustrations of the 6 letters in the words of the new logo “Jeddah” looked like. This way, we highlighted the prominent activities of the seasonal event and gave the audience a visual treat.
Client: NEC
Agency: Zaini Studio
Animation director: Mahmoud Zaini
Art Director & Illustrator: Yasmine Salem
Animator: Husam Hamed
RED SEA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
For the 2022 RSFF, we came up with an animation intro that was shown before film screenings at the event. I was the art director, concept artist, and illustrator on the project.
The story and storyboards were done by the very talented animation director and many other great artists joined us in making this vision come to life.
Client: Red Sea global
Agency: Zaini Studio
Animation director: Mahmoud Zaini
Art Director: Yasmine Salem
Producer: Shifa Albar
SAUDI FILM FESTIVAL
Similar to the RSFF animated intro, we created one for the 2023 Saudi Film Festival. I was also the art director on this project and needed to come up with a unique “raw” style that represents the local culture and make sure that all the other artists stayed consistent with the style.
To achieve this, I created a detailed illustration guideline and reference board for every scene, filled with images, textures, shading, descriptions, line quality etc… so that all the artists and painters have a clear understanding of the art style.
Client: Ithra
Agency: Zaini Studio
Animation director: Mahmoud Zaini
Art Director: Yasmine Salem
Producer: Shifa Albar
