Seasonal Shifts
Like sands through the hourglass, friends. Before summer slips away, let us share a few seasonal highlights. Then come meet us out in the field — it promises to be an illuminating autumn.
Summer Highlights
JUDICIOUS DECISIONS: CORE 77 WINNERS
Earlier this summer, Nermin joined a brilliant line-up of jurists to select and celebrate this year’s batch of Core 77 Design Awards for Branding and Visual Communication. Big, loving shout out to the good homie Taamrat Amaize for bringing us into such luminous company, and to Play Design Lab and Drew Levan for our personal faves of the bunch.
IN CONVERSATION: NERMIN WITH SOCIETY OF TYPOGRAPHIC ARTS
STA All-Star Sevy Perez recently invited Nermin onto the User Journey podcast to talk about (being a) work-in-progress. She is, as always, a light. Together, Sevy and Nermin grapple with what it means to try to design without ego and design for (culture) change, to treat words as events, practice deep listening, and approach conversation as an act of co-creation, all while touching on recent work, core memories, and the everlasting wisdom of our many teachers.
© photo by the talented Khalid Ibrahim, who generously donated his time for the photo shoot
IN SOLIDARITY: THE WATERMELON TEE
Nermin and her excellent brother Kinan, who has taught us so much about running this beautiful practice of ours, are once again helping raise money for food aid in Gaza. The Watermelon Tee: Summer Edition is now available. Wear it with all the pride and love in your heart. None of us are free until all of us are.
Meet Us in the Field
DESIGN AS ACTIVISM: SEPTEMBER 13-14, CHICAGO
Catch us facilitating a workshop at the upcoming Design as Activism Symposium, where we’ll be in the fine company of Greater Good, Span, and Badass Cross Stitch, among others. Our session, called Walking the Walk: Define Your Values, Design Your Practice, invites participants to complete the Core Values Exercise, then learn how we used it to shape every aspect of our studio, from financial operations and new business development to ways of working and collaborating.
The Symposium is sponsored by our friends at the Terra Foundation for American Art, as part of Art Design Chicago (Nermin designed this year’s transit ads!). We’ll have more fun updates to share about the foundation later this year. For now, you can join the waitlist for the Symposium—tickets are already sold out!
BRAND NEW: OCTOBER 10-12, SALT LAKE CITY
Every year, Bryony Gomez-Palacio and Armin Vit put on some of the most consistently nutritious and exuberant design conferences across the U.S. Both Nermin and I have had the outrageous honor of speaking together at First Round (2019), then individually at Brand New (2022, 2023). This year, we’re flying to Salt Lake City to join the audience and revel in the wit and wisdom of this year’s line-up. If you’re going, let us know! Let’s take a stroll through downtown SLC together.
CONFRONTING DESIGN, OCTOBER 17, CHICAGO
In 2023, Chicago Graphic Design Club and One Design convened five Chicago design leaders for the inaugural Confronting Design panel. They’re doing it again this fall and this time, they’re going deep on how to build a values-driven practice, with Nermin joining the discussion. If you’re in Chicago, get there! There’s nothing in the wide world quite so sweet as hearing Nermin speak with her heart. Keep your eyes on CGDC for updates on the event as it comes together!
Client Love
We want to do great work, it’s true! But one thing we’ve learned from our clients along the way: Though people may not always remember what you do, they’ll remember how you made them feel. When we reached out to Mai at Almond + Fig for a client testimonial, she offered us a beautiful reminder that how we show up in conversation and in collaboration matters. Thank you Mai, for helping us float from one season to the next. Onwards.
“When I was seeking work for Almond and Fig, I wanted not only exceptional talent but also a deep commitment to justice and social change. I found my dream team.
I had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with an exceptionally talented team of women on the brand identity for Almond and Fig. Their creative vision and strategic approach surpassed all my expectations. They brought my vision to life, crafting an identity that is both modern and deeply rooted in tradition and culture.
With their talent, compassion, and commitment to justice, their work beautifully helped me honor my beloved Palestine through stories and food.
They seamlessly blended typographic elements rooted in so much heritage, capturing the essence of both Almond and Fig and Palestine. They helped me tell a compelling story—one that is shared with pride, honor, and profound love. I walked into this project seeking tools to tell my story and emerged with a valued relationship that I will treasure forever.”
— Mai Kakish
@almondandfig
