Arab Design Criticism Lacking as Minimalist Aesthetics Dominate

Mahmoud Elhossieny, a designer based in Cairo and the founder of the Arabic Design Archive, contends that the lack of design criticism in the Arab world has diminished the sector's self-evaluation capabilities. He examines the branding of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) to probe who determines what constitutes 'good design' in the area. The visual identity for the GEM, developed by Studio Atrissi in collaboration with German firm Atelier Brückner, faced criticism in 2018. Elhossieny challenges Studio Atrissi's defensive stance, which referenced a 344-page brief, a committee of twenty experts, and six months of work, asserting that these factors do not ensure quality. He highlights the brief's restriction against using hieroglyphs and pyramids as clichés and questions why these limitations were not contested. The article connects this issue to a larger trend of delegating cultural authority to international firms that enforce Western minimalist design as a symbol of advancement. Elhossieny advocates for fostering a critical culture to establish local design standards instead of relying on external influences.