Visual Identity

The ACSS aspires to establish a strong visual identity through the representations used in its logo, publications, activities and outputs. In this process the ACSS will reach out to the arts communities and to different forms of cultural production, recognizing their crucial and transformative role in Arab societies.

Logo

The ACSS logo was chosen through an open competition for Arab designers (in the region and the diaspora), through the website www.designcrowd.com. The competition received 236 designs from 31 designers and the winning design was chosen by a sub-committee of the ACSS Board of Trustees and then approved by the entire board.

Description

  This logo emerges from within Arab culture inspired by the geometrical patterns that decorate many of the great monuments in the region, but also pointing to a new era and future. The deep red colour symbolizes the richness of the culture from which the ACSS originates. The pattern symbolizes the interconnections of Arab society that branch out in inter-related networks. The square shape suggests a cornerstone or a foundation from where knowledge will rise. It suggests that this cornerstone will herald a new era in which the social sciences will make a difference, especially for the coming generations.

The role of the ACSS is to serve as a solid platform to reflect the social phenomena and interactions of Arab Society. The ACSS makes a breakthrough with its unconventional approach, creating the space that splits the logo and announcing that there is a way to deliver something new, something effective that will leave a mark. At the same time, the symbol has a twist, as the social sciences help us imagine the social world, its past and future, but cannot explain everything or put it all cleanly together.

Designer bio

M. Rammal is a Lebanese-born Art Director/Conceptualizer, living in Australia. He has worked for over 5 years in the branding and advertising industry in Dubai and Sydney and has had the opportunity to work on internationally known brands. Rammal’s background has been, and still is, a major source of inspiration for his creative works and, combined with his life experiences, has resulted in a unique cultural fusion of styles.

While at University and taking a double major in English Literature and Biomedical Sciences, Rammal found himself  driven to the world of design through which he has been able to unleash his imagination and communicate and share his thoughts and visions.

Please visit M. Rammal's online portfolio at www.behance.net/rammal.

The ACSS Research Space

The ACSS aims at creating and consolidating an "Arab research space" in, and through which, researchers, ideas and resources can flow to support the development of social thought and inquiry. On the interactive map on the website main page (link), the key geographical focus of the ACSS appears in red. While our efforts focus on these geographies, membership of the ACSS is not limited to residents of this space, nor indeed is the research conducted through the projects of the ACSS. We celebrate a global approach to research and ACSS projects, as well as the research of its members, may take place in transnational, inter-regional and global contexts. When we refer to "Arab countries" in the website and various texts, we use the legal definition used by The League of Arab States. However neither nation states nor multinational organizations define the space of the ACSS, and therefore the map displays no national or other borders.