ABOUT

Born in Damascus, Ranim AlHalaky is a Syrian-Lebanese graphic designer and visual artist whose work explores typography as a contemporary and experimental visual element, blending cultural identity, poetry, and storytelling. AlHalaky graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from the American University of Beirut in 2015.

Deeply influenced by migration, memory, and social narratives, Ranim's work examines the intersections of place, belonging, and oral histories—existing in transit between the UAE, her homeland, and beyond. Through intergenerational conversations, research, experimentation, and artistic expression, she navigates themes of identity and collective memory. Her practice operates at the intersection of design and art, drawing a fine line between the two disciplines and blending them into a multidisciplinary approach. As both a graphic designer and visual artist, she constantly challenges boundaries, merging structured design methodologies with expressive artistic exploration.

Ranim's design practice spans brand identity, print, spatial graphics, experiential design, and animated formats, engaging audiences through multi-sensory interactions. She has collaborated internationally with designers, studios, and institutions across Amsterdam, Porto, Basel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Ranim has contributed to and art-directed significant cultural projects, including the UAE Year of Sustainability, the Year of the 50th Golden Jubilee Brand and Strategy, and the 50th National Day Celebration with Dubai-based studioTinkah. Since 2022, she has worked independently, leading projects including Nurturing Legacy for the UAE Pavilion at Doha Expo 2023 and collaborating with Amsterdam-based studio - Tellart on the UAE House of Sustainability at COP28.

AlHalaky's artistic research and experimentation on Unheard Voices' typographic metal installation series began in 2015 and continues through multidisciplinary, site-specific installations. Ranim's work has received multiple international awards and recognitions and was recently featured in Revealing Recording Reflecting: Graphic Women from Southwest Asia and North Africa, a book by Khatt and AFAQ, edited by Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFares, Yasmine Nachabe Taan, Bahia Shehab, and Soukeina Hachem. The thesis project, 50 Meters of Omaya's Storytelling, was awarded the International Graphic Design Award and published by the AIAP Women in Design Awards(Italy, 2017). It also won the Areen Award for Excellence in Graphic Design (Lebanon, 2015) and the NYC Print Magazine Merit Award for Typography and Lettering (2016). In 2023, her large-scale public artwork Conversations Through Time, installed at AlUla International Airport in Saudi Arabia, won the D&AD Wood Pencil Award in London for excellence in environmental typography. Early in 2025, Eternal Stutters of Memory/Chimes of the City, a public art installation commissioned by Dubai Culture, was unveiled at Sikka 2025 and is currently displayed in the open-air space of Al Shindagha Museum.

Ranim's ongoing statement and artistic practice explore the relationships between identity, presence, and existence with memory, childhood, and origins. This research is shaping into a solo exhibition with Tashkeel, Of Liminal Threads, opening in September 2025, as part of the 2024-2025 Critical Practice Program.