2013 Winners & Shortlists

THE COMB

Gold
BrandJRMC/GAPP, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO
Product/ServiceJRMC CONSTITUTION DEBATES
EntrantOMAR HILAL Cairo, EGYPT
CategoryENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN
Entrant Company OMAR HILAL Cairo, EGYPT
Advertising Agency OMAR HILAL Cairo, EGYPT

Brief Explanation

Egyptians felt apathetic about the revolution after 2 tiresome years. Media flooded society with political talk and debates, and everyone - particularly young students - were saturated and no longer interested. In addition, university regulations forbid posting any posters on campus apart from few designated bulletin boards, which became cluttered and ignored. AUC is the leading University in Egypt, and its students are opinion leaders. The Journalism and Mass Communication Department felt obliged to get as many students as possible to learn about their constitutional rights, and get them back in the conversation.

The Brief

The Journalism and Mass Communication Department organized debates to educate students on the constitution draft, and what it holds for Egyptians. The Islamist-dominated Constituent Assembly had written the draft of the new constitution for the public to vote on. The draft was a controversial document, causing threats to women's rights. The Journalism and Mass Communication Department needed to announce the debates to the AUC society.

How the final design was conceived

Prophet Muhammad said “All humans are equal like the teeth of a comb”. These simple words were the inspiration for this invitation to the debates. Standing near 2-meters-high, and 7-meters-long, the comb was a reminder that Islam is a religion of equality, not the extremist version that rules today.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

Attendance to the debates was huge. Students packed the auditoriums, and pictures of the comb became popular in social media. The comb, and the debates, were covered in television stations, both local and satellite.

Credits

Name Company Role
Mervat Abu Ouf JRMC/GAPP, AUC JRMC Dept. Chair/Project Manager
Omar Hilal Omar Hilal Adjunct Faculty/Creative Director/Designer/Copywriter
Sara Elkhalili JRMC/GAPP, AUC Adjunct Faculty Project Supervisor
Ahmed Orabi Executional Designer
Ayman Nassar Art Director
Ahmed Hafez Younis Logo Designer
Nihal Gabr Additional Design