Kameel Hawa’s name has become synonymous with AlMohtaraf, the design house he founded in Jeddah thirty years ago, which has since added offices in Riyadh, AlKhobar and Beirut.
With a culturally rich background in journalism and an untrained talent in drawing and painting, Kameel approached graphic design as a mission, a continuous attempt to blend art and design, form and substance, an effort that aims to preserve the heritage while using contemporary communication methodology.
Kameel and AlMohtaraf have won several design awards, including the New York Type Designers Club award for Midan, the font Kameel has created that is currently managed by Linotype..
AlMohtaraf is today a multi disciplenary design house, carrying identity and branding tasks, corporate communication materials, as well as developing a full fledged publishing activity especially in the domain of art books. The inquisitive mind of the journalist and the aesthetic eye of the artist are visible in the magazines editions and published books alike. From master maquettes, to powerful editorials, the cohesiveness that has become the signature of AlMohtaraf is evident in the reputed AlQafila of Aramco to Terhal, the monthly magazine of Saudi tourism, and equally in two major contributions to Saudi Arabian art life: Young Saudi Lenses, and Saudi Artists Today.
Recently, Kameel has been writing and speaking about tradition and modernism, a blend that has been successfully achieved at AlMohtaraf, a combination that differentiates AlMohtaraf, proud of its cultural roots, yet insisting on dynamism.
A man with a talent and a mission, Kameel continues to create as his aspiration for professional competence will not diminish his passion for art. Kameel has had his paintings exhibited in Beirut, Jeddah, Cairo and Kuwait. His paintings and sketches have appeared in three books and his “word art” in two award winning books.
