We are living in an effervescent graphic design moment in the UAE. Many new magazines and newspapers are being launched alongside new products and services for consumers.

In a visually-oriented world, the importance of visuals is gaining prominence. Naturally a graphic designer — the professional who takes cares of the visual appeal of a publication its logo type, infographics etc — has risen in prominence too.

Transforming lots of text and images within a limited space to make it more engaging easy-to-read and stimulating for a reader is not simple.

To do this it is important to understand the basics of layouts and how the readers see a page. Another factor to remember is that readers no longer have time to read; so a clear design that helps prioritise information for them is vital.

As a graphic designer, there are many avenues open to you. You can be a web designer — a professional who designs online products such as websites, promotional banners, special features and animated graphics for websites. Currently there is an urgent demand in the market for web designers.

The future for design in the UAE looks very promising. In recognition, schools and universities must develop and offer professional programmes, degree courses in this highly-specialised field.

The writer is the regional director, Middle East and Africa, for the Society for News Design and a senior designer for Gulf News

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Communication Arts
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Website: www.commarts.com

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On this website you will find newspaper and magazine pages. The interesting fact of this website is that designers can make their own portfolio for free. Pages can be found by category — sport, business, illustration, special projects. Designers can also be found find by name or country. Many newspaper designers from the UAE have pages on this site It is updated every day.
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SND20
Society for News Design - Middle East and Africa has a special blog to show regional works from the Arab design world. A poll about design issues and some special features on the region are also part of the website.
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Interested in graphic design? Do you have questions? Write to education@gulfnews.com