Friday June 11, 2020

Led by passion for design, ideation, and a schematized vision, Asst. Prof. Noha Essam launched “BE TRANSFORMED” initiative to help everyone to stay inspired in quarantine in response to the immediate challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic affecting our cultural and social life. Trying to create a memorable experience for senior students in their year of graduation through finding a meaningful comparison for a trend industry benchmark and its life cycle across customers’ live substantive responses and welcoming all design community’ support. 

A group of 66 senior students Class 2020/MSA Uni. were engaged in this initiative and were willing to present their projects through the course of “Forecasting Interior Design Trends” that is based on foresight typological studies, conceptual researches and art-based visual thinking, under supervision of Asst. Prof. Noha Essam (Ph.D. Interior Architecture), and her teaching assistants; TA Sara Hosam (B.Sc. Interior Design) and TA Hana El-Etr (B.Sc. Interior Design).

The initiative objectives were; shaping a design platform of a good engagement practice among all parties of design community and creative industry stakeholders, spreading positive vibes and raising spirit of senior students, class 2020 through introducing their hard work in the age of quarantine, and scoping possible shifts and transformation related to our inner and outer selves, culture, business progression and production through a schematized vision driven by the motto of “BE TRANSFORMED”.

“I believe that external voices bring welcomed insights and dialogue, and once the pandemic arrived, it has already forced people back to accepting that expertise matters, then people wanted to hear from professional, trying to find a meaningful comparison for a trend industry benchmark and its life cycle across customers’ live substantive responses,” says Noha.

Asst. Prof. Noha Essam is an assistant Professor of Interior Architecture, MSA University. Vis. Lecturer of Interior Design, AASTMT. Noha is an interior architect, interdisciplinary Designer, Trends Consultant, and environmental psychologist.

Noha received her Ph.D. with honor from Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo, and two Masters degrees, M.Sc. Environmental psychology from St. Lawrence College, Canada and M.A. interior architecture, Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo, Egypt. She has over thirteen years of experience in interior architecture, design consultancy and business development upon working in several firms in Egypt & Canada. Noha’s consultancy practices side to side with her academic background enhances the language of creativity in the design community. Through her passion for sensory design, behavioral responses, and trend forecasting techniques that is based on human experience and the reflection of users needs, Noha focused on linking the scientific research methodology of design, typological studies, art-based communication tools with practical practices to design and consult for companies, corporates and brands in order to add value to the creative industry and design education. Her crossover of passions, as well as her methodology, informs her work and creates brilliant and inspiring end results. She positively influences younger generations of designers through her work and researches.

Noha received award nomination for the best Ph.D. Interdisciplinary thesis among Middle East universities for the topic of “Phobia of Spaces” for the year 2018, and she has many international publications in interdisciplinary studies. Noha’s researches develop better understandings of the relations between art and design education, and the creative industry. Her researches focuses on the interdisciplinary studies of future literacy of design education, environmental psychology and trends forecasting. 

Noha also is an independent symbolic visual artist and exhibition designer who participated in many group and solo exhibitions in Egypt and abroad. 

Her fusion of experiencing multidisciplinary study areas and diverse perspectives was a process of unraveling of potentials and giving free play to her creative mind while considering the practical human experience that are at the core of her approach. 

Parties of design community and specialised design-thinking experts were invited to share experiences and support senior students. Lots of distinguished designers showed interest in supporting the Noha’s Initiative and to be part of this platform and watch the birth of new design trends that reflect the zeitgeist, innovation and enormous patterns of 2021-2022. Being on the ground to scope the TOP TRENDS under the motto of “BE TRANSFORMED” by supporting senior students and voting for the trend book that caught their attention. 

Scoping different models of the design process is an integral part of the educational outcome of this course program documenting forecasting consensus, that are based on foresight typological studies, conceptual researches and art-based visual thinking driven by the motto of “BE TRANSFORMED”. Launching annual Trend books that feature foresight vision and key characteristics of trends spotting techniques and trends boards that were produced through the spring semester of 2020 during the outbreak of COVID-19 and in the age of quarantine.

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“Trends and foresight visions are a reflection of the zeitgeist, innovation, surprising upcoming directions and the transformation occurred as a response to the immediate challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Trends have the value of Diversity and inclusiveness in Philosophies to focus on; natural quality and ways to fight grey monotony, the deep connection between nature and authenticity of ethnic spirit, biodiversity and ecological environmental, heterogeneous values and self-escapism, materialism and possession obsession, social progression and anti-labeling, gravitational forces, phenomena and construction innovations,” explains Noha. 

Trend book is documenting forecasting process, time plotting, qualitative and quantitative methods of work, surveys, marketing analysis, casual models of production and visual researches. The top trends are taken over the zeitgeist, innovation and surprising directions. Dr. Noha Essam

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