Grae Enterprises

Project:
Photography, marketing and website design for corporate event planning company Grae Enterprises.

Challenge:
Represent the sophisticated and professional Grae lifestyle primarily through images that would be used as the basis for their new website.

Concept:
Beginning by using upscale locations and a diverse multi-cultural cast to create an atmosphere that perfectly captures what the Grae lifestyle is all about. The idea was to have well-dressed urban young professionals in natural and relaxed settings interacting with each other while trying to not have everything feel generic. The client indicated that their corporate color of choice was purple; this would become the color accent we tried to use whenever possible, in clothing, accessories and props.

Execution:
The first step was setting up multiple casting calls to find the right balance and mixture of people that represented the Grae lifestyle. The locations would play an equally important role in setting the tone and mood for the shoot. With the aid of the client we where able to secure a trendy men’s clothing boutique and a open space loft that also allowed us rooftop access. Orchestrating the eight hour shoot that comprised of nine different setups using a total of ten models was no easy task but allowed us a wide range of options for use on the final website.

Result:
The Grae Enterprises site would launch to much fanfare and the images would grace not only the main site but subsequent marketing and advertising materials.

Credits:
Art Direction & Photography: Ridwan Adhami
Graphic Design: William Pope
Web Development: Cameron Moore
Branding Design: Edward Ofori
Makeup Artist: Admin
Hair Stylist: Katherine Zaleski
Photo Assistant: Tolga Kavut

Website:
www.graeenterprises.com

Illume Media

Project:
Cover and feature photography, video advertisement and magazine redesign for west coast based Illume Magazine’s re-launch.

Challenge:
Take a local magazine and redesign their image to allow them to compete on a national level.

Concept:
The first phase of the Illume magazine makeover would take place on the covers. Commissioned to conceive and photograph imagery for their 911 Anniversary issue dealing with Muslims in America, the idea was to show the duality of the identity of these people being both whole heartily Muslim as well as totally American. This image as well as the following issues cover dealing with the fear of Islam in the media would be the beginning of the transformation of Illume Magazine. These images and the subsequent promotional video generated enough interest in investors to allow for Illume to move forward with a complete re-design of the magazine. The basis and inspiration for the new Illume would come from the industry leading design and photography found in the pages of Esquire magazine and other leading publications. The goal was to allow Illume to position itself as a modern and relevant news and culture magazine that would give its readers an honest and unbiased view of their lives and the world around them.



Execution:
The cover photography had to be conceived and executed with the tight budget constraints in mind, but not allowing those limitations to prohibit the imagery from being able to contend with major national magazines. The next part of the Illume redesign was the production of a :30 second advertising spot that would run on local television and across the internet. This spot would include actual reader quotes with the striking cover imagery of past issues to a custom soundtrack. The actual redesign of the printed magazine began with the setting of color and typographical standards that would be carried throughout the subsequent issues. Additional standards for supplementary elements such as the news section, pull quotes, and columns were established to allow for easy plug in layout of later issues. Feature article design was built from the ground up for each individual piece to maximize emphasis.

Result:
The new Illume Magazine launched with great success to a significant increase in readership and subscriptions.

Credits:
Art Director: Ridwan Adhami
Assistant Art Director: William Pope
Additional Design: Cameron Moore
Cover Photography: Ridwan Adhami
Photo Assistants: Elsie Aldahondo & April Pabon
Models: Munira Ahmed & Aden Hakimi

Deen Intensive Foundation

Project:
Create package materials and advertising for annual spiritual journey to various cities around the world entitled “Rihla”.

Challenge:
Maintain the clean and classic style of the Deen Intensive Foundation while creating the entire print collateral for their trip.

Concept:
Using still photography of the historic places found along this trip and simple clean design to set an aesthetic of class and academic excellence for the printed materials.

Execution:
The first phase of this project was to create an advertisement using primarily featuring motion graphics and still photography of past events to entice customers to sign up for the journey. The next phase was creating a site guidebook that would feature the details of the locations and places they would be visiting. The final element of the package would be a 172-page workbook and course guide for the learning material that would be taught along the journey. All three of these elements would utilize a standardized look and feel to create uniformity throughout the entire package.

Result:
The Rihla trip would take over 200 people on this voyage and plans on growing next year due to this year’s success.

Website:
www.deen-intensive.com/Rihla2008

Secret Society Inc.

Project:
Concept development, art direction and photography of the Fall 2008 Secret Society “Think Different” line.

Challenge:
Take five different t-shirt designs and develop a series of images that would portray the concepts, themes and story behind each design to force the viewers to stop and absorb the messages found deep within.

Concept:
The overall concept and direction of the fall line was to think different, and the images compiled for the look-book would have to force the audience to do the same. Each of the shirts had its own theme that fit into the idea of thinking different not only for what an “urban street wear” line is, but as society at large.

Shown on the adjacent page is the “Puppet Master” shirt design and final photos. The Puppet Master” idea was to expose those who are followers in the street wear fashion scene, they are essentially puppets and the Secret Society are the ones who control these puppets. These images made illustration into reality, having the puppeteer animate these kids at his whim.

The shirt on the next spread had the text “The One’s That Matter Don’t Care, The Ones That Care Don’t Matter” inscribed on the front, and its corresponding imagery features an angelic like young woman basically tossed aside. Seeing such a precious character in a harsh environment as a contrast to her appearance causing her to be emotionless and empty.

The next concepts featured pages 22 and 23 are “Corruption” and the lead “Think Different” shirt both include strong male models boldly displaying the themes inherent in this season’s line. The “Corruption” shirt artwork references the 19th century art nouveau painting “Medicine” by Gustav Klimt, instead here showing lady Liberty being taken advantage of by the forces of governmental corruption. Our hero stands up to the corruption defiantly yearning to expose the truth.



The final shirt and concept featured here is the “Think Different” shirt featuring a folded twenty dollar bill that displays what appears to be the World Trade Center in flames. We have our own twin towers wearing the shirts standing in the actual location of ground zero. All these thoughts fit together to convey the ideology that the Secret Society line stand for, individuality, honor, and the search for truth.

Execution:
Casting was essential in finding the right characters to fill the roles we had established for the Think Different series. A flawlessly faced girl was needed to show the hypocrisy in our culture in the “Don’t Matter” shirt, a type of person not normally associated with despair and hardship. We used strong dominant male characters of various racial backgrounds to expand on what is thought as the standard urban wear models. The grueling 15-hour shoot would require extensive planning and coordination to execute the five distinct setups and scenes. Locations ranged from the World Trade Center to SOHO Manhattan to the Secret Society store front in Queens. Preparation and work would begin on the next setup while photography was being conducted on the previous one. Using all tricks at our disposal, from skillful makeup to take an angel from pure to filthy to colored lighting and gels for mood and atmosphere, all used to achieve the most eye-catching imagery possible.

Result:
The final photography and look-book distributed digitally and in printed hardcover form, would show the direction the Secret Society line is moving in and allow them to garner the highest sales in the last five years.

Additional Credits:
Shirt Design and Illustration: Fernando Leon
Concept, Art Direction & Photography: Ridwan Adhami
Makeup Artist: Cathrine Solomon
Wardrobe Stylist: Leo Velasquez
Photo Assistants: Lauren Gottschalk & Chris Esposito

Website:
www.secretsocietynyc.com

Amal Press

Project:
Concept development and photography of book cover and sleeve for the Amal Press book “The State We Are In: Identity, Terror and the Law of Jihad”

Challenge:
Creating an eye catching and potentially controversial image to serve as a book cover which touches on an extremely sensitive subject.

Concept:
A young Muslim man in his 20’s stands solemnly wearing a traditional hat and a dress jacket. In his left hand he clutches a British flag and with the other hand he slightly opens his jacket. Upon opening the jacket he reveals a “bomb” strapped to his chest. His head is lowered and there is pain on his face, the angst of having to choose one or the other, his anger and rage or the country he was born and raised in. The “bomb” that is strapped to his chest would be constructed from newspapers rolled up to resemble TNT sticks representing the dangers of the media and the risks that their words carry.

Execution:
The “bomb” was constructed based on photo reference of what actual terrorist bombers vests look like. Printing real headlines on newsprint paper and rolling them into dynamite sticks then using electrical tape to bond them together along with various wires and electrical boards to create something that had an authentic homemade feel. The model was cast to have the classic Hollywood stereotype look of what is defined as a terrorist. Shooting was conducted in a studio environment with dramatic lighting on a black background to draw the viewer’s attention to the areas we wanted to highlight.

Result:
These images would not only appear on the internationally sold book, but also be displayed in a number of art shows and galleries dealing with terrorism and Islamic identity.

Additional Credits:
Concept, Art Direction, Photography: Ridwan Adhami
Photo Assistant: Fernando Leon
Design & Layout: Partners in Print
Model: Waseem Khawaja

Website:
www.amalpress.com

Mo Amer

Project:
Concept development, art direction and photography of marketing materials for comedian Mo Amer’s one man show “Legally Homeless: Trails of a Palestinian Comedian”

Challenge:
Tread a dangerously thin line between satire and serious with images that forces the viewer to think deeply about how they feel about this subject.

Concept:
After working with Mo Amer on an earlier shoot and striking a good rapport, I received a phone call asking what I thought of his next project. He said two words, LEGALLY and HOMELESS, and followed it by saying we want to take it as far as possible. The first thing that came to mind was to make him an actual homeless person in New York City and capture this lifestyle, but if we wanted to go that route we would have to make it as authentic as possible. This meant an entire transformation for Mo into a homeless person, both mentally and physically. As a former Palestinian refugee getting Mo into the right mind set was a given as he had already lived through a similar trauma.

Execution:
A month before the actual shoot Mo Amer stopped shaving and cutting his nails and hair. This was the first part of the makeover. The second stage was to purchase the correct attire from local thrift shops and donation centers. The color palette for the clothing had to be earth toned and subdued to underscore his despair. Dressing Mo and then weathering him and the clothing with muddy water and dirt to achieve the right level of distress. We would have Mo sit and lay in some of the dingiest and dirtiest parts of New York as passers by walked on with their regular lives capturing the images in a gritty documentary style.

Result:
Mo Amer is set to launch the website and full marketing campaign for the show in the fall of 2008.

Additional Credits:
Photo Assistants: Lauren Gottschalk & Kristin Tsafos

Website:
www.legallyhomeless.com