Young artist employs graphic design as medium to spread message of peace

AMMAN — It never ceases to amaze the world how much the art of graphic design can change people’s perspective of world issues through highlighting the injustice and the beauty around us by combining pictures, symbols and unwritten words, believes Sara Abdulnasser Jaber, a young artist.

“In all honesty, what gets me eagerly going is trying to make a difference in this world, even though I am portraying painful issues— but I want people to be aware of them,” she told The Jordan Times on Saturday.

Jaber, who is 24 years old and studied architecture at Philadelphia University in Amman, said that she took a course in graphic design that led her to teach Photoshop to others while she was a student, and eventually to become a graphic designer.

She started connecting graphic design with her surroundings after she realised that the world, now with its “rapid evolution”, is more interested in watching rather than reading, adding that her art has other dimensions, which speak out “strongly” without any words.

Jaber expressed her belief that art is a key ingredient in spreading peace, so in her decorative arts she combines symbols, lines, pictures and colours that connect to tell a story.

One of her major designs, she said, was a graphic she created of an enthusiastic young Palestinian girl, Israa Gharib, whose life was cut short because of her own family, noting that this piece has been the cornerstone of her career.

“I am proud that I was one of the reasons that helped the story of Gharib reach people all around the world,” she said.

“The yellow dress that Gharib is wearing expresses her beautiful soul that has been taken away, the background is the hospital where she spent her last days, the black smoke is her family who murdered her,” Jaber explained, referring to the graphic.

The large Arab and global reaction to Israa’s graphic surprised her, she said, and sent her off “with excitement” to start making a difference by introducing the world to other stories, such as Balqees Bani Hani’s story of her fight against cancer and a burning Amazon picture.

“I never believed that perseverance would pay off that much, so my advice for the youth is to invest in what they love, because maybe these few moments that they invested everyday would turn out to be their assets.”