Studio Safar

Established in 2012, Studio Safar operates as both a design agency and a publisher, with headquarters in Beirut and Tiohtia:ke (Montreal). Evoked by its name, 'Safar,' which means 'travel' in Arabic, the studio is concerned with notions of communication across cultural and linguistic barriers. Embracing an experimental ethos, its projects span different media and design frameworks such as communication strategies, publications, visual identities, exhibitions and sets, and websites. Most of the work services the extended cultural sector, and is engaged in social and political discourse. The studio is renowned for its annual bilingual (Arabic/English) publication, Safar, a design and visual culture journal that was created to remedy the dearth of critical discourse on design in the global south and to acknowledge designers as active agents of cultural production. Furthermore, the studio is expanding its reach into publishing books that delve into the realm of design within the region.