Interview about Color Rhythms Music Festival Identity, winner of the A' Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design Award 2025
The visual identity of the Abd Al Qadir Maraghi Music Festival bridges tradition and modernity. Inspired by the rhythmic patterns of historic brickwork in Maragheh's architecture, particularly the Red Dome, the design honors a millennium of heritage. Typography, influenced by Kufic inscriptions, reflects the region's legacy. Illustrations of musicians' hands playing traditional instruments emphasize the fusion of history and rhythm. The logo embodies cultural preservation while embracing a modern visual approach.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsIn developing the visual identity for the Color Rhythms Music Festival, I drew significant inspiration from the intricate brickwork patterns found in Iran’s historic architecture, particularly those featured in the Red Dome of Maragheh. These patterns—especially from the Seljuk era—demonstrate a remarkably advanced use of positive and negative space, a profound geometric logic, and a highly calculated relationship between form, material, and ornamentation. This approach to architectural composition reflects not only technical precision but also a deep sensitivity to aesthetic harmony and rhythm.What fascinated me most about the Red Dome was its ability to communicate through a highly expressive and intelligible visual language. The formal clarity of its patterns makes them highly adaptable to modern visual systems. My goal was to extract this timeless logic and reinterpret it within a contemporary design context, without losing its cultural essence.To achieve this, I applied a minimalist approach by simplifying complex ornamental details and focusing on the underlying structures. I carefully preserved the rhythm and motion embedded in the original brickwork and tile compositions—qualities that intriguingly align with the essence of music. This rhythmic continuity between architecture and sound became the core conceptual bridge in the project.Ultimately, I aimed to create a visual identity that functions as a cultural dialogue between historical memory and modern expression. By merging the geometric discipline of Seljuk brick architecture with the energy of music and contemporary aesthetics, the identity for Color Rhythms honors its origins while offering a globally accessible and forward-looking design.
In the Color Rhythms Music Festival Identity, I intentionally chose to highlight the hands of musicians rather than depicting their full figures. This decision was deeply rooted in the belief that hands are the most essential and expressive agents in the act of making music—particularly in traditional music, where the nuance of touch, rhythm, and gesture plays a critical role in shaping sound and meaning.Hands are not merely technical tools; they are the visible interface between the musician’s inner ideas and the external world. They embody motion, structure, and harmony. By focusing on the hands, I aimed to strip away individual identity markers such as faces or clothing, and instead emphasize the universal language of musical creation. The hands become symbolic—not of any one person—but of the act of music-making itself.In terms of visual execution, I deliberately pursued a handcrafted aesthetic in the illustrations. I avoided highly polished or overly digital renderings in favor of a more raw, tactile, and human quality. This visual approach resonates more deeply with the emotional and sensory nature of traditional music, which is often intimate, analog, and deeply personal. The illustrations are meant to feel “performed” in the same way the music is—organic, imperfect, and alive.Ultimately, this choice allowed the visual identity to forge a more authentic connection to the spirit of the festival’s musical heritage, while also inviting viewers to engage with the imagery on a more emotional and intuitive level.
My research process for designing the visual identity of the Color Rhythms Music Festival involved extensive fieldwork and in-depth interviews with experts in both music and traditional architecture. Throughout this journey, I made several unexpected and profound discoveries about Abd al-Qadir Maraghi and the architectural heritage of Maragheh, which significantly shaped my final design decisions.Abd al-Qadir Maraghi, often called the “Miracle of Eastern Music,” was a multifaceted genius—not only a masterful musician but also a poet, mathematician, philosopher, and theologian. His comprehensive mastery of Iranian and Eastern musical modes was remarkable. What truly sets his music apart is his innovative approach to composition: for each instrument, he wrote a distinct melody that, while independent, harmonized perfectly with the others in ensemble performance. This balance between individual musical lines and their integration into the whole created a rich and dynamic polyphony that was ahead of its time.Another striking feature of Maraghi’s music is its dense rhythm and highly intricate percussive patterns. These rhythmic complexities were thoughtfully aligned with the emotional depth and narrative of the music. The pieces attributed to him, as reconstructed by great Iranian maestros like Farhad Fakhreddini and Mohammad-Reza Darvishi, and performed by singers such as Homayoun Shajarian, are renowned for their technical difficulty and expressive depth. Despite the challenges inherent in performing his works, the result is an extraordinary beauty and sophistication.During my field studies, I found a fascinating parallel between these musical characteristics and the traditional architecture of Maragheh—particularly its brick domes. The rhythmic movement, curved forms, and detailed brickwork of the dome’s columns are not only unique in Iran but also rare worldwide. Much like Maraghi’s music, where each instrument’s melody maintains its own identity while contributing to a cohesive whole, every architectural element in these domes exhibits its own rhythm and form, yet integrates harmoniously with the overall structure. This interplay of rhythm and pattern in the brickwork deeply resonated with me, especially since I have been fascinated by these combinations since childhood.With careful study of architectural texts, hands-on examination of brick patterns, and conversations with specialists in traditional architecture and music, I realized that my design had to be equally special. The visual identity and especially the poster needed to convey a modern, minimalist aesthetic while simultaneously honoring the rich heritage and singular beauty of the region. To achieve this, I drew inspiration from the striking rhythmic patterns in Maraghi’s music—the pulsating beats that guide the listener’s ear and create spatial dimensions within the sound. These musical rhythms became a guiding metaphor for directing the viewer’s gaze and interpreting the visual narrative.Ultimately, the intricate rhythms of Abd al-Qadir Maraghi’s music and their architectural reflections in Maragheh’s heritage became foundational to the identity I created. This approach allowed me to craft a visual language that is both contemporary and deeply rooted in cultural history, bridging music and architecture into a cohesive, expressive design that invites interpretation and appreciation.
In designing the typography for the poster and visual identity of the Color Rhythms Music Festival, I based my work primarily on the Kufic Banai script found in the Red Dome of Maragheh. This historical calligraphic style carries a rich cultural and artistic heritage, and preserving its essence was essential.However, I intentionally made very minimal modifications to the letterforms to prioritize readability. For me, effective communication with the audience was more important than maintaining all the intricate complexities or decorative details. At the same time, I made sure to keep a strong reference to the authenticity of the brickwork architecture and the Kufic Banai script.I paid special attention to the broad baseline of the letters, which is one of the defining characteristics of Kufic script and plays a key role in maintaining visual identity and a sense of authenticity. I also carefully considered the spacing between the strokes and the white space around the letters to preserve balance and harmony, ensuring the script remained true to its original character while being clear and legible for contemporary viewers.This approach allowed me to create a blend of tradition and modernity—a typeface that, while deeply rooted in historical and cultural origins, functions effectively in a modern graphic context. As a result, the festival’s typography is not only a strong visual symbol but also establishes a meaningful connection between music, architecture, and the region’s culture.
Eastern arts have always been deeply interconnected—literature, painting and illustration, miniature painting, calligraphy, poetry, and architecture. If you study Iranian architecture, you will find that poetry, calligraphy, ornamentation, illumination, and miniature painting hold as much importance as the structure itself. On top of that, color is another essential element that carries profound symbolic meaning in Eastern traditions.In this cultural context, colors are not used merely for decorative purposes but are deeply aligned with meaning. Gold, for example, symbolizes the sun (shams) and paradise, carrying connotations of divinity and grandeur. Lapis lazuli blue has historically represented pride, the heavens, and nobility—its use is always associated with a sense of majesty beyond mere functionality.Turquoise holds a sacred and authentic place in Iranian tradition; it is considered one of the most revered and unrivaled colors. This is why, in the design, I chose to depict hands in turquoise, emphasizing purity and sanctity. Gold was applied to the typography and text to convey the necessary dignity and elegance to the written elements, allowing the audience to feel the richness and importance of the messages.Crimson red, although used sparingly, is highly impactful. Eastern music, by nature, is rarely heroic; rather, it is deeply meaningful and spiritual, serving thoughtful reflection and contemplation. Therefore, in the overall composition, I aimed to prioritize a sense of security, calmness, and solemnity.Together, this carefully selected color palette bridges the festival’s cultural roots and its contemporary identity. It evokes a timeless connection to Iranian miniature painting traditions while communicating a modern, refined aesthetic that resonates with today’s audience.
Maintaining visual consistency while adapting the Color Rhythms Music Festival identity across diverse formats and scales—from standard posters to large-scale billboards and stage backdrops—posed a significant challenge that required both thorough research and nuanced design strategies. To truly understand the environmental context where these graphics would live, I undertook a detailed site visit to Maragheh. This fieldwork was essential for grasping how the festival’s visual elements could interact with the unique architecture, colors, and ambient light of the locations. It was clear that the design needed to assert itself strongly without overwhelming or disappearing into the surroundings.One of the main technical challenges was ensuring that the core identity elements—particularly the Kufic-inspired typography and the iconic hand motifs—remained recognizable and consistent, regardless of scale. However, other design components such as the depiction of musical instruments, ornamental details, and color accents were thoughtfully adjusted for each format to maintain both legibility and visual harmony. For instance, turquoise or brick-red bands were sometimes introduced into the palette to echo the texture and color of local brickwork and architectural features. This helped anchor the design in its place while creating a seamless dialogue between the visual identity and its physical context.Given the different viewing distances and environments, I applied fundamental principles of environmental graphic design. Posters viewed at close range required intricate detail and typographic clarity, while billboards and stage backdrops—often seen from afar—called for bolder, simplified compositions with strong contrasts to communicate quickly and effectively. The layout’s rhythmic visual patterns, inspired by the complex, layered rhythms of Abd al-Qadir Maraghi’s music, were employed to guide the viewer’s eye and establish a dynamic hierarchy. This rhythmic approach mirrors the musical inspiration and reinforces the festival’s cultural narrative.From a production standpoint, maintaining consistent color fidelity and print quality across different materials and sizes was crucial. This demanded rigorous control over color profiles, vector scalability, and material-specific adjustments to ensure that the vibrancy and sophistication of the visual identity translated seamlessly across media.Ultimately, this project was a delicate balance of honoring the rich cultural and architectural heritage of Maragheh while meeting the practical demands of modern, large-scale environmental graphics. The resulting identity is both deeply rooted in tradition and adaptable to contemporary presentation, achieving a striking presence that resonates powerfully across all formats and settings.
In designing the logo for the Color Rhythms Music Festival, I have always tried to avoid a strictly academic and rigid approach. In my view, design, while needing to be precise and systematic in solving problems and meeting audience needs, must also be rich in creativity, innovation, and forward-thinking. It should function beyond a static object in the user’s lived experience — enabling transformation and dynamic interaction between the individual and the environment, even within seemingly classical systems.For this logo, I aimed to ingeniously combine the form of the number two, symbolizing the festival’s second edition, with an image of a hand playing the daf drum. This dual symbolism serves two simultaneous purposes: first, emphasizing the identity of the number two as a key element for the festival’s second iteration; second, highlighting music as the festival’s core essence.This represents a harmony and fusion between form and content, where the shape of the number two organically integrates with the hand of the daf player. This allows the audience not only to quickly and simply recognize the logo but also to engage in a deeper discovery that encompasses both formal and functional, conceptual layers. Such a multilayered form is highly regarded in contemporary design for its ability to offer multiple interpretations and allow future development.Technically, this integration demanded careful attention to visual balance, rhythm, and the interplay of positive and negative spaces. It was essential that the logo evoke both the number two and the daf while remaining legible, memorable, aesthetically pleasing, and impactful. Moreover, it needed to perform well across various scales and contexts—from small posters to large billboards—without losing its meaning.Furthermore, this type of design functions as a multifaceted symbol capable of adaptation and expansion. It can be reinterpreted in diverse ways in the future, enabling other artists and designers to preserve its core essence while adding new layers of meaning.This approach actively engages the audience with the design, transforming the logo from a mere mark into an integral part of the festival’s visual culture and semantic process. Such design is especially vital for cultural and artistic projects rooted in historical and social contexts.In previous interviews and critiques regarding this logo and the award it has received, I have emphasized that this project exemplifies the precise fusion of tradition and modernity, functionality and aesthetics, meaning and form, and has gained international recognition.Ultimately, this logo not only signifies the festival’s second edition but also acts as a bridge between past and present, tradition and innovation, and between the audience and the design itself. This was my primary objective in creating it.
As a graphic designer with nearly three decades of professional experience, primarily focused on cultural graphic design, my work has consistently intersected with music, poetry, literature, and the arts. Over the years, I have designed more than a thousand book covers dedicated to literature and poetry, alongside numerous posters and visual materials for concerts and music albums. Additionally, I have been involved in academia for almost thirty years, teaching graphic design at universities and higher education institutions, mentoring a large number of students, supervising many theses, and actively engaging in research and scholarly work.This extensive background has given me a profound understanding of both classical and modern design languages. I deeply appreciate how classical forms carry a distinct, authentic, and impactful tone and language, deeply rooted in cultural heritage. At the same time, I recognize how modernity can meaningfully and healthily draw from this rich past, creating a dialogue between tradition and contemporary sensibilities. This fusion is crucial to engage younger audiences who seek modern aesthetics, relevant visual languages, and contemporary experiences, while simultaneously connecting them to a rich cultural heritage that informs and enriches their understanding.In designing the Color Rhythms Music Festival Identity, I consciously balanced these two poles—preserving the authenticity and profound symbolism of traditional Iranian and Eastern visual elements while implementing contemporary design principles such as minimalism, clarity, and scalability across multiple media. This approach ensured that the visual language could resonate with older generations who value cultural continuity and heritage, as well as with younger, more cosmopolitan audiences who appreciate innovation and fresh, modern aesthetics.The fusion was not merely aesthetic; it was conceptual and strategic. By integrating elements such as Kufic-inspired typography, color palettes rooted in Iranian miniature painting traditions, and rhythmic visual motifs inspired by musical structures, the design speaks a culturally rich language. Simultaneously, through clean compositions, thoughtful spatial arrangements, and adaptable scaling, it addresses the practical needs and visual preferences of today’s diverse audience.Moreover, my academic experience and research informed how this design would function as a living system—allowing flexibility and interpretative openness, inviting continuous exploration and dialogue between past and present. This helped create a meaningful bridge where visual identity acts not just as a static logo or poster but as a cultural narrative that evolves with its audience.In short, my goal was to craft a visual identity that is at once a tribute to tradition and a beacon of modern design, ensuring inclusivity and relevance across generational and cultural lines. This synthesis reflects my broader philosophy that design, while rooted in function and problem-solving, must also be creative, evocative, and transformative—empowering audiences to connect deeply with cultural memory while embracing contemporary life and innovation.
As a designer deeply engaged in cultural graphics for nearly three decades, I believe environmental design requires both sensitivity and precision. For the Color Rhythms Music Festival, I faced the crucial challenge of ensuring that the identity not only stood out visually in the urban landscape of Maragheh but also harmonized with the architectural and historical soul of the city. Before even beginning the design process, I traveled to Maragheh to carefully study the festival venues and the surrounding urban spaces. I explored how the posters, banners, billboards, and other visual materials would behave within those environments—not just as visual stimuli, but as meaningful cultural elements.One of my key strategies was to study the color and material palette of the city itself. Maragheh is steeped in traditional architecture, especially the brickwork and turquoise tiles of its monuments such as the Red Dome (Gonbad-e Sorkh). To create resonance with this context, I integrated colors like lapis lazuli, gold, verdigris, and brick red into the identity system. These hues weren’t chosen merely for aesthetic appeal; they hold symbolic significance in Persian visual heritage and align naturally with the built environment.When scaling designs for different formats—from intimate posters to massive 6×4 meter billboards—I maintained a consistent visual core, especially the typography based on Kufic Maqeli calligraphy and the motif of hands playing traditional instruments. However, I adjusted compositions and peripheral elements to respond to the specific challenges of environmental scale and visibility. For instance, I expanded background fields or added bands of turquoise or brick tone to create visual continuity with their architectural surroundings.My goal was to make the design system flexible and site-responsive without compromising its visual identity. Each placement—whether a billboard by a brick façade or a banner in a park—was treated almost like a micro-exhibition. The design needed to assert its presence without overwhelming its context.This approach reflects my long-standing belief that environmental graphic design is not just about visibility, but about site integration and cultural continuity. By allowing the identity to “speak the visual language” of Maragheh’s architecture, it became part of the city’s cultural narrative rather than an outsider’s intervention. This was essential not just for aesthetic success, but for the festival’s ability to truly belong to its place and people.
My response is that the design system created for the "Rhythms of Color" festival is not merely a graphic project but a dynamic and living cultural language. From the very beginning, one of my main goals was that this visual identity should not be limited to a single edition but should have the capacity for continuity, reinvention, and expansion in the years to come. For this reason, in designing this system, I drew on historical sources, urban textures, and symbolic elements of Maragheh — a city whose architectural richness and colors, from the Red Dome and turquoise tiles to the ancient brick pavements, hold a vast heritage within them.One of my key approaches was a deep study of Maragheh’s color palette and materiality. Colors such as lapis lazuli blue, gold, verdigris green, and brick red are not only visually striking but also carry symbolic meanings in Iranian visual culture. These colors harmonize perfectly with the city’s physical and historical environment, while also having the potential to be reinterpreted in future editions, depending on the theme and tone of each festival cycle.However, I must emphasize that this path will not be easy for the designers of future editions. I believe their work will be even more challenging, as they too will need to strike a meaningful and precise balance between two opposing poles — authenticity and innovation, tradition and modernity — just as I tried to do. They will have to study the historical legacy, indigenous architecture, traditional forms, and cultural signs with equal care, while at the same time advancing these concepts with today’s language and modern design tools. Finding such an intersection is not easy but is essential.Despite its difficulty, I am confident this is a path that has been opened and must continue. Because this approach not only addresses the cultural and emotional sensitivities of the people but also has a solid academic and scientific foundation. The design employed is based on principles of color semantics, Islamic-Iranian formal studies, and audience psychology, establishing a standard whose continuation is both a responsibility and an opportunity.Ultimately, what I have created is not just a visual identity system but a platform for connecting cultural memory with contemporary life — a platform that future designers can develop, reinvent, and express in their own voice with fidelity to its spirit — without losing this language’s bond with the land, the people, and the history of Maragheh.
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