In high school, Abdul Kenani, ’17, began designing logos.
鈥淚t was something I loved to do. I guess you鈥檇 call it a hobby,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hen I started creating logos for friends and start-ups, but still didn鈥檛 think I could make a living at it.鈥�
Today, Kenani hopes to turn that love into a career thanks to his BFA degree from 91制片厂鈥檚 graphic design program. Capping off his last year at Maryville with two prestigious international awards for his designs should also help.
Kenani grew up in Saudi Arabia and came to the U.S. after high school in 2010, spending his first two years learning the English language. He then attended college in Pennsylvania to study marketing, only to discover it wasn鈥檛 what he wanted to do. He pursued his passion and found Maryville in 2015.
He thrived on challenges, says one instructor who recalled a time when Kenani鈥檚 design, a class assignment, was not selected by a client.
鈥淚t was a beautiful, geometric work that had so much movement,鈥� says Caren Schlossberg-Wood, instructor in graphic design. 鈥淚t was very professional. But he wasn鈥檛 going to take no for an answer. I encouraged him and he kept going back, working and reworking.鈥�
His tenacity paid off. That logo was one of two selected for , a publication that showcases expert identity work by notable designers and up-and-coming talents from around the world. His were among 2,500 designs chosen from more than 37,000.
Kenani鈥檚 second award this year was a gold designation from Graphis, a New York-based international publisher of books on communication design. For its annuals, Graphis selects 鈥渢he most compelling work of the year鈥� for its platinum and gold awards in graphic design, advertising, photography and art illustration.
鈥淚t is an honor to be chosen for the Graphis Logo/Letterhead9 book,鈥� says Kenani whose winning logo depicted an ancient Middle Eastern amulet symbolizing the hand of God. 鈥淭he challenge was to find the perfect visual form of the Hamsa Hand, to bring it from ancient to modern without losing the meaning.鈥�
Kenani completed his studies in December, and his freelance work keeps him busy. He鈥檚 working on landing a design job in St. Louis.