by Cassidy Parmley, Arielle Bywater Simone, Rob Dietz
Artist Statement
The concept behind this poster for the Camden Conference’s 39th annual conference theme of “Today’s Middle East: Power, Politics & Players” was to bring together three of the primary languages of the region—Farsi, Hebrew and Arabic—inside one sun-like form to highlight both the similarities and differences inherent in the cultures there, which are themselves both obstacles that have led to severe conflict and a source of hope for eventual peace. Each of the three terms in the theme are in a different language, which were translated with the help of native speakers in the region to ensure the correct connotations. Cassidy created the initial overall look for the poster. As a reader of Hebrew with some familiarity with Arabic written forms, Arielle was then able to concept the idea for the lettering, creating a hand-drawn version and reaching out to contacts in the Middle East for assistance. Once typefaces were selected for their aesthetic value, the letter forms were then altered by hand to draw out commonalities and bring the words, languages and peoples closer together while preserving the readability of each word to readers of that language. Cassidy then used the hand-drawn version as a jumping-off point to develop the typographic design for the poster, working with the digital forms of letters he cannot read, which was an extra challenge. The altered letter forms were then digitally replicated to follow the curvature of a full circle or sun, to fit with the graphic image behind the text.
About the Artists
The design was created collaboratively by the three-member team at Pica brand studio—Rob Dietz, Creative Director; Cassidy Parmley, Lead Designer; and Arielle Bywater Simone, Editorial Director—on behalf of our nonprofit client, the Camden Conference. Rob is a graphic designer who worked for PBS’s WGBH Design Department before launching Pica in Belfast, Maine in 2000. In 2006, Rob helped establish AIGA Maine’s first chapter as Communications Director; he received a B.S. honors degree in Art with a concentration in Graphic Design from Northeastern University. Cassidy has been an award-winning designer for print, interactive and large-scale applications since 1997 and holds a B.S. in Art with a concentration in Graphic Design from Northeastern University. Arielle began her career in marketing at the American Museum of the Moving Image and The Kreisberg Group, a New York City-based firm specializing in cultural nonprofits. She holds a B.A. in literature from SUNY Purchase and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Syracuse University, and has been a professor, writer and editor for over twenty years.
