Practicing in his homeland of Iran, Reza Abedini is an accomplished graphic designer who continually blurs the lines between art and design. He combines simple illustrations with poetic typography and elegant layouts, exploring the beauty of the Persian language. As well as being a member of the AGI, Abedini has won many awards as well as judged and been apart of many panel discussions.

“For me, graphic design is totally art”

“For me, graphic design is totally art.” Looking at the work of Iranian graphic designer Reza Abedini this is easily an understandable comment. With a strong sense of pride in his Islamic heritage and Iranian background, Abedini wields his skills with the Persian Language in beautiful and graceful ways. With a strong passion for the history of his culture, Abedini believes that traditional art forms are dead and that “graphic design is a new art of the 20th [and] 21st century … Graphic design is a kind of phoenix”. Looking at his posters, free of the influences of the International Style, you can’t help but feel that you are looking at a piece of art as much as you are looking at a piece of graphic design — the lines of both being deliberately blurred in an effort to speak with his own voice as a director speaks with theirs when reciting a screenwriters script.

“Graphic design is a kind of phoenix”

A helping hand

As a teenager Abedini was guided into the arts by the hand of a teacher who saw a creative spark in his pupil. He requested a short story from Abedini. Finding favour with his teacher, this short story caused him to see fit to ask Abedini to assist him with various creative projects. With a way to travel into the world of creative thinking, Abedini’s knowledge of the crafts began to expand.

Abedini enjoyed this time of creative flourishing and exploration, eventually hitting a chord with brush and paint. An interest ignited when he was tasked with illustrating the set for the play his school was performing. His teacher, once again seeing something in Abedini, introduced him to graphic designers and other creatives in the area, who served as a gateway to deeper knowledge of the world of creativity, as well as Iranian and Persian cultural history.