



Fadi Nadrous about:
Growing up in Damascus, Syria, I realised how important it is to question our norms and beliefs in order to bring about change in our societies.
That drove me to study graphic art, as I believe that images with a strong message can inspire change since we are visual beings.
Moving to the Netherlands, I studied a Master’s degree in social design at the University for the Arts Utrecht alongside my main job at the Dutch national daily newspaper Trouw (CV), which was the perfect place for me to create illustrations that challenge, provoke thought, and aim to drive critical thinking.
Using a blend of traditional and digital techniques, my illustrations explore scenes from fantasy worlds that represent our reality. I do that by diving into social, political, and cultural themes and visualising the story using symbolism and metaphor, inviting interpretation and introspection.
I also tend to explore the boundaries of objectivity to push the viewer outside their comfort zone and stimulate critical thinking.
When drawing a story, I search for ways to make the viewer look longer and think, rather than giving a literal scene from reality.
To do that I play with shapes and meanings. Experimenting with placing shapes outside their original contexts. And I combine that with metaphors or symbols that are universal, making them understandable for most people.
I look for the edge between what’s easy to understand and what invites the viewer to think.
With data visualisation I prioritise clarity and accuracy of the representation of information.
But I also believe that data is mostly subjective.
That is why I like to show that in my work, by making infographics illustrative, removing their serious scientific appearance.
Empathy is key to a good design
We all live in bubbles, where our world events happen.
Stepping out of that bubble is not easy but crucial for making a good design.
I think that if you can put yourself in someone else’s shoes, you can create a design that meets that person’s needs, functionally and aesthetically.
Because when you are open to replace yourself with people from different bubbles (professional fields, political or cultural bubbles) and navigate between them, you can gain new ideas by showing you the world from their perspectives.
It can also help you understand how you can have an impact on diverse social groups with your work.
That includes making illustrations. Empathy enriches the illustration by making them inclusive, representative of different parts of the society, and breaking stereotypes.
That’s why I also believe in co-creation and transdisciplinary teamwork when it comes to bigger projects where the designer works together with the client or target group.
Photo: Martijn Gijsbertsen