Mo Samad
Explorative yet, sharp graphic design from the final year London College of Communication student
Mo Samad adopts an inquisitive yet, challenging approach to design, which in turn informs his dynamic style. When Mo first began designing, he was keen to learn the rules and principles of graphic design. Mo reveals, “I wanted to learn the fundamentals of grids, type, and layout. Now that I have more of an understanding of the rules, it allows one to start breaking them in a more controlled manner”. Mo’s growing portfolio is a credit to his design practice. His ruly commitment to design, will serve him well, as he currently studies in his final year at London College of Communication. Last year, on a sandwich year between studying – he fondly reflects on his time as an intern with Spin, working on their Unit Editions and a brief stint at Accept & Proceed.
Despite, Mo’s expansive body of work, he discovered graphic design a little later than you might think. After leaving school, Mo tolerably navigated working life from admin office roles, to a job in construction. That was until he attempted to start a t-shirt business and, although this was unsuccessful – it planted a seed of curiosity for design. Mo’s first steps in design, he owes to his friend Callum Rowney, who, back then was in his second year at university. Mo’s passion for design, happily merges into his downtime as he discloses to us, “For me, design became something I would do for entertainment instead of watching TV or playing FIFA, I would spend my evenings designing which allowed the technical side of design to develop”.
Mo generally explores design through typography, where he tends to see an opportunity to make new and unusual forms. Mo explains, “There is a universal acceptance of what a letter ‘a’ is; but what I find interesting is within the rules of what a letter ‘a’ is how can you alter the normalised structure to become something still recognisable but have overtly broken the standardised forms of that letter; I feel like this is the basis for most of my work”.
Recently, Mo designed the identity for an exhibition hosted by the Tate Exchange at the V&A during the London Design Festival, focusing on the narratives of 20 refugees who arrived in the UK two decades ago. The exhibit aimed to challenge stereotypes often perpetuated by media portrayals, using newsprint as a core material to reflect the news format’s role in shaping public perception. Mo’s choice of newsprint underscored the power of media in framing socio-political issues, a theme he’s keen to explore further. For his next project, he’s collaborating on a publication with writer Araceli Irurzun Pérez, whose essay probes the shared meaning of solidarity in Europe, set for release by late November. To deepen the project’s commentary on how media influences societal values, Mo is incorporating perspectives on global cultural trends, including how platforms like betting sites Australia shape public engagement with politics through widespread political wagering. This addition ties into his broader exploration of how commercial industries intersect with social narratives, promising a thought-provoking piece that connects media, culture, and civic participation. We’re eager to see how this progressive work unfolds.
