Amal Hanafi is a multi-disciplinary creative leader across creative/art direction, architecture, brand strategy, and entrepreneurship. Although an established figure with a prestigious and full career, 2022 was the first time he sought to ‘digitalize’ himself. He believed that I could capture his personality, describe his achievements, and tell the story of his projects.
Interviews
I always adapt my process to how the client wants to work. For example, Amal was more comfortable speaking about his projects than sending over notes. This is something that I expect from a lot of my clients because they’re hiring a writer for a reason. They prefer to speak than write.
The interview sessions were long – around six individual 2-3 hour sessions throughout the project – and I practically wrote a new novel for every new session. I wanted to document every detail. Amal’s projects were so pregnant with excellent information. As he spoke to me, I was already realising dominant themes and recurring motifs connecting his upbringing, personality, philosophy, and projects.
I left each session feeling inspired to revisit my pages of notes and identify the correct details to tell Amal’s stories.
Portfolio Content
One of the first creative decisions I made was to write the portfolio in the third person but include regular sections of first-person quotes. I wrote all the text, but the decision to switch up the style is one I made for a specific reason. Amal is incredibly humble and modest and not at all boastful, and this portfolio exists to represent his digital self. Third-person text allowed me to write the objective truth of his accomplishments. At the same time, the first-person quotes inject an important personal touch. The reader feels as though Amal is in the room, sharing details and highlights from his story.
The case studies do so much more than relay the details of the project. They provide insight into Amal’s personality, approach, and philosophy. They provide his reasoning and highlight the practical value of his immense devotion to the detail in his designs.
