
Digital design is expanding to become an entity sailing its own course in parallel to graphic design and other disciplines. Designing for digital forced new alliances between designers, developers and a new breed of contributors called user experience / user interface designers. Ux.Vd.Dev. digital design symposium tends to examine and analyze closely the process of work executed today in the digital sphere by hosting three experts in their respective fields.
The International University of Beirut
Beirut Campus – Amphitheater Block D
18.12.2017 / 11:00
Admission to the Ux.Vd.Dev. digital design symposium is free of charge and by registration only. Please signup in order to secure your seat.

Jimmy Elias
Senior Experience Designer at SapientRazorfish
Jimmy Elias obtained a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design from Notre Dame University (NDU) in Lebanon. He subsequently started working as a visual communication freelancer with local and international clients. In 2005, he co-founded ‘nimslabs’, a visual communication freelance studio. Alongside freelancing, he worked as an art director with SNP, an advertising company in Dubai.
He was an instructor and juror at the Lebanese International University (LIU) in Beirut from 2007 until 2010. Moreover, and in parallel to teaching, he worked with the global advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi in its digital department from 2009 until 2010.
Jimmy Elias completed his self-initiated research project: ‘Mapping City Perceptions’ (2010-2012) and obtained his Master’s degree in Integrated Design at the Köln International School of Design (KISD) in the Cologne University of Applied Sciences (CUAS) in Germany.
From 2013 to 2016, he worked as a Senior UX Designer at ‘Demodern’ Digital Agency, working with clients such as Nike, Sparkasse Bank and Mazda Motor Europe. In 2017 Jimmy switched to “SapientRazorfish”, a digital consultancy agency, as a Senior Experience Designer producing digital solutions for clients such as EnBW, DHL and McDonald’s.

Jozé Kabalan
Head of Digital Design at Born Interactive
Born in Beirut, Jozé Kabalan has worked and studied in Lebanon and London. She holds a BA in Graphic Design with honours from the Lebanese American University (2003); and a Masters of Arts in Design for Interactive Media from Middlesex University in London (2007).
Fluent in the English, French and Arabic languages, Jozé’s scope of work covers all kinds of visual communication: Web design, UX, UI, branding and print literature. Her journey started at LOWE Pimo advertising agency (part of LOWE worldwide) in Lebanon from 2003 till 2006 where she worked on many multinational budgets and international brands such as Johnson and Johnson, Samsung, Fair & lovely, Nautica, First National Bank and Crown Plaza Hotel.
She then moved to London to pursue a Masters degree in Interactive Design and then started work at Box New Media, a web design agency in London in 2007, then at GyroHSR in 2008, with clients like Virgin Atlantic, T-Mobile, HP, and London Business School under her belt. Later she started freelancing as a senior digital designer and have worked with some of the most reputable agencies in the UK such as Chemistry Group, How Splendid, Poke, Candi and Proximity.
She then moved back to Beirut (since 2010) and currently hold the position of head of digital design at Born Interactive, one of the top 5 digital agencies in Lebanon. She deals with clients such as Bank Audi, SITA (Transport Communications And Information Technology), Middle East Airlines, Blom Bank, Bupa insurance, Virgin Megastore (KSA and Beirut), Rudaw (online newspaper in Irak), Al Jadeed TV, Sohati (arabic web portal for health and medical care), Kidzmondo (theme park), Stars of Science (TV show), ESA university, United Nations (Lebanon), and many more.

Paul Jazzar
Managing Partner at Looya
Hacker entrepreneur, Paul first experienced the power of bits whispering at age 8. Building software driven companies has since then become an integral part of his identity.
Between building his first commercial product at age 16, and co-founding his latest startup 3 months ago, Paul built and sold two tech businesses, and is currently on the board of three tech startups.

The workshop serves as an introduction to User-Experience (UX) discipline. It aims to cultivate designers mindset and expand their design skills through the UX-lens – inevitably the key for a successful interactive project.
The fast-paced workshop mainly answers three questions. First, what is user-experience design and how it is intertwined with psychology, usability, design, copywriting and analysis. Second, what is a user-centric approach and how should we understand the user. Third, what is information architecture and how does it lead to a functional concept then layout Design.
Thought the three hours workshop, participants will be exposed to the process of designing a digital experience through short lectures and a series of hands-on activities and exercises. Participants will learn UX methods on how to approach various digital design project.
The International University of Beirut
Beirut Campus
22.12.2017 / 9:00
Admission to the Ux. Fundamentals of User-Experience workshop digital design is free of charge and by registration only. Please signup in order to secure your seat.
This workshop is organized by The Institute of Visual Communication (IVC)
led by Mr. Jimmy Elias / Senior Experience Designer at SapientRazorfish Germany
