In 2016, Abouseif left Cairo for New York to attend Parsons School of Design, which he received a BFA in Communication Design. Having worked for global brands such as Samsung, Coca Cola, Ralph Lauren, and The Row, Abouseif is positioned to take his design practice and experience to even further heights as he sets his sights on becoming an art director.
Abouseif’s story starts way before he left to New York though. His true talent started to come to life during his High School years at the British International School of Cairo. The story began with his teacher Peter Jenkinson – whom Abouseif believes to be “the greatest not just as an art teacher but as a human.” Jekinson is the epitome of a proper teacher, in all the definition that this word stands for, he nurtures, develops and focuses on all the strengths of his students to ensure that he brings out all their capabilities. “He pushed me; in practice, in theory, [taught me] how to use my critical eye – and my hypercritical personality – to create meaningful work” – and for that he is forever grateful.
But the story isn’t all butterflies and rainbows, because just as Jenkinson left his positive mark in Abouseif’s path, there were other teachers who did quite the opposite and instead of empowering they belittled; which shows that you should always surround yourself with people who lift you up in life; it truly makes all the difference in how you end up leading your career path.
With the right nurturing techniques, an amateur becomes a professional. Abouseif now works as a motion designer at the multinational advertising agency - Wunderman Thompson. He takes every opportunity to merge the skills he uses in his creative practice with his client-facing work as he has always done since graduating from Parsons in 2020.
It wasn’t the easiest journey as he entered the work force in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. This meant going up against the challenges of an uncertain economy, uncommon networking opportunities, and lockdowns. Abouseif set up “virtual coffees” and exhausted every lead from his Parsons connections and beyond to hunt down any freelance opportunity he could find. “As an artist, you need to flex all your creative muscles and harness all the skills at your disposal. I have learned that the hard way when I didn’t have a steady job. At first, balancing different roles and molding my skills to each project felt really unsteady. Now, it’s my superpower.”
Ralph Lauren and Australian Open Partnership social posts, designed by Abouseif, in 2020.
Short link: