Fairfield Iraqi Women’s Group

Case Study: Fairfield Iraqi Women’s Group – research, concept, and suite of marketing materials by Jen Leheny.

This was a university project for a class called Cross-Cultural Design that I completed as part of the Bachelor of Visual Communications degree at the University of Canberra. The task was to identify and fill a need for a specific refugee cultural group within Australia, then design a suite of marketing materials for an activity that would address their pain points.

I chose Iraqi women living in Australia without their husbands, alone and without support from their community, and designed a (fictional) free weekly community group for them to attend.

The project deliverables included a logo, pull-up banner, A2 poster, A5 flyer, DL flyer, and DL trifold brochure.

I began by researching some general facts and figures about refugees in Australia – and about Iraqi refugees in particular – as well as information on Iraqi culture, language, religions, population and geography so that I could begin to understand the culture and people involved. Cultural sensitivities such as gender roles, and the importance of family and honour were also researched to provide extra detail about the people and customs of Iraq.

I hoped to use an Arabic script element as part of the branding solution but I wasn’t sure of the true meaning of the symbols I found. I reached out to somebody that I found online, Mamoun Sakkal, an Arabic type designer, calligrapher, and graphic designer from Syria, now living in the US. I emailed Mamoun for some assistance with checking translations and cultural sensitivities about graphics, and he let me know that the graphics I had found were not suitable, with some being ‘nonsense’ words, set in something only approximating real Arabic script.

In the course of our email correspondence, Mamoun very kindly offered a graphic of his for me to use in my project, shown below left. The style of calligraphy is called Square Kufic and the word is ‘Iraqiyya’ which translates to ‘Iraqi woman’. Both graphics shown below feature in the branding for this project.

I also searched the Noun Project for icons of a woman with headdress, without headdress, and a baby, and then I edited the svg files to form the logo for the Fairfield Iraqi Women’s Group.

My research showed that most of those who flee Iraq to Australia are from religions that are a minority in their own country. This leads to a large number of Christian and other religions (and lower numbers of Muslims than might be expected) among the Iraqi refugees in Australia, so the logo and branding aims to be welcoming for all Iraqi women to come together. This diversity is reflected in the finished logo with the two women and baby. Together with the solid shape of Iraq and the Pan Arab colours of red, green and black, these would all provide visual clues to Iraqi women.

I sourced these photos of Iraqi women below, ensured they were offered under a Creative Commons licence, and used them as the face of my campaign.

My research showed that Iraqi women living in Australia without their husbands are often shunned by their own community and miss out on the generational family support they might otherwise enjoy. They feel alone, are at risk for mental health issues like depression, and seek others like themselves for support and friendship.

My design solution was a free weekly group for Iraqi women, with a facilitator and free on-site community childcare to address this issue. Fairfield in Sydney’s western suburbs has a large Iraqi-born population so I based the (fictional) support and friendship group there, to be known as the Fairfield Iraqi Women’s Group, meeting every Wednesday morning at the local public library.

The marketing materials are designed with many applications in mind. The Pullup Banner’s prime location is to be within the library foyer, but it also features the library’s address so that the banner (shown above left ) can be taken to local markets and community events and displayed to promote the group.

Above right is a double sided DL Flyer to advertise the group. The DL Flyer has been designed so that the important information at the top, to be easily seen in a crowded DL display holder, and features the next few months of weekly topics to prolong its use.

The A5 Flyer (below right) has been designed with the intention of being distributed by local primary schools to their students to take home to Mum, but can also be used for a letterbox drop.

The marketing suite features a cohesive design with an emphasis on simple and inclusive language. Relatable quotes from members of the group are included to draw in the reader and reach as many Iraqi women as possible so they can enjoy the benefits and support of the group. Engaging photographs were chosen to appeal to the target market, with strong eye contact and personable ‘every day’ models.

I wrote all the copy for the marketing materials, researching suitable names for the fictional quotes from ‘members’ of the group. Hala Al-Slame (whose name is against one of the quotes) is a real woman whose story I found while researching. Her story (and that of others like her) was one of the inspirations for this project: ‘Refugees have fled to Australia seeking a better life, but many are in limbo‘ (ABC News website, June 2021).

The Fairfield Public Library was nominated as the meeting place for its accessibility and prime location within the heart of Fairfield, and a map of the area and public transport information is provided in the DL Trifold Brochure, shown below.

All items in the suite feature all the relevant information and the design has been customised to suit the different display requirements.

• A2 Poster for display at Centrelink, local markets, and library foyer
• DL Trifold Brochure for display in library, Centrelink, Halal butcher
• A5 Flyer for distribution to local primary schools, letterbox drop
• DL Upcoming Sessions Flyer for current and new members
• Pullup Banner for display in library foyer and at local events

I hope you enjoyed seeing the process that went into this project for a university assignment in Cross-Cultural Design at the University of Canberra.

Case Study: ‘Fairfield Iraqi Women’s Group’ project by Jen Leheny.