Farhang Foundation's 2012 Nowruz Banner Design Unveiled

01/14/12

Source: Farhang Foundation

Winning design to be featured on banners in city-wide promotions of Iranian New Year

LOS ANGELES, CA, January 13, 2012 - Navid Ghaem Maghami, a San Francisco-based graphic designer, has been selected as the winner of Farhang Foundation's 2012 Nowruz Banner Contest. His winning design, unveiled today for the first time, will be featured on light pole banners on various major streets across Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, including the highly trafficked Westwood, Wilshire, and Ventura Boulevards.

"In creating the Nowruz banner, my goal was to design an image that draws both traditional and contemporary," said Navid Ghaem Maghami. "Gol-o-morgh (bird and flower) is a cultural symbol that is deeply rooted in Persian literature. Through a contemporary rendition of this iconic image, I have created a design that evokes a sense of nostalgia and longing for the past, with hope and joy for a new beginning."

Throughout the month of March, Navid's design will be featured on light pole banners in promotion of Farhang Foundation's 4th Annual Nowruz (Iranian New Year) Celebration at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), which takes place onSunday, March 18, 2012.

In August 2011, Farhang Foundation's2012 Nowruz Banner Contest called upon the public to submit original design concepts for Farhang's 4th Annual Nowruz Celebration at LACMA. This was the second consecutive year that Farhang Foundation engaged the general public in these efforts.

To learn more about Farhang's 4th Annual Nowruz Celebration at LACMA and related sponsorship opportunities, visit www.farhang.org/nowruz.

About Navid Ghaem Maghami

Navid Ghaem Maghami is a graphic designer based in San Francisco. As a design professional and art director he has worked widely in a variety of disciplines and media, while focusing primarily on poster & publication design, logo & visual identity and advertising since 1998. Through his full-service graphic design studio NaMa, Navid offers creative solutions as well as design consulting services to numerous arts and cultural institutions, visual artists, independent musicians, theater companies, film festivals, and filmmakers both locally and internationally. Navid holds an MFA in design from California College of the Arts in San Francisco.

About LACMA

Since its inception in 1965, LACMA has been devoted to collecting works of art that span both history and geography and represent Los Angeles's uniquely diverse population. Today, the museum features particularly strong collections of Asian, Latin American, European, and American art, as well as a contemporary museum on its campus. With this expanded space for contemporary art, innovative collaborations with artists, and an ongoing Transformation project, LACMA is creating a truly modern lens through which to view its rich encyclopedic collection. www.lacma.org

About Farhang Foundation

Farhang Foundation is a non-religious, non-political and not-for-profit foundation established in 2008 to celebrate and promote Iranian art and culture for the benefit of the community at large. The foundation supports academic activities in Southern California by funding university programs, publications and conferences. The foundation also supports cultural programs such as the celebration of Nowruz and Mehregan, theater, dance performances, film screenings and poetry reading in Southern California. Farhang Foundation, in cooperation with various cultural and academic institutions plans major programs and exhibitions about Iran and its culture. www.farhang.org