Startup of the Week: Design firm’s message is loud and clear

LOUD is a design firm specializing in branding, public identity, social media, photography and videography. It was established in October 2018.
The CEO of LOUD is Allaa Awad, a 28-year-old American Palestinian who graduated from Dar Al-Hekma University in Jeddah.
She is the creative executive director who co-founded LOUD with her partners — Rayan Fadul, Bilal Sabri, Ribal Al Khatib and Abdulmalek Binshihon.
Awad’s educational background drove her to start her own business after graduation. She first co-founded a design agency that she ran for four years then left to dedicate her time and efforts to LOUD.
Understanding society and the culture, and how people work in Saudi Arabia was the one of the main challenges that she faced with LOUD because graphic design varies in different countries.
“Our job is to refresh the client’s memories, and get everyone in check and try to get them to understand the idea behind a design. Every day we try to find a different source of inspiration — things that motivate us whether outside the office, abroad, online, or through lots of research. This is what drives us and keeps everything in check,” Awad told Arab News.
LOUD has succeeded in helping more than 70 clients inside and outside Saudi Arabia in less than two years without spending anything on advertising. Instead, their social media presence or the way that they conveyed themselves invited people to check them out.
LOUD’s main goal is to expand into other Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the US.
“I know this might sound too big a dream, but as the name suggests we want to be loud. It is not just to be outside the box but everywhere,” Awad said.
“Two years might not sound like a long time, but in my own experience I have been in the market for six years now doing the same thing,” she said. “Additionally, I learned a lot from my previous agency that I co-founded.”