With a shared passion for interior design and architecture, Adham Afify, Ahmed Yousry and Yehia Idlibi are the brains behind Iconic Design Studio, which they established in 2011. Eight years later, the trio are turning the world of design on its head with their uniquely comprehensive approach, bringing everything from branding to interiors to architecture under one umbrella. eniGma sat down with this dynamic team to discover more.
Afify and Yousry studied together at the Art & Design Academy, where they bonded over their affinity for design, which quickly spilled out of the confines of the university walls. Afify reminisces, “Even before we finished college, we started freelancing, doing small projects. Slowly but surely, people started finding out about us and appreciating our work.”
Within four short years, the duo had made a name for themselves in both the residential and commercial design market. Wanting to take their business to new heights, they tapped Yehia Idlibi, who had been working at the top marketing and advertising firms in the country, and was equipped with the experience they needed to broaden the services they offered. Idlibi joined Iconic Design Studio in late 2015, overseeing his own autonomous branch of the company. “At the beginning, we were only doing branding, but slowly, we started expanding our scope and began doing advertisements, visual animation, scriptwriting, copywriting, photography, website and app development among a whole host of other services,” he explains.
As the business began to grow, Iconic Design Studio moved from Nasr City to its current luxurious villa on Street 90 in Cairo’s Fifth Settlement. The sophisticated office space exudes a lively energy, where a slew of diverse creatives from all sectors of the design industry diligently work on the studio’s latest projects. This creative hub houses, not only an amazing team of interior and architectural designers, but also a branding and advertising department that works in tandem with the design team. From interior design and architecture to landscape and visual merchandising, Iconic Design Studio stands out as a comprehensive design house with a strict ethos of collaboration. Every team member, with their unique strengths, ensures that every project combines superior interior design with a memorable visual identity.
By coincidence, one of the design studio’s most memorable projects, a charming food outlet called Eish w Gebna, sits just a stone’s throw away from the studio’s beautiful office. The studio’s branding and design departments had come together to create a unique design concept, upstaging their competitors and landing them the assignment. “It was definitely an interesting project to work on. Initially, it was quite a challenge to curate a cohesive brand for them,” says Afifi.
Eish w Gebna is just one of many examples that demonstrate the sheer power that lies in having both the branding and design done in a collaborative effort. Not only is this set-up a rarity in the local scene, the projects developed within this environment are guaranteed to evoke a unique visual identity that can be experienced through all five senses. “At the end of the day, working on interiors or branding comes down to design, and the reason we work so well together is because we all like to swim against the tide and not do what other people are doing,” Idlibi explains.
Iconic Design Studio’s fresh and daring approach to design has encouraged an array of companies to come their way. Working with budding enterprises from Eish w Gebna and Primo’s Pizza to Inca & Co. Fabrics and Kandil Steel, the revolutionary design studio has definitely carved out a distinct space for itself in a very competitive field. Having such a diverse clientele, it is no wonder that Afify and Idlibi draw much of their inspiration from the clients themselves. “Each client has his own touch which serves as an inspiration to us,” says Afify.
Afify wants to debunk a common misconception about interior design. “A lot of people mistake interior styling for interior design, whereas, in reality, it is far more methodical. It requires interviewing the client about their taste, their daily routine, how many people will be using the space, etc.” he explains. Armed with this information, Afify is then able to divide up the space according to the function and lifestyle habits of the client. This sequence of events finally lends itself to the final step, the interior styling, which includes choosing the furniture and accessories, curtains, carpets and couches.
“Nowadays, clients are more educated, usually coming in with a brief or a mood board that they have curated themselves,” says Afify, adding, “I take their initial inspirations and transform them with my own team of interior designers, architects and stylists to create a professional and coherent design story.”
Idlibi carries the responsibility of making a client’s brand stand out amongst its competitors. His main priority when briefing a client is to ensure that the final product is unique and original. “We like to orchestrate what our clients want, but we add our own touch, so it’s special and not overused. We start by looking for unique characteristics that we can use to differentiate between two brands and not be like everyone else,” he explains. Time and time again, whether it was through revamping Shaheen Coffee or creating a brand identity from scratch for Primo’s Pizza, Idlibi has proved that his daring ideas give brands the confidence and foundation to reach greater heights.
Having conquered both the residential and commercial spheres locally, Iconic Design House yearns to take their designs global. “All designers dream of taking their company international. That’s what we strive to do as we continue to produce designs that are unique,” Afify declares.
Afify, Yousry and Idlibi credit their success, above all, to the core values that they strictly adhere to on every project. “Our dedication and values all add up and help us excel, because at the end of the day that’s what’s important to us,” says Afify. Idlibi shares his sentiment, adding, “We stick together through the good and the bad. It took a lot of time and work, and we made some mistakes, too. But we were mature enough to learn from our mistakes and not let them take us down. That’s why we’re good at what we do.” Idlibi stresses that clients keep coming back because they treat them with the same decorum with which they treat each other. “We care about our clients’ business and want to give them the best advice. We do our best to help them excel through our work,” he says.
With such a positive dynamic at the core of their work, and their close-knit friendship and camaraderie binding the three partners together, Iconic Design Studio is bound to grow even further, with the dream of going global clearly within reach. Iconic Design Studio is sure to remain iconic for years to come.
