For 75 years, Porsche has been pursuing a dream, established by its founder Ferry Porsche, to create the perfect car. In 2022 the company announced its new brand ethos, ‘Driven by Dreams’, partnering with global creators to capture its world-renowned design excellence, rooted in craft and a belief that anything is possible if we can only imagine it.
Pentagram partner Samar Maakaroun (while operating as Right to Left studio) was invited by Porsche to create a social media campaign celebrating Ramadan, taking inspiration from the tagline ‘Driven by Dreams’, or أحلامنا تقودنا in Arabic.
Ramadan is a time of both individual reflection and collective celebration, the aim was to develop a visual concept that embraced this dichotomy, connecting moments both personal and shared. The creative solution was inspired by a mushrabiya, a traditional element of Islamic architecture that contains a semi-transparent, latticework screen or window. The device provides privacy without obscuring the view beyond—it divides and unites at the same time. The term mushrabiya draws from the Arabic word sharaba, meaning ‘to drink’, reflecting the idea that these screens allow occupants to ‘drink’ in the outside world while maintaining their discretion.
From a design perspective, the mushrabiya is a timeless example of how architecture can blend functionality with artistic expression. Its construction not only serves practical purposes but also embodies the rich heritage and aesthetic hallmarks of Arabic design.
The campaign design centred on eight typographic screens featuring a series of interconnected letters. Starting from the Porsche wordmark, which reveals hints of Kufic script in its use of positive and negative space, the letterforms grew around dual motifs of the circle—representing the moon, a source of light—and the line, which served as the connecting thread. As the letters combine, the screen is built and the messages are revealed: Eid Mubarak, Ramadan Mubarak, Driven by Dreams.
Mushrabiyas are known for their intricate geometric structure, and their beauty derives from the interaction of light and shadow, which creates shape-shifting patterns throughout the day. Since the festival of Ramadan is closely tied with fasting during daylight hours and breaking the fast when the sun sets, the screen also serves as a metaphor for day and night.
Playing with this idea of obscurity and visibility, solace and togetherness, the full structure is not revealed immediately. Instead, the letters emerge piece by piece, sometimes through the use of light and colour, sometimes through the movement of the camera.
The colour palette derives from the time of day that iftar occurs, the fast-breaking meal taken after sunset. As day becomes night, the sky shifts through blues, yellows, pinks, reds, purples, signalling the time to come together in celebration.
