A DESIGN FOR LIFE: EMIRATI WOMAN TOOK A CHANCE AND CREATED HER DREAM JOB

▶ Ruba Haza talks to Kholoud Al Kendi, a talented designer of eye-catching logos for Fujairah FC and the emirate’s Rulers

Kholoud Al Kendi left her job as a banker to follow her passion, and now owns her own design and media solutions company. The young Emirati entrepreneur, 33, now owns a business that began with designing a logo for her uncle’s restaurant and now has UAE Division One team Fujairah FC and the emirate’s government among her clients.

“I grew up with a passion for the arts and my parents encouraged me to bring out my talent,” says Ms Al Kendi. “They would provide me with paper and colours. I wasn’t that good at painting but I enjoyed mixing colours and drawing.

“Art played an important role in my life and helped to create the person that I am today. My eagerness to find my true passion led me to graphic design.” After graduating from secondary school Ms Al Kendi was accepted to the business administration college at UAE University in Al Ain.

But everything changed in her second year when another student introduced her to Photoshop.

“I couldn’t believe that it could change lots of parts of a picture, particularly the background, and it immediately caught my attention,” Ms Al Kendi says. “I bought my first laptop and used it to find out more about how to use Photoshop.

“It was a whole new world to me and I couldn’t stop reading up on it. In my third year, one of my friends asked me to design their graduation invitation and that’s when I first started real designing.

“It opened many doors for me and a lot of people started contacting me and asking me to create invitations. I couldn’t say no because I loved it.”

After completing her bachelor’s degree, she began working at a Fujairah bank.

“While working at the bank, my uncle asked me to design a logo for his restaurant,” Ms Al Kendi says.“It was a turning point in my career.”