AFTER ELABBAD:
GRAPHIC
T-SHIRT CULTURE
After Ellabbad: Graphic T-Shirt Culture is a graphic illustration developed during my in-house design internship at 40MUSTAQEL, an experimental design studio based in Cairo, originally intended as a design response for Design Dispatch—an exhibition tribute to Egyptian designer and caricaturist Mohieldin Ellabbad, presented by Mobius Studio. The work centres on the Arabic calligraphic phrase “شايل طاجن ستك ليه؟” (an Egyptian saying referencing exaggerated responsibility or misplaced obligation), using colloquial humour to reflect contemporary social behaviour. Inspired by Ellabbad’s writing on graphic T-shirts as cultural markers, the illustration examines language as visual identity through a blend of analogue marker techniques and digital refinement.
T-shirt Design & Illustration drawing from a popular Egyptian folk saying and features an older woman carrying a massive tajin of okra over her head. The image acts as a playful yet critical symbol of generational frustration, layered with subtle nods to Ellabbad’s visual language and current economic pressures.