Sakina Design was a company that I started with my husband, aimed at promoting understanding and respect for the beauty of Islamic art, history, and culture through our collection of contemporary home decor and gift items.

Challenges

• Existing Islamic decorations in the marketplace were poorly designed, dated, and foreign to the United States, imported from overseas
• Wall art was of low quality, and inexpensive, and it was generally accepted that the market demanded inexpensive home decorating solutions
• Customer service in this sector was also lacking, ruled by the philosophy of caveat emptor, “buyer beware”
• These home decorations didn’t reflect the aesthetics or values of Muslims who grew up in the US

Solutions

• Acted upon an opportunity to create art and home decorations that better reflected the aesthetics and values of Western Muslims, by melding modern Western designs with the diversity of traditional Islamic art, history and culture
• Identified a market for higher end wall art and home decorations that reflected people’s Western identities, and Islamic heritage—through the art of storytelling
• Named our company “Sakina” which means peace and tranquility in Arabic. It’s easy to say in English, yet has a deep meaning in Arabic — drawing from both East and West, traditional and modern, a reflection of our core values
• Designed a set of wall art that was simple and elegant, with a series that could stand-alone or be combined with other pieces to create larger artwork arrangements 
• Actively sourced more sustainable and eco-friendly materials for our products
• Conducted our business according to Islamic values – specifically the concept of ‘ihsan’ or ‘excellence’, whereby we dealt with customers, business partners, and even the environment with honesty, fairness, and justice

Results

• Built a strong brand recognized in the United States and internationally
• Used social media, conferences and content marketing to grow a global following and client base
• Pioneered a modern Muslim design that influenced other Islamic home decor businesses that followed
• Awarded GDUSA American Graphic Design Awards in 2015 and 2016 and cited  by Communication Design, a mainstream design industry magazine