Shiraz Gallab
Pronouns: she/they
Where are you from? I was born in Sudan and raised in the U.S. (specifically Utah, Ohio, and Arizona). I went to college in Chicago and consider that city my grown-up home. I live in Providence and also spend a lot of time in Phoenix, with my parents.
Race/Ethnicity: Black
Languages: English, Arabic (rusty!)
Where do you currently work at? I teach full-time at Rhode Island School of Design, and I freelance with academic publishers and cultural institutions.
In terms of how I got started — I was designing a lot of flyers and promo materials for friends in college, but I didn’t have formal training in graphic design. After graduating, a bunch of people encouraged me to pursue design as a career, so I applied to a few programs and ended up at MICA (for a post-bacc) and then Cranbrook (for an MFA). From there, I began practicing and teaching.
Transitioned out of the industry, where did you work before? How long did you work there? I was at the University of Chicago Press for two years. I teach and work as a freelance designer at different presses these days.
One favorite book you've designed and why? Ida B. Wells’s second-edition autobiography, Crusade for Justice. I was working in-house at the University of Chicago Press when I was assigned this book, and I felt so many emotions while working on it — honored, excited, nervous, and above all, committed to doing her work justice. I was given a good deal of authorship over the book’s page and cover design, which prompted me to study Wells’s archives at the library and pick up on the typographic moves that were made when she was alive (mostly in newspapers since she was a journalist).
What do you like about being a book designer in publishing? There is so much to learn when designing books, because the process is both self-driven and collaborative. Each time I work on a new book, I’m given the space and time to read portions of the book and begin designing independently, then seek feedback from the larger team of editors, authors, marketing staff, etc. This gives me a well-rounded perspective on the book’s subject matter, and it helps inform my design decisions.
Favorite book or current read and why? Currently, I’m reading Imam Fode Drame’s The 99 Names of Allah and Constance Merritt’s A Protocol for Touch.
Tell us a surprising fact about you? I watch bad reality TV. I don’t know, is that surprising?
What did you learn about publishing that you wish you knew before? I think a lot of what we (folks of color, folks in the margins) do = publishing. Whether it’s publishing a book, journal, newsletter, zine, or even a tweet, we tend to be gifted when it comes to writing, expressing ourselves, and publishing what we’ve expressed. I think I’ve known this all along but haven’t really thought about it until recently.
What's one goal you have for yourself in this industry? Long term, I think I eventually want to better understand the business and operational side of publishing, as well as the editorial side. Short term, I’d love to design a reference book someday.
How do you overcome a creative block?: It normally helps if I get away from the computer and spend time studying things that are related to the book/project I’m working on. This could mean visiting a museum or library, or watching a movie that deals with the subject matter at hand. Or, I might just need to unplug altogether and get my mind off of the project for a day or two (which is where reality TV comes in).