Goal: Publishing a seminal work interpreting Christianity through an Islamic lens, to foster interfaith dialogue

Challenges: Working on a sensitive and potentially provocative subject

Solutions: Ensured the content and tone of the text were in line with its progressive goal, while balancing requirements of the national censorship board

Goal: Publishing a semi-autobiographical novel by an Emirati author, revealing a personal perspective on polygamy

Challenges: Working with a literal translation from the original Arabic; anecdotes largely rooted in Arab culture and experience

Solutions: Polished the quality and flow of text; ensured contextual premise for the potentially large non-Arab audience

Goal: Producing the inaugural art monograph for a member of the UAE royal family, for launch at the eminent Abu Dhabi book fair

Challenges: Finding a suitable structure to present a disparate body of work, executable within a five-week timeline

Solutions: Developed a thematic structure, minimal yet impactful, pairing descriptive texts with lines of verse

Goal: Repackaging an earlier bestseller, The UAE: Forty Years of Historical Photographs, to recapture its position among comparative titles

Challenges: Outdated and perishable content 

Solutions: Identified specific gaps in content, replacing perishable with durable information; the publication quickly regained its place among bestsellers

Goal: Creating a quick visual tour of Dubai for tourists and residents

Challenges: Unifying a heterogeneous collection of photographs, spanning heritage, events and people

Solutions: Organizing the book thematically around the city’s key ‘personality traits’, using a poetic tone of text as an overarching link 

Goal: Creating an aerial photography book of Dubai, aimed at global tourists 

Challenges: Developing a product that would stand out from among the myriad tourist books in the market; ensuring coverage of key locations within a restricted three-day shoot

Solutions: Charted out a unique ‘geographical discovery’ concept; worked with Defence Ministry for comprehensive coverage of locations; the book has been a long-standing bestseller

Goal: Publishing a book of poetry co-authored by founding CEO of Emirates Airline, Maurice Flanagan, and his son Julian Flanagan

Challenges: Presenting two very diverse bodies of work in a cohesive way

Solutions: Created a suitable parallel structure, allowing for clear distinction yet equal prominence between the authors 

Goal: Developing a comprehensive field guide on a scientific topic of local interest

Challenges: Presenting dense academic research in a form that would appeal to university students and a wider readership

Solutions: Worked with the author to present the information in a concise, accessible and visually appealing format

Goal: To publish a bilingual book of quotes by the UAE’s founder

Challenges: Disparate sources for English and Arabic quotes; risk of misrepresenting an important political figure 

Solutions: Developed a selection of quotes backed by solidly researched sources in both languages, in collaboration with an eminent UAE historian; the book was launched at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair 2017