At the recent exhibition of final graduation projects at the School of Design, several memorials were featured, honoring those who tragically lost their lives on October 7^th and during the Swords of Iron War.

“Margela Befumei” (Aramaic: ‘He used to say’) is a project by Sheli Piha, who was called up for reserve duty and served as an operations officer in Gaza. Inspired by the intricate calligraphy in Qur’an books he encountered, Piha created memorial posters honoring the fallen soldiers of the 401st Armored Brigade. Each poster features the soldier’s name rendered in Diwani-style Muslim calligraphy, along with a characteristic phrase provided by their family and commanders, with IDF ranks and unit symbols seamlessly integrated into the design.

Remembering Inbar Haiman, who if she had not been taken hostage and murdered by Hamas following October 7th, she would have been presenting her final graduate project in the exhibition. Several of her classmates from the Visual Communication Design department, who completed their studies this year, decided to memorialize her in their final projects. Maya Lamberg commemorates her friendship with Inbar and the struggle with loss in an illustrated book, where Maya is depicted as a sparrow and Inbar as a pink crow—the color that was closely associated with her.

About 130 graduates from the departments of Visual Communication Design, Architecture, Photography, and Fashion Design presented their projects, exploring a wide range of topics. The University of Haifa’s new School of Design, formerly the Neri Bloomfield School of Design, is led by Prof. Leah Peretz.

VIEW ALL OF THE PROJECTS HERE