A Life in Visual Communication
Amal Abdalla is a graphic designer, educator, and researcher whose work brings together graphic design, interactive media, and education. She earned her MFA in Graphic Design from East Carolina University in December 2024 and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Art Education at Minia University in Egypt. Her creative and research interests focus on interactive and educational design, especially the use of technology and gamification to create engaging visual experiences that support learning.
Her work is guided by the idea that graphic design is a form of visual communication that builds meaningful connections with people. She is particularly interested in how interactive technologies can strengthen the relationship between the designer, the design, and the audience, and in how cultural heritage — particularly Islamic geometric patterns and traditional Kufic calligraphy — can be reimagined through contemporary interactive design. Her MFA thesis, Blending Lines: Interactive Experiences with Arab Culture, explored exactly this intersection through immersive physical and digital installations.
In addition to her research and design practice, Amal has taught extensively as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at both East Carolina University and Illinois State University, covering courses in graphic design fundamentals, animation and motion graphics, web design, immersive experiences, and the cultural dimensions of creative technology. Earlier in her career, she also served as a Graduate Teaching and Research Assistant at Minia University in Egypt, teaching undergraduate graphic design and developing an interactive e-book version of the Egyptian art education curriculum.
In 2018, she received a College of Fine Arts Graduate Tuition Waiver from Illinois State University to pursue her MS in Creative Technology, where she expanded her interest in combining technology with visual art and interactive design. Her work has been exhibited at venues including East Carolina University, Illinois State University's Transpace gallery, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and she has presented her research at the Research Conference on Art & Writing (RCAW) and contributed to publications including the EVA London International Electronic Visualization & the Arts Conference.