Arwa Ramadan
Hello. I am Arwa Ramadan, Co-Founder & Creative Lab Director of The Basement Labs.
I am Egyptian, born in Pakistan, educated in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), working in Turkey. I have a Bachelors's degree in Visual Communication and a minor in Design Management from the American University of Sharjah, UAE.
I speak three languages fluently (Arabic, English, and Turkish) and I know a little bit of French. I have participated and won multiple photography, arts, and design competitions in UAE and Europe. I love reading, painting and playing the piano.
Company Name: The Basement Labs
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Operating since: 2018
Company Website: www.thebaselabs.com
Company Instagram: @thebaselabs
Tell us all about your company. What services do you offer?
The Basement Labs is a family-owned design studio, based in Istanbul, founded by myself (Arwa) and my siblings (Mosaab and Yara). We offer services in three categories: Media (animation, videography, photography, and infographics), Branding (brand design, brand application, brand strategy, marketing, and advertisement), and Digital (website design/development, app design/development, software design/development).
Tell us a bit about your co-founders. What roles do they play in the company?
Mosaab Ramadan (my brother) is the Co-Founder/Digital Lab Director and Yara Ramadan (my sister) is the Co-Founder/Media Lab Director.
How did you get the idea or concept for your company? Was there anything in particular that inspired you to start at the time you did?
I have wanted to run my own design studio since I was 10 years old. I was inspired by my dad, who had his own advertisement company. I used to intern with him when I was still in high school, and there I learned a lot about running a business and interacting with people in a professional setting. One day, when I was still in university, I was tanning on the beaches of Dubai when I turned to my friend and said, “I want to have a design studio, and I want to call it The Basement”. From then on, I worked hard to learn more about this industry, and to hone my skills as a designer and a creative person, and when the time was right for all of us (the siblings), we did it!
How have your past personal & professional experiences helped you to run your company?
I was lucky to have a father who was in the same business. I was able to learn so much from him, and when I entered university, I was already ahead of everyone else.
What is the biggest personal/professional obstacle you've had to overcome?
Staying inspired and creative!
What's your definition of success? Do you consider yourself a success?
Success is when you meet the goals that you set for yourself, so yes, I consider myself a success.
Have the women around you helped you to rise? How?
My first internship and job were with Abjad Design, a female-run design studio in Dubai. They pushed me and inspired me to always surprise myself.
What are some of your future plans?
We want to turn our creative abilities to give back to our communities, especially with issues concerning education, women empowerment, and the environment.
What advice would you give to a woman starting out in your industry or starting her own company/organization?
You will meet many obstacles and challenges, but that makes the wins even sweeter.
Describe yourself in ONE word. Creative
Complete this sentence: "To be a girl or woman today is..."
Powerful!