Hi, I’m Wafa Labadi.

My name means loyalty in Arabic, and growing up between cultures taught me what that word really holds. I was born in the United States, moved to Saudi Arabia as a child, and eventually returned. Living between two vastly different worlds shaped the way I observe people, space, and communication. I learned early on that environment changes how we feel, how we express ourselves, and how we belong.

Design became the way I made sense of that contrast.

As a teenager, I was obsessed with magazines. I would sit on my bedroom floor surrounded by stacks of fashion publications, comparing how each one structured its table of contents, how typography carried tone, how imagery guided emotion. I cut pages apart and rebuilt them into new compositions, intuitively studying rhythm, hierarchy, and storytelling long before I knew there was a name for what I was doing.

When I finally searched how to work for a magazine company, I discovered graphic design. I realized there was an entire discipline devoted to structure, typography, and the invisible systems that shape how we experience information. I knew immediately that this was what I wanted to do.

Today, with over four years of professional experience, that early curiosity has evolved into a focused practice. I design brand identities, packaging systems, and editorial layouts that live in physical spaces. At Starr Restaurants, I oversee production and design across multiple concepts, shaping the materials guests interact with every day. I collaborate on packaging and brand systems that must work not just visually, but operationally and at scale.

What continues to drive me is the same thing that captivated me as a teenager: how structure creates feeling. How typography creates trust. How a carefully considered layout can make someone feel oriented, welcomed, and understood.

Growing up between cultures taught me to pay attention. Design gave me a way to translate that awareness into something tangible.

I design to create clarity. I design to create comfort. And I design to build systems that allow brands and communities to express themselves fully.

Resume upon request.