For Patricia Farah (BS ‘12), design was never confined to a single frame, screen, or industry. What began as a fascination with visual storytelling in LAU’s classrooms has evolved into a career that spans motion design, fashion filmmaking, and international e-commerce strategy—fields rarely found on the same résumé, let alone shaping one another.

Her path to that career began with a first-place win at the NABA competition, which earned her a scholarship to Milan and a spot among the top 10 finalists, the only non-Italian, in the Canon and Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana competition. She went on to sit front row at Milan Fashion Week, and her short fashion film, Missterious, was nominated for the Best Fashion Clip Award at the 2026 Apolda European Design Award. Farah also founded cadmus.leb, the first and official Hall of Fame and directory of the Lebanese Diaspora.

In this interview, Farah talks about the LAU professors who shaped her design thinking, the leap of faith that took her from Beirut to Milan Fashion Week, and how she now pairs creative intuition with hard performance data to lead e-commerce growth for Longchamp across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland).

Looking back, how did your time at LAU’s Graphic Design program shape the way you see and solve problems today, even outside of design work?

LAU trained me to view complex business challenges as design problems waiting for a structure. It taught me design thinking as a universal framework for problem-solving: identifying the friction point, understanding the users’ psychology, and creating a clear narrative to guide them forward. I apply the same principles of structure, psychology, and storytelling to analyzing funnel structures, crafting a localized marketing strategy, or directing a fashion film. 

Much of this foundation was shaped early on by the courses I took and mentors who pushed me to see design far beyond standard visual boundaries. Ms. Melissa Plourde Khoury encouraged multidisciplinary and forward-thinking approaches to design, from early content creation to Arabic typography, and Ms. Ruth Maalouf taught me how to adapt narratives across different media.

Courses such as History of Architecture also taught me the value of experimentation and how design can influence culture and behavior. What I gained was a fundamental understanding of intentional design, narrative storytelling, and multi-platform media strategy.

Winning the NABA competition and earning your scholarship to Milan was a defining turning point. What did that experience teach you?

Entering the NABA competition was a leap of faith, but winning first prize and going to Milan showed me that my Middle Eastern perspective had immense value on an international stage.

That experience encouraged me to enter the Canon and Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana competition. Standing there as the first Middle Eastern fashion blogger and the only non-Italian in the top 10 out of 40 international creators was terrifying, but it proved to be a crucial lesson: If you wait until you feel 100 percent ready or “traditionally qualified,” you’ve waited too long. Betting on yourself means stepping into spaces where no one looks like you or shares your background, and letting your work demand its own seat at the table.

Your path moves through the distinct disciplines of motion design, fashion filmmaking, and e-commerce strategy. Where is the connection between them, for you?

The common thread among them is human engagement and intentional storytelling, translating creative intuition into quantifiable business results.

In motion design, you learn to guide the viewer’s eye, control pacing, and create seamless visual transitions, while in fashion filmmaking (such as my MFA work at Bauhaus and my nominated clip Missterious), you use narrative, light, and emotion to forge a deep connection with the audience.

As for e-commerce strategy, when I first stepped into the domain as a content creator, I quickly realized that a creative background alone wasn’t enough. E-commerce is a heavily data-driven world, so I took the initiative to dive into cross-departmental projects to gain a deeper understanding of how other areas of the business function. Learning to navigate data, analytics, and performance metrics required building an entirely new mindset.

Of all your achievements, what are you proudest of, and why?

I am mostly proud of the elasticity of the career I’ve managed to build, and how it now allows me to give back.

While the nomination of Missterious was an incredible artistic milestone, and sitting front row at Milan Fashion Week was unforgettable, my proudest professional achievement is evolving from a visual designer into an e-commerce manager overseeing three international markets and major marketplaces. I proved to myself that I could master conversion funnels, localized performance metrics, and digital strategy without sacrificing my artistic identity.

I am equally proud of a personal initiative I’ve launched, cadmus.leb, a platform dedicated to celebrating successful Lebanese individuals in the diaspora. It also serves as the pilot for a much larger project currently underway, inspired by my deep commitment to honoring our roots, building global connections, and spotlighting Lebanese achievement on the world stage.

What advice would you give current LAU students who aspire to build successful international careers in the creative industries?

First, do not let your major define your ceiling. The specific tools and software you use today will evolve tomorrow, but your ability to think critically, adapt, and design user-centric experiences is timeless.

Second, don’t delay in seeking out international challenges. Apply for global competitions, take the fellowship, submit your film, and pitch the international brand, even if you feel underprepared. Being the “first” or the “only” person from your background in a room is not a barrier; it is your unique advantage.

Third, learn the language of business, and realize that business isn’t limited to numbers. The multidisciplinary elective courses you take at university can play an essential role. During my time at LAU, I took Spanish, History of Modern Europe, business workshops, calculus, and political science. Understanding human psychology, history, and social dynamics gives you a strategic edge that raw data never can.

Finally, do not rely on AI or shortcuts for knowledge. True wisdom and craft come from human connection, mentorship, and lived experience. Reach out to the people around you, your professors, industry peers, and professionals who have navigated real-world challenges. When you combine human insight with broad cultural intellect and creative strategy, you become unstoppable anywhere in the world.

This interview has been edited and condensed for the sake of clarity.