In 1984 he received a grant from the Graham Foundation for the Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, which resulted in a comparative photo-essay entitled The Italian Hilltown and the American Main Street Small Tow
Active in the academic and professional fields of design. Regularly participates in academic conferences to discuss the issue of Graphic Design, its relation with arts and technology and the challenges of teaching Graphic Design. Essam was running his own graphics company, MIDAS, which cover