Kaf-Boom: Arabic Graffiti in Lebanon and the Arab World

I will be giving a lecture about Arabic graffiti in Lebanon and the Arab World (like Palestine, Jordan, Egypt…) on the 18th of November at 14:25 at Notre Dame University part of the City Street Conference.

Typograpic Matchmaking at ICOGRADA Beijing 09

Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFares will be presenting the Typographic Matchmaking in the City 2.0 project at the XIN ICOGRADA Bejing 09 World Design Congress. The presentation will use the project case studies to explore what it means to push the notion of typography and space beyond the confines of reading (from paper) to other aspects of experiencing communication and placemaking, using architectural space and materials as integral components

Typographic Matchmaking 02 (sneak preview)

The Typographic Matchmaking 02: Type in the City project is half way in the making. The 4th workshop (after Amsterdam, Dubai and Beirut) was held in Friesland Holland end September.
Below is a sneak preview of the type work our team is doing.

Arabic letter “Thah”.

Beirut! 3alal Yameen.

“Beirut! 3alal Yameen” (Beirut! Stop on the right) is a self-initiated poster on representing Beirut in few items and words. The poster will be exhibited in the Icograda World Design Congress 2009 in Bejing.

Logotype for Aylat Rashid (Rashid Family) new 3D Cartoon

Aylat Rashid is a new cartoon series that will be showing in Ramadan. It is the second 3D cartoon after Freej and it could be even better! I was asked by ToonWorks (the producing animation company of the program) to created the logotype. Below is a brief look on the design process from sketching to final 3D visual.

The two final options for the logotype that will be used in the 3D cartoon program.

Experimental Arabic/Latin Font Adaptation workshop

A two days workshop at Zico House for design instructors from Dar Al- Hekma College. July 2009.
Display Arabic type created by Ghinwa.

LebRecord Interview

LebRecord is a website dedicated to the visual arts in Lebanon and how they interact and relate to the visual arts at large. It is an online art and culture magazine.

You can read the interview Mr. Maroun Kassab did with me as the features lebanese artist for this week.

29letters T-Shirts

I did some Arabic Vernacular T-Shirts design in my spare time.
I would appreciate your comments on them.
You would buy any? There is a style you prefer against another? or…

The number of Arabic letters that creates the Arabic script is 29.

Arabic Type-Bomb / lecture & workshop at AUS

I give a lecture on Arabic type at AUS (American University of Sharjah) on the 28th of April 2009. Design professionals and students from the UAE attended the lecture and participate in the Arabic type discussions that followed. A kufi workshop followed on the 29th and 30th of May for the seniors of AUS.

Mrs. and Mr. Kufi Monsters. ;)
Najla did the left pattern and Dina the right one.

ALWatan Headlines Arabic Typeface

AlWatan typeface is a corporate Arabic headlines typeface for Al Watan newspaper in Saudi Arabia KSA. The font is exclusive for 1 year for the newspaper starting from 2009. The brief was to create a new, young and crispy Arabic type that will appeal to young Arab readers.

The 1st Arabic font published by FontFont :: FF SeriaArabic

The first Arabic typeface in the FontFont library, Pascal Zoghbi’s design was originally called Sada, the Arabic word for “echo”. Accordingly, this face is the echo of FF Seria by Martin Majoor. FF Seria Arabic is a young crispy type based on the Nasekh style.

TypoMatch02 : Type In The City :: Amsterdam Dubai

This is the 3rd Team in the TypoMatch 02 project. Latin type designer Mr. Erik van Blokland, Architect Mrs. Joumana al Jabri and myself as the Arabic type designer.

Baseet Type for ContempArabia

Baseet is a hybrid Neo-Naskh / Modern Kufi geometric typeface. It is a mixture of straight vertical, horizontal and diagonal pen stokes incorporated in-between curved corners and edges.

Arabic Logotype Adaptation for existing Latin Logotype

Creating Arabic adaptations for existing Latin logotype is not a matter a copy pasting (chopped-up & collage) letter parts from the Latin to create the Arabic, but a real understand of both Latin and Arabic script and the ability to work professionally with both of them. The Arabic adaptation should be drawn from scratch keeping in mind the proportions and characteristics of the Latin logotype.

Mike, LAU Byblos — Sketches for Chaos Arabic logotype adaptation.

The First Arabic Script Printing Press in Lebanon

“Al-Shamas Abdullah Zakher” founded the first Arabic printing press in Lebanon in 1734. The press is located in “Deir Mar Youhana” in “Khinshara”. The printing press operated from 1734 till1899. It was the first Arabic script printing press in Lebanon, but it was the second printing press in general since in 1610 the first Syriac Script printing press was established in “Deir Mar Antonious” in “Quzhayya” near the valley of the saints in the North of Lebanon. The printing press of “Deir Mar Antonious” was the first printing press in the Middle East.

Corporate Identity Design Proposal / Beirut Art Center

The opening of Beirut Art Center is in February 2009. I have participated in the design pitch for the corporate identity for the art center. A different design approach was chosen by the comity of the center, but below is a sneak preview of what I presented to the center.

This is the corporate identity of Beirut Art Center that was proposed by 29letters.

“What are these Arabic letters?” lecture at The Royal Library in Stockholm organized by A4.

I will be giving a lecture about the present state of Arabic Type and Typography at The Royal Library in Stockholm organized by A4.

Bombing Beirut – Arabic Graffiti Workshop

On the 4th, 5th and 6th of November I took part of an Arabic graffiti workshop which was given by the German graffiti artist Mr. Don Karl. It was great to finally meet up with Lebanese graffiti artist and get to know the people behind the graffiti and tags in Beirut.

TypePistols – PAGE Magazine

PAGE Magazine article on type design graduates from Type & Media and Reading.

Lebanese Graffiti 02

After last year’s post of Lebanese Graffiti in 2007, the streets of Beirut were filled even more with new lebanese arabic graffiti. Below are some of the nice graffiti tags in the “Karantina” & “Gemeyzé” regions in Beirut.

My Mulsaq Project Entry “Ma7rousa ya 3arousa”

Ma7rousa ya 3arousa entry in the Mulsaq Project.
Cargo trucks in Lebanon and the Middle East are usually painted with Arabic calligraphy using vernacular Arabic words. The Arabic word “mahrousa” is literarily painted on every cargo truck in Lebanon mostly on the back of the trunk or above the back wheels.

Kufi Workshop & Lecture at ATypI St. Petersburg

Some pictures from the lecture and workshop that I gave at ATypI Conference this year. For Further info link to the ATypI website.

MoreCult Summer 09 Collection. Arabic Kufi Patterns in Fashion.

MoreCult is a new Dutch based fashion design firm working on creating cross cultural designs for casual youth clothing.

Square Kufi Vinyl Cut Design on my Mini Cooper “witty” ;)

Being an Arabic Kufi Script freak, i have lately designed a modern Square Kufi pattern for my car. :)

Type]Media MD Course on the web

An article written on I Love Typography about the Type and Media Course at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague. You can also get more info about the course at the Type]Media and The Royal Academy of Arts KABK websites.