Arabic Calligraphy & Typographic Layouts

Makram Daou (jawmas)

How to integrate Arabic Calligraphy into modern design layouts?
In the past few years the Arabic calligraphy was a comeback into modern logotypes and contemporary design layouts. That was mostly due to the international awareness of the Iranian calligraphic and typographic work. While most Arabic nation (especially Lebanon) were neglecting the Arabic calligraphy and preferring computerized Arabic fonts instead, Iranian typographers embraced the calligraphic heritage and incorporated the calligraphy into modern typographic layouts.

Fatima Karnib (shou fi ma fi)

For the past decade in Lebanon, Arabic calligraphy was seen as old stylish and not fitting with modern typographic layouts, most Arabic calligraphers in design and advertising firm were replaced with computerized Arabic fonts; whereas, skills of the talented calligraphers was neglected. In the past few years the awareness about Arabic calligraphy and Arabic type design began to grow again in Lebanon and graphic designers as well as Graphic Design schools in most of the Lebanese universities started to introduce again Arabic calligraphic and typographic work into their curriculum and encouraging the student to learn, understand and love Arabic calligraphy and not see it as an old fashioned art.

Jubran Elias (kifak tamém)

Personally I always try to introduce Arabic type and calligraphy into my typography courses and try my best to make the students interested in Arabic type and to be aware of the importance of Arabic calligraphy, which can be part of modern Arabic graphic design. Most of the students start the semester with a huge dislike to Arabic type and end up the semester excited to learn and experiment more with Arabic type and calligraphy.

Khaldoun Hamzeh (ahlan)

Here are some typographic posters by my students at LAU and NDU where they were asked to use the Arabic calligraphy and type as “display type” or “type as image” and the Latin type as “info text”. Upon launching this project an Arabic calligraphy workshop was made with Mr. Ali Assi (renown Arabic calligrapher in Lebanon) and each student created his/her own calligraphy (of-course with the help of the Arabic calligrapher and myself).

Marwa Kamaleddine (3eesh 7ayétak)

Afterwards, typographic posters were created using the calligraphy done alongside graphical elements like illustration, photos and type. Students experiments with three layouts:
1. Only Arabic calligraphy and Latin type
2. Arabic calligraphy, Latin Type, illustrations and kufi script
3. Arabic Calligraphy, Latin Type, Photography and Kufi Script.

Marwa Kamaleddine (3eesh 7ayétak)

The students weren’t asked to become professional Arabic calligraphers in one course, but now they have the notion that they can work with Arabic calligraphers and use Arabic calligraphy in their modern design layouts.

May Shaaban (al 7amid lil lah)

The “Arabesque” book that was out recently into the market is a good reference book for contemporary Arabic and Iranian design work.

Reem Itani (wala yhimak)

The visuals in this post are the work of some of my students. Students’ name are beneath each visual.

Davina Mouawad (mahwouss)

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