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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

“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.

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. :)

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.

Alef Mag 6th issue

Alef Magazine 6th issue is out and the Alef Caps fonts are used in it. Here is some inside pages showing the font in use.

Arabic for Univers / Corporate Arabic Type

A modern simplified Naskh style corporate type.

“Deen Tight” Arabic Hip Hop Documentary Movie

I was asked to create an Arabic Hip Hop style title for the Deen Tight Movie. The title is spelled in English but it should reflect the Arabic Square kufi style and incorporate the Hip Hop look in it.

“Bukra Extra Bold” Display type for Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai

“Bukra Extra Bold” is an Arabic display typeface for “Ibn Battuta Mall” in Dubai. The English slogans and ads in the mall were done uses the Latin font “Futura Extra Bold”. They asked for an Arabic font that has the same feel and sturdiness as “Futura Extra bold”.

Hybrid Arabic/Latin workshop

A small workshop in the “Type Design” course at NDU involving the creation of hybrid Latin words using basic letter components from Arabic letter-forms. English and French words created from Arabic letters.

Al Rouiya Arabic Type for “Al Rouiah” Newspaper in Kuwait

Al Rouiya is a corporate Arabic titling typeface for “Al Rouiah” newspaper in Kuwait. The font is exclusive for 5 years for “Al Rouiah” newspaper in Kuwait starting from February 2008. The newspaper needed a new, young and crispy type that will appeal to young readers.

Alef Pixel Caps Type for Alef Magazine

A Drop Initial Caps typeface for Alef Magazine. Alef Caps is a pixel font inspired from the arabesque “Msharabiyé” eight-star shape. It will be first in use in the 6th issue of the magazine. The magazine asked for a Roman Drop Intial Caps type inspired from Arabic culture. I worked on this type in collaboration with Huba AbiFares.

Emarat Al Youm Newspaper

The New design of “Emarat Al Youm” newspaper in Dubai is out with its’ headlines set in “Imarat Headlines” typeface that i have created for them alongside “TheMix Arabic” which is used for the newspaper sections titles.

Happy New Year 2008

The two typefaces: 1. Arabic “Al Rouiya Headlines” and 2. Latin “Alif Arabesque Pixel” are my latest projects that i am working on at the moment. I will write more about the new typefaces when they are published.

Happy New Year and may 2008 be a fruitful and successful year to all.

Khatt Fonts Event (Art Lounge) & 29letters Lecture (AUB)

Through out November and December in Beirut, I had giving : 1. a lecture entitled “29letters” about my Arabic type project and type design process at AUB, 2. a presentation about EL HEMA project alongside the Arabic team (Wael, Kj, Maria & Raya) at NDU Zouk and NDU North, and 3. took part of the event, lecture and exhibition of the “Khatt Fonts: Matchmaking Amsterdam – Beirut” with Huda Abifares and the Arabic team.

Arabic Movable Metal Letters

Movable Metal Letters are just amazing. [Especially for type lovers like me ;)]

idpure edition on type design

The 12th issue of Idpure Swiss magazine of graphic design and visual creation was dedicated on young type designers work in the glob. I was the young Arabic type design interviewed for the 12th issue of the magazine alongside Nikola Djurek, Kai Bernau, Anton Koovit, Christian Schwartz, Frederik Berlaen, Xavier Dupré.

Snap shot of two spread from my section in the magazine.