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.

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 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.

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.

3D Square Kufi

3D square Kufi workshop at LAU [ Lebanese American University]

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.

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.

Kufi Workshop for non-Arab participants in Amsterdam

On the 28th and 29th of August I gave a workshop for non-Arab participants during the El Hema Exhibition at the Mediamatic Workshop area.

You can read more about the workshop in the following links:
Kufi Workshop in Amsterdam at Mediamatic, Amsterdam.
Brief intro of the Kufi Workshop

Giving some comments on the primarily kufi patterns.

Here are some pictures. Enjoy.

Arabic Glyphs Proportions and Guidlines

The following article is a brief description of systems and guidelines used in Arabic calligraphy and Arabic type design field to achieve proportional and harmonious Arabic letters. This article is intended for typography students and beginners in Arabic type design.

Social-Design Student Projects.

Some work of my students from the “Fundamentals of Design I” course at NDU. Brief 01 is to represent the Lebanese roads and highways while Brief 02 is to document traditional Lebanese fast food merchants and shops.

Vernacular Kufi Workshop

‘Vernacular Kufi’ is a new approach that I thought of in order to introduce the kufi workshop to the AUB Typography II students and make them interested in it.

Arabic Monograms

Students of the ‘Applied Typography’ course at NDU were asked to do an Arabic or Arabic/Latin monogram for a fake textile company. Here are some pics of the sketching process.

Arabic calligraphy: Written by hand or type set on the computer.

What is the future of the Craftsmanship of the Arabic calligraphy?
Will new technologies in Arabic type setting bring an end to the craftsmanship?
What kind of new Arabic fonts do we need for the Arabic market?

I asked myself these three questions last week during an Arabic calligraphy workshop at NDU with Mr. Samir Haddad (Arabic Calligrapher) for the Graphic Design – Typography students. After the workshop I spoke for a while with Mr. Haddad about the techniques of the Arabic calligraphy and about its history. During our conversation we talked about the future of the craftsmanship.

Arabic Type Today

I will be giving a lecture at Notre Dame University on the 20th of November about the recent history of Arabic type and the type design process.

Kufi Workshop

This workshop is part of the Fundamentals of Typography course at NDU. The students are asked to create a kufi pattern or logotype from their first names.