The updated second edition of Arabic for Designers builds upon the success of the initial publication.
With the purpose of informing non-Arabic speakers about the cultural nuances of Arabic, Mourad Boutros takes his readers on a visual journey starting with the history of Arabic script to its prolific use in today’s marketing campaigns, digital communications and fine art applications.
Arabic for Designers: An inspirational guide to Arabic culture and creativity © 2017 Thames & Hudson Ltd, London. First published by Mark Batty Publisher as Arabic for Designers in 2007.
Martin Lambie Nairn
Dr. Peter McCree
Al-Hayat Newspaper
Gulf News
ArabAd Magazine
Trish Lorenz
The book is divided into six chapters, starting with an historical timeline of written Arabic, from its traditional calligraphic roots to its modern typographical and artistic use.
The book starts with an historical timeline of the origin of Arabic, the last of the Semitic scripts which historians trace back to the 3rd-century Nabatean script. This chapter reveals gems like the British Library's oldest Qur'an manuscript that dates back to the 8th century, as well as the different calligraphic styles from Naskhi to Kufic.
The second chapter lays out a brief chronology of typesetting methods, from the Linotype machine and photographic typesetting to Letraset sheets and OpenType fonts. The author concludes with DecoType's Advanced Composition Engine (ACE), a layout engine which offers a novel solution to complex text rendering for connected scripts such as Arabic.
In this chapter, the author embarks on a thorough examination of contemporary Arabic typography in a world profoundly informed by Western visual aesthetics. Illustrated examples highlight the bilingual use of Latin and Arabic in design reflecting the rise of globalisation and the proliferation of international companies in the Middle East. The author shows how such cross-hybridisation can yield incredibly innovative results on the one hand or embarrassingly disastrous ones on the other.
From newspapers to television, the featured case studies highlight the importance of typography to effective communication. Dave Farey gives an in-depth analysis of newspaper layout and typography as he guides the reader through the evolution of The Times of London, from 1932 until today. Boutros also shares his experience with media outlets, and specifically television channels, through various examples, from the new font family for Al-Jazirah newspaper to BBC Arabic's logo and custom font.
From calligraphy and logo design to fonts and publications, this chapter forms a gallery of innovative typographic designs.
The key to successful design, as the author strives to show throughout the book, is a technical and cultural understanding of Arabic as a language and an art form. Designers who merge a hand-made craft with digital technology have a unique skill set, and the marriage of their artistic and technical expertise sparks off distinctively beautiful designs.
The final chapter features artistic collaborations that incorporate Arabic calligraphy into visual media, from paintings to tapestries. These works exemplify how Arabic calligraphy, which evolved during the last millennium and continues to flourish today, has expanded into the realm of contemporary fine art.
A type designer, Boutros has been a leading figure in the Middle East creative industry since the inception of his company four decades ago. His expertise in Arabic typography and design is unrivalled.
If you have noticed a bilingual logo, read an Arabic newspaper, watched an Arabic television channel, or looked at an Arabic road sign, they are likely to be a Boutros trademark. From Qatar First Bank and Bosch to Al-Jazirah and Al-Hayat Newspapers, from BBC Arabic and MBC to the streets of Dubai and Lebanon, his letters are everywhere.
As a calligrapher, Boutros's work has found its way into paintings through collaborations with many renowned artists such as Emmanuel Guiragossian and Krikor Agopian. Together, they created a series of oil paintings inspired by the work of Gibran Khalil Gibran and exhibited at the Banqueting House in Whitehall, London in 2010.
As a writer, as well as Arabic for Designers, Mourad Boutros is also the author of the acclaimed book Talking About Arabic published by Mark Batty in 2009.
Founded by Mourad and Arlette Boutros in 1966, the Boutros™ font library is the oldest in the Middle East. It was inaugurated by the Letraset sheets of Boutros Advertisers Naskh in 1977, a font now used ubiquitously on highway road and traffic signs throughout the Middle East, then followed by Boutros MB in 1985 as the Mercedes Benz Arabic corporate font and Boutros Advertising, an Apple system font in 1988. Boutros™ has been shaping the visual culture of the modern Arabic world since then.
Today, the agency works closely with Arabic media outlets, newspapers and magazines and also predominantly television channels. Clients include BBC Arabic, Al-Arabiya News Channel, MBC, Bahrain TV, and many more.
The company designs and develops high-quality Arabic fonts, provides bespoke lettering and calligraphy for logos as well as typographical consultancy services for Arabic and bilingual communication.
