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Design talk & latest news

Articles on typography and visual communication in the Middle East

The Khatt Network for Arabic Typography is a project of the Khatt Foundation, designed as a platform for discussing issues pertaining to design and visual communication in and about the Middle East. Join us as a member in this networked community and contribute your thoughts, articles and latest news on this site.

  • Arabic shoe charms.jpg

    Arabic shoe charms.jpg - 

    Arabic letters shoe charms for your Crocs, by Hayan Maani

Just to get you started, here's a list of recent contributions below. Please email your articles and latest news to Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès.

  • AlefCover2.png

    AlefCover2.png

  • Opening of the new Mueum of Islamic Art, Doha

    Rising on its own island just off the city's newly developed esplanade, it is the centerpiece of an enormous effort to transform Qatar ...
  • Arab visual splendor in French animation

    Azur and Asmar, by Michel Ocelot

    Edo Smitshuijzen - The film is directed and produced by Michel Ocelot and is a must see for all interested in Arabic visual language. Click here for more ...
  • الشيخشاب

    حوار مع الفنان/ محي الدين اللباد

    Ahmed FOULA - محي الدين اللباد: ولد في القاهرة عام 1940؛ درس التصوير الزيتي في كلية الفنون ...
  • Arabesque Latin Font in Mainstream Publishing

    The Alef Pixel Caps, new drop cap initials for a hip Middle East lifestyle magazine

    Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFares - A new visual trend is certainly emerging in mainstream media where the political agendas have been voiced in subtle ways through playful ...
  • Mutanabbi Street Starts Here

    Broadsides collection

    Dr Geoffrey Roper - A heartfelt tribute by some traditional letterpress printers in America to the literary and bibliographical heritage of Iraq, and its ...
  • event: London

    London Book Fair 2008

    Arabic books central at the London Book Fair

    14 Apr 08 > 16 Apr 08 Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFares, Edo Smitshuijzen - This year's London Book Fair (14 - 16 April) has put the Arab world as its pivotal theme. This initiative has lead to a more general...
  • event: Emirates Palace

    The Arts of Islam

    Treasures from the Nasser D. Khalili Collection

    23 Jan 08 10:00 > 22 Apr 08 22:00 Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFares - Exhibition and Symposium at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
  • event: Dubai, Tashkeel

    Tashkeel Exhibition Call

    15 Mar 08 Lateefa - Tashkeel is currently calling for work for a group exhibition opening 15th March 2008 entitled "Vibrations Within" and would...
  • event: Alexandria, ACAF

    Cleotronica 08

    Festival for Media, Art, and Socio-Culture

    18 Jan 08 19 > 31 May 08 23 Bassam El Baroni - Cleotronica 08 is the inaugural version of Cleotronica a festival for media, art, and socio-culture organized by Alexandria Contemporary...
  • Erykah Badu and Arabic Muslim Culture

    with a controversial working album title, references and more

    Omar Al-Zo'bi - Erykah Badu is one of the most established Hip-Hop/Soul musicians in the United States as well internationally. She's been on the music ...
  • image: 

    Almosawer, Egyptian Magazine back from 1949

    Omar Al-Zo'bi -

    photograph of a rare publication by Ahmad S. Kamel

  • Project: 

    A turning point for Arabic typography and design

    Report on the Khatt Kufi & Kaffiya symposium and the Typographic Matchmaking project presentations.

    Edo Smitshuijzen, Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFares - The Typographic Matchmaking project ( Arabic fonts and book ), the Khatt online community (www.khtt.net), the Khatt Kufi and Kaffiya ...
  • Arabic Glyphs Proportions and Guidlines

    Pascal Zoghbi - The following article is a brief description of systems and guidelines used in Arabic calligraphy and Arabic type design field to ...
  • The Big Kashida Secret

    Edo Smitshuijzen - The great masters of Arabic calligraphy loved to show their skills but they did not put much of their knowledge on paper for others to ...
  • Article: 

    MS Embedded Open Type format

    Microsoft proposing the MS Embedded Open Type format

    - Microsoft is ready to propose to the World Wide Web Consortium (the W3C) that they adopt the MS Embedded Open Type format for all ...
  • event: Mons, The Mudaneum

    Palestinian posters from the time of revolution

    The collection of Ezzedin Kalak

    7 Nov 08 > 21 Dec 08 Rasha Salti - Within the framework of MASARAT Palestine Exhibition sponsored by the Commissariat Général aux Relations Internationales (CGRI) and...
  • Publication: 

    Samandal Comics

    Quarterly tri-lingual comics magazine from the Middle East

    Hatem Imam, fdz bx - The comic book, in its present day form, is regarded as an imported medium to the Arab world. Samandal (Salamander in Arabic), a ...
  • Now, your Crocs can speak Arabic!

    Arabic alphabets shoe charms by designer Hayan Maani

    Hayan Maani - All over the world and on the net you can find shoe charms or better known as Jibbitz (the original company that produces them)... the ...
  • event: New York, TCD

    4
    Fresco Arabic Wins TCD2 2008 Award

    For excellence in Typeface Design

    29 July 08 18:00 > 22 Aug 08 17:30 Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFares - Congratulations to our Khatt members Lara Assouad-Khoury and Fred Smeijers for their achievement! The Fresco Arabic Font designed...
  • Looking for a Missing Employee in Shizuoka, Japan & Live from Beirut

    11 to 16 May 2008

    samar maakaron - I was invited with director Rabih Mroue to Shizuoka in Japan to present 'Looking for a Missing employee'. Due to the airport closure in ...
  • event: University of Leipzig

    3
    History of Printing and Publishing in the Languages and Countries of the Middle East

    Third International Symposium, a part of 24th Congress of the Union Européenne des Arabisants et Islamisants (UEAI).

    25 Sept 08 > 27 Sept 08 Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFares - Following two successful international symposia on The History of Printing and Publishing in the Languages and Countries of the Middle...
  • event: The Cultural and Scientific Associatio - Al Mamzar

    Dubai International Exhibition of the Arabic Calligraphy

    5th Session

    13 Feb 08 10 > 20 Feb 08 22 Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFares - Under the patronage of H. H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai - Chairman of the Executive Council.
  • event: Dubai, Traffic

    Traffic Design Competition 2008

    the region's first product and interior design competition

    1 Dec 07 > 9 Mar 08 Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFares - Traffic launches the Middle East’s first regional annual design competition in its continued efforts to encourage, promote and nurture...
  • Multi Online Design Journal

    Call for Submissions (2008/2009)

    Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFares - Multi's international editorial board seeks original, unpublished contributions for upcoming issues. Multi aims to nurture an ...
  • Lebanese Vernacular Type

    Vernacular bookmarks

    wael morcos - When type mixes with art, superstitions, formalities, religious affiliations and social behaviour the result is a vernacular way of ...
  • Book: 

    1Stéphane Mallarmé's ‘Un Coup de dés’ translated, composed & printed in arabic!

    Sébastien Morlighem - A new french publisher, Ypsilon, teams up with moroccan poet Mohammed Bennis for a world premiere : the first bilingual french-arabic ...
  • animation film: 

    5Persepolis, story of an Iranian childhood

    An animated biography of an Iranian woman

    Edo Smitshuijzen - Sometimes the story about important developments in the Arab world are best told by reports about personal experiences. And sometimes ...
  • Generating Arabic Fonts

    Pascal Zoghbi - Developing and generating Arabic fonts is not as easy and straightforward as for Latin fonts.This article will cover Encoding, Glyph and ...
  • Khatt Project: 

    Typographic Matchmaking fonts in public spaces

    The BigVesta Arabic font used in Guggenheim exhibition design

    Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFares - the Vesta and BigVesta Arabic fonts are used on large scale environmental graphics and lettering for the Saadiyat Island Cultural ...
  • News Archive 2007