I did not invent this term! I came across this image here: http://www.cromwell-intl.com/toilet/signage.html
The illustration is funny. The character on the left looks like he will back-dive into the thing itself.
Getting back to type, we can see how difficult it is to design a dark Arabic typeface. The design is quirky but has something. Can be quite interesting if fixed up.
This kind of black Arabic type style in which the baseline stroke is made heavier while no other strokes are is really bizarre: the letterforms end up looking like they’re swimming in an oil slick. In some words, one can even imagine the forms as flailing arms and legs.
I prefer this approach, which is pretty funky even by today’s standards, although it was written in 1829: http://www.tiro.com/John/BlackArabic.jpg
Left by J Hudson on April 5th, 2007