31.Dec.2008 The story of Koufiya: Part I
Koufiya is not a typeface. Koufiya is an idea born through a war-torn childhood, a struggling region, and a great passion for design. Culture, politics, and design come together to mesh into a wish for open communication and equal status. Koufiya is about dialogue and harmony among opposites. It’s about co-existence without the loss of [...]
13.Jun.2008 De Niro’s Game
A Lebanese writer won the prestigious International Impac Dublin Literary Award. His book is about two childhood friends growing up in the Lebanese civil war. I have just ordered it from Amazon. More info here.
26.May.2008 Wishing for peace
There is light at the end of this long tunnel. Today the Lebanese parliament voted for a new president and it seems that there is this small chance that things will be ok for my home country. For more than 3 years now Lebanon has been beset with all sorts of political troubles. My family, [...]
21.Apr.2008 Survey of Square Kufic in Contemporary Art and Design
Mamoum Sakkal is carrying out a survey on square Kufi. Click here to find out more.
30.Mar.2008 The story of Frutiger Arabic
In early 2004, I was asked by the American University of Beirut to design an Arabic companion to the typeface Frutiger that they had chosen for their internal signage system.
12.Mar.2008 Great opening credits: The Kite Runner
I saw this a while ago in the theater and loved the movie. Today I thought to post a link to the opening credits. Great score and wonderful animation with faux-Arabic. These people did their research and were able to create a wonderful mood. In case you do decide to watch the movie, bring tissues. [...]
25.Feb.2008 Palatino Arabic won a TDC award
I am very happy to report that Palatino Arabic, which I had worked on with Prof. Hermann Zapf, has won an Award for Excellence in Type Design from Type Directors’ Club in New York!!! Palatino Arabic is in the style of classical Naskh but with a Thuluth flavor. The design had quite a large number [...]
29.Jan.2008 Helvetica DVD now available
In case you would like to get your own copy of the Helvetica movie, and I highly recommend this, you can get a copy here.
26.Jan.2008 Arabic designs needed…
A foreign language textbook publisher is looking for someone who can provide Arabic designs (page borders, backgrounds, icons, etc.) for the publication of a new edition of a beginning Arabic text. If you are a designer or artist, or you can direct the publisher to a source of this type of content, please contact tim.shea@yale.edu. [...]
17.Nov.2007 Hermann Zapf and I are on the Helvetica movie DVD
Very exciting news!! First of all, you’ve all heard of the Helvetica movie, right? If not, a very few words: The movie is directed by Gary Hustwit and it is about Helvetica. Yes, the typeface.