Typographic Matchmaking in the City 2.0

The Khatt Foundation, curated by Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFares, launched the Typographic Matchmaking sequel — Typographic Matchmaking in the City V2.0 project — which focuses on typography’s use in place making within an urban context.

Just like the first Typographic Matchmaking project, there are 5 teams of matched designers, only this time there architects are on board, along with major new ingredients. This time as well, my friend Khajag Apelian and I, are both part of 2 of the teams in the project.

What remains the same:
-5 teams of designers from Europe and the Middle east
-The aim is to create 5 pairs of matching Latin and Arabic typefaces
-Showcase the result in a book and an exhibition (typographic Matchmaking, El Hema)

What’s new:
-Each team now includes an architect
-Latin and Arabic typefaces are both created from scratch
-The outcome is not a text face but a display one inspired from the urban cities of Europe and the middle east, more specifically Amsterdam and Dubai/Beirut
-Showcase the process and the result in a book and a participatory public art space
-A group of designers and film makers accompany the project and the teams, documenting each step to produce the book and a documentary movie. Both the film feature and the book are to represent means of exploring the project as a creative process and and a showcase for the outcome.

TEAM 1 Story Line, Fluidity & Friction
Max Kisman (Netherlands),
Naji El Mir (Lebanon/France),
Hisham Youssef (Egypt/UAE)

TEAM 2 DNA, Latin & Arabic Double Helix
Rene Knip (Netherlands),
Jeroen van Erp (Netherlands),
Reza Abedini (Iran/Netherlands),
Khajag Apelian (Lebanon)

TEAM 3 Urban Rulers, City Metrics
Erik van Blokland (Netherlands),
Pascal Zoghbi (Lebanon),
Joumana Al Jabri (Saudi Arabia/Syria/UAE)

TEAM 4 Local Reference System
Artur Schmal (Netherlands),
Wael Morcos (Lebanon),
Richard Wagner (Germany/UAE)

TEAM 5 The Kashida Project
Melle Hammer (Netherlands),
Yara Khoury (Lebanon),
Stealth: Ana Dzokic (Serbia) & Marc Neelen (Netherlands)

AMSTERDAM/DUBAI/AMSTERDAM (Friesland)

Three meetings took place already, the last one ended few weeks ago.

Amsterdam February 09 was the first meeting during which the teams explored Amsterdam. The trip included launching the project, briefing the teams, discussing the general concept and requirements. Presentation by each participant took place at Mediamatic. The paired designers took the time to get to know each other and sit for brief brainstorming sessions as well as random discussions.

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Maya Zankoul’s Amalgam – Book signing!

I’m proud to announce that I will be launching and signing my first comic book on August 12th, 2009, at Art Lounge at 6:30 PM! The book contains 39 selected stories from my blog, Maya’s Amalgam criticizing Lebanon on the social level, using a sarcastic/humorous tone.

Poster

Hope to see you all there! ^^

will the real poster please stand up

Someone plagiarized a poster Khajag and I had done three years ago posted on this page in 2007.
It’s an another one of those anti-smoking posters with arabic type (of course), done at a time when i didn’t smoke yet.

Well, times have changed and so did the poster! A certain student used the poster, changed a few things and submitted it as hers. Revising the diacritic dots color, remodeling the typographical sub headline and adding an ashtray is what it took for this poster to pass the end of year exhibition committee and make it to the printed catalog.

I felt flattered at first then it made me think…

Cancel Cancer poster

Back in November, ArabAd magazine launched its cancer v/s creativity poster competition.

The monotony of captivity

Two days ago was the day I submitted my resignation at work. I thought it would be a simple procedure. In fact, I was bored of the monotony. I felt as if I was captive in a cage or in an aquarium. My vision of work was as illustrated below.

 

The monotony of captivity

 

 

ThePlace in ISTD Condensed

The International Society of Typographic Design publishes its ISTD Condensed every now and then to connect its members with each other through their works and writings. I was happy to know that some of our works were selected to be in this issue.

Winner of Project Mulsaq

A couple of months ago The Khatt Foundation and the trend-setting company Mosaiques, in collaboration with Dubai-based design gallery Traffic organized a competition to design limited edition vinyl stickers under the theme ‘Reinvent our space, bring the middle east home’.

My submission, entitled If walls had ears… eyes & mouths, was selected by the jury to be among the 20 finalists of the competition.

Impressions from Sevilla I

Alamillo, Barqueta, Triana

After my return from a trip to Sevilla, Spain, I tried to graphically capture my memories and impressions from this magical region of the world.

Vinyl stickers

Khtt foundation has recently launched a vinyl sticker competition with an Arabic twist theme into it. The following was my submission.

I always considered home as a place of self discovery and bringing back cherished thoughts to save them and preserve them infront of one’s presence…

Lebanon, tarararam!

This is my personal interpretation when it comes to the situation in Lebanon. Just as we hope it’s over, it always starts again.

“war is over”, “tarararam” (music of the Lebanese National Anthem)…

Web Design vs. Type Setting

Web design tends to be viewed as ‘the least challenging task’ for designers. Let alone when this website is required to be implemented in HTML. That’s what I thought too, until I was faced with a job that required mostly HTML website designs.

ThePlace in the Arabesque Graphics Book!

We are excited to tell that we are part of the new Arabesque Graphics book, to be in stores starting this April! The book is a compendium of contribution from various young or well known designers/studios such as Jonathan Barnbrook, Reza Abedini, Atrissi Design, Khatt Foundation, Mediamatic (Amsterdam), Mohtaraf… and us!

Here is a preview spread in which you can see a poster of the Modwi typeface (bottom left), designed by Kj.

El Hema in NOUN magazine

In its latest issue, Noun Magazine published an article about the El Hema exhibition that we were part of! Run to the shelves!

Or well, you can read it online HERE

the Play

To look is to learn if you listen carefully | Per Arnoldi

Producing 10 visual interpretations from a given list of words and expressions focusing on the experimentation of producing ideas and concepts, was the aim of this project. Using the visual rhetorics (i.e. contrast, emphasis, repetition, drop-outs, simile, pun, hyperbole etc.) I was able to find a relation between word an image. I followed a certain style to unify the 10 visuals and grouped them in a small booklet entitled the Play.

Booksigns/Roadmarks

When asked to design a series of 12 bookmarks around the theme experimental/environmental typography, I started by taking a trip to the old souk of Jounieh where we can find all sorts of vernacular, leftout typography. As I walked by, looking for found type, I thought about the concept of a bookmark: it is supposed to help you find your way while reading, which is also the purpose of signs in streets. And what is reading other than walking in a virtual world. This led to the idea of trying to create a typeface based on the signs in themselves, signs seen as lettershapes, which is a more holistic, twisted approach to the project.

The ‘letterhunt’ started then. It was quite a challenge and I was walking in unknown territory, not sure whether I would be able to find all the letters of the alphabet.

vector illustration

Opposed to design which relies on intuition, clever thinking, and specific purpose, these illustrations were time consuming experimentation, and personal challenge to do realistic vector illustrations. I started both of them during July war on Lebanon when I was stuck at home for a long period…

Imagine flip book.

“Imagine” is a 120 frames flip book each drawn separately. The 10-second storyboard is the journey of the dot of the “i” that flows around with a steady horizontal camera move to reveal the letters each in a way. This was my first attempt ever to deal with design in motion.

Lebanese Vernacular Type (bookmarks)

When type mixes with art, superstitions, formalities, religious affiliations and social behaviour the result is a vernacular way of expression. Lebanese trucks are filled with typographic sentences, some painted directly and others are vinyl letter shapes and illustrations stuck on any side of a moving truck.

Most visuals reflect beliefs in the evil eye, envy, and ask the protection of God. Truck drivers and people working in the Public Transport- or whatever form of that available in Lebanon, have their business on the road. A protection from daily hazardous accidents is something they need.

The messages on the bookmarks focused on those expressions and inscriptions of the slang arabic/lebanese language often found on vehicles in public legumes markets. Photos are treated as visual clues and grouped under similar topics to produce one sequential typographical series where culture, traditions and beliefs mix.

El HEMA at NDU

On the 29th of November, KJ and I will join Raya Tueni and Maria Hakim to give a lecture about “El Hema” at Note Dame University – Zouk Mosbeh (The Exhibition that we worked on in Amsterdam in August 2007 with Medamatic). Pascal Zoghbi will start the lecture explaining about the project.

Date: 29 november 2007

Time: 6:00 pm

Place: NDU Friend’s Hall

Arabic experimental typefaces

Our Arabic experimental typefaces were presented at Pascal’s Lecture at AUB on Wednesday 14th of November. Pascal talked about his Arabic typefaces, the process he follows and the methodology of his work, and later introduced some of the typefaces designed by some of his students of AUB and NDU, which included Maya’s Arabic cut-out detached type, Wael’s Duwaera, a circular based attached Arabic type and my Moudwi, a detached Arabic type, drawn by light.

Come back for updates about each typeface.

we WON the DUTCH DESIGN AWARD!

Thank you for all who voted for El Hema for the dutch design award.

After the nomnation of the project amongst the best dutch design, the EL HEMA EXHIBITION WON THE FIRST PRIZE of the jury’s choice in the “Visual Identity” category. And thanks to the audience votes, WE WON THE SECOND PLACE in the “Public Choice” award. El Hema was nominated in the visual identity category against leading design studios, including JWT and Studio Dumbar.

Congratulations for the Arabic and Dutch team who worked on the project (Willem Velthoven, Pascal Zoghbi, Tarek Atrissi, Wael Morcos, KJ Apelian, Raya Tueny, Maria Hakim, Abrar Al-Musallam, Kristin Maurer, Vele Anderen & Marieke Bijster), for Madiamatic and The Khatt Foundation.

Willem Vilthoven and Jans Possel recieving the award. Willem wearing one of El Hema Tshirt with arabic typography. For more picture from the ceremony click here.

For more information about El Hema project visit the previous posts by clicking on any of the pictures below.

Head Heart and Hand in motion

Kj (with a merit), Maya and I all passed the Istd assessment in the Uk.

Mine was about expressing a design process through a 3×3 space.
Here is my print version of the project.

The same project was also executed through a screen based approach. The result is 5 short movies: Introduction, Head, Heart, Hand, Attainment.

Introduction

Head

EL HEMA nominated for Best Dutch Design 2007

We are pleased to announce that El HEMA exhibition was nominated for Best Dutch Design Awards 2007 in the visual identity category. Out of 526 participants the jury chose the 100 best designs within the head categories: Communication, Space, Interaction and Product. The results of the awards will be announced on Saturday 20 October 2007.

We’re also on the shortlist for the Audi(ence) prize, and that’s where You, dear reader, come in… You can vote for El Hema by clicking here. On the right side of the page there is an orange coloured link “Ik kies dit werk”. After clicking they will ask you for name and email witch will not be published.

Thanks for helping us to win the audience prize!
Here are some other nominees in the same category as El HEMA

IT DOES FEEL HEMA!

It does feel Hema!… This is one of the reactions visitors of el Hema exhibition had; and to me the most rewarding. The whole shop is practically in Arabic and all the products, interior, photography have an Arabic twist into them. This accomplishment is the work of the whole team who worked on the exhibition. It is also a happy moment for everyone interested in design, culture and specifically Arabic typography.

El Hema logos (Left: new logo, designed by Wael Morcos. Right: old logo, designed by Tarek Atrissi in collaboration with Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFares. Arabic font used as basis for the logo is TheMix Arabic, designed by Lucas de Groot and Mouneer Al-Shaarani).

Arabic erotic poetry on uderwears, set in Fresco and designed by wael morcos.

ABSOLUT ADS

What can someone do in a photography studio with and Absolut bottle?

EL Hema

Kj and I (with 3 more young designers from the Arab world) are in Amsterdam right now working on El Hema project organised by Mediamatic
The project is preparing an exhibition of an arabic version of a very famous store, the typically dutch HEMA.

HEMA original logo and its arabic adaptation, designed by Tarek Atrissi in collaboration with Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFares. Arabic font used as basis for the logo is TheMix Arabic, designed by Lucas de Groot and Mouneer Al-Shaarani).

 

 

 

What would an Arabic HEMA look like? Halal sausage? Arabic chocolate letters? Affordable high quality headscarves? 3 Palestinian scarfs (kaffia) for the price of 2? Tunics or Djballas? School notebooks with lining for Arabic, which reads from right to left? Ali Baba and the 40 store robbers? Camel milk? Erotic Arabic poetry on duvet covers? Jibril and Jamilah children’s champagne? North African wine?

Creating an Arabic store was the natural choice to exhibit and launch the book Typographic Matchmaking organized by Khatt Foundation. The book is in fact a collaboration between dutch designers and designers from the Arab world to produce 5 pairs of typefaces designed to work together in body text.

The exhibition is a cultural exchange between artists, designers, young people and poets mainly from The Netherlands and the Arab world.

Teta Nemnum

Old people seem to have a lot to communicate without doing any effort. Their facial features are like lines that draw their past. At 95, teta Nemnum, my mother’s grandma or my grandma’s mother, have had a long and tiresome past. She passed away few months after those pictures were taken.

Kufi style

Kufi design can be achieved through several approaches. Three concepts are designed for the project ‘write your name in different forms of Kufi.’

Iconic Stamps

These stamps convey six of the main projects concerning the Reform proposals of the aspect of Arabic Typography.

Ref.resh

The publication ref.resh is a compendium of typographic links,
connecting the return of decorative typography today to the old use of
ornamentation in typography. The link is shown through the following examples: Zuzana Licko’s revival of Baskerville’s types with Mrs Eaves typeface, and Sibylle Hagmann’s revival of Charter designed by W.A. Dwiggins with Odile typeface.

Diseases stick

2 sequential posters promoting safe sex.

Head Heart & Hand

Head Heart & Hand is my ISTD project to be presented to the assessors in London (fingers crossed!)
The brief was about investigating a space 3 meters long, 3 meters high and 3 meters wide and to interpret it typographically using just 1 single A1 sheet and some sort of packaging/mailing.

The space of investigation is my design studio, my room, the place where I spend time for thinking and working. A relatively small space, three meters long, three meters wide and three meters high. Like any designer’s working space it witnesses a process and a thinking methodology.

The research tackled many aspects and subjects like studying geometric cubic shapes, folding, history of popups, design thinking and processes, ambigrams, type in 3D… To further push the theoretical part, the research had inputs from readings of Jessica Helfand, Paula Scher, Michael Bierut, Erik Speikermann, Huda Abifares, Milton glaser, Richard Saul Wurman, Michael McDonough…

Unified:for better and for worse

Our senior project was to work on one of the briefs of the ISTD competition and the brief I had chosen was ‘Et tu, Brute?’. We were asked to design a ‘collecable’ publication which takes cognizance of the world of typographic practice, both historical and contemporary.

In my case The study of the history of Arabic typography led to a series of interconnected facts:
Gutenburg’ invention of metal type (1400s) • printing Arabic books in Europe • printing Arabic books in the middle east (East meets West) • need for simplification of the Arabic writing system • 1936 conference by the academy of Arabic language­— reform projects • Nasri Khattar’s proposal (1947).