Arabesque

Despite their rich tradition of calligraphy, the Arab World and Persia are not knownfor their contemporary graphic design, illustration and typography. Especiallynow, it s worth taking a look at t ...

Despite their rich tradition of calligraphy, the Arab World and Persia are not knownfor their contemporary graphic design, illustration and typography. Especiallynow, it s worth taking a look at the region s creativity. Young designers are justbeginning to chart their own compelling course between local visual conventionand a modern, international style.Arabesque investigates the creative potential of the Arab World and Iran. Thisbook features examples of recent innovative and groundbreaking design workthat is inspired by the richness of the region s visual culture.Given the important role of calligraphy in the Middle East, Arabesque focuseson typography. The book presents a wide range of Arabic fonts and typefacesinspired by traditional calligraphy; these are accompanied by a rich selection ofapplications. Further examples of design and graffiti serve as powerful demonstrationsof how text can be used illustratively. This work is particularly relevantto those now creating street art and poster design.Arabesque also features graphic design, logos and illustration by young designersand activists from Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whichis complemented by selected projects by Western designers, who are stronglyinfluenced by Arab culture. Regardless of the location and ancestry of theircreators, all of the examples included in Arabesque combine modern design withthe traditional, letter-based canon of Arab forms in striking ways.Supplemental texts describe the environments in which the featured designersand artists work. Arabesque also includes a CD-ROM that features a typefacecreated by the book s editors, Ben Wittner and Sascha Thoma.