From Calligraphy to Pixels: Investigating Modern Arabic Type

Abeera Kamran

Dina Benbrahim

This panel brings together a diverse group of practitioners and researchers with expertise in the Arabic writing system to discuss the transition of the script from its rich calligraphic heritage to contemporary typographic forms. The speakers will consider the concept of ‘modernity’ through the lens of the various cultural, economic, and political contexts unique to each of them, while considering the enduring legacies of colonial and technological interventions and Eurocentric frameworks on the aesthetics and structure of Arabic letterforms.

By considering these factors, the panel seeks to explore ways to reclaim cultural sovereignty, resist homogenization, and decentralize design practices by amplifying indigenous knowledge and community-centered approaches. Finally, by questioning power dynamics in type design—from ownership and accessibility to the marginalization of regional variations—the conversation will envision equitable and inclusive pathways for the future of Arabic type.

Abeera Kamran is a designer, web developer, and typographer. She is an AHRC-funded PhD student at the Department of Typography and Graphic Communication, at the University of Reading. Her research investigates the design and technological challenges associated with publishing Nastaliq in digital devices. Her PhD research is titled "Reading Urdu online: Lahori Nastaʿlīq as a case study towards the realisation of a multi-lingual world wide web." Her PhD includes the development of an open-source web typographic framework for global scripts. She is also a lecturer in Design at the University of Reading.

Dina Benbrahim is a Moroccan designer and scholar who uses an intersectional feminist lens to investigate design for visibility, civic action, and social justice with minoritized communities to collectively reimagine equitable futures. She has been exploring pan-African and feminist design histories in North Africa.

Among multiple essays she wrote, Dina is the author of “Woven in Oral History: An Incomplete Taxonomy of Amazigh Symbols” in the book Centered, edited by Kaleena Sales. Dina is currently an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at the University of Connecticut and the Director of the Department of Art and Art History’s Design Center (DC).

(b. 1981, Kuwait City, Kuwait; lives and works between Qatar and Kuwait)

Sharaf is the director of Sharaf Studio, and an assistant professor of graphic design at VCUarts Qatar. He holds a BBA in Marketing from Kuwait University, a BA in Graphic Design from the American University of Kuwait (AUK), and an MFA in Design from the School of Visual Arts in New York. While Sharaf Studio specializes in visual identity for both the public and private sectors, as well as typography and editorial design, his self-initiated artistic work focuses on social and political symbolism. His work has been exhibited in local, regional, and international galleries and institutions.

Naïma Ben Ayed is a French-Tunisian type and graphic designer. She holds a master’s degree in Type Design from École Estienne in Paris. After a decade of working with various studios between Paris and London, she established her independent practice, focusing on Arabic and Latin scripts and the narratives that connect them. Her work spans retail and custom type design, visual identities, and storytelling through letters.

She is also the co-founder of La Bureau, a virtual studio in collaboration with Francesca Bolognini (Italy/USA). Together, they design typefaces that foster dialogue between Arabic and Latin scripts, drawing from their Mediterranean heritages. Their first typeface, La Grotesque, is available at TPTQ Arabic.

Naïma regularly leads type design and digital lettering workshops, most recently at Pickle Bar (Berlin), ESAV Marrakech, and Le Signe (Chaumont). Beyond teaching, she explores ways to make type design education more accessible, including a multi-script type design program published on Futuress. She is currently working with Khajag Apelian on an Arabic Type Design Workbook.

Pascal Zoghbi is a Lebanese designer and educator with a Master of Design in Type & Media from KABK. He founded 29Letters Type Foundry in 2013. Building on a cross-cultural approach, he has developed an outstanding collection of contemporary multiscript typefaces. Having moved to Madrid in 2018, he expanded 29LT’s focus on Arabic and Latin scripts to embrace a global multiscript approach that taps into other world scripts. Zoghbi taught for ten years at various design schools in Lebanon and in the UAE. Internationally renowned, he has received prestigious design awards, such as TDC, Granshan, AIGA, and was nominated for Jameel Prize 3. He also co-authored and edited the “Arabic Graffiti” book.

Sahar Afshar is an independent type designer and researcher based in London. She holds a PhD in Printing History from Birmingham City University, and is part of the Advisory Boards of the Centre for Printing History and Culture in Birmingham and the Type Director's Club in New York. Sahar divides her time between her practice as a type designer, with over a decade of experience working on various retail and custom fonts, and her research—investigating the technological, cultural, and political dimensions of typography and printing and how these facets converge through different historical contexts. She is the Lead Instructor for Type West Online, helping students expand their creative potential to make their own typefaces from anywhere in the world.