Hala Al-Ani 
Riem Ibrahim This presentation shares recent findings from an ongoing research project and forthcoming bilingual monograph that aims to recover and narrate the life and work of Muhammad Sa‘id Al Saggar (1934–2014), the influential Iraqi poet, calligrapher, editor, and type designer. Active from the 1960s through the early 2000s, Al Saggar’s multidisciplinary practice spanned poetry, experimental calligraphy, editorial design, and digital type development. He is perhaps best known for his development of the Simplified Arabic Alphabet in the 1960s, an innovative system designed to ensure compatibility with a wide range of typesetting devices. Throughout his career, Al Saggar remained committed to challenging typographic conventions through the creation of distinctive calligraphy styles such as Al Basri and Al Nabati Scripts. Despite his pioneering contributions to Arabic visual culture and modernist design, there remains no comprehensive archive or publication that documents his legacy.
Responding to the ATypI 2026 theme “Between: Tradition | Transition | Transformation”, this project situates Al Saggar’s work within the broader history of Arab graphic modernism and positions his typographic practice as a vital bridge between classical calligraphic heritage and the radical transitions ushered in by new technologies and ideologies. Through archival excavation, image and text analysis, and interviews with regional peers, the research reconstructs a historical narrative that is both urgent and inspirational, particularly as many of Al Saggar’s original materials risk permanent loss.
The resulting monograph, to be published by the Khatt Foundation as part of its Arabic Design Library, seeks to reposition Al Saggar within global design discourse, while making his legacy accessible to emerging generations of Arabic-speaking designers. This presentation will share newly uncovered material, discuss the challenges of writing regional design histories, and reflect on the role of independent archives in preserving cultural memory. In doing so, it argues for the necessity of typographic historiography as an act of reclamation, capable of transforming not only our understanding of the past, but also the possibilities for future design imaginaries across the Arab world.