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Date Friday, October 30th 2020

Kufic Script: from Calligraphy to Typography

Nada Abdallah

From Sharjah to Beirut, design curricula is a challenge in the age of digital revolution within the context of Globalization. It’s vital to analyze this practice and device means to integrate Arabic concepts, content, and compositions through design projects. Design students obtain the basics to become typography designers through practice. The Kufic Script is recognized for its dichotomy of shapes, simple to complex forms, motifs, and letters. Its playful grid structure is traditional, yet open to trendy explorations and experimentations. Adopting the Kufic Script bridges gaps retrospectively; looking at the past, applying it to the present, and reflecting into the future. The purpose of this presentation is to understand the origins of the script, utilize it as a contemporary regional motif, and further develop it for other possible applications.

Speaker

Nada Abdallah

Professor University of the Arts Sharjah

Artist, Designer, Calligrapher, Typographer, Researcher, and Assistant Professor of Visual Communication at the University of the Arts Sharjah. Founder of the FiftyFifty Traveling Lettering Exhibition and the Bilarabic Design Festival, and President of ATypI (Association Typographique Internationale). She holds a BS in Visual Communication from the American University of Sharjah and an MFA from the Lebanese University. Received several awards in typography, design, and photography. She has served as a juror for various competitions, including the Type Directors Club (TDC), and her work has been exhibited in Lebanon, UAE, Greece, Korea, Egypt, KSA, the USA, and others. Her work and research focus on Arabic calligraphy, typography and prehistoric motif design.