arabish
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“It is not the eyes that are blind but the hearts.” – Surah Baqarah 2:195 –
“There is no compulsion in religion.” – Qur’an 2:256 –
I find beauty in the stereotype
A
a
arabish is a stereo-typeface that is intended to mimic that of the arabic language . The name itself was an easy choice with the terrorish element and the stereotypes that come with the use of the word terrorist , and thus the language itself has unfortunately become associated with judgemental negative connotations , through this font I hope to change that .
B
b
C
c
† you probably won’t bother to read this
arabish, but try and have a lovely day nonetheless .
†
†
see the beauty in other worlds, cultures &
religions , at the end of the day we’re all on this rock together .
†
D
d
E
e
F f
a new light I wanted to create a beautiful font that had the characteristics of arabic , the long rolling descenders , the straight upward ascenders and various accents and additions . Since I couldn’t read arabic I focused on the letter forms and quickly discovered that each word seemed in it’s own right unique , so I wanted to reflect that .
G
g
H
h
Regular A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ! ? £ $ % @ & * . , < > ^ ` # ∞ ( ) - ÷ = + [ ] { } ; : ‘ “ ” \ | / •– ¿ ^ ˙ ˚ _ …
Bold A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ! ? £ $ % @ & * . , < > ^ ` # ∞ ( ) - ÷ = + [ ] { } ; : ‘ “ ” \ | / •– ¿ ^ ˙ ˚ _ …
I
i
J
j
K
k
Ligatures I had to find a way to ensure that the characters connected to seem like a handwritten typeface. Since many of the usual letter pairs didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sit well together I had to create over 160 separate ligatures. This also meant that each word could be seen as its own symbol , and stand out in both a display environment or just in bodies of text .
L
l
M
m
†
I hope you aren’t feeling sad and
lonely , we should all build on the way we treat one other .
†
†
whether it’s Allah , Vishnu or maybe your own
god , no one should be judged for their beliefs .
†
N
n
O
o
P
p
Implementing With the finished typeface I wanted to be able to use it in posters and pieces of work surrounding islamophobia and how the Western world seems to ignore it . For me as a language of so many I felt like people tend to shy away from anything associated with it , so I began devising posters that people would be drawn to with good intentions .
Q
q
R
r
Italic A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ! ? £ $ % @ & * . , < > ^ ` # ∞ ( ) - ÷ = + [ ] { } ; : ‘ “ ” \ | / •– ¿ ^ ˙ ˚ _ …
Bold Italic A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ! ? £ $ % @ & * . , < > ^ ` # ∞ ( ) - ÷ = + [ ] { } ; : ‘ “ ” \ | / •– ¿ ^ ˙ ˚ _ …
S
s
T
t
U
u
Dissonance By creating designs with the use of arabish I am able to exploit otherwise non muslim quotes and articles that condone the religion , and make it seem like a conflicting ideolody . Thus creating a state of dissonance for the audience , enabling them to take a second glance and hopefully rethink the way themselves and others treat another faith .
V
v
W
w
â&#x20AC;
newspaper headlines are all rather
frightening , the fear they are spreading is making the situation worse .
â&#x20AC;
â&#x20AC;
the use of judgement is a dangerous
thing , if it has to be used, do so with a conscience .
â&#x20AC;
X
x
Y
y
Z
z
Forgiveness This has been my stereo-type specimen on a mixture of english and arabic , I hope it has inspired anyone who reads this to reconsider their views of others , regardless of belief or culture . As a conclusion I give you a verse from their holy scripture : “ Hold to forgiveness , command what is right , and turn away from the ignorant .” ( Qur’an , 7 : 199 )
we must all find beauty in the stereotype
With an overwhelming sense of Islamophobia in the world today since the events of 9/11, I have created a beautifully elegant stereo-typeface that reflects the beauty in the Arabic language. Hopefully shedding a new light on the way we decide to see and judge an entire religious culture, based on the actions of a few.