!VAR HAGENDOORN

Arabesque Graphic Design from the Arab World and Persia

Two years ago I wrote enthusiastically about New Visual Culture of Modern Iran. So I rejoiced when earlier this week I found a new book Arabesque. Graphic Design from the Arab World and Persia. It remains fascinating to see how graphic designers in the Arab world stretch the limits of Arabic type and calligraphy.

The title is a bit of a stretch, since some designers included in the book are based in Europe or the US and some aren't even Arabic, but that doesn't really matter as it emphasizes that the world of graphic design has no boundaries.

Part of the book is devoted to innovations in Arabic typography. I must say that I myself am more interested in how type is used in posters etc. The editors also included street art by artists such as L'Atlas and Herakut.

From browsing through the book it appears that the Cairo design scene is thriving. I found the work of George Azmy very striking. It's a delight to see the use of mixed media (e.g. Farhad Fozouni), when many graphic designers covered in books such as Contemporary Graphic Design appear to be stuck behind their computer and locked within the framework of their Adobe Creative Suites.