The Arabic Type Design Archive

Borna Izadpanah is a Lecturer in Typography at the University of Reading, from where he was also awarded a PhD, and an MA in Typeface Design. His doctoral research explored the history of the early typographic representation of the Persian language. Borna has received numerous prestigious awards for his research and typeface design, including the Grand Prize and the First Prize for Arabic Text Typeface in the Granshan Type Design Competition, two Awards for Excellence in Type Design from the Type Directors Club, and the Symposia Iranica Prize for the best paper in Art History.

He is a specialist in the typography of global scripts. Having received his early education in Cairo, Mansour holds a master’s degree in Computer Science and a Diploma in Product Design. In 1996, he joined Monotype Typography, where he played a pivotal role in developing and expanding fonts for lesser-served scripts and languages, including Arabic. His work at Monotype included technical implementation of OpenType for complex scripts, in addition to ensuring typographic compatibility across a broad range of writing systems. Mansour’s expertise lies at the intersection of linguistics, design, and computer science, enabling him to contribute significantly to digital typography of Unicode-based fonts. He continues to speak at international conferences, sharing insights on the evolution of digital typography and its implications for global communication

She is an independent typeface designer, researcher and instructor based in Egypt. She holds a BA in Graphic Design from the German University in Cairo, an MA in Typeface Design from the University of Reading, UK which was funded by the Monotype Award and is currently pursuing her PhD on Diacritics in the Arabic script and typography at the University of Reading. Najla has been teaching type design and typography for the past six years and often holds Arabic lettering and typography workshops. Her vision is to spread more knowledge about typographic solutions in Arabic using lettering and type design. She is interested in Arabic revival typefaces and inspiring modern Arabic typefaces from calligraphy.

Hani AbdulAmir, based in Dubai, UAE, is a creative director and multidisciplinary graphic designer with a profound focus on typography and type design. With a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Jordan, Hani blends technical rigor with a passion for expressive letterforms. He has developed award-winning brand identities, with each project showcasing his meticulous approach to type and its power to shape compelling brand narratives. Known for his strategic and detail-oriented creativity, Hani pushes the boundaries of typography to bring depth and clarity to every visual story he tells.

Bahraini Calligraphy Artist & Graphic Designer, His portfolio extends to fields as diverse as Islamic art, font design & web development... Adobe Tools.

Founded by Neil Summerour in 2000. A trained designer, lettering artist, and calligrapher, Summerour established Positype to accentuate the craft behind producing typefaces. The subtleties of mass, perfect imperfections, warmth, and uniqueness are foundational tenets to developing the foundry’s commercial offerings with the ultimate goal of producing useful and reliable fonts.

Latinotype is a Chilean digital type foundry founded in 2007 that designs and distributes high-quality fonts inspired by Latin American culture and global influences. They have a large library of fonts, are considered a leading type company globally, and offer custom font services.

NaN is an exploratory and service-driven type design practice balancing weirdness and wisdom. Together with our wonderful rag-tag team of collaborators, clients and crew, we explore the relationship type has with code and technology – delivering projects with purpose. You can expect to find us at the intersection of serious and slap-happy.

Specialize in typography and offer innovative font solutions designed & programming to meet the needs of global and local audiences.

NamelaType is a type foundry based in Magelang, Indonesia operated by Nur Syamsi and Bustanul Arifin. Passionate about harmonizing Latin and Arabic fonts, we aim to create innovative solutions that align their weight, shape, and style—despite their opposite flows—while exceeding our own and our readers’ expectations.