Lively motion and massive solidity are clearly opposites. One animates and the other remains static. They exist in a tension with one horizontal, the other vertical; one connected, the other separate. East and West Arabic calligraphy and Latin typography. These oppositions offer an opportunity not for privilege, but for an encounter without judgment or preconception. The purpose of this article is not to discuss possible practical ways that Arabic and Latin typefaces can be used harmoniously together side by side, top to bottom, back to front, or in any other polar relationship. Designers have found ways to select typefaces, weights and styles so that the two languages appear compatible. They have configured layouts to allow the languages to operate individually while juxtaposed. Strides have been made toward improving the technical aspects of non-Latin typefaces and, in particular, the problems created by the calligraphic aspects of Arabic. Instead, the purpose here is to explore the underlying ideas that contribute to the aesthetics and thinking behind these two languages in order to find new approaches to their application and use. Typography is more than legibility, and more than aesthetics. It is the search for greater power in the written word. It is the embodiment of a culture's identity. It is the celebration of humanity.
展开▼
