This exhibition showcased eighteen different experimental Arabic display fonts in the format of typographic posters designed by students from the College of Architecture, Art and Design at American University of Sharjah as part of the first edition of Experimental Arabic Typography course taught by Professors Hala Al-Ani and Riem Ibrahim.

The class introduced relevant theories and histories of Arabic type design from calligraphy to more contemporary typographic practices, and presents basic vocabulary and tools related to Arabic typography/type design. Students articulated a display font as a final result of their semester-long interrogation of Arabic Type towards an experimental open source type foundry. The collection explored a myriad of features and systems, ranging from illustrative and playful to bold and structured. The display highlighted the significance of Arabic type design and the emerging new talent that is injecting a new lively spirit into the Arabic script.

The exhibition was meant to celebrate the art of Arabic type design, and to allow students to engage with the community and discuss ways of making Arabic typography more accessible, versatile and functional in the region.

All fonts were created using Glyphs and are therefore functional display fonts. Visitors were encouraged to reach out to the designer if they were interested in acquiring the fonts for the personal use.