Mamoun Sakkal’s Calligraphy

Creative Mornings speaker Mamoun Sakkal’s typographic work extends to a prolific display of Arabic calligraphy. There’s multiple variations that Mamoun’s skill shines through and to start us off, here’s an example of poetry set in the elegant Tuluth round style. It reads “Let the beauty of what you love, be what you do”. 

(image via sakkal.com)

And here’s some playful Zoomorphic Calligraphy. This is a Persian poem set in the shape of a tiger, with an example following of how one would read the poem, starting at #1 and rotating clockwise to the head at #13. Translated, “Salimah, my love, remember the entrance door to the sanctuary is inside you.”

(images via sakkal.com)

Kufic Calligraphy, an ancient form of Arabic script. Here are some examples wedding monograms that incorporate the bride and groom’s name that made in the Eastern Kufi Style. 

(images via sakkal.com)

Mamoun has also designed work in a Square Kufic style, which is used for tiling as an architectural detail. Below are examples of custom work for a home in Spain, featuring Qur’anic text set in glass mosaic tiles.

(images via sakkal.com)

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P.S. We’re releasing tickets for folks on the waiting list over the next few days. Be sure to get on the list if you haven’t already!

As the international market for design grows, the value of knowing unique writing systems deepens. International typographer Mamoun Sakkal will tantalize us with stories on the challenge and beauty of designing Arabic typefaces during May’s Creative Morning talk, Writing Backwards: Designing Arabic Typefaces.

An expert in multiple Arabic typographic disciplines, including multiple types of calligraphy, Sakkal has had a longstanding career with letterforms in addition to his expert knowledge on on developing Arabic typefaces in conjunction with Latin typefaces. To prepare you for what will be a fantastic talk, we’ll be posting examples of his work whet your appetites over the next week.

To get things started, here’s a look at Shilia, one of several typefaces Mamoun has designed. This specific typeface was made as an Arabic companion to Linotype Univers (designed by Adrian Frutiger). Examples of both shown below.

(Images via Linotype)

And here’s an example of a custom version of this typeface in action at the Burj Khalifa Hotel in Dubai, UAE. It looks especially stunning paired with Univers within their wayfinding system.

(Images via sakkal.com)

Another example of his Arabic-Latin collaborations is Arabtek, designed to be compatible with the English font, Teknik.

(Images via sakkal.com)


And finally, here’s Sakkal Kufi, a typeface based on traditional forms of Kufic calligraphy, one of several Arabic calligraphy disciplines.

(Images via sakkal.com)

This is just a sampling of Mamoun Sakkal’s work and there will be plenty more to see and hear about during May’s Creative Morning! Be sure to grab tickets if you haven’t already!