Enrica and Massimoby `majnouna

Digital Art / Typography

As mentioned in my commission journal [link] , I offer to design names in Arabic calligraphy and this was made for *enui. She requested designs for both her name and her partner's and wanted them stylistically related. I'm showing them off here (Enrica on the right, Massimo on the left), with a slight change to the designs she chose

(btw Enrica, if you like this better I can send it to you as well!)

This falls under Kufi because it's constructed rather than written, but it's not based on any existing style, only on the principles of construction that define the letters (although I'm certainly influenced by the Prof's personal approach since I'm learning all this by osmosis from working with him). The method here is to contemplate the word and find its own internal dynamics, which dictate their own design options, and then construct it using clear geometric values. That is, angles of 30, 45 or 60º, and constructions units that are related throughout (the line thickness to gap ratio would be 1:1, 2:1, 4:1, or the like). Nothing is "loose", every point has an alignment.

I am very pleased with the result, where all the "rules" blossomed beautifully. These so-called "restrictions" make it all the more magical when things fall in place through no doing of yours but because you hit upon the right proportions. It's not so much about creating a design as it is about finding it – that's Sacred Geometry, and this is why Kufi was the ornamentation of choice for religious places and texts. The most personal touch here is my choice of using a semicircular tail to tie the names together (after the Maghribi script which I love). Adding the tail to the kaf ending (inside the square) was a flight of fancy, but it allowed me to fill the empty space and complete the overall balance.