Arabic Blackletter?

[hrant]

This topic was imported from the Typophile platform

Impressive:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alazaat/6264051284/in/photostream/

hhp

[Martin Silvertant]

Damn impressive indeed! I really wish I was well versed in other scripts so I could explore ideas like an arabic blackletter. Not that I have enough time in my life to explore all ideas in Roman type...

[hrant]

I once did a Georgian "broken-script":
http://www.themicrofoundry.com/f_akhalkalak.html
And I don't read Georgian. :-)

hhp

[Martin Silvertant]

Looks very nice! How do you make sure you get everything right and anticipate how ligatures might look like and other similar problems though? I want to design a cyrillic typeface one day but it's quite similar to the Roman script so I don't anticipate many problems. I find more exotic scripts to be quite risky to design if I have no insight in the language.

[hrant]

More than language, to me it's a matter of visual "nativity".
Some designers don't agree, but I believe that although without
nativity you can produce acceptable imitative typefaces, you
cannot really innovate. Which is not to say that nativity cannot
be acquired later in life; few however can manage that luxury.

BTW when I made Akhalkalak I consulted with an expert native in
Georgian at UCLA (where I used work) to make sure none of the
letters were too far out. And the expert did actually find fault with
one letter, which I duly tamed (but I could not innovate).

hhp

[Martin Silvertant]

I must say it sounds both risky and exciting. I can imagine if you don't know the language you indeed have chance to break new ground.

[hrant]

But only by dumb luck, at least in text fonts.
Display fonts probably do benefit from a lack
of imposed precedent though. In fact as I state
now and again, formal education is a two-edged
sword. And I like to say that in type design I'm
"classically trained": I'm self-taught. :->

hhp

[Martin Silvertant]

I'm also self-taught. I studied graphic design at the art academy for one year and my basic typographic knowledge was acquired there. I then went on to study multi media design. I started being active in type design during my first internship in 2009. I have my diploma now and I plan to go back to school upcoming year to get a bachelor in graphic design and then a master in typography & communication. I have been pondering though whether I'm really doing this for the experience or that I will genuinely learn more than I would on my own. I'm sure I will be learning through the experience though. I've never really had the pleasure to surround myself with type geeks but I really want to enter that environment.

In any case, when it comes to type design I'm self-taught. I very much romanticize the idea of being mentored by a type designer and I find the idea of techniques, styles and concepts being passed on from the master to the pupil very charming. I guess it's also about the pleasure of working on a single design together as opposed to having to find out a solution for every problem yourself. I mean, as a solo designer it can be both exhilarating and frustrating/tiring.

[Vrylyk Graphics]

I love blackletter fonts! :3

[carlb]

Hi hrant that was damn impressive indeed. I am not so well versed in Arabic or other scripts, but I would really like to know more about learning the Arabic script. I am doing a research in language scripts and I would like to know where I could find scripts. www.ordergripgo.com