Shoglanol poster series

Shoglanol is a poster series I did in response to an open call by archief cairo. Under the title “Makhtout” (مخطوط⁣, manuscript), the multilingual lab for research, preservation and communication presents “designers with an opportunity to explore and experiment with the relationship between Arabic-Islamic manuscripts and contemporary graphic design. It challenges designers to interpret these manuscripts in today’s context.”

My concept was to create a fictitious medicine for workaholics that would help them take a break, have fun, and rest. Shoglanol is derived from the Arabic word shogl (“work”) .

On a formal level, I took inspiration from some of the geometric patterns and graphical elements found in old manuscripts, then slightly modifying and modernizing them to fit my idea. The placement of key text elements in clouds (or bubbles) references a commonly used way to highlight text in manuscripts. Likewise, the layout and the framing is directly inspired by historical examples.

I chose Dobb because it has this sort of playfulness in the way the letters are drawn. Furthermore, it’s a hybrid Naskh Thuluth typeface. Such styles were commonly used in old manuscripts. I felt that the amount of boldness and jest in Dobb is a good fit for my concept. I paired it with Iranian Sans, another typeface in the Naskh genre that is also a little frisky. Iranian Sans is easily readable at a small sizes. Its texture gives the vibe of handwriting, which made the content feel lighter and not so formal, in addition to enhancing the humorous part in the concept.

I was lucky enough that my posters were selected from the Makhtout open call and will be featured in a physical exhibition. Due to Covid-19, the time and place is yet to be determined.