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PROSE Award Winner, Art History & Criticism
“Easily the best introduction to the history of modern Arab visual culture on the market today.”—The Brooklyn Rail
The first-ever book-length history of Arab graphic design, now available in Arabic
Arab graphic design emerged in the early twentieth century out of a need to influence, and give expression to, the far-reaching economic, social, and political changes that were taking place in the Arab world at the time. But graphic design as a formally recognized genre of visual art only came into its own in the region in the twenty-first century and, to date, there has been no published study on the subject to speak of.
A History of Arab Graphic Design traces the people and events that were integral to the shaping of a field of graphic design in the Arab world. Examining the work of over eighty key designers from Morocco to Iraq, and covering the period from pre-1900 to the end of the twentieth century, Bahia Shehab and Haytham Nawar chart the development of design in the region, beginning with Islamic art and Arabic calligraphy, and their impact on Arab visual culture, through to the digital revolution and the arrival of the Internet. They look at how cinema, economic prosperity, and political and cultural events gave birth to and shaped the founders of Arab graphic design.
Highlighting the work of key designers and stunningly illustrated with over 600 color images, A History of Arab Graphic Design is an invaluable resource tool for graphic designers, one which, it is hoped, will place Arab visual culture and design on the map of a thriving international design discourse.
“[T]his book is a significant contribution to the global discourse on graphic design history, and essential for all graphic design and visual communication programs (especially in the Arab world). It brings together, under one cover, important yet little-known information. It offers a kaleidoscopic view of graphic design from the Arab world and grounds the field within the broader discussion of graphic design from the peripheries of the established design canon.”—Art Journal
“Important and rich. . . an essential textbook for design educators all over the world. It’s the history book I wish I had as a student, and the resource I’ve been missing as a practicing designer. . . .[A] significant and long overdue publication.”—AIGA Eye on Design
“Highlighting the work of key designers and stunningly illustrated with over 600 color images, [the authors] look at how cinema, economic prosperity, and political and cultural events gave birth to and shaped the founders of Arab graphic design.”—Holiday Powers, New Books Network
"A groundbreaking publication. . . A History of Arab Graphic Design is filled with exquisite examples and is worth buying for the images alone, but of course a better appreciation for the work and the contexts in which they were created is gained by reading the rich history that accompanies the images."—Technical Communications
"An essential new textbook for students and graphic designers from East and West"—PRINT
“Easily the best introduction to the history of modern Arab visual culture on the market today.”—The Brooklyn Rail
"A landmark . . . recommended . . . This book gives a much-needed visual overview of several generations of Arab graphic designers working in Arab countries and in different diasporas and exiles. It builds a history of Arab graphic design from the origins of printing through the 21st century, bringing the work of graphic designers across the region into conversation." —M. Lynx Qualey, Al-Fanar Media
“Closing the gap on the history of Arab graphic design . . . with over 370 pages and 600 color illustrations, A History of Arab Graphic Design is an invaluable resource.”—Futuress Magazine
"[O]ffers a thus far missing genealogy of Arab graphic design . . . a major feat"—The National News
"A reference work on many levels . . . [a] rich tour, well documented and supported"—Ahram Hebdo
Contents
Chapter 1: Sources of Inspiration for Arab Design, Pre 1900
Decoding Islamic Visual Language
Early Arabic Printing
Chapter 2: Artists and Calligraphers: Early Designers, 1900 – 1919
Foundation of Art Education in the Arab World
Arabic Calligraphy Designers
Early Arab Advertising
Arab Philately
Chapter 3: Design for the Masses, 1920 – 1939
Formation of Arab Magazines and Newspapers
Arabic Typewriter
Design for Cinema
Chapter 4: Arab Design and Modernity, 1940 – 1959
Independence of Arab States
Design for Culture
Arabic for the People
Father of Sudanese Graphic Design
Arab Graphic Design Pioneers
Chapter 5: Arab Design and the Palestinian Resistance, 1960 – 1969
Reasons for the Emergence of Resistance Poster
Arab Centers of Knowledge
The Problem of Arabic
Second-Generation Arab Designers
Chapter 6: Arab Designers in Exile, 1970 – 1979
Lebanese Civil War
The Syrian Design School
Migrating Designers of Iraq
Design and Post-socialism in Egypt
Arab African Design
Third-Generation Arab Designers
Chapter 7: Design and the Search for a New Identity, 1980 – 1989
Arabic Typography
Lebanese Limbo
Sudanese Designers in the Diaspora
Egyptian Design after the Open Door Policy
Fourth-Generation Arab Designers
Chapter 8: Rebirth of Arab Design, 1990 – 2000
Post–Lebanese Civil War Influx of Talent
Inspiring the Next Generation
The Artist Designs
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index