Calligraphy Qalam Blog » graphic design http://calligraphyqalam.com/blog Arabic, Ottoman & Persian Calligraphy Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:48:03 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Wissam Shawkat http://calligraphyqalam.com/blog/calligraphy-artists/wissam-shawkat/ http://calligraphyqalam.com/blog/calligraphy-artists/wissam-shawkat/#comments Sun, 31 Jan 2010 04:14:10 +0000 Elisabeth Kvernen http://calligraphyqalam.com/blog/?p=460 Wissam Shawkat is one of my favorite calligraphy artists. Based in Dubai, he is an extremely talented calligrapher, as well as an exceptionally kind person. When I first contacted him to ask permission to include his work in the Calligraphy Qalam gallery (search for shawkat), he not only gave me permission, but sent me additional images to include!

Wissam recently contacted me to let me know that he has launched a new website, http://wissamshawkat.com. On this website you will find a wonderful mix of his contemporary and traditional calligraphy work—everything from fine art to logos, typography, environmental graphics, and graphic design work. I’ve included a few of my favorites below, with his permission. I encourage you to check out his site—and get ready to be inspired.

]]> http://calligraphyqalam.com/blog/calligraphy-artists/wissam-shawkat/feed/ 2 Arabesque—it’s trendy! http://calligraphyqalam.com/blog/language-and-culture/trendy-arabesque/ http://calligraphyqalam.com/blog/language-and-culture/trendy-arabesque/#comments Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:42:06 +0000 Elisabeth Kvernen http://calligraphyqalam.com/blog/?p=381 logodesignarabesque

I just read an article at http://logoorange.com that discussed 2009 logo design and branding trends. In this article, the Paris-based design studio analyzes new logos produced in 2009 for recurring design patterns. They have come up with several categories, including psychedelic pop backgrounds, origami, tactile elements, “classic modern,” pictograms, etc. One of the categories they discuss is called “arabesque.” The logos in this category use the Arabic script or decorative elements which are reminiscent of Arabic. I particularly liked this quote:

Logo designers who use the Arabesque style often have to be sensitive to one of the defining characteristics of Arab calligraphy: thick downstrokes and thin upstrokes with in-between gradations.

Check out the rest of the article here: http://www.logoorange.com/logo-design-09.php.

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