Nada Debs
With a deep appreciation for beautiful materials and great craftsmanship, Nada Debs started her journey in Japan and later moved to the Middle East. Initially contacted to design a logo for her growing studio, I was so inspired by her story that I designed an entire typeface with complementary patterns.
Website
nadadebs.com -->
Inspiration.
Japanese and Arabic Calligraphy.
Based on beautiful combinations of Japanese and Middle Eastern aesthetics found in Nada Debs work, my approach was to combine the very unique calligraphic characteristics found in both cultures. Square Kufic and Kanji were used as respective references for Arabic and Japanese calligraphy for their visual simplicity and structured feel.
Square Kufic
Also known as Masonry Script, Square Kufic was developed as an architectural style to be rendered in brick or tile, often on monumental scale. Characterized by a constant thickness in stroke and 90 degree angles, it is unique among calligraphy styles in that it adds to artistry a puzzle solving dimension.
Kanji
There are three main approaches you can take when writing Japanese Calligraphy: Kaisho, Gyosho, and Sosho. Comprised of units called radicals, each style vary in how radicals are connected using variations in hand speed and pressure.
The high contrast and angles created by the change in direction and pressure is what will be combined with the architectural feel of Square Kufic.
Kaisho, Gyosho and Shodo.
Glyphs Terminals.
The Seven Overlapping Circles.
One of the unique characteristics of Nada Debs products is the creative use of tessellations. Historically, tessellations were used in Ancient Rome and in Islamic art as decorative geometric tilings. One shape of special interest to this project is the lozenge which can be derived from the 6 pointed star (Hexagram) found in the middle of the seven overlapping circles grid. While there is no limit to what can be created with geometric patterns, the lozenge fits perfectly within the Nada Debs identity as glyph terminals, and ornament. A lozenge is often referred to as a diamond.
Ratio.
Square root of 3.
Working with the seven-circle grid is the basis of working with square root of 3, and will be the foundation for all the glyphs and pattern proportions.
With all the foundational elements in place an iterative sketching process allowed for a glyph signature to emerge.
Ratio
X-Height
Stem Thickness
Pen Angle
Following the creation of the latin version of the Nada Debs typeface, a matching Arabic version was created in collaboration with Pascal Zoghbi.
Tessellations.
Diamonds are forever.
The diamond being an important element of the Nada Debs identity, it was used to generate tiles that can be used in tessellations on any product from furniture to cushions and lighting fixture. The recurrent diamond shape can be made thinner or wider to obtain a different feel.
Patterns applied to various products and materials including a collaboration between Nada Debs and Ikea.
One of the most challenging part of this project was to design a typeface that could be easily applied to a wide range of materials like wood and concrete, and avoid intricate details that would be lost at small sizes.
I am always on the lookout for collaborations from small personal projects to large corporate contracts.