Linotype´s 1st Arabic Type Design Contest

The jury for Linotype’s Arabic Type Design Competition met in Linotype’s offices in Bad Homburg, Germany on the 15th of November, 2005 to judge the competing entries and select the winners.

The jury was comprised of Kris Holmes, Dr. Fiona Ross, Mamoun Sakkal, Samir Sayegh, and guest juror Hermann Zapf.

The competition was the first of its kind in content and scope and it drew entries from 16 countries ranging from Japan, through Persia, the Arab world and Europe, and all the way to the US. The designs show a variety of styles and foretell of new trends in Arabic type design.

The jury chose 6 winning works in total and awarded several other honorary mention.


Entries from 16 countries ready for the jury


Jury meeting in progress: (from left to Right) Mamoun Sakkal,
Kris Holmes, Linotype’s Arabic specialist Nadine Chahine, Dr. Fiona Ross,
and Samir Sayegh


Second round of elimination


Difficult choices to make but everyone was having a good time


Jury members looking closely at the design details


... taking notes


... discussing the various designs


... and comparing the entries


Linotype staff join the jurors for lunch


Guest juror Hermann Zapf and Mamoun Sakkal