The first draft of this post for my blog was completed in April. However, the graphics needed for the post, among other issues stood in the way of publishing it.

In this article I try to explain to the young Arabic font designer three areas that require attention in font design:

1. Readability
2. Aesthetic principles
3. Style

I analysed the elements of Arabic type style and identified the following factors:

1. Overall form
2. Contrast
3. Treatment of outline and ends
4. Weight
5. Oblique
6. Width (condensed/extended)

Using morphological analysis, I constructed a table that could help in generating Arabic font styles by varying the degree of the style elements I list above. Being the second day of Eid, I offer the table as a downloadable goodie.