Introducing Amariya, a new Arabic font by Nadine Chahine.

「 Normally my work involves pushing the boundaries of what you can design, and making the design space bigger, but for this I've gone to the heart of the typical Arabic text face. 」

20th August 2017

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Created with screen reading in mind, Amariya’s sculpted, understated elegance is specifically designed for long-form copy in Arabic, Urdu or Persian. Its open shapes and streamlined forms are tailored not just to the digital world, but the flow and rhythm required by someone immersing themselves in words.

Amariya by Nadine Chahine, is part of the designer’s ongoing efforts to introduce more design diversity into the world of Arabic type.

Amariya follows the kinds of text typefaces that are already popular in the Middle East, but with close attention paid to the demands of the online reading environment. Its low contrast, open shapes and streamlined form create a sense of internal harmony – the result of two years of design, and several complete revisions along the way in order to create type that would allow text to flow freely.

“Sometimes with typefaces of this style there’s a kind of flickering effect, caused by areas of dark and contrast that can become too thin,” she adds. “This one settles down and is very calm, with everything in its place. The word shapes also come together well.”

「 There are so few Arabic typefaces that work well for reading on screen,” explains Chahine. “I wanted to have the freedom to design this how I felt it needed to be designed.” 」

Supporting Arabic, Persian and Urdu, Amariya is available in nine weights – including super light versions that preserve its elegance and character at hairline widths, and a black version particularly suited for setting headlines. It also comes with Matthew Carter’s ITC Charter as a Latin companion.

“This typeface almost tries to disappear,” says Chahine. “Normally my work involves pushing the boundaries of what you can design, and making the design space bigger, but for this I’ve gone to the heart of the typical Arabic text face.”

“It encourages you to just take a breath, and read,” she adds.

“Normally my work involves pushing the boundaries of what you can design, and making the design space bigger, but for this I’ve gone to the heart of the typical Arabic text face” says designer, Nadine Chahine.