PROSE Award Winner, Art History & Criticism The first-ever book-length history of Arab graphic design, now available in Arabic Arab graphic design emerged in the early twentieth century out of a need to influence, and give expression to, the far-reaching economic, social, and political changes that were taking place in the Arab world at the time. But graphic design as a formally recognized genre of visual art only came into its own in the region in the twenty-first century and, to date, there has been no published study on the subject to speak of. A History of Arab Graphic Design traces the people and events that were integral to the shaping of a field of graphic design in the Arab world. Examining the work of over eighty key designers from Morocco to Iraq, and covering the period from pre-1900 to the end of the twentieth century, Bahia Shehab and Haytham Nawar chart the development of design in the region, beginning with Islamic art and Arabic calligraphy, and their impact on Arab visual culture, through to the digital revolution and the arrival of the Internet. They look at how cinema, economic prosperity, and political and cultural events gave birth to and shaped the founders of Arab graphic design. Highlighting the work of key designers and stunningly illustrated with over 600 color images, A History of Arab Graphic Design is an invaluable resource tool for graphic designers, one which, it is hoped, will place Arab visual culture and design on the map of a thriving international design discourse.

Table of Contents:
Contents Chapter 1: Sources of Inspiration for Arab Design, Pre 1900 Decoding Islamic Visual Language Early Arabic Printing Chapter 2: Artists and Calligraphers: Early Designers, 1900 – 1919 Foundation of Art Education in the Arab World Arabic Calligraphy Designers Early Arab Advertising Arab Philately Chapter 3: Design for the Masses, 1920 – 1939 Formation of Arab Magazines and Newspapers Arabic Typewriter Design for Cinema Chapter 4: Arab Design and Modernity, 1940 – 1959 Independence of Arab States Design for Culture Arabic for the People Father of Sudanese Graphic Design Arab Graphic Design Pioneers Chapter 5: Arab Design and the Palestinian Resistance, 1960 – 1969 Reasons for the Emergence of Resistance Poster Arab Centers of Knowledge The Problem of Arabic Second-Generation Arab Designers Chapter 6: Arab Designers in Exile, 1970 – 1979 Lebanese Civil War The Syrian Design School Migrating Designers of Iraq Design and Post-socialism in Egypt Arab African Design Third-Generation Arab Designers Chapter 7: Design and the Search for a New Identity, 1980 – 1989 Arabic Typography Lebanese Limbo Sudanese Designers in the Diaspora Egyptian Design after the Open Door Policy Fourth-Generation Arab Designers Chapter 8: Rebirth of Arab Design, 1990 – 2000 Post–Lebanese Civil War Influx of Talent Inspiring the Next Generation The Artist Designs Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index