Responses by Ivo Gabrowitsch, founder, Fontwerk; and Jan Gerner, typeface designer.
Background: “The underlying idea behind Sukoon is not to design a Latin typeface and then supplement it with other alphabets but to design a primarily Arabic typeface that then stylistically influences non-Arabic elements,” says Ivo Gabrowitsch. “This is intended to enhance understanding of the resulting interdependencies and, hopefully, develop a refreshing new design for all languages. As a result, the font family is particularly well-suited for the fields of advertising, packaging, screen design, logo design, corporate identities, and—thanks to its legibility—wayfinding and signage.”
Design thinking: “The idea was neither to design a loud typeface nor one that asserts itself through force, but through balance instead,” says Gabrowitsch. “It aims to take up space without filling it and to speak without pushing. Nevertheless, the letters M, g, j and y stand out from the standard set of shapes in the category of dynamic sans-serif typefaces. The slightly low-hanging waist and the different ratio of large ascenders to small descenders are also distinctive features.”
Challenges: “The Arabic kashida and swash features in the variable font, which can be adjusted to any degree, were quite a challenge,” says Gabrowitsch. “Thanks in part to extensive feedback, they were continuously refined until we were completely satisfied. In the Arabic-speaking design community, these features in particular have already received very positive feedback.”
Favorite details: “Aiming for what hasn’t really been done before in that fidelity: a Naskh that dares the split between classic Naskh calligraphy and modern ‘sans-serif’ appeal,” says Jan Gerner. “A near-monolinear stroke with just enough contrast to prove the humanistic origin while staying close to traditional Naskh in skeleton.”
New lessons: “I learned about the plentiful calligraphic heritage of the Arabic world,” says Gerner, “in decline due to computerized sign making and book printing, but alive enough to witness scribes and sign painters still apply their craft with pen and brush.”
Time constraints: “For a change, the opposite was true,” says Gerner. “Making Sukoon was not compressed and hectic but expansive and contemplative. Since I refined the design over the course of many years, and we even decided to postpone the release over the Gaza escalation, I could go over the design again and again with a fresh set of eyes and let it age like fine wine—a rarely afforded luxury.”
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