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KUFA Sans

Graphic design
Personal project






I created this display typeface with the goal of modernizing traditional Kufic Arabic calligraphy in the style of Herbert Bayer’s 1925 Bauhaus typeface Universal . The typeface utilizes a rigid grid system consistent with the tenets of traditional Kufic lettering, however deviates from the established style by introducing rounded geometric forms and stripping the letters of all excess ornamentation. The resulting letters strike a clean balance between modernity and tradition.



9th century Kufic Qur’anic manuscript 1925 gouache maquette for Universal Type 8th century Iraqi Kufic Qur’an excerpt Bayer's 1925 "Universal Type"











Noah Howard


Designer, researcher, and multidisciplinary creative with a background in industrial design and anthropology. Currently pusuing degrees at Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design through the Brown | RISD Dual Degree Program.

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