Drawing on their multicultural design expertise, Ochre have released two Latin/Arabic fonts inspired by the Middle East.
F37 Majnoon captures the youthful exuberance and cultural amalgamation of the Middle East, with a special nod to the vibrant spirit of Dubai. The Arabic and Latin letters were designed hand-in-hand, influencing each other’s design and echoing Dubai’s fusion of heritage and innovation. F37 Majnoon comes in 7 weights, from Thin to Black. Unique characters like the ‘a’ ‘g’ and ‘م’ give the font a distinct personality. Also included are Stylistic Sets for both the Latin and Arabic that add personality or tone it down for greater control of the message.
F37® × Ochre
• F37 Majnoon
• Styles 7
• 2023
The Designer
We are a brand and experience design consultancy based in the UAE. As part of the design systems we create, we develop custom typography for brands to help build recognition and a stronger visual identity.
Prior to Malqa, we have worked with F37, developing custom typefaces for brands like Spectra, District 2020 and Nakheel.
Inspiration
F37 Majnoon
Interview
Tell us about the inspiration behind your collaboration with F37®×. If it was an unused concept, what was the potential use case for it.
Majnoon was originally designed as part of a collaboration with F37® for a large-scale residential and tech-community development in Dubai. The concept was to develop a typeface that felt modern, unique and on-brand for a development that was primarily future focussed, whilst also feeling born out of the region.
When starting the process of creating your font, what typographic conventions did you look to break or experiment with? Or were there conventions of functionality you championed?
As mentioned, a key element of the typeface was that it somehow had to feel born out of the Middle East region. The most direct way for us to do this was aesthetically; taking cues from Arabic scripts and finding interesting ways for these elements to be implemented into our own typeface whilst retaining legibility and functionality.
Now that your typeface has launched, what would be your dream project to use your F37® typeface on?
It would be amazing to see this used on the type of project it was originally designed for, A large-scale development where typography is one of the main drivers of the brand look and feel. Additionally, it would be great to see this form part of the identity for a cultural centre or event in the region.
What have you learnt through developing and creating your own typeface(s) with our F37® type designers?
Collaboration and throwing back and forth ideas is not only one of the most fun aspects of a project like this, but one of the most beneficial too.
How would you describe your typeface in three words?
Modern. Charismatic. Arabic-infused.
F37 Majnoon Font Sampler
