Drawing on their multicultural design expertise, Ochre have released two Latin/Arabic fonts inspired by the Middle East.
F37 Malqa celebrates the spirit of connections, drawing inspiration from Dubai, a hot, humid, melting pot of people and culture. The Arabic and Latin characters were designed hand-in-hand, influencing each other’s design, drawing a confluence of unique and distinct styles. The unique bowls and connections are the standout feature of the font, bringing a unique look to the Latin and Arabic.
F37® × Ochre
• F37 Malqa
• 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 Malqa
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.
Malqa was one of the concepts developed for District 2020, the legacy of Expo 2020 Dubai. Designed to be an innovation district, District 2020 aims to bring together investors and global talent under one collaborative environment. Showcasing this spirit of connections, we wanted to highlight the connecting element within each letterform, making a feature of it. District 2020 later got renamed to Expo City Dubai with a different purpose. We however still felt the spirit of connections was relevant to the city of Dubai, seen as a melting pot of cultures. Malqa in Arabic translates to a 'meeting place'.
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?
Showcasing this spirit of connections, we wanted to highlight the connecting element within each letter form, making a feature of it. Being an innovation district, we felt the construction could be quite edgy and brutalist in approach, juxtaposing and merging elements unapologetically. Although not the first time seen in Latin faces, the exercise was in some sense innovative when translated to Arabic, resulting in some interesting letter forms not seen before.
Now that your typeface has launched, what would be your dream project to use your F37® typeface on?
It would be great to see it used by a gallery space or modern art museum, where one could be a bit more bold and playful in approach. You could also see it live across a wide range of applications, from dynamic digital content to physical manifestations like installations/exhibitions, applied on different materials with interesting finishes (e.g. wayfinding, merchandise).
What have you learnt through developing and creating your own typeface(s) with our F37® type designers?
One walks a fine line when creating type that is visually interesting without compromising on legibility and other functional elements. There is a lot to consider, particularly with Arabic, where each character takes different forms depending on where it sits in a word.
How would you describe your typeface in three words?
Modern. Brutalist. Quirky.
F37 Malqa Font Sampler
