For this project we had to choose a slang word from our culture and explore different ways in which it can be represented using Arabic typography and then transformed into a poster. متحورلهاش (Mathawarlhash) was my chosen word. It is an Egyptian slang word that means please stop lying and going around in circles. It is often used in conversations when someone starts making stories up to grab the attention of others.

I started off by doing research and looking at old manuscripts as well as different Arabic scripts such as the Naskh and Thuluth. I then chose the most appropriate scripts that would fit the meaning of my word and started learning about them in depth and sketching various ideas. During this stage I also tried out different calligraphic styles using a traditional calligraphy pen. However, after multiple variations I decided to go with the geometric Kufic because I found it the only one that would allow me to write the word in a circular way and keep its meaning. This stage of the process was purely analog and once I settled on a final it was digitized using illustrator. 

The first stage in transforming the emblem into a poster was finding a strong composition that reemphasizes the meaning of the word. Once a strong compostion was found I started trying different methods in which I could add to it in order to make it more visually appealing while still holding its meaning. Thus, the red lines with both the word and its meaning written on it were added. The choice of the color red was to act as a warning and stress on the importance of the meaning which is stop lying and going around in circles. 

Poster Process