Visual Communication & Typography: Study in the History of Hebrew Letterforms and the Work of Israeli Designer, Yaakov Stark

The article reviews the history of letterforms and typographic design by discussing inventions in scripts, tools, and technology which impact the evolution of visual language and writing systems. Principles and elements of typography are analyzed using the Hebrew alphabet as an example in letterform design by exploring the work of Israeli designer, Yaakov Stark, who as an Israeli immigrant from Eastern Europe projects centered on Hebrew typography and the hybridization of Ashkenazi and Mizrahi scripts. Through an archive of work produced while a student at the Bezalel Academy of Art, Jerusalem in 1906, Stark has influenced generations of Israeli designers, but is not discussed within the standard American university design curriculum. The article aims to explore the history of letterforms and the study of typography through an alternative perspective by examining the work of a lesser-known designer whose text and image subjects and processes represent a nonwestern nationalism, symbolism and writing systems

Bilingual Typography: Study of the Linguistic Landscape of Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract: With the rise of globalization and the spread of Western culture across the globe, the use of English as an “international” language is often represented in bilingual and multilingual typographic signage. Throughout the Middle East North Africa and the Gulf region, the integration of Arabic and Latin letterforms is commonly viewed within the signage of storefronts, street signs, advertising billboards, and informational materials. This paper explores the use of bilingual/multilingual typography within the linguistic landscape of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Typography and the Evolution of Hebrew Alphabetic Script: Writing Method of the Sofer

Typography is the study of language letterforms, phonographic alphabetic characters that, when combined with additional characters, form words and/or sentences to express an idea and communicate a message to an audience. The history of typographic design dates back to early civilization and the invention of alphabetic writing systems, formulated and processed through the literary skills of the Hebrew Scribe Ezra whose knowledge and practice offered a significant contribution within a predominantly oral society. By examining the history of Hebrew typography through the discourse of biblical writing systems and alphabetic design, the article addresses the development of Hebrew scripts evolving from original laws of the Torah and external influences such as exile and displacement. The article further investigates the history, practice, and contributions of the Soferim, who, from the time of the Babylonian exile, transcribed the writing of sacred texts using a strict method of design, as stated in Jewish law. By examining the scribal processes, a comparison is made between ancient and contemporary typographic principles and design

The pedagogy of design and technology at Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans

Abstract. Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) is a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) university located in New Orleans, Louisiana. As a Historically Black University (HBCU), the university serves a diverse community of students in which many are first-generation, college graduates. Students enrolled in Design courses at XULA are studying in Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Art programs and majoring in subjects such as Computer Science, Physics, Mass Communication, Art, Business, and Science. The interdisciplinary student environment offers a unique opportunity for collaboration and peer learning, whereby students are able to share diverse perspectives on a topic by relating design processes to their fields of study. In laboratory practice, students work on independent and collaborative projects in Product Design and User Experience by developing work through a design process from ideation to production

History of Visual Communication Design: The Bezelel Academy of Art, Jerusalem

Supported by the modern European Zionist movement, the Bezelel Academy of Art, Jerusalem, was founded in 1906 by Lithuanian artist and Zionist Boris Schatz. In the early years of the academy, work produced by students exhibited the political complexities presented in the Jewish return to Eretz Israel. The expression of concepts addressed in modern Jewish identity and Zionist ideologies were utilized in creative processes of visual communication and design. As most faculty and students were immigrating to Mandatory Palestine from Europe, the academy’s curriculum was developed through the culmination of styles and materials reflective of both European art and design canon and biblical allegory and Hebrew typography. This essay discusses the philosophies and aesthetics that influenced the progression of the Bezelel Academy of Art, Jerusalem, in its founding years

Hebrew Typography: A Modern Progression of Language Forms

Influenced by studies in traditional Ashkenazi and Sephardi scripts. The typeface had been designed for the printing of the Koren Tanakh, a first edition printed Jewish Bible processed through an all-Jewish collaboration for the first time in centuries. Koren’s project was inspired by the revival of Hebrew initiated by Haskalah writers in the 18th century. Haskalah writers utilized the language and scripts of written and printed literary texts. Influenced by philosophical and political ideologies of the European Enlightenment, the Haskalah explored Jewish identity through language by defining the secular context through traditional Jewish symbolism and narratives. The Zionist movement of the next generation expanded upon the Haskalah’s principles by encouraging the revival of Hebrew in oral and printed communication as a way to define Jewish identity and nationalism. This article reviews the progression in Hebrew typography design through Zionist efforts in the Hebrew language resurgence of the 20th century, especially during the founding years of the Jewish state of Israel

DESIGN RESEARCH: TYPOGRAPHY WITHIN THE ISRAELI LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE

A linguistic landscape signifies language used within a physical or virtual public space, in which communication is presented in typographic form, portraying a message to an audience. Within the state of Israel, the linguistic landscape presents a unique situation in which it is common to view municipal and commercial multilingual signs that are designed using Hebrew, English, and Arabic letterforms. By studying the diverse linguistic landscape within Israeli urban environments, the article offers perspectives on the use of multilingual visual language, based on discussions with five Israeli designers in the summer of 2015

Multilingual Typography; Signs and Language Politics of Israeli Urban Culture

Ellen Lupton stated, [typography is] “the tool for doing things with shaping content, giving language a physical body, enabling the social flow of messages.” Typography is the main element of visual communication and graphic design. It is a written language presented in an aesthetic form to communicate a message to a public audience and has a very important and contemporary position globally. (Ertep, 2011) Typography allows viewers to navigate a flow of content, offering a system of hierarchy in design with text and image. Within the state of Israel, the typography of public spaces presents the political systems of language preferences. Hebrew and Arabic are the two official languages of Israel, and English is used as the semi-official language. This linguistic structure is re-established within the visual presentation of typography upon the country’s linguistic landscape. Currently, trilingual signage is a commonality of Israel’s urban environment, where letterforms of Hebrew, Arabic, and English are presented to supply a translation of the same information. As this is the case, language preferences are exhibited within the typographic framework via a hierarchy of letterforms through position, size, and appearance. The essay examines the culmination of Hebrew, Arabic, and English typography within Israeli public spaces and explores language preferences in relation to social and cultural nationalism

A Case Study in User Experience and Experiential Design: Jewish Female / Breast Cancer / Saudi Arabia

User experience (UX) design is a process in which a physical or non-physical product is developed by focusing on the user\u27s needs and interaction with the product. The goal in UX is to produce a product or brand that signifies a positive response from a user when seeing, using, or interacting with the product. The design thinking process, which is utilized in UX, is organized in phases: defining the problem, researching competitors and users, brainstorming and sketching ideas, strategizing, prototyping, production, and evaluation. This article discusses UX design through the context of human experience and interactivity with a non-physical product. Beginning by examining discourse on subconscious and conscious thinking processes, the article describes the psychology of human perception when seeing, using, or interacting with a situation or thing. The article compares UX design and human experience by reviewing the work of Professor Shayna T. Blum, who presents the research stage of a design thinking process using visual and textual content as artifacts to signify an experience. As a Jewish American woman diagnosed with breast cancer while living and working in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 2012-2014, Blum acts as a user, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (culture, environment and healthcare) acts as the product