Lara Assouad on typography and modularity

last updated 19 October 2022

'Over the past years I've given many workshops on the principal of modular Arabic typography, trying to teach the idea of rhythm repetition and proportion, which are very serious things,' says the Lebanese designer Lara Assouad. 'They're the basics and foundations of typography.' A graphic and Arabic type designer, Assouad explores her chosen disciplines from playful, non-calligraphic and historical perspectives, looking to remove typographical design from its constrictive shackles. Modularity, she explains, is key to this, and the notion of creating whole stamped alphabets from found or abstract objects is at the core of her design practice. It's an approach Assouad will be exploring further during typographical workshops at this year's Dubai Design Week, which runs from 26 – 31 October.

Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.