Type design is both an art and an engineering discipline, combining mathematical precision with visual creativity. It goes beyond merely drawing letters to become the process of building a complete visual system that allows for effective communication and conveys the correct tone.

1. Understanding the Essential Terms for Font Anatomy

Mastering terminology is the first step toward designing harmonious and compatible fonts:

2. Font Rules and Classifications (Classification Systems)

Understanding classification rules helps the designer determine the font's personality and purpose:

A. Arabic Font Rules (Traditional Scripts and Modern Styles)

Arabic font rules are distinguished by their reliance on artistic proportions and the measurement point, including:

• Kufic Scripts: The foundation of Arabic calligraphy. Characterized by geometry and sharpness, currently used in contemporary identities, posters, and architectural designs.
• Naskh Scripts: The most widespread and clear. Designed for easy reading in long texts (books and newspapers), considered the golden standard for legibility.
• Ruq'a Scripts: Practical and quick to write. Used in everyday writing, characterized by space efficiency, and often informal.
• Thuluth Scripts: Artistic, ornate, and majestic. Used in large headings, artistic panels, and formal and historical occasions.
• Casual/Free Scripts: Modern fonts that do not strictly adhere to traditional script rules, used to create a unique and attractive personality.

B. Latin Font Rules (Serif vs. Sans-Serif)

Latin classification primarily depends on the presence of serifs and their historical evolution:

• Serif Fonts (e.g., Times New Roman): Divided into (Old Style, Transitional, Didone/Modern). They convey a sense of classicism, reliability, and sobriety, used in print and long texts.
• Sans Serif Fonts (e.g., Helvetica): Divided into (Grotesque, Neo-Grotesque, Geometric, Humanist). They convey a sense of modernity, clarity, and simplicity, preferred in digital interfaces and headings.
• Script/Handwritten Fonts: Mimic handwriting or brush strokes. Used to add a personal or emotional touch (such as invitations and certificates).

3. Learning and Using Type Design Tools

Professional design requires specialized tools that allow precise control over Bézier Curves and font metadata:

• Glyphs3 (Mac): Considered the new industry standard for type design due to its user-friendly interface and excellent support for Variable Fonts and non-Latin scripts (like Arabic).
• FontLab (Windows/Mac): A powerful and integrated tool, used to create and extensively edit fonts from scratch.
• RoboFont (Mac): Preferred by developers and designers who opt to build their own tools via Python.
• FontForge (Free/Open Source): An excellent choice for beginners and academic learning, offering advanced capabilities albeit with a less intuitive interface.
• Adobe Illustrator: Used in the initial phase for font sketching and modifying vector graphics before importing them into specialized font software.

4. Practicing Design and Gaining Skill

Designing a professional font is a long process requiring multiple revisions. Practice should focus on:

• Starting with the "Core Set": Do not start drawing all characters at once. Begin with a basic set of characters that define the font's shape and proportions (e.g., "A B H M L" in Arabic or "n o H D" in Latin), then build the rest of the characters based on these proportions.
• Focusing on Visual Harmony: More important than the beauty of a single character is how harmoniously all characters work together in a paragraph. The white space surrounding each character (Advance Width) must be balanced.
• Conducting Kerning Tests: After drawing the characters, the spacing between the most common character pairs must be tested and manually adjusted to appear visually equal.
• Getting Expert Feedback (Critique): Feedback from typography experts is invaluable, as they can identify structural or visual issues in font proportions that a novice designer might miss.

Tips for Transforming a Design into a Professional Product:

1. Start Thinking Variable First: When planning, consider font axes (such as weight and width) from the outset to design an integrated font system that serves multiple purposes.
2. Appropriate Classification: Ensure your new font adheres to known classification rules (such as Naskh or Sans-Serif) to set user expectations.
3. Setting Up OpenType Features: Don't forget to program advanced features like Ligatures, contextual alternatives, and numeral options, especially in Arabic fonts.

Sultan's fonts (e.g., Mada, Naskh, Rqa'a in Arabic, and Tarim, Crater in Latin) are practical examples of how to apply these fundamentals, achieving a balance between legibility requirements and the unique aesthetic touch of each font.