SnO Posted November 22, 2022 Share Posted November 22, 2022 Cairo - Hatem Arafa, a talented Egyptian calligrapher, loved Islamic arts, adored Arabic calligraphy, and mastered drawing with its words. He sought to go beyond traditional paintings towards more innovative works. His passion and skills led him to participate in the design of commemorative coins for the FIFA World Cup (World Cup Qatar 2022). Calligrapher Hatem Arafa Egyptian calligrapher Hatem Arafa (social networking sites) "Welcome, play, goal, win and celebrate, my world," Arabic words in Thuluth script written by Arafa to decorate 8 commemorative coins of the tournament, and express its Arab identity represented by Qatar as the first Arab country to host the World Cup, which hundreds of millions around the world await every 4 years. "Welcome" from the Arabic words in Thuluth script written by Arafa to adorn 8 commemorative coins for the tournament (Al-Jazeera) The Egyptian designer does not hide his happiness to be a representative of his country in this global event, and believes that his participation has achieved part of his artistic vision through which he seeks to introduce the Arabic language in non-traditional fields. Speaking to Al-Jazeera Net, Arafa reveals the scenes of his participation in the design of commemorative coins for the most prominent sporting event around the world. "Traditional form and innovative implementation," a slogan that Arafa set in mind while working on the World Cup coins project (Al-Jazeera) Traditional and innovative “Traditional form and innovative implementation” is a motto that Arafa set in mind while working on the World Cup coins project, after it was chosen by the German company “MDM” specialized in the manufacture of commemorative coins, and the owner of the “FIFA” license to mint commemorative coins for the tournament. current, in cooperation with the Qatar Central Bank. The previous works of the Egyptian calligrapher, which are widely spread, blend originality and classic rules of Arabic calligraphy with innovation in implementation and the use of modern "graphic" techniques, made him the ideal choice for the Arab work team that the German company hired. Designs that blend originality and classic rules of Arabic calligraphy with innovation in implementation (Al-Jazeera) "Here is my passion" Arafa's beginning with this art dates back to 2005, when he worked as a graphic designer for a few years, before he decided in 2008 to focus his attention on the technical aspect, and he turned to learning Arabic fonts to use in his works, especially in designing book covers. "Islamic arts and Arabic calligraphy is the perfect field that accommodates my passion... Here I found my future," says Arafa with enthusiasm, noting that after two years he spent teaching Arabic calligraphy for beginners in Egypt, he traveled in 2014 to Turkey to study Islamic arts and Arabic calligraphy academically, and graduated From the Faculty of Traditional Islamic Arts, Fatih Sultan Mehmet University in Istanbul. During this stage, the Egyptian designer developed his style to shift from traditional graphic design to the implementation of deeper artistic works, and his work as a professional calligrapher and decorator began to spread in several countries, so that those in charge of the World Cup coins project found that it was most appropriate to engrave his lines on the currencies of the global event. Arab identity The World Cup coins team contacted Arafa in February 2021, and his task was to design fonts that show the Arab identity of the tournament in easy and expressive words, and also show the beauty of Arabic calligraphy and the capabilities of its letters in placing different forms, and at the same time be translatable into English, which is the second language which coins will be charged. Arafa was excited to participate in the project, despite his limited interest in football, as he says, considering it an opportunity to fulfill his artistic message about the beauty and importance of the Arabic language and its ability to reach non-traditional fields. Arafa's passion and enthusiasm made him the perfect choice for the Arab Action Team (Al-Jazeera) With his passion and enthusiasm for a new experience, the Egyptian designer began laying the first lines for the project, after the company gave him absolute freedom to experiment and reach the best shape, and the early start helped him work quietly to reach the desired result. Arafa agreed with the team that the best method for this work is to design it on the method of "blackening" or "distressing", which calligraphers master, and depends on repeating the word in different sizes and several formats in the connection of its letters. Adding engineering motifs, player graphics, stadiums, and the World Cup, so that commemorative coins come out in an impressive way (Al-Jazeera) The most beautiful idea "The difficulty was in reaching the most beautiful idea," Arafa says, and when this was achieved, the implementation became smooth and carried a lot of pleasure. For a month and a half after he was assigned to work, Arafa sought to employ common words and terms in football matches, such as: victory, celebration and goal, in an artistic way that shows the aesthetics of Arabic letters and their good details for those who watch them, even if the recipient is a foreigner and does not read Arabic. The designs were presented to the professional team of the German company, which in turn presented them to the Qatar Central Bank and the International Football Association Board (FIFA), to make any additions or comments, until the final form was settled in August 2021. After completing his work as required, the basic lines executed by Arafa were transferred to the specialized design team, who completed the work by adding geometric motifs and drawings of players, stadiums and the World Cup, to produce commemorative coins in an impressive way that combines originality and contemporary. Among the 24 commemorative coins of the tournament offered by the Qatar Central Bank to those interested around the world, 8 of them bore the lines of the Egyptian designer, and the most prominent words were "Welcome, Together, Play, Goal, Amazing, Win, Celebrate, Global". Arafa sought to employ common words and terms in football matches (Al-Jazeera) Unconventional projects The World Cup coins project was not the only unconventional work in which Arafa participated in his Arabic font designs, as Ubisoft chose him to design the logo for the new part of the famous video game "Assassin's Creed" that will be released next year, titled " Assassin's Creed Mirage. https://www.aljazeera.net/news/lifestyle/2022/11/22/فنان-مصري-يبدع-بخطوطه-على-العملات Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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