Literary Symbols Are Brought To Life With Ornate Arabic Illustrated Lettering

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Literary Symbols Are Brought To Life With Ornate Arabic Illustrated Lettering

15/4/2026

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Mahmoud Tammam

Learning a language is difficult at the best of times. I don’t know about you, but when I see a different alphabet with unfamiliar characters, it’s quite a challenge to even begin. I have faded memories of learning to read and write, choosing a hand to use my pencil with (I chose left and never looked back), and finding spelling particularly difficult. Holding the image of the word in my mind with the letters was just not how my brain wanted to work. I heard the sound, felt the valency of the word, the way it made me feel. I suppose it’s just a bit of neurodivergence. These illuminated Arabic letters struck me as useful straight away. Bridging the categories between literal and illustrated, the linking of the characters with the emblem makes the work of comprehension that little bit easier.

In today’s political and social environment, small differences are being magnified and used as weapons of fear. Weaponising different behaviour, beliefs, and language is only possible when people don’t understand them and can imagine all kinds of malevolence within something usually harmless. This puts another level of utility on these Arabic letters, demystifying the script for us Westerners is going to break down a lot of the walls of ignorance that keep us anxious. I personally think that’s a vital part of communicative art in today’s world, as the borders disappear under internet social spaces and resources, our different ways need addressing in a constructive way.

Designed by Mahmoud Tammam, the beautifully designed words provide just enough of the meaning in their embellishments to keep the lettering intact and point to the literal meaning. It’s a clever and imaginative way of bringing the language to life for non-native speakers and young learners alike. It requires a significant amount of creative thought to find the best way of displaying the emblem so that both elements of the design remain fully accessible. Reported in My Modern Met almost ten years ago, it’s a great time to bring this back to the front. A large selection of Mahmoud’s images is on display there. I’ve shared a couple of them for examples, I recommend viewing the rest.

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