Typography will allow Palestinian Museum to cross borders

The Palestinian Museum, a celebration of modern Palestinian culture, is yet to open its doors to the public, but its brand identity is already carving its way.

A key part of the process was creating Arabic typography that would reflect the brand vision already put in place byventurethree, a global branding agency.

The dual language typography was created by Dr Nadine Chahine, an Arabic specialist at Monotype. Dr. Chahine adapted the logo into Arabic, created Arabic typography and then fed this back into the Latin design so that the entire design process followed a loop of continuity.

Dr Chahine explains why the dual language was such an integral part of the Palestinian Museum’s brand, “The most important part of the project was this conversational aspect and this ability to cross barriers; geographically, culturally and politically. It was this aspect that made it so interesting and special. That’s why it was so important for the Arabic and the Latin to work well together.”

The museum needed to reach out to Palestinians, non-Palestinians and Palestinians living abroad, who may not be able to read in Arabic. Dr Chahine originates from the region and says that her familiarity with the history of the region and its conflict fed into her understanding of the project and what needed to be accomplished.

The identity of the museum itself is less about physical objects, and more about being a platform for the exchange of stories. This championing of communication feeds into the brand through a tone of voice that, while professional and well done, is conversational and light-hearted. Like the museum itself the typography is both modern and authentic. The modern look lends itself well to digital implementation and the authenticity of the Arabic design sits well with Arabic typography traditions.

The Palestinian Museum, located in Birzeit, will act as a physical and virtual space for Palestinians to come together, and will open in 2016.