Development of Banna i Kufic Script: from Kufic to Contemporary Logotypes

Square or geometric Kufic (also known as banna’i) developed from the Kufic script and consists of repeating vertical, horizontal, and parallel geometric units on a geometric network called a grid. Due to its unique visual characteristics and its close association with architecture, it is very promising for use in contemporary arts. This paper presents a research on contributing factors to the endurance of this script, as well as the geometric and structural features of square Kufic (banna’i) and its applicability for designing logotypes. Structural features of square Kufic include the relationship and interaction of black and white, simple and explicit components, logical order, legibility independent of thickness, the absence of diacritic marks, its traditional backgrounds, its high regenerative capacity, and the possibility of changing positive and negative spaces and its texture. This set of unique features makes it a promising typeface for use in visual arts, especially in logotype design. This research attempts to explore contributing factors to the endurance of this script, as well as contemporary procedures in its applicability for logotype design with a descriptive-analytic methodology. Results show that banna’i calligraphy features rectilinear surfaces, repeating vertical, horizontal, and parallel geometric units on a geometric grid, positive and negative spaces, flexibility in design, and other characteristics which help symbolize texts.