Printing the Niles

Yet another cause for rejoicing, and celebrating, even though I find the reason slightly dubious.

The partition of Sudan into two new countries on the 9^th of July adds another country to the map. Born out of conflict, civil unrest and what the news media term "sectarian strife" and "divisions along ethnic lines" South Sudan seemed the solution to the conflict afflicting the Sudan for many years.

A Sudanvotes project, The Niles commemorates this partition by reminding the Sudanese of their shared history and cultural roots. Designed by Gunnar Bauer and set to Arabic by yours humbly, it was a joy to finally hold the printed product in my hands.

It also ties in neatly with earlier work, as I finally get to use typefaces I had hitherto only discussed in theory, namely Helvetica Arabic, which I appreciate greatly, all while wondering if it is an ideal complement for the Latin font used.

Knowing that this is simultaneously being printed (en noir & blanc) in Sudan and being distributed there adds to my ;). The only thing I fail to understand, and may expand on later, is why conformity takes precedence over legibility. There are some things you can do with Latin type that don't work quite as well in Arabic.

Also: thanks to the MICT office for making the work on this as easy as possible, many corrections and additions to the Arabic and their patience.

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