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By Yara Khoury Nammour

This publication documents research developed by designer, educator, and author Yara Khoury Nammour during the 2025 Typographer-in-Residence program at the Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography (HMCT). Khoury Nammour leads the Arabic Type Research Unit at the American University of Beirut (AUB), where her work focuses on practice-based research in graphic design and Arabic typography. 

Letterform Frequencies offers a visual investigation into the forms and structures that give Arabic text its distinctive rhythm. Khoury Nammour examines letter frequency, repetition, and allographic patterns in continuous text, looking at how the cursive and contextual nature of Arabic produces patterns that differ fundamentally from those found in Latin typography. Through quantitative research and visual experimentation, the project considers how these recurring forms might provide new tools for understanding—and designing—Arabic type.

Combining research material, visual analysis, and process documentation, the publication makes visible patterns that ordinarily disappear into the act of reading. The result contributes to a growing field of Arabic typographic research while offering a new way of looking at the relationship between language, repetition, and form.

HMCT’s Typographer-in-Residence program invites a practicing designer, type designer, or researcher to pursue a self-directed investigation centered on language and typography. The four-week residency provides time, space, and institutional support for the development of experimental and research-driven work.

Designed and edited by Ximena Amaya and Lavinia Lascaris

Published by the Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography (HMCT) in collaboration with Khatt Books and Draw Down Books, 2026

Softcover with poster wrap, 264 pages, 6.75 × 9 inches

ISBN: 978-1-73-341375-6