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Dubai Font Pioneers the Digital World of Expression

  • Publish date: Tuesday، 02 May 2017 Last update: Sunday، 05 December 2021
Abdullah Al Shaibani at the Press Conference for the launch of Dubai

For the first time, Microsoft releases a new font designed by a city and named after it. Dubai Font was introduced to the market on Sunday, the 30th of April. It was an initiative commissioned by Sheikh Hamdan, and launched by the Executive Council of Dubai in partnership with Microsoft. 

For further details, the font has been developed by a team from a global agency called Monotype Imaging in collaboration with Dr. Nadine Chahine, a type designer in the company.

On this matter, Sheikh Hamdan announced that the font will be used in governmental papers in addition to being available globally for users. He explained: “We are confident that this new font and its unique specifications will prove popular among other fonts used online and in smart technologies across the world. Therefore, we urge all government entities to use the Dubai Font in their official correspondence, which is a positive shift that will boost the emirate’s competitiveness in smart technology. This should be a commitment from the Dubai Government to guarantee the dissemination and success of this initiative on a local and global level.”

The font is designed in 23 languages including English and Arabic; thus, it can reach to many cultures around the world. Sheikh Hamdan also mentioned: “The launch of the Dubai Font to the world is a very important step for us as part of our continuous efforts to be ranked first in the digital world.” In this context, the Dubai Font website says that the project “will reach over 85 million in 180 countries worldwide, thanks to Microsoft.”

The design is inspired by the qualities of the Emirate of Dubai as it combines the authenticity of the past with the future. Not to mention, Sheikh Hamdan said that the project is meant to encourage people to express themselves by “crossing all borders and barriers.” Thus, they have created a campaign featuring a hashtag on social media that says #Expressyo