Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Samar Maakaroun

Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Samar Maakaroun

Author: afikra May 16, 2025 Duration: 37:19
Yara Khoury Nammour interviews London-based Lebanese designer Samar Maakaroun. They discuss at length her journey into the field of branding and lettering, her work at Pentagram studio in London and what it means to be the first Lebanese partner in the studio. They cover her independent project on lettering "29 Words for 29 Letters" – playing with meanings, writing systems, and animation, to build a playful and experimental multicultural glossary, and embracing the multiplicity and complexity that comes from thinking in and working with two languages, and in a diasporic context. Samar discusses a special book project for the charity SkatePal and how the timing of the project lent it a different and more poignant political urgency. The discussion ends with a conversation about AI and how it can be supportive of designers' work, but also how it can be misused.

Khatt Chronicles: Stories on Design from the Arab World is a series of dialogues that pull back the curtain on creative processes often overlooked in global design narratives. Produced in collaboration with afikra, each episode sits down with a different practitioner-be it a typeface designer reimagining Arabic letterforms, an illustrator weaving social commentary into their work, or a researcher digging into historical patterns and contemporary craft. These aren't formal interviews, but more like candid conversations that delve into the guest's personal journey, the challenges and inspirations specific to their context, and their hopes for the future of visual culture in the region. When you listen to this podcast, you're hearing firsthand accounts of how ideas move from sketchbook to reality, how tradition converses with modern technology, and what it means to build a creative practice rooted in the Arab World. The discussions naturally cover everything from the intricacies of book design and street art to the philosophy behind material choices and color palettes. Khatt Chronicles serves as an oral archive, chronicling the vibrant and evolving scene of Arab visual communication, one story at a time. It’s for anyone curious about the stories behind the objects, images, and letters that shape our visual environment, offering a nuanced perspective directly from the minds that are shaping it.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Khatt Chronicles: Stories on Design from the Arab World
Podcast Episodes
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Leen Charafeddine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:12
Yara Khoury Nammour interviews Lebanese graphic designer and educator Leen Charafeddine. They start the conversation discussing her entry into the field of Graphic design which stemmed from her interest as a teenager in…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Nora Aly [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:55
Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews Egyptian graphic designer Nora Aly. They start the conversation discussing her entry into the field of Graphic design and her studies and masters project at the German University in…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Rawand Issa [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:31
Yasmine Nachabe Taan interviews Lebanese illustrator and graphic artist Rawand Issa. They start the conversation discussing her beginnings first as a journalist for the youth section of the leftist Lebanese newspaper Ass…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Naima Ben Ayed [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:37
Yara Khoury Nammour interviews French-Tunisian type and graphic designer Naïma Ben Ayed. They start the conversation discussing Naïma's serendipitous journey into type design. They discuss her postgraduate studies at Éco…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Wael Morcos [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:57
Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews American-Lebanese designer Wael Morcos. They start by talking about his educational journey in graphic design from Notre Dame University (NDU) in Lebanon to Rhode Island School fo De…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Sarah Saroufim [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:43
Yasmine Nachabe Taan interviews American-Lebanese illustrator and designer Sarah Saroufim. They start the conversation by taking us through her educational journey first in graphic design at the American University of Be…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Golnaz Fathi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:05
Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews Iranian visual artist Golnaz Fathi, who starts by sharing her educational journey from her initial training as graphic designer and classical calligrapher, to reaching her her final…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Hanane Kai [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:24
Yasmine Nachabe Taan interviews Lebanese illustrator Hanane Kai who shares her journey from studying and working as a graphic designer to the moment she decided to concentrate on illustration work. They discuss her illus…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Golnar Adili [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:23
Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews Iranian-American visual artist Golnar Adili on her journey from architecture to teaching and practicing visual arts. They discuss her work that transgresses borders and definition an…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Aude Abou Nasr [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:37
Yasmine Nachabe Taan interviews Beirut-based, French-Lebanese illustrator Aude Abou Nasr. They discuss Aude's educational and professional journey from starting in architecture into illustration and activism. Aude discus…