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 Aria Kasaei [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:32
In this episode of Khatt Chronicles, Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews Iranian designer Aria Kasaei, who co-founded Studio Kargah with his classmate and friend Peyman Pourhossein. They discuss his journey into the fi…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Sahar Khraibani [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:49
In this episode of Khatt Chronicles, Yasmine Nachabe Taan interviews Lebanese design writer and critic, Sahar Khraibani. They discuss her journey into the field of design writing through graphic design and illustration.…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Amir Mahdi Moslehi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:18
In this episode of Khatt Chronicles, Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews Iranian type designer and researcher Amir Mahdi Moslehi. They discuss his journey into calligraphy and type design. Moslehi discusses his extensi…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Nisrine Sarkis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:42
Yara Khoury Nammour interviews Beirut-based Lebanese designer Nisrine Sarkis. They discuss her journey into the world of branding and lettering. Focusing initially on illustration and graphic design, Nisrine gradually re…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Nora Zeid [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:15
In this episode of the Khatt Chronicles podcast, Yasmine Nachabe Taan interviews Dubai-based Egyptian illustrator and comics artist Nora Zeid. They discuss her journey into the field of graphic novels and comics through…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Wissam Shawkat [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:27
Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews Dubai-based Iraqi calligrapher and designer Wissam Shawkat. They discuss his journey into calligraphy and graphic design starting from his teenage years as a student in Iraq to his m…
Khatt Chronicles Hosts Introducing Season 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:11
The Khatt Chronicles podcast is back in a third season! Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès moderates a conversation between the hosts of Season 3. The discussion addressed the several topics and themes that are planned for this…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Lara Balaa [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:38
Yara Khoury Nammour interviews Lara Balaa, Lebanese editorial designer and PhD Candidate at Rutgers School of Communication and Information. They discuss Balaa's journey into becoming a graphic designer, and her fascinat…
Khatt Chronicles in Conversation With Lara Assouad [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:19
Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews Dubai-based Lebanese graphic and type designer @laraassouad. Together they discuss her journey into type design and her other passions and side practices such as book-binding, leathe…