Dubai is the first city in the world with its own MS font – Culture & Society

Dubai crown prince Sheikh Hamdan on Sunday launched “Dubai Font”, Microsoft’s first font to be created by a city and named after it.

“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,” state news agency WAM quoted the crown prince as saying.

“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.”

Dubai Font was designed by Dr Nadine Chahine in collaboration with a team from global agency, Monotype. It was developed as a font with unique specifications that aims to encourage self-expression and reading.

Created from scratch, the Dubai Font fills a design gap between Arabic and Latin texts and presents harmonious typefaces combining the two scripts seamlessly.

The design of the font, which includes 23 languages, captures the unique nature of Dubai, mirroring the city’s qualities and promotes its global standing.

Sheikh Hamdan appreciated the meticulous design that “combines the authenticity of the past and the aspirations of the future, crossing all borders and barriers to give every person, wherever they may be, the means to express themselves”.