Arlette Haddad-Boutros stands as a pioneering force in Arabic type design, widely recognised as one of the most influential figures in shaping contemporary visual culture across the Arab world and beyond. As a leading female voice in a traditionally under represented field, her work has defined generations of typographic practice, seamlessly bridging Arabic and Latin systems with both precision and elegance.

With a career spanning more than four decades, Arlette has worked across the full evolution of typographic technology - from the foundational era of Letraset to today’s advanced digital tools such as Glyphs. Her continued dedication to the craft has positioned her as both a master practitioner and an inspiring educator, mentoring new generations of designers in the art and science of bilingual type design.
Her latest work, a comprehensive full-colour guide to Arabic letter design, offers an essential resource for graphic designers, type designers, university students, and branding professionals working across Arabic and Latin scripts. The publication provides an in-depth exploration of designing Arabic letterforms from first principles, covering critical topics such as proportion, spacing, typographic rhythm, side bearings, kerning, and joining behaviour. It also examines the nuances of curves, corners, diacritics, ligatures, and the management of weights and type instances.

In addition, the guide addresses the complexities of harmonising Arabic and Latin typographic systems, supported by practical workflows using Glyphs and real-world examples of bilingual typefaces. A visual exploration of Letraset further highlights the historical context that has shaped modern typography.