Scripts in Dialogue: Reinterpreting Visible Language Covers through Bilingual Design Workshops in Kuwait

Authors

  • Dr. Muwaffaq Abdulmajid Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Kuwait https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8177-7009
  • Faisal Alamhouj The Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Kuwait

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34314/501pf513

Abstract

This study investigates how postmodern graphic design strategies can be critically reimagined — reframed through the lens of bilingual design pedagogy to engage issues of cultural identity, script interaction, and typographic experimentation — within Arabic–English bilingual contexts. Using the Visible Language journal (late 1960s–2025) as a foundational reference, the research was conducted over three academic semesters with 90 undergraduate design students in Kuwait. Through a structured practice-led research methodology, participants analyzed historical cover designs and developed original bilingual compositions inspired by postmodern aesthetics. The project addressed typographic challenges, including directionality, visual hierarchy, and the interplay between Arabic calligraphic and Latin modular forms. Design strategies — including layering, fragmentation, and grid disruption — were systematically explored to facilitate visual integration across scripts. Outcomes ranged from cohesive bilingual compositions to instances of double monolingualism reflecting varied levels of synthesis. Cultural motifs and script-specific conventions emerged as influential factors shaping design decisions. The study concludes that adapting postmodern design principles to bilingual contexts requires more than stylistic translation; it entails critical negotiation of cultural identity, linguistic equity, and the visual dynamics of multilingual communication. 

Author Biographies

  • Dr. Muwaffaq Abdulmajid, Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Kuwait

    Muwaffaq Abdulmajid is an Associate Professor of Graphic Arts at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) in Kuwait. He holds a Ph.D. in Art and Design from Middlesex University London (1999) and a Master’s degree in Visual Communication from the University of South Florida (1985). With over two decades of experience in design education, Dr. Abdulmajid’s work focuses on art and design pedagogy, visual communication, and the role of technology in creative practice. His current research centers on bilingual typography, exploring its cultural, linguistic, and aesthetic implications within multilingual design education. He has organized pioneering seminars and workshops on digital bilingual typography, particularly within the Gulf region, contributing to discourse on language, identity, and typographic innovation.

  • Faisal Alamhouj, The Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Kuwait

    Faisal Alamhouj is a postgraduate student pursuing graduate studies in Graphic Design at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) in Kuwait, where he also serves as a scientific assistant. His academic and creative interests center on bilingual typography, with a particular focus on the interaction between Arabic and Latin scripts in contemporary design. Faisal’s work explores how visual language can serve as a bridge between cultures, and he is actively involved in research projects that examine typographic hybridity and cultural identity. He also maintains a broader interest in graphic arts, visual communication, and design pedagogy.

Published

2026-01-12

Issue

Vol. 59 No. 3 (2025): Visible Language 59.3

Section

Journal Article