Ariba Kamran

Jugaar

Abstract

“Jugaar” is a colloquial word in Indo-Aryan languages; in Urdu it is pronounced as jugaar, with a hard r sound. Jugaar is a term that means the ability to find creative solutions in challenging situations.

This thesis showcases the improvisational spirit of jugaar in typographic form. Arabic-Persian script is often adorned with ornamental elements found in Mughal manuscripts, architecture, and paintings, a practice that later emerged in Urdu calligraphy in newspaper and prints in subcontinent and post-partition Pakistan.

This experimental project explores the fusion of Urdu variable type with ornamentation to test how the historical idea of embellishment around type can function within modern type design.

See thesis book