Typography beyond borders
In today's diverse design landscape, creating work that resonates with varied audiences is essential. This resource is a must-have for designers and students using non-Latin scripts, serving as a vital tool for educators promoting inclusivity. It encourag
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Product description
Explore the characteristics and design traditions of Arabic, Armenian, Burmese, Chinese, Cyrillic, Devanagari, Ge'ez, Georgian, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Mongolian, Persian, and Thai writing systems. In today’s global design world, it’s more important than ever for designers to create work that connects with diverse audiences. This book is for designers and students whose native languages don’t use the Latin alphabet, as well as professionals creating designs for people from non-Latin backgrounds.
After receiving the Indigo Award, Typography Beyond Borders also won an Honorable Mention at the DNA Paris Design Awards (2026), recognizing its exploration of multiscript typographic systems and non-Latin writing traditions. It’s also a valuable resource for design teachers working with international students and striving to create a more inclusive classroom. The book fills an important gap in design education: most typography resources focus on the Latin script. While there are books by designers from Asia or the Arabic-speaking world, they are generally intended for native readers. This book takes a different approach by comparing typography across a wide range of writing systems, encouraging designers to move beyond Western conventions and embrace a richer, more multicultural design perspective.
Readers will gain a deeper understanding of global typography and the confidence to create work that resonates with underrepresented audiences. Design students will feel more empowered to draw inspiration from their own cultures, while educators will discover new ways to teach with greater inclusivity and cultural awareness. Whether you’re an experienced designer or just starting out, this book offers practical insights to broaden your design perspective and confidently work with non-Latin scripts.
Author
Sherry Muyuan He is an assistant professor of art at the City College of New York. With an MFA in Visual Studies, she fosters inclusive design education. Sherry also designs board games that teach new scripts, blending her passion for languages and art.
Reviews
"Typography Beyond Borders" is a truly fabulous book. As a person with a passion for languages and graphic design, this book instantly appealed to me and broadened my understanding of both. It's cleverly written and clearly demonstrated, with insightful commentary on the mechanics and aesthetics of written languages—particularly those that do not use Latin script. Whether it was about ligatures in Arabic, how Korean Hangul changes in its script form versus handwritten, or the line spacing necessary to correctly display languages such as Burmese and Thai, there was always something thoughtfully described and interesting to learn. I would scarcely say that a book about typographic design is a fun and entertaining reread, but Sherry Muyuan He ensures it absolutely is.