Typography Beyond Borders: Design with Multiscriptual Typographic Elements

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. It’s also a valuable resource for design teachers working with international students and aiming to create a more inclusive classroom.

This book fills an important gap in design education: the focus on Latin-script design resources. While there are books from designers in Asia or the Arabic-speaking world, they’re mostly aimed at native speakers. Here, we take a fresh approach by comparing typography from a wide range of scripts, encouraging designers to move beyond Western styles and explore a richer, multicultural design approach.

Readers will walk away with a deeper understanding of global design, giving them the tools to create work that speaks to underrepresented audiences. Design students will feel more confident drawing inspiration from their own cultures, while educators will find new ways to teach with greater empathy. Whether you’re an experienced designer or just starting out, this book offers practical tips to expand your design horizons and embrace non-Latin scripts.

Sherry Muyuan He is an assistant professor of art at the City College of New York. She holds an MFA in Visual Studies from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and a BA from Macalester College. Passionate about languages, Sherry enjoys reading books in different languages and listening to conversations in various languages on the subway. Outside of teaching, she designs board games that help people learn new scripts.