Lara Assouad is an independent graphic and type designer with a particular interest in the relation between Arabic and Latin writing systems and multicultural identities. She has researched Arabic writing and typography at the Atelier National de Recherche Typographique in Nancy, France.
In 2006, Lara collaborated with Fred Smeijers to develop Fresco Arabic (for ‘Typographic Matchmaking’ a project initiated by Khatt Foundation) which won a Certificate of Excellence in Typography in 2008 from the Type Directors Club in New York.
Lara has worked on two children’s books in collaboration with Dar Onboz, Tabati and Aswat al Abjadiyyah, which were exhibited in Munich at the Haus Der Kunst in fall 2010 and at Agial Art Gallery in Beirut end of 2010. Tabati, the typeface developed for the two books was awarded a Certificate of Excellence in Typography in 2011 from TDC New York. Lara recently received the Opera Prima Award at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in 2012 for the illustrations, type design and layout of Tabati the book.