Making a Self-Publisher's Dreams Come True
Overview
The author is a Scholar and the Imam (religious authority) of a local mosque.
His approach to the scholarly text Exposition of Knowledge and its Merits is simple and refined, a resource for scholars and students of knowledge on the importance of good manners. We were presented with a raw manuscript that had traces of Arabic and English which needed a book cover spread, inside cover spread, and book typesetting.
The Challenge
Create a classic, academic book that works well with Arabic type.
Book Cover Design
We began our book design journey by looking outside and inside the Qur’an for themes of knowledge. We explored two concepts.
Firstly, ‘the fig tree’ represents knowledge across the Abrahamic faith and is a chapter of the Qu’ran which explores the theme of knowledge. The second concept drew inspiration from a biblical reference ‘the tree of knowledge’.
The translation of Jami’ Bayan Al-‘Ilm wa Fadlih is a big and unique project that will be launched to the public very soon. As the first English translation of this book, it is important that it is clear and professionally designed, with respects paid to both the text and original Arabic.
Our client moved forward with the first concept.
Typesetting
A large body of text with bilingual elements and scholarly references needs care of the language in a digital format and an understanding of narrations to organise information effectively.
When we tried to breakdown the mammoth of material we first created a sample of formatting and then used Indesign to set up bookmarks, master pages and styles that would make the process a lot easier.
The Result
““Iman Ayoubi was recommended to me by a good friend, when I was in need for a graphic design for the original translation of the book I was working on for four years.
This work meant a lot to me and not surprisingly, I wanted it to be as good looking as possible, along with the significant content presented.
What caught my attention was Iman’s care for details and devoted personal and particular approach to my translation. Everything was telling me she was a true professional and the right person for the job. I was so happy and ultimately satisfied. Honestly, the final outcome was better than I expected. I am very grateful and I would like to recommend Iman Ayoubi and her service to anyone who may need it.””
