Technology-savvy Dubai gets its own typographic font

Dubai has teamed up with Microsoft to become the world's first city to have a font named after the gleaming metropolis.
Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum yesterday launched the 'Dubai Font' in line with the UAE's vision to become a regional and global leader in innovation.
The font, the first typeface developed by Microsoft for a city, comes in both Arabic and Latin script and will be available in 23 languages to 100 million Office 365 users around the world.
"The launch of the Dubai Font to the world is a very important step for us as part of our continuous efforts to be ranked first in the digital world," Shaikh Hamdan was quoted as saying by media reports.

He also directed government departments to use the new font in all correspondence from now on.
"We are confident that this new font and its unique specifications will prove popular online and in smart technologies across the world. This is considered a positive shift that will boost the emirate's competitiveness in smart technology," he said.

Abdulla Al Shaibani, Secretary General of the Executive Council of Dubai said the font was the emirate's new and innovative mark in the digital world, and one that built a knowledge bridge between the East and West.
"The debut of this font is a great example of successful collaborations between the public and private sectors to encourage reading and adopt more technical solutions to serve the communities," said Samer Abu Ltaif, president of Microsoft in the Middle East and Africa.

The 23 languages supported by Dubai Font are Afrikaans, Arabic, Basque, Britannic, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, Gaelic, German, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Norwegian, Farsi, Portuguese, Sami, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish and Urdu.
Dubai, the largest city in the UAE and home to the world's tallest tower, Burj Khalifa, has championed technology and innovation as it looks to broaden its appeal.
Image-conscious Dubai has pushed in recent years to broaden its appeal by investing in its technology and culture. It will host the six-month Expo 2020 under the themes of sustainability and mobility.