Arabic Calligraphy vs Islamic Geometric Pattern

アラビア書道 / イスラム幾何学文様

Arabic Calligraphy comes from Calligraphic Traditions and Islamic Geometric Pattern from Ornament. One is style and the other technique. They are reached for with some of the same intent, which is where they get confused.

Arabic Calligraphy

Arabic Calligraphy — クーフィー体のクルアーン写本 8–9世紀 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domainArabic Calligraphy — スルス体の祈祷文 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domainArabic Calligraphy — スレイマン1世のトゥグラ（花押）16世紀 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

A tradition that holds writing to be the highest of the arts. From Kufic to Thuluth it has gone on refining an architecture of line, in the tension between canon and individual hand.

Islamic Geometric Pattern

Islamic Geometric Pattern — アルハンブラ宮殿のタイル（CC BY 2.0）Islamic Geometric Pattern — イスファハーン金曜モスク（CC BY 2.0）Islamic Geometric Pattern — ギリー・タイルの文様（CC BY-SA 4.0）

Divides, repeats and combines circles, squares, polygons and stars, building infinite extension and order on a finite plane.

Arabic CalligraphyIslamic Geometric Pattern
Era7th century–8th century–
FamilyCalligraphic TraditionsOrnament
KindStyleTechnique
CuesArchitectural letterforms / Canonical scripts / Breathing thick-and-thin / Composition united with ornamentCompass construction / Star forms / Repeating units / Interlacing lines
Best used forArabic titling and logotypes that must respect the canonical scripts · Architectural and craft ornament where the writing is the structureFilling walls and ceilings so the surface reads continuous, with no visible seam. · Deriving screens and modular building parts from a single repeating unit.
TypeChoose one script and follow its proportions for joining and stackingIf lettering enters, give it its own band and leave the grid intact.
CompositionWork right to left, shape the mass through overlap and empty groundDerive the unit from the construction circle and size the field in whole units.
MaterialThick and thin from the reed angle, gold and blue kept to ornamentPierced stone, assembled wood, inlaid tile, crossings shown as level changes.
CautionSetting Arabic letter by letter as if it were Latin breaks the joins, and the word stops being readable long before it stops being beautiful.Star shapes pasted together without the construction leave lines that miss at the crossings, and the error multiplies when repeated. The Islamic world is not one culture, so check region, dynasty, material and use.

Put these two together

Calligraphic Traditions ／ Ornament

IndexStyle