A large sheet showing the Arabic alphabet is completed with hundreds of Koranic markers. A pair of annotated brackets signify a quote or reference to the Koran, and a series of characters grouped together spells out the salutation – Peace be upon him.   

Nokia Pure has been specifically designed to accommodate the Koran in Arabic, and the Torah in Hebrew, reflecting the fact that in many parts of the world mobile devices have become an important religious resource.  

Now with the first phase of the project near completion, Bruno Maag is looking ahead to the next set of languages. He has started working on Armenian. “Not many people speak it,” he says dryly. 

The result of all their efforts, Nokia Pure, is a humanist sans face font – without serifs but with different weights and thickness on the strokes. Maag points out the small details that make the font unique:

Read the rest of Typographer Bruno Maag on Nokia Pure: Exclusive Interview at Nokia Conversations

This is a lot more than most want to know about fonts; but speaks to just how intricate the mobile environment is. You have to include context in every measure, especially in the case of fonts where you are ascribing literacy to the experience.