TBWA\RAAD's CNNArabic logo held up as prime example at MIT

The MIT white paper discusses the integration of design between Arab and Western cultures and sights the logo for CNN's Arabic website as a solid example of melding two culture's two languages.

Sherry Blankenship - the study's author and Senior Lecturer in Graphic Design at Notre Dame University, Lebanon - stated: "Languages themselves reflect their cultures and histories. Since Arabic has a sustained calligraphic tradition, predominantly used for religious purposes, its forms can be characterized as linear, musical, rhythmic, fluid, dynamic, decorative, individualistic, contemplative, mystical and asymmetric.

In highlighting the CNNArabic.com logo, Ms Blankenship said: "This is a very convincing combination of the two languages that are read in both directions simultaneously. It reads CNN in Arabic. Because the logo is recognizable as such, it does not take viewers any time to decode the Latin, thus enabling complete comprehension at once."

TBWA\RAAD Chief Creative Officer Kristian Sumners said:"Creating the CNNarabic.com Logo was a great feat since it is a globally recognized symbol and the thought of adding-on to it posed the same type of challenge as adding a few extra bars to the Beethoven symphony!"

"We're delighted that the CNNArabic logo design has been recognised in this way. CNNArabic.com is an important part of the CNN business. We had an internationally recognised English language brand that also needed to be recognised in Arabic, so we had to make sure we got it right," said Nick Wrenn, CNN.com International editor.