Taif Display is a revival design inspired by the hand-drawn headline titles in the publication A-Taif, a City in Transition (1981) by ʻAbd al-Majid Daghistani. The book carefully analyzes the history of the At-Taif city in Saudi Arabia, while mapping its urban growth and future civic plans.

The typeface is an interpretation of the Naskh Mastary style, often used in advertising, newspapers, and magazine headlines. This style, unlike the curvy Naskh script, is rigid and sharp with exaggerated forms that work best in display contexts. The Ain, Tah, Lam Alef and Heh final, for example, express the calligrapher’s (unknown) personal take bringing inventive and crisp detailing to the overall design. The letterforms combine written and drawn characteristics in one design yielding unexpected shapes with a traditional yet quirky attitude.

Taif Display is designed by Abdullah Kenani and Wael Morcos.