Kanat is a display family that dialogues between digital and moveable type technologies. It is ideally used from size 48pt and above and is meant to highlight words playfully or to use them as an architectural space. Kanat Outline allows for overlays with the Solid version. And Kanat Press echoes the warmth and texture of its sister wood typeface.

Kanat Solid was initially drawn in 2017 to be CNC-milled into the Kanat wood typeface, housed at the [typo]Grafische Werkplaats Amsterdam [GWA].

The design sprung from a question: How to create an Arabic wood typeface that embraces both Arabic script tradition and the letterpress's constraint of having letters fit into a physical, rectangular block? As a result, the Kanat family is based on one of the earliest forms of Arabic calligraphy [a style generally known as Primary Kufic] and is fully detached to optimize itself for moveable type technology.

The typeface is a homage to Wiek Molin, the late director of the GWA who, along with current director Corine Elemans, were the initiators of the wood-type project. Kanat is the Turkish word for "the wing."

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