Abstract
This study will explore the structure of Islamic visual applications. The history of Islamic graphic design can be identified through visual applications in Islamic manuscripts, including elements such as calligraphy, illustration, ornamentation and page layout. Each of these applications has its own theories that suggest the reasons for the geometrical structure of these elements.
The central thesis of this study is that all the visual applications that appear on the pages of Islamic manuscripts are structured using the same grid system. This grid was used as a design tool in the craft of Islamic manuscripts and can be considered an Islamic codicological tool.
There are many earlier studies that suggest that Islamic visual art and design simply represent Islamic doctrine. However, such studies consider neither the question of design craft nor the tools and techniques that were used in the visual applications. It was this omission that led some researchers, such as Deroche (2006), to study Islamic manuscripts more critically, examining Islamic codicology and considering the variety of tools that were used in composing Islamic manuscripts.
This thesis challenges previous research in this area by demonstrating the importance of the geometrical structure of each application in the grid system, showing how each page is crafted to integrate these applications, paying particular attention to their size and scale. This analysis was undertaken using two methods: firstly, geometric analysis, in order to establish the structure of the grid system on pages containing different types of visual application; secondly, through a quantitative case study, in which 51 manuscripts were analysed according to the identified criteria.
Finally, it has been argued that this grid system has relevance for contemporary Islamic graphic design artists, showing them a way of using the grid system to generate and structure their work using different types of Arabic typography, illustration and ornamentation.