This is a personal project. Five years ago my dad passed away suddenly from a heart attack. We had always known that he had blood pressure problems, but I had just seen him a few days before and the shock was profound. I had already lost my mother when I was twenty, and to lose my dad as well broke something in me. In the weeks that followed I started to design a typeface that speaks to the darkness of grief that I was going through. That typeface became Sawad, my design exploration of the black that is grief. I finished it for the one year anniversary of my dad’s passing, and when I released my After the Fall collection, I designed this poster which featured the words in Arabic: ila abi. To my dad.

I had always wanted to get it printed, so I could get my grief out on paper and not just in me. When I was invited to submit my work to the Arts and Crafts Museum in Hamburg, I decided to go ahead and print it in silk screen. It was therapeutic to finally see it in print, and to wonder at the boldness of those letters, and the bottomless grief that drew them. I was always surprised by the paradox that something so beautiful can come from such a dark place, but then a friend explained that the other side of grief is love. And so it is that this poster is the celebration of a daughter’s love for her father.

I’ve printed only 30 editions and signed and numbered them. Most are for the family but I would like to make a few available for those who would like to send a message of love to their father. Below are the details:

Size: A2

Paper: Matrisse at 250gsm

Colours: Black and dark blue

Printed beautifully by Harvey Lloyd Screens

Print run: 30, numbered and signed

Price: £99 + 20% VAT (for UK customers only) + shipping

Shipping rates: UK (£5); EU (£10); World (£15)

I will take the orders by first come first served. Please email me your full postal address plus phone number and I’ll send an invoice. Once paid, orders should ship within 2 working days.