Religion & Dialogue – Multilingual Book Design

Designed by Tarek Atrissi Design for the International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (Vienna, Austria), Religion and Dialogue is a multilingual, large-format book that promotes tolerance and shared values among the world’s major religions. The publication brings together sacred quotations in seven different scripts, highlighting compassion, peace, and the sanctity of human life as universal ideals.

The book features custom calligraphic compositions in Arabic (Islam), Hebrew (Judaism), Greek (Christianity), Devanagari (Hinduism), Chinese (Buddhism), Pali (Buddhism), and Gurmukhi (Sikhism). These calligraphies, crafted by a team of calligraphers in the original scripts of each faith tradition, form the core visual content of the book. Each quote was carefully selected and typographically treated to resonate both aesthetically and spiritually.

Bold, colorful, and deeply typographic, the 33.5 x 33.5 cm book transforms calligraphy into composition—building pages from layered scripts, vivid backgrounds, and visual textures that express harmony through difference. The layout is entirely multilingual, reflecting the diversity of the content while maintaining a clear and balanced design structure throughout.

The book’s tactile quality reinforces its purpose as a gift and display object. Offset printed with metallic gold foil detailing, the publication is housed in a premium slipcase. The cover design—featuring cropped calligraphic shapes in a modern geometric layout—visually references the convergence of sacred traditions through design.

From commissioning calligraphers across multiple language systems to coordinating the multilingual content and overseeing high-end production, this project was a comprehensive design process that reflects both the technical and conceptual depth of book design. The result is a high-quality publication that celebrates global spirituality through the lens of visual harmony and typographic craft.