The Dubai government has announced the launch of ‘Dubai Font’ – the first typeface developed by Microsoft for a city.
The font, which will be available in 23 languages, was developed simultaneously in Latin and Arabic script.
Dubai Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed al-Maktoum has urged all government institutions to adopt the font in official correspondence.
In its drive to become a city of the future, authorities in Dubai have also purchased a network of robotic pods to shuttle people to a man-made island. The automated transport system will feature 25 driverless group rapid transit vehicles capable of carrying 24 passengers each. They will connect stations on the island and Nakheel Harbour and Tower Metro Station approximately 1.5 miles (2.5 km) apart.The capacity will initially be 3,750 people per hour per direction, which may eventually increase to 5,000.The trip time will be just under five minutes. The network is due to become operational in late 2018/early 2019.
The Executive Council of Dubai, which manages the affairs of the city-state and is headed by Prince Hamdan, said the font reflects the United Arab Emirates’ vision ‘to become a regional and global leader in innovation’.
‘It is the first font to be developed by a city and to carry its name’, Executive Council secretary general Abdulla al-Shaiban told a news conference.
Home to the world’s tallest tower and the largest shopping mall in the Middle East, image-conscious Dubai has pushed in recent years to broaden its appeal by investing in its technology and culture.
The emirate also aims to emerge as the world’s happiest city, and last year appointed a happiness minister.
In 2016, some 14.9 million tourists visited Dubai, the most liberal of the UAE’s seven emirates and its least dependent on oil revenues.
Dubai will host the six-month Expo 2020 under the themes of sustainability and mobility.
In its drive to become a city of the future, authorities in Dubai have also purchased a network of robotic pods to shuttle people to a man-made island.
The transport system will see 25 driverless buses connecting Bluewaters island, which is currently under construction, with the mainland.
It is hoped that the system will one day ferry up to 10,000 people back and forth every hour.
The Dubai font is now available to 100 million Office 365 users around the world.
Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.