Author Archives: Ian Whiteman

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About Ian Whiteman

see www.cwdm-portfolio.com

Rumi, Rihlas and Other Considerations

Posted on August 11, 2013 by Ian Whiteman

If you are Turkish, Afghan or Iranian, most likely you would consider your ‘bard’ to be Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi the great poet and Imam who is buried in Konya, the capital of central Anatolia, Turkey. He was born in Balkh, … Continue reading →

Posted in language, miscellaneous, religion, sacred knowledge, tassawuf, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Translation, Lost and Found

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Ian Whiteman

Above: A page from an as yet unpublished edition of the Shama’il of Tirmidhi. Part One Although my work is principally typesetting books, something previously done by men in inky overalls composing metal type, I do actually read some of … Continue reading →

Posted in architectural, language, miscellaneous, Publishing, religion, typography / design | 1 Comment

Songs in the Key of Light

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Ian Whiteman

This much anticipated CD arrived on my desk last week. I had sent off the artwork to the USA a few months ago and I was glad to see it at long last. The cover picture aroused my curiosity but … Continue reading →

Posted in typography / design | 3 Comments

Mapping the Universe

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Ian Whiteman

Flipping through my WordPress account recently I realised how many unpublished draft posts I had written which I had just parked out of sight. Some were on medical subjects, others on eschatology but mostly on subjects in which I was … Continue reading →

Posted in miscellaneous, typography / design | Tagged | 1 Comment

Life is Transistory

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Ian Whiteman

The title of this post, a malapropism by an old buddy of mine many years ago, has now strangely become a reality. Little switching devices (ie transistors) like the ones on the left, millions of which are embedded in all … Continue reading →

Posted in language, miscellaneous, religion, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

A Worm in Your Ear

Posted on November 10, 2012 by Ian Whiteman

Ear worms crawl in your ear when you least expect and when you suddenly find yourself singing a melody in your head you didn’t really want to, over and over again. Apparently it is worse if you are musical. Worse … Continue reading →

Posted in miscellaneous, music, religion, tassawuf | 2 Comments

The Quirkylympics 2012

Posted on September 20, 2012 by Ian Whiteman

Readers may be aware I have an ongoing fascination with lettering, fonts, branding, logos etc., and so I followed the recent Olympics with some curiosity as, like many others I suspect, I was acutely aware of its strange logo and … Continue reading →

Posted in typography / design | 2 Comments

More from Sarajevo 1997

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Ian Whiteman

Bosnian Hafiz Alili recites here (mp3s below) some opening ayats of Sura Rahman which opened the Yusuf Islam concert put on in Sarajevo in 1997 to help promote Bosnian culture in war-wracked Bosnia two years after the war finished. Maybe … Continue reading →

Posted in language, miscellaneous, music, religion, tassawuf, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Vanishing Sign Writer

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Ian Whiteman

Much as I have championed skilful type design I am also saddened that the type font has virtually wiped out the sign writer’s craft. Hand lettering on shops, vans and on sign posts and name plates has all but disappeared … Continue reading →

Posted in language, Publishing, typography / design, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Flight from the Actual

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Ian Whiteman

I am one of the many who embraced each new technology as it presented itself over the last 50 years. It included multi-track analogue audio recording and phototypesetting in the 1960s, digital audio recording, digital cameras and mobile phones in … Continue reading →

Posted in miscellaneous, music, Publishing, religion, typography / design | 1 Comment