Who we are

Our names are Sahar Afshar and José Solé, and we are partners in life and in Dogray, a type foundry based in the south of London. We met in 2017 in a type conference⁠—⁠here’s to our dearly departed TypoLabs Berlin⁠🍻⁠—⁠and hit it off (we actually met in 2015 at our friend Kalapi’s wedding in India, but that’s a story for another time). After working in a large type design studio for some years, we decided to leave the safety of our full time jobs and get back to what brought us to making fonts in the first place; the joy of creative decision making in the design of typefaces, and reconnecting with the wider design community.

We started Dogray Type Foundry to do just that; to enjoy designing fonts we feel will be useful, and bring fun back into our careers. Very importantly, we wanted to embrace collaboration over competition; we center co‑creating at the heart of our foundry⁠—⁠not just in combining our individual strengths and skills, but also by using each of our library fonts as an opportunity to collaborate with a different creative from the wider fields of Arts and Humanities. We do this because of our fundamental belief; that best work happens when unique and diverse perspectives collide.

A picture of Sahar & José in the Dogray studio office
Try me!
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Custom Type

Do you have a project that needs a specific typographic voice? That’s our favorite kind of puzzle. Whether we’re drawing you a custom font from scratch or tweaking one of our existing library fonts, we approach it the same way: as a collaboration between us. We’ll start by listening to your story⁠—⁠the vision you have for how you represent yourself to the world, and the audience you want to reach. From there, we will continue this dialogue throughout the design and development phase to make sure the type doesn’t just fit your project, but feels like a natural part of it.

To make sure we’re always on the same page, we keep the process transparent and inclusive; after our initial conversations, we begin the design process by sharing initial drafts to establish a clear direction together. Once we’re aligned, we check in at set stages, sharing beta fonts and detailed progress updates. This isn’t a ‘wait and see’ process; it’s an open dialogue designed to give you complete confidence at every step. Whether we are working on larger projects for Netflix, or smaller projects like a limited character set for a Sky TV documentary, we always follow this process of transparency and open collaboration, because we believe the best results grow from a shared sense of ownership and trust.

Finally, we believe that authentic and effective typography must be rooted in deep cultural understanding. If your project extends to a writing system outside of our direct expertise, we see this not as a limitation, but as an opportunity to deepen our collaborative spirit. In such cases, we will partner with trusted type designers who bring a lifetime of native familiarity with the script. This ensures every character is crafted with the nuance, respect, and authenticity your intended audience deserves. For us, it’s the only way to guarantee that your message not only reaches, but truly resonates with your global community.

Lettering & Wordmarks

When a project calls for letterforms crafted for a single, specific purpose, that’s where custom lettering and wordmarks come in. Maybe you need a distinctive logo that tells your brand’s story at a glance, or an eye‑catching design for a product, or a title that sets the perfect tone for an album or book. Whatever the project, we get to roll up our sleeves and work closely with you, turning your vision into a design that’s entirely your own. We also offer refinements of your existing logo if you feel like it’s time for a refresh, but don’t want to lose that memorable look.

Arabic Kufic lettering for Alphabettes.org, 29 June 2017

Consultation & Quality Assurance

Beyond our design work, we also offer our expertise to fellow creatives and foundries; think of us as your dedicated quality assurance team, providing a meticulous second set of eyes on your fonts to ensure they perform flawlessly. We also provide consultation on the nuanced design of both Latin and Arabic type, helping you navigate the complexities of form, rhythm, and cultural authenticity.

Teaching & Workshops

Alongside our foundry work, we’re both deeply committed to sharing what we’ve learned along the way. Whether through workshops, lectures, or one‑on‑one mentoring, we love helping newcomers find their footing and supporting seasoned designers looking to explore new areas of the craft. For us, it’s a natural extension of our belief that the best work grows from lifting each other up, particularly newcomers to the field.

Also, Sahar is the Lead Instructor of Type West Online, a yearlong postgraduate certificate program in type design available worldwide.

Credit: Luisa Baeta, 2018
A picture of Sahar giving a talk during the TDC's Judge's night in New York, 2018
Credit: Norman Posselt, 2018
A picture of José giving a talk at TypoLabs Berlin, 2018

Presentations & Lectures

2025

Automatizando Textos de Prueba.

Typographics TypeLabs Americas online stream.

here.

2025

From Calligraphy to Pixels: Investigating Modern Arabic Type.

ATypI panel featuring Sahar, Copenhagen, Denmark.

here.

2025

Mazhik, or how I came to love (?) contextual alternates.

Type&Faces, London, UK

here.

2025

The Proof Is in the Pudding: Adaptive Content in Type Proofs.

ATypI talk featuring José, Copenhagen, Denmark.

here.

2024

Type Design Theory and Practice.

Type Electives virtual lecture series.

Watch

here.

2023

Oobleck: A Reinterpretation, An Expansion.

Type Thursday London, UK.

here.

2023

Who Gets to Design Arabic Typography?

futuress.org online roundtable discussion.

here.

2021

Multiscript and Web Typography.

TypeTech Munich online roundtable discussion.

here.

2021

The Cultural Significance of Letters.

TypeCal Kuwait online symposium.

Watch

here.

2021

Thinking Outside the Vox.

ATypI Tech Talks online conference experts panel.

Watch

here.

2020

Alphacrit.

Typographics TypeLabs online live feedback session.

here.

2020

PhDs in Europe: Students.

ATypI working seminar, Amiens, France.

here.

2019

Muses, Methods, and Thereafter.

ISType, Istanbul, Türkiye.

Watch

here.

2018

On Extending Connections (aka Making it Fit).

TypoLabs Berlin, Germany.

Watch

here.

2018

Sours, Flips, and Fancies.

TDC Judge’s night presentation at the Great Hall of Cooper Union, New York, USA.

Watch

here.

2018

The Future is No Longer What it Used to Be: An Overview of Variable Fonts.

Birmingham Design Festival, Birmingham, UK.

here.

2017

Considering the Old, Designing the New.

ATypI, Montréal, Canada.

Watch

here.

2017

Liberating Digital Type from the Metal Rectangle.

TypoLabs Berlin experts panel discussion. Berlin, Germany.

Watch

here.

2017

Punjabi printing: An Historical Analysis of Design, Production and Consumption from 1800.

Centre for Printing History & Culture Annual Symposium, University of Birmingham, UK.

here.

2016

The Importance of Research-Based Practice.

Typographic Meet, Tehran, Iran.

here.

2012

Rasterización de tipos digitales.

Bienal Tipos Latinos, Santiago, Chile.

here.

Publications & Interviews

2025

E03: Unpredictabilities of Life - Sahar Afshar - Type Designer

Unpredictabilities of Life Podcast

2025

Is Tech Killing Multilingualism?

1000 Words for Belonging podcast.

2025

Khatt Chronicles in Conversation with Sahar Afshar.

Khatt Chronicles: Stories on Design from the Arab World podcast.

2025

Script, Print and Letterforms in Global Contexts: The Visual and the Material.

Sahar Afshar, Darryl Lim, and Vaibhav Singh (eds). Peter Lang publications.

2024

On the Font Lines.

Danielle Han interview with Sahar Afshar, Prospect magazine.

2020

The Gurmukhi Type of Oxford University Press.

Sahar Afshar, Midland History Journal, 45.2, pp 161 - 175.

2018

Five Typographers Share Their Treasured Finds.

Communication Arts Magazine.

2018

Interview with Sahar Afshar.

Gráffica Magazine 11. pp 117 - 121.

Book cover for Script, Print and Letterms in Global Contexts

Sahar (She/Her/Hers)

Sahar Afshar is a British Iranian Partner & Designer at Dogray. She holds a PhD in Printing History from Birmingham City University, and is part of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Printing History and Culture in Birmingham, the Type Directors Club in New York, and the Beatrice Warde Scholarship. She divides her time between her practice as a type designer with over a decade of experience in working on various retail and custom fonts, and her research⁠—⁠investigating the technological, cultural, and political dimensions of typography and printing, and how these facets converge through various historical contexts. She is the Lead Instructor for Type West Online, helping students expand their creative potential to make their own typefaces. She loves a good cup of tea, particularly if it’s jasmine green tea or genmaicha. Coffee gives her jitters ☕︎ ~.~

Email her at sahar@dograytype.com.

José (He/Him/His)

José Solé is a Chilean British Partner & Designer at Dogray. An award‑winning type designer with over a decade of experience, he possesses a rare dual expertise in both the art of designing and engineering fonts. His career began at a large type design studio, where he spent nearly ten years. For his role, he was initially hired to be a dedicated engineer, allowing him to gain expert knowledge of the intricate craft of hinting and font production. Later, he evolved into a new position that balanced creating his own designs while also technically overseeing complex projects. He is passionate about education, dedicating time to training new talent in both type design and technology through workshops and one-on-one mentorship. An avid watch collector, he appreciates intricate mechanics and precise design *-*

Email him at jose@dograytype.com.

Address

Dogray Limited
75 Westow Hill
London SE19 1TX
United Kingdom

Registered in England
Company No. 16327398
UK VAT No. 489423253

Colophon

This website was designed and built with using Webflow and Fontdue by José & Sahar. The texts are set in Baila Regular, an upcoming typeface from Dogray. It’s lurking in the shadows now, but keep your eyes peeled. It’s a good one (if we may say so ourselves).

We want to give a massive thanks to some amazing humans who have helped us make Dogray what it is so far: The brilliant Maryam who conjured the original design that evolved to become our current logo; fabulous Pablo who dropped some of his stunning illustrations on us, then casually gifted us super helpful website feedback, and drew amazing art for our landing page; the star that is Samar, who made us sick graphics and stickers, but also chipped in with some Arabic translations; and the ever-wonderful Elena, who gave the site a thorough look-over, spotting the sneaky bugs and offering spot-on advice to make everything just right.

Right. That’s us. On we go.