Scheherazade Font: What It Is and How to Handle It in Vector Logos
Scheherazade is an open-licensed Arabic-script typeface in the traditional Naskh style. Learn what it is, how the newer release differs, and what it means for vector logo files.
Contents
The Short Answer
Scheherazade is an Arabic-script typeface developed by SIL International and distributed under the SIL Open Font License. It is drawn in the traditional Naskh style, the clear, rounded script commonly used for body text and print in Arabic and other languages written in Arabic script. Its name refers to the storyteller of One Thousand and One Nights. A later release, published as Scheherazade New, updates the original design and expands its character coverage and range of weights.
For logo work, the practical point is that Scheherazade can be used to set Arabic-script wordmarks without a commercial license fee. How that lettering is delivered in a vector logo file still matters, though, and the font license does not settle questions about trademarks or other people's logos.
What Sets Scheherazade Apart
Arabic-script typefaces vary widely in style. Kufi-inspired designs tend to be angular and geometric. Nastaliq, which is associated with Urdu and Persian calligraphy, slopes and stacks letters diagonally. Naskh sits between them as the familiar, highly legible reading style. Scheherazade belongs to the Naskh family, so it reads as traditional and formal rather than modern or decorative.
Scheherazade's design scope also sets it apart. SIL builds its fonts to support minority and less widely served languages, so Scheherazade covers characters needed by many languages written in Arabic script, not only standard Arabic. It relies on smart-font technology so that letters connect and change form correctly according to their position in a word. Readers who need a specific language, character or diacritic should check the character set of the version they download, because the supplied evidence does not list coverage details.
Scheherazade vs. Scheherazade New
Two versions turn up in searches. Scheherazade New is the newer release, with broader character support and more weights than the original. The supplied evidence does not include version numbers, release dates or a confirmed list of weights. Check the font package or the developer's documentation before specifying a version in a brand guide.
Font names are not unique. A file or listing labeled "Scheherazade" on a third-party download site may be a renamed copy, an older build or an unrelated design. Before relying on any download, confirm that SIL International is listed as the designer and that the OFL license text is included.
Licensing: What the Open Font License Allows
The SIL Open Font License allows the font to be used, studied, modified and redistributed freely, including in commercial projects. The OFL states that artwork and documents created with the font, including a logo, are not themselves bound by the license. The main restrictions apply to the font software. It may not be sold on its own. Modified versions may not use the Reserved Font Name unless permission is given.
Each of the following is a separate permission:
- Permission to use the font: granted by the OFL for designing your own wordmark.
- Permission to download someone else's logo file: having access to a file does not grant any rights to its artwork.
- Permission to modify or reuse another brand's logo: governed by that owner's copyright and trademark rights, not by the font license.
- Trademark rights in a new logo: they come from use and registration of the mark, not from the typeface, and an open font license cannot keep a wordmark from conflicting with existing marks.
Using Scheherazade in a Vector Logo File
In a vector logo, lettering can be stored in two ways: as live text that still depends on the installed font, or as outlined paths that no longer need the font. Each approach affects editing and delivery differently.
| Approach | Editable as text | Needs font installed | Typical use |
| Live text | Yes | Yes | Working or master files kept by the designer |
| Outlined paths | No, only as shapes | No | Final delivery files sent to clients and printers |
Arabic script raises its own concern at this step. Letters must be correctly shaped and joined before the text is converted to outlines. If the design software does not handle right-to-left text and contextual shaping properly, the letters may appear disconnected or in their isolated forms. Converting to outlines would then fix those errors in place. Before outlining, check the rendered word against a reliable reference or a fluent reader.
Once the lettering is outlined, many designers adjust the paths by hand, refining joins, extending strokes or balancing the word with a symbol. The result then becomes custom lettering based on Scheherazade rather than the font itself. This affects later identification, discussed below.
Checking Whether a File Contains Real Vector Lettering
An SVG, EPS, AI or PDF extension does not guarantee that the file contains editable vector paths. These formats can contain an embedded raster image, such as a pasted PNG or JPG, or a low-resolution preview in place of real vector artwork. To check a logo file:
- Open it in a vector editor and switch to outline or wireframe view; true vector lettering shows as path outlines, while an embedded image shows as a single rectangle.
- Select the lettering and see whether it is identified as text, as paths or as an image.
- Zoom in closely; vector edges stay crisp, while raster content becomes pixelated.
- If the text is live, check whether the editor reports a missing font, which means Scheherazade would need to be installed for it to display as intended.
Identifying Scheherazade in an Existing Logo
Automated font identification tools tend to work less reliably with Arabic-script lettering than with Latin type, and connected letterforms make matching harder. A logo set in a Naskh style could use Scheherazade or another Naskh typeface. It could also be hand-drawn lettering. A more dependable approach is to compare distinctive letterforms, joins and diacritic placement side by side with Scheherazade rendered in the same word. If the lettering has been customized after outlining, no font will match exactly. In that case, ask the logo's owner or designer for the source files or the brand guidelines.
Gaps in the Available Information
The material supplied for this article contained no confirmed specifications for Scheherazade: no version numbers, release dates, glyph counts, weight lists or language coverage tables. The descriptions above reflect the font's general documented nature and its licensing model. Exact technical details should be confirmed in the documentation that ships with the font package.