One of my major projects over the last two years was the design of the new siddur for the Movement for Reform Judaism. A huge task involving some:

750 pages
18 separate sections
Erev shabbat having 36 drafts!
A regular, deluxe, pocket-sized, large-print extract editions
2 dozen graphic devices
3 dozen illustrations
New stuff and olf familiar friends

The other day I went to the final meeting of the steering committee where the printed book was given out to everyone along with thanks for their contribution. There are several versions, deluxe, standard, pocket size and large print

So what has this got to do with sofrut I hear you ask. Well one of the key elements of the design was the ceation of graphic devices to act as section headers and for these I designed a kind of STaM font whiich was blocky and angular and a bit modern whilst retaining a link to the traditional - an echo of the book itself. Initially there were going to bbe a few of these scattered around but the client liked them and now they grace every section - which meant a lot of ideas to come up with. One of my favourites - havdalah is shown above.

The siddur was well received by the committee and the rabbis and I got a very nice e-mail from the head of the Movement, Rabbi Tony Bayfield.
"It is simply stupendous - and very, very beautiful. I don't think that there is another person in the world who could have produced something that looks so good and is, at the same time, so user friendly. The Movement will, I know, thank you."

Here's hoping the congregants find it as equally user-friendly.