# Kanoon Children's Book Illustration (Iran, 1965 to 1979)

> Picture books made at Tehran's Kanoon institute by Farshid Mesghali, Ali Akbar Sadeghi and others: simplified, flat-colour, graphic narrative art drawing on Iranian visual culture, within the Tehran modernist school (hence persian-modernism). Context: state-court-linked patronage; The Little Black Fish was read as political allegory and banned before 1979; legacy contested since. Persian lettering is Iranian hands' work, not a motif to borrow.

- Period: 1965–1979
- Where: Middle East & North Africa
- Origin: Tehran, Iran: the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (Kanoon), founded 8 January 1965 with Lily Amir-Arjomand and under the patronage of Farah Pahlavi, who chaired its board of trustees. The style period runs to the 1979 Revolution; the institute itself continues today.
- Branch: Rational modernism
- Also known as: Kanun picture books, Iranian modernist children's book art, Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults illustration
- Page: https://stylogeny.com/styles/kanoon-childrens-illustration/

## How it works

- Reduce every character to a bold, simplified silhouette that a child can read at a glance.
- Fill shapes with flat, saturated colour and carry texture through pattern rather than shading.
- Draw on local Iranian visual culture (coffeehouse painting, Persian ornament) rather than imported Western picture-book conventions.
- Let hand-drawn Persian lettering sit inside the picture as part of the composition.
- Vary scale and placement across spreads so each page turn offers a fresh, playful composition.

## Its design choices

Defining choices make the style, characteristic ones are usual, occasional ones turn up now and then.

### Layout & composition
- [Dynamic asymmetry](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/dynamic-asymmetry/) (characteristic)
- [Framed panels](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/framed-panels/) (characteristic)
- [Isolated object](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/isolated-object/) (occasional)

### Space & hierarchy
- [Sequential narrative](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/sequential-narrative/) (defining)
- [Measured density](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/measured-density/) (characteristic)
- [Single focal point](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/single-focal-point/) (characteristic)
- [Extreme scale contrast](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/extreme-scale-contrast/) (occasional)
- [Repetition & rhythm](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/repetition-and-rhythm/) (occasional)

### Typography
- [Hand-lettering](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/hand-lettering/) (defining)
- [Brush & pen calligraphy](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/brush-and-pen-calligraphy/) (characteristic)
- [Type as image](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/type-as-image/) (occasional)

### Colour
- [Full polychrome](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/full-polychrome/) (defining)
- [Flat fields](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/flat-fields/) (defining)
- [Light ground](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/light-ground/) (characteristic)
- [Complementary clash](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/complementary-clash/) (occasional)
- [Jewel & metallic](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/jewel-and-metallic/) (occasional)

### Form & shape
- [Stylised figuration](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/stylised-figuration/) (defining)
- [Biomorphic curves](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/biomorphic-curves/) (characteristic)
- [Geometric primitives](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/geometric-primitives/) (occasional)

### Surface & texture
- [Flat](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/flat/) (defining)
- [Paper & letterpress bite](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/paper-and-letterpress-bite/) (occasional)

### Ornament
- [Folk & sacred symbols](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/folk-and-sacred-symbols/) (defining)
- [Borders & frames](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/borders-and-frames/) (characteristic)
- [Floral & vegetal](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/floral-and-vegetal/) (occasional)

### Imagery
- [Line illustration](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/line-illustration/) (characteristic)
- [Pattern & repeat](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/pattern-and-repeat/) (characteristic)
- [Painterly illustration](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/painterly-illustration/) (occasional)

### Medium & production
- [Offset printing](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/offset-printing/) (characteristic)
- [Pen, brush & ink](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/pen-brush-and-ink/) (characteristic)
- [Screen printing](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/screen-printing/) (occasional)

### Tone & intent
- [Playful & witty](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/playful-and-witty/) (defining)
- [Warm & approachable](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/warm-and-approachable/) (characteristic)
- [Communal & popular](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/communal-and-popular/) (occasional)

Avoids: Straight photography, Gloss & highlights, Skeuomorphic material, Fluorescent & neon, Grotesque & neo-grotesque, Modular grid, Ornament-free, Illusion of depth

Palette: #f3e7cc, #1b1b1b, #d6402b, #e8b32e, #2a7f8e, #4f9a5a

Typefaces: Hand-drawn Persian lettering, often integral to the image, Hand-lettered title forms

Known for: Farshid Mesghali (illustrations for Samad Behrangi's The Little Black Fish, 1967/68; First Graphic Prize at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, 1969; Hans Christian Andersen Award, 1974); Farshid Mesghali (picture books of 1970 including Jamshid Shah and Amu Nowruz); Ali Akbar Sadeghi (picture books such as Malek ol-Khorshid; Kanoon animation); Noureddin Zarrinkelk (illustration and animation for Kanoon)

## Where it comes from, and what it’s close to

- Grew out of: [Iranian Modernist Graphic Design](https://stylogeny.com/styles/persian-modernism.md) (1960–present)
- Influenced by: [Persian Miniature (Ilkhanid, Timurid and Safavid Book Painting)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/persian-miniature.md) (c. 1300–1700)
- Alike in its design choices: [Cairo–Beirut Arab Modernist Book & Periodical Design](https://stylogeny.com/styles/cairo-beirut-book-design.md) (1952–1990), 82% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Pardhan Gond Painting (Jangarh Kalam)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/gond-painting.md) (1981–present), 75% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Mithila (Madhubani) Painting](https://stylogeny.com/styles/mithila-painting.md) (c. 1350–present), 70% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Kultur-Lige & Yiddish Avant-Garde Book Design](https://stylogeny.com/styles/kultur-lige-book.md) (1917–1924), 70% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Serizawa Katazome and Mingei Stencil-Dye Graphics](https://stylogeny.com/styles/serizawa-katazome.md) (1927–present), 69% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Bengali Modernist Book Cover (Prachchhad)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/bengali-book-cover.md) (1943–present), 69% alike

## Sources

- https://www.bidoun.org/articles/institute-for-the-intellectual-development-of-children-young-adults
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_the_Intellectual_Development_of_Children_and_Young_Adults
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farshid_Mesghali
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Black_Fish

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From Stylogeny (https://stylogeny.com/), an atlas of graphic-design styles by Van Riel Online Services. How it is made: https://stylogeny.com/about/. Cite as: Stylogeny, “Kanoon Children's Book Illustration (Iran, 1965 to 1979)”, https://stylogeny.com/styles/kanoon-childrens-illustration/