Arabic and English brand identity: getting bilingual logos right

In Saudi Arabia and across the GCC, most brands live in two scripts. The shop sign, the app icon, the invoice, the Instagram bio and the tender cover page all need to work in Arabic and in English. Yet many identities are designed in one language first, and the second is added later by someone else, under time pressure, with whatever font was installed.

The result is familiar: a confident Latin wordmark sitting next to Arabic text that looks borrowed. A bilingual identity works when neither language looks like an afterthought. This guide explains how to get bilingual logos and brand identities right from the start, and what to ask for when you brief a designer.

Start with the name, not the logo

Before anyone draws a letter, decide how the brand name exists in each language. There are three common approaches:

• Translation. The Arabic name carries the meaning of the English one. It works when the meaning is the point, but the two names may sound nothing alike.
• Transliteration. The Arabic spells out the sound of the English (or the other way round). Customers can say the same name in both languages, which helps word of mouth and search.
• Two different names. Sometimes a brand chooses an Arabic name and an English name that simply suit each audience. This is the hardest to make feel like one brand.

Say the names out loud. Check how they look in a search bar, a WhatsApp message and a phone contact list. Check that the Arabic spelling is the one people will actually type. A name that is hard to spell in either script will cost you in search and referrals for years.

Treat both scripts as equals

The most common mistake in bilingual logo design is treating Arabic as a caption. Arabic and Latin scripts are built differently:

• Arabic is cursive and joined. Letters change shape depending on their position in a word.
• Arabic letterforms have a strong horizontal flow and a different rhythm of tall and short shapes.
• Latin capitals and lowercase have a fixed x-height; Arabic has no capitals and different proportions above and below the baseline.

You cannot make Arabic match Latin by stretching it, slanting it, or copying the stroke weight number from a font menu. Good bilingual identities match the feeling of the two scripts: the same contrast, the same energy, similar visual weight at the sizes people will see them. That usually means the Arabic is drawn or adapted by someone who knows Arabic calligraphy and type, not set in a default font.

A bilingual identity works when neither language looks like an afterthought.

Choosing and pairing typefaces

Beyond the logo, your brand needs typefaces for headings, body text, documents and screens, in both scripts. When pairing:

• Look for Arabic and Latin families designed to work together, or pair two families with similar construction (both geometric, both humanist, both high contrast).
• Check the Arabic family has the weights you need. Many Arabic fonts have fewer weights than their Latin partners.
• Test real text, not lorem ipsum. Use your actual product names, addresses and numbers.
• Check numerals. Decide whether you will use Western digits (0-9) or Arabic-Indic digits, and make sure both fonts handle them consistently.
• Check licences for web, app, print and logo use. Font licences differ by use.

Lockups: horizontal, stacked and single-language

A bilingual logo usually needs several arrangements, called lockups. Plan them from the start:

• Horizontal lockup. Arabic and English side by side. Consider which side each sits on: in Arabic reading order, the right side comes first.
• Stacked lockup. One above the other. Common on signage and social profile images.
• Arabic-only and English-only versions. For contexts where one language is enough, such as an Arabic social post or an international pitch deck.
• Symbol or monogram. A mark that works at app-icon and favicon size, where words become unreadable.

Each lockup needs clear space rules and minimum sizes. Arabic text often needs to be slightly larger than Latin text to read at the same size, so test the small versions on real screens and printed samples.

Designing for right-to-left layouts

The logo is only the start. A bilingual brand identity has to work in RTL layouts too. When the Arabic version of a website, a company profile or a social template is made, the layout mirrors:

• Navigation, reading order and arrows flip direction.
• Images with a strong direction (a person looking or moving one way) may need to flip or be replaced.
• Graphic devices from the identity, such as a diagonal cut or an underline, need an RTL version that still feels right.

If your identity includes a pattern, a shape language or motion principles, make sure the designer shows them in an Arabic layout, not only in English mock-ups. This is where many identities quietly break.

Colour, culture and context

Colour choices are less about rules and more about context. Look at what your competitors in the Kingdom use, what your sector expects, and where the brand will appear: outdoor signage in strong sun, mall interiors, phone screens at night. Test colours on screens and print. A colour that looks rich on a designer’s monitor can look dull on a lightbox sign.

Respect local norms in imagery and tone, and check that symbols and shapes do not unintentionally resemble something sensitive or a well-known existing mark. A quick trademark search in the markets you sell to is a sensible step before you finalise.

What your brand guidelines should include

A bilingual identity is only as good as the guidelines that protect it. At minimum, ask for:

• All logo lockups in Arabic, English and bilingual versions, with clear space and minimum sizes.
• Rules for which lockup to use where.
• Typefaces for both scripts, with weights, sizes and line spacing for headings and body text.
• Numeral rules and date formats.
• Colour values for screen and print.
• Examples of real applications in Arabic and English: social posts, a business card, a document page, a web screen.
• Final files in the formats your team, printers and developers will actually need.

Questions to ask a designer

When you brief or interview a designer or agency for a bilingual identity, ask:

• Who will design the Arabic letterforms, and what is their experience with Arabic type?
• Will you show the identity in RTL layouts, not just English mock-ups?
• How will the logo work at very small sizes in both scripts?
• Which fonts will we use, and are they licensed for our uses?
• What will the guidelines include?

For a fuller list, see our checklist on how to choose a branding agency in Riyadh. If you are updating an existing logo rather than starting fresh, rebranding without losing what works covers what to keep.

Build your bilingual identity with CREATVZ

Our design service builds identities, logos and guidelines that hold up in Arabic and English, in print and on screen. Tell us about your brand, your markets and where the identity will live through the start a project form, and we will reply with questions and a proposed approach. You can also message us on WhatsApp from this page.