Direct answer: A bilingual brand identity is a set of production rules for both languages, not simply an English logo with Arabic text added later. Define approved name forms, type pairings, lockups, numerals, reading order, and mixed-language templates; then test them in the smallest and busiest assets the business will actually use.
The challenge appears when a campaign is assembled at speed. A square social card may contain an Arabic headline, a Latin product name, a price, a date, and a URL. A logo that looked balanced on a presentation cover may become cramped on that card. A template built only in English can give the Arabic line too little room and leave a designer guessing about every mixed-script element.
The W3C Arabic and Persian Layout Requirements documents the underlying behavior: Arabic script runs right to left, while numbers and Latin text can run left to right inside it. The W3C also notes differences in typographic proportions and the handling of punctuation and line breaks. That is why visual symmetry in a static mockup is a weak acceptance test for a bilingual system.
Specify the actual asset families
Start with the places the identity must work, rather than a generic collection of logo files.
| Asset family | Decision to make | Test case |
|---|---|---|
| Brand name and logo lockups | Which Arabic and English forms are approved, and when do they appear together? | App icon, signage, social avatar, campaign end frame |
| Typography | Which Arabic and Latin faces work at display and body sizes? | Longest real headline, smallest real caption |
| Mixed-script content | How are English product names, prices, dates, and URLs treated inside Arabic copy? | Offer card with a price and a Latin product name |
| Templates | Which grids, safe areas, and text lengths can editors change? | Story, square post, presentation page, film title card |
| Exports | Which files are editable and who can update them? | A last-minute offer change by the internal team |
The W3C's bidirectional text guidance explains why mixed Arabic, Latin, and numerals can reorder unexpectedly in digital text. An identity handoff should therefore include representative editable examples, with correct text direction in the production tool, as well as flattened examples for comparison. A screenshot of a correct layout does not ensure that the next editor can safely change the date or price.
Build counterparts, not mechanical mirrors
The visual hierarchy should feel like one brand in both languages: comparable prominence, tone, spacing, and use of imagery. The elements do not need identical widths or letter shapes. Arabic words and Latin words often occupy different proportions; forcing one into a copied box can degrade legibility. Use real, approved copy in both languages to set minimum sizes and flexible line lengths.
For every core template, review an Arabic-only version, an English-only version, and a mixed-language version. Check the versions at the output size: a mobile story, a printed sign viewed at distance, or the final frame of a short film. A bilingual reviewer should approve wording and reading order; a designer should check the rendering after export. These are proposed production checks, not a claim that one layout rule fits every Arabic-speaking audience.
Ask for a usable handoff
A useful brand book answers practical questions: Which name spelling is official? Can the two scripts appear in different orders? Which typefaces are licensed for the team's actual uses? How do numerals and currency appear in an offer? Who approves a new Arabic headline? How can an editor change a campaign template without damaging the typography?
Make those decisions visible in a small library of real examples. If the first week after launch requires the team to improvise every bilingual social card, the identity is unfinished as an operating system. If this work is part of a wider identity change, first decide which existing cues customers still need to recognize. ARCHV's brand identity and campaign work can be scoped to produce and test these assets together. Website language routes and search indexing are a separate implementation decision; this checklist concerns the brand assets people will make and see.