Many brand systems look complete until they meet a second script. A wordmark designed around Latin letterforms, a type hierarchy tuned for English and a layout grid that assumes left-to-right reading can all break when the brand needs to speak Persian or Arabic as well.
Working across scripts is a useful test. It shows which parts of an identity are genuine principles and which are accidents of one language. For businesses operating in Iran, the Gulf, Turkey or diaspora markets, it is also a practical requirement.
Start with principles, not letterforms
A bilingual identity should not be a translation of the Latin version. Persian and Arabic scripts have different structures: connected letters, varying letter shapes by position, different proportions and a different relationship between the baseline and the height of the text.
Instead of forcing one script to imitate the other, define the qualities both should share. Is the brand precise or warm, formal or relaxed, geometric or calligraphic? Those qualities can guide typeface selection and lettering in each script, so the two versions feel related without being identical.
Choose typefaces as a pair
Type pairing across scripts is one of the most important decisions in a bilingual system. Look for families designed with multiple scripts in mind, or pair separate families carefully. Compare them at the sizes you will actually use: headings, body text, buttons and small labels.
- Match visual weight so neither language looks louder than the other.
- Check that numerals and punctuation work in both contexts.
- Test line height: Persian and Arabic often need more vertical space for comfortable reading.
- Confirm licensing covers web, apps and print in every script.
Design layouts that mirror
Right-to-left reading changes more than text alignment. Navigation order, progress indicators, arrows, icons with direction and the position of images relative to text may all need to mirror. Some elements should not: logos, media controls and charts often keep their original orientation.
Deciding these rules early makes websites and apps far easier to build. A component library that supports both directions from the start avoids expensive rework later, which is why multilingual requirements belong in the first web and app development brief rather than the last.
The wordmark question
Businesses often ask whether they need a wordmark in each script. It depends on the markets and the name. Some brands keep a single Latin wordmark everywhere and add a Persian or Arabic lockup for local contexts. Others create equal versions. The important thing is to decide deliberately and document when each version is used.
Write the rules down
A bilingual system needs clearer guidelines than a monolingual one, because more people make more decisions. Include approved typefaces and sizes for each script, mirrored layout examples, rules for mixed-language content such as English product names inside Persian text, and examples of common materials in both languages.
What bilingual work teaches every brand
Designing for two alphabets forces a brand to articulate what it is beyond its surface. That clarity helps even single-language brands: when you know which principles matter, the identity can adapt to new formats, markets and media without losing itself.
Brano works in English, Persian and Arabic. If you are building or adapting an identity for more than one market, explore identity and design or start a conversation.