Switzerland Calling Saudi Arabia
Photo by Unsplash
๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ: ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ณ๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ข ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐. When I started working on a project for a client in Saudi Arabia, I had no idea how much Iโd learn. It was a crash course in people, culture, and how much design is about communication, not just aesthetics.
๐
๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐
๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ: ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ง
At first, I thought creating bilingual materials in English and Arabic would be simple. Just translate the text, right? Not quite. One of my first surprises was the approach to numbers.
The numerals we use (1, 2, 3) are known as Western Arabic numerals. But in many Arabic-speaking countries, Eastern Arabic numerals (ูก, ูข, ูฃ) are also widely used. Depending on context, like traditional or technical fields, you may see one or the other.
Additionally, when using Eastern Arabic numerals, they follow the flow of Arabic text, which runs right to left. Western Arabic numerals, however, go left to right, even when embedded in Arabic text. This mix of directions means that creating layouts requires extra attention to detail!
Then thereโs the matter of fonts. Using a font not designed for Arabic can turn elegant flowing text into a disjointed mess. I had to carefully choose a font that supported both Arabic and Latin scripts while also maintaining the elegance and personality of the design.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ซ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐
Another lesson came with layout adjustments. Designing for Arabic isnโt just about flipping text direction; sometimes, visual elements also need mirroring. For instance, navigational features like arrows and icons often need to reflect the right-to-left user experience, while universal visuals, like an image of a road or a nature scene, might stay the same. The trick is understanding the cultural meaning behind every design choice.
๐ ๐
๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ง
This project reminded me just how nuanced cross-cultural design is. Every color, layout, and font choice was more than a question of style; it was a conversation between two worlds. Design isnโt just about how something looks; itโs about how it feels to the people who experience it.
๐โ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ค๐๐ฆ? ๐บ๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ก๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ค๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ โ๐ข๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐.
#CulturalDesign #SaudiCulture #DesignInsights #MiddleEastDesign #CrossCulturalLearning
