Choose your brand colors and fonts by practical constraints first and taste second. Can the text be read on a phone? Does the color stand apart from competitors? Does it hold up in print? Do the Arabic and English fonts work on one line? Does the license cover commercial use? Once an option passes those tests, you can pick the one you like with a clear mind.
This article gives you tests for colors and a criteria table for pairing two fonts. You won't find a list saying a certain color builds trust or drives purchases, and the first section explains why.
Can you pick a color from color psychology?
Don't base the decision on "what each color means" charts. A scientific review in the Annual Review of Psychology (2014) says color can carry meaning and affect behavior, but describes the field as still at an early stage. It says much more work on the limits of these effects and their real-world generalizability is needed before strong recommendations for application are warranted.
So treat color as a tool for distinction and organization. The better questions are whether your color differs from competitors, whether it suits what your category expects, and whether it works technically everywhere you appear.
Four tests for colors before you approve them
Run each candidate through these four tests and write down the results, so the presentation's first impression doesn't make the decision for you.
1. The on-screen legibility test
Calculate the contrast between text and background. Free tools do it in seconds. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) ask for at least 4.5 to 1 for normal text and 3 to 1 for large text. Text inside a logo is exempt, which won't help your website headings and buttons. Your main color may end up as a background or accent, with a darker shade for text.
2. The no-color test
Switch the design to grayscale. If the differences between elements vanish, you're relying on color alone, which the use of color criterion advises against. The US National Eye Institute estimates that about 1 in 12 men have a color vision deficiency. Add a word, icon or shape to anything that carries meaning, such as an order status or a warning button.
3. The market test
Put the candidates beside the logos and ads of five competitors. If everyone uses the same color, it won't help you stand out in a crowded feed. You may have a reason to stay within your category's expectations, but make that call with the alternatives in view. In Egypt and Saudi Arabia, also ask a sample of your own customers how a color reads to them. General claims about "Arab culture" are a poor substitute.
4. The print test
Screens emit light and paper reflects it, so ordinary print may not reach some vivid shades. If your work relies on packaging or signs, ask for a printed sample on the actual material before approving, and record both print and screen values in your visual identity guide.
Give each color a role so the palette stays under control
After the tests, write down each color's job, because color names alone won't tell the team where to use them.
| Role | Where it's used | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Main | Logo and signature areas | It differs from competitors |
| Text | Headings and paragraphs | Contrast against approved backgrounds |
| Action | Buttons and links | Clear, and never used as decoration |
| Backgrounds | Pages, posts and cards | Comfortable for long reading |
| Alerts | Errors and success messages on sites and systems | A word or icon accompanies the color |
What makes choosing an Arabic font different?
Arabic is cursive, and that changes decisions you never face with Latin fonts. The W3C's Arabic layout requirements document explains why, though it's a technical document and still a draft:
- Letters join: the letter spacing common in Latin headings doesn't suit Arabic and can break the word's shape.
- Vertical reach is greater: Arabic extends further above and below than Latin, so shared lines need a visual check.
- Kashida has limits: stretching the joins too far makes text density uneven, so don't rely on it to fit paragraphs.
- Numerals differ: the document lists Egypt and Saudi Arabia among countries using Arabic-Indic digits, and you'll also meet Western digits in ads and systems. Test both and settle on one approach per medium.
Criteria for pairing an Arabic and an English font
Print this table and mark each candidate pair pass or fail. A failure on the license rules out the font immediately. Other rows may accept a fix, such as a size adjustment.
| Criterion | How to test | It passes if |
|---|---|---|
| License | Read the license text itself | It covers website, ads, print and any app |
| Weights | Set a heading and body text in both | At least regular and bold exist in both languages |
| Apparent size | Set a mixed sentence on one line | Neither language looks clearly smaller |
| Mixed line | An Arabic sentence with an English product name | Lines don't crowd and their height doesn't jump |
| Character | Put both headings side by side | They look related in seriousness and form |
| Small text | A paragraph on a real phone at reading size | Dots stay clear and letters don't collide |
| Numbers and marks | A price, date, percentage, Arabic comma and question mark | All exist and match the rest |
| Diacritics | A vowelled word in a heading | Marks don't hit their surroundings |
| Long text | A hundred-word Arabic paragraph | It reads comfortably |
The easiest route to this match is a type family designed for both scripts together. If you can't find one, take two separate fonts and run the full table. Two fonts are enough in most cases, one for headings and one for text, and a single font with enough weights can do both jobs.
What should you check in a font license?
Check the license before anything gets designed, because changing the font after printing or launching a site is expensive. Ask about the number of devices or users, website use, any fees tied to traffic, apps, and who holds the invoice in the company's name.
Some Arabic fonts are released under the Open Font License, which allows bundling and redistributing with software but not selling the font by itself. Read each font's own license, since these terms don't extend to others. This is general information and not legal advice.
How to trial before approving
- Write real text from your work: a heading, a paragraph, a sample price and a button.
- Apply it to a post, a phone page and an invoice.
- Open it on an ordinary phone in daylight.
- Print one page in black and white and another in color.
- Check web font loading speed with your developers, and see our company website guide if you're building the site now.
- Ask whoever writes content every day, since they'll be first to find the font's limits.
Next step
Run your current colors and fonts through the four tests and the table. A darker text shade and a clearer Arabic font may be enough, with no need to change the whole identity. Record what you find in a design brief before requesting changes. If you'd like a specialist team to make and document these decisions, see our visual identity service.