The five mistakes we see most often
Patterns repeated across products built by teams who treated bilingual as a translation step instead of a design system.
Mirroring without strategy
Flipping the layout from LTR to RTL without rethinking flow, hierarchy, or visual weight. The Arabic version ends up feeling like a backwards English page — which is exactly what a native reader notices in the first three seconds.
Font mismatches
Using Arabic typefaces that don't share personality, weight, or x-height with the English ones. The result is a brand that has two voices, depending on which language you opened.
Bad language toggle UX
Users lose their place or context when switching. Deep links open in the wrong language. Half the app is bilingual; half isn't. The toggle becomes a trust problem instead of a feature.
Overlooked cultural cues
Colors, imagery, or symbols that don't translate. The example shown in English doesn't make sense in Arabic, or vice versa. Iconography that flips by mistake.
Layout chaos
Misaligned headlines. Overlapping buttons. Truncated text where Arabic ran longer than the design assumed. Forms where the labels and fields don't agree on which direction to read.
How we approach it differently
Two parallel design systems, not one with a flip switch.
Design two systems, not one
Parallel layouts — one Arabic, one English — each respecting native reading patterns, visual hierarchy, and spacing logic. Not one flipped from the other.
Choose font pairs that harmonize
Arabic and English typefaces matched in personality, weight, and legibility. Both render cleanly on every device the audience uses.
Culturally-appropriate visuals
Icons, illustrations, and imagery selected or adapted so neither version feels foreign or accidental.
Smart language toggle UX
Persistent, accessible toggles that don't restart sessions or lose place. Deep-linked pages open in the language that was requested.
Test with native speakers
Both Arabic and English users in usability testing — early. Linguistic and layout issues surface before they reach production.
What we build
Government websites and service platforms. E-learning platforms and school portals. Corporate sites and investor dashboards. iOS and Android apps. Landing pages and microsites. E-commerce experiences. We use Figma, Adobe XD, Webflow, and responsive frameworks that handle both languages without surprises.
The line we keep coming back to
Great design speaks the user's language — literally and culturally. In Qatar, that means designing for Arabic and English from day one, as parallel systems. Not one as the default and the other as a translation.