Best practice in adapting logo marks from Latin to non-Latin scripts: a case study in the Arabic market

Throughout the past few decades, global brands with strong visual identities have been entering the Arabic market. From the start, the Arabic language was integrated into packaging, signage and advertisements in an unstructured style. Today, some regulations require the translation of brand names and adaptation of the Latin logo mark and the rest of the visual identity. However, logo marks are still not always adequately designed and managed when adapted to different markets with a new language, script, and culture. The study seeks to explore the phenomenon of logo mark adaptations in the Arab region from Latin to Arabic scripts, to provide a toolkit for designers and the process of brand management to maintain the visual identities. This research investigates the subject by using a qualitative multi-stage case study approach to investigate the subject visually, linguistically, and culturally. A conceptual framework adapted the concept of third culture to identify three cultures for global brands; the first culture consists of the brands’ logo mark and visual elements. The second culture consists of the new market into which it is expanding, and the third culture is created by the global brands where the first and second cultures overlap. This study is divided into three stages: (1) describing the current state of Arabic adapted logo marks by conducting visual observation and archival research; (2) exploring how the brands managed their visual identities by performing document analysis on guideline manuals; and (3) investigating designers’ perspective of Latin logo mark adaptations into Arabic by carrying out interviews. The findings of this study indicate that every global brand that expands to a new market creates a third culture brand. Thus, each global brand has a third culture logo constructed as a result of the overlap of the first and second cultures. Each visual element that constitutes the third culture logo contains different factors for adapting to the new market linguistically, culturally and visually. The study develops the Third Culture Brand and Third Culture Logo models adopted from the concept of the third culture to a context that has not been applied before, creating an adaptation tool to aid maintaining the consistency of the corporation’s visual identity. Also, the research presents a practical recommendation presented in a guidebook as a toolkit for global brands adapting their logo marks to regions with non-Latin scripts. The guide advises both the brand managers and the designers to work side by side from the beginning of all the major decision-making steps to implementing the adaptations.