Pairing Arabic and Latin type as equals

Latin type is measured by the height of its small letters; Arabic by how far its letters reach above and below the line. Set two fonts side by side at the same size and one always looks loud, the other shy.

Match the colour, not the size

We set both in a paragraph and squint. When the grey of the two paragraphs matches, the pairing works. Usually that means the Arabic sits a size or two above the Latin.

Neither script should look like the guest.

Then we test the awkward places: numbers, brand names in the other script, and mixed sentences. If those feel calm, the system will hold.