DESIGNING ACROSS CULTURES
What if a colour, symbol, or gesture that means one thing in your culture means something completely different in another?
CORE CONCEPT
IMPORTANCE OF DESIGNING ACROSS CULTURES
KEY KNOWLEDGE
1
Culture shapes how people interpret colours, symbols, images, layouts, and aesthetics
REAL WORLD EXAMPLE
In India, red means wedding celebrations and good luck. In the West, red often means danger or stop. A designer who uses red throughout a safety app intended for Indian and Western users needs to know that the same colour sends two very different messages depending on who’s looking at it.
2
Colours have different cultural meanings: red = luck in China, danger in the West. White = purity in the West, mourning in parts of Asia
REAL WORLD EXAMPLE
A Western wedding invitation in white feels elegant and pure. The same white invitation sent to a family in parts of India or China might feel uncomfortable — because white is associated with funerals and mourning. One colour choice, two completely opposite emotions. Designers working across cultures need to check these meanings before choosing palettes.
3
Symbols aren’t universal: hand gestures, animals, icons, and visual metaphors can mean very different things across cultures
REAL WORLD EXAMPLE
A thumbs-up means “great!” in India and America. But in parts of the Middle East, it’s an offensive gesture. An owl symbolises wisdom in Western cultures but bad luck in India. A designer who uses a thumbs-up icon or an owl mascot without checking cultural meanings risks offending the very people they’re designing for.
4
Reading direction affects design layout: left-to-right (English, Hindi), right-to-left (Arabic, Hebrew), vertical (traditional Chinese, Japanese)
REAL WORLD EXAMPLE
Open an English website — your eye starts at the top left. Now look at an Arabic website — the logo is top RIGHT, and the menu flows the opposite way. It’s not just the language that flips — the entire design mirrors. A designer creating for both audiences needs to build two layouts, not just translate the words.
5
Design aesthetics vary: what feels “premium” in one culture might feel different in another
REAL WORLD EXAMPLE
A Japanese luxury website might use loads of white space, tiny text, and a single elegant image. An Indian wedding invitation might use vibrant colours, ornate borders, and gold foil. Both feel “premium” in their own culture. Neither is wrong. But using the wrong aesthetic for the wrong audience misses the mark.
6
Cross-cultural design requires research, humility, and willingness to learn from people with different perspectives
REAL WORLD EXAMPLE
You can’t Google your way to cultural sensitivity. The best approach is to talk to people FROM that culture. Ask: “Does this colour feel right? Does this image feel respectful? Is anything accidentally offensive?” Humility means accepting that your own cultural lens isn’t the only lens — and other perspectives make your work richer.
7
Working with people from the target culture is the most effective way to avoid cultural missteps
REAL WORLD EXAMPLE
McDonald’s doesn’t just translate menus — they hire local teams in every country to adapt the entire experience. That’s why you get McAloo Tikki in India and teriyaki burgers in Japan. The smartest approach to cross-cultural design is simple: include people from that culture in your design team.
8
What if every design choice you made was reviewed with the question: “How might someone from a different culture experience this?”
REAL WORLD EXAMPLE
Before you finalise any design that might reach beyond your own community, pause and ask: “If someone from another country, another religion, another language saw this — would they feel welcomed or confused? Respected or stereotyped?” That one question turns a local design into a globally thoughtful one.
Pro Connection
Global brands employ cultural consultants. Design teams working across markets include people from those cultures. When someone says “we need to localise this,” they mean adapting the design for cultural fit. Cultural sensitivity in design is increasingly considered a core professional competency.
PROFESSIONAL TERMINOLOGY
CLICK TO REVEAL and CLICK TO COVER
Creating work that is effective and respectful across different cultural contexts
What is
CROSS-CULTURAL DESIGN
Adapting a design for a specific culture or region — translating language, adjusting imagery, and respecting local conventions
What is
LOCALISATION
The cultural background that shapes how people interpret visual design: colours, symbols, layouts, and aesthetics
What is
CULTURAL CONTEXT
Being thoughtfully aware that design choices carry different meanings in different cultural contexts
What is
SENSITIVITY
THE ACCESSIBILITY AUDIT
One app. Three tests. Can you read it? Can you hear it? Can you use it one-handed? Professional audit complete.
what TO DO
Pick any app or website.
Test it for accessibility by trying these 3 things:
Test 1 (Visual): Can you read all the text comfortably? Is the contrast high enough? Is the text large enough?
Test 2 (Audio): Mute the sound completely. Can you still understand everything? Are there subtitles or visual cues for anything audio?
Test 3 (Motor): Try using the app with one hand only — can you reach all the important buttons? Is anything awkwardly placed?
Write what works and what doesn't for each test. Then write one improvement idea for the weakest test result.
CHALLENGE
DISCOVERY
You can use these SOFTWARES for this Discovery Challenge
FREE SOFTWARE : Google Search / Chrome, Phone Screenshot, Google Keep, Canva
PAID SOFTWARE : GoodNotes 6, Notion