Creating an Experimental Display Type influenced by Hindu Epics. Each letter is incorporated with a story making it interactive.
A letter design (typography) project inspired by traditional Indian Kalamkari Art. This experimental display type is influenced by Hindu culture, features religious themes and scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Each letter is incorporated with a story, making the design visually impactful and interactive.
TITLE
Kalamkari Letter Design / Kalamkari Type Design
ROLE
Designer & Strategist
HATS WORN
Graphic design, Type design, Conceptualization, Story-telling & Illustration
TOOLS
Adobe Illustrator. Adobe Photoshop, Adobe After Effects & Procreate
DURATION
12 Weeks
TEAM
Solo Project
Terms and conditions applied*
The Type/Letter series is a copyrighted and protected work under the Indian Copyright Act, 1957. Any form of copying, plagiarism, or infringement will be subject to legal action under Sections 51, 63, and other applicable provisions, and may result in penalties including fines and imprisonment.
Kindly ensure you reach out to me for permission before using this content in any context, including for educational purposes.
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PROBLEM STATEMENT
How might we create a visual language system that enriches written communication by integrating Kalamkari Art inspired by the Ramayana & Mahabharata?
Success Metrics: User Engagement and Enrichment
Achieving high user engagement and enrichment in written communication by attaining increased adoption rates, frequent usage of the visual language system, and improved user satisfaction. Additionally, fostering a deeper cultural appreciation and understanding of Kalamkari art and mythological stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, indicating strong integration and impact of the system.
SOLUTION
Creating letter designs that incorporate stories from the Hindu epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata
The term “Kalamkari” is derived from Persian, where “Kalam” means pen and “Kari” refers to craftsmanship.
Kalamkari art has been my favorite art since childhood., and through this project, I aim to express my gratitude and contribute to the revival of this beautiful, yet fading, Indian art form. The power of imagination is boundless, and I sought to capture this in my letter designs.
The project features a stylized, experimental display typeface heavily influenced by Hindu culture. Each letter is intricately designed to reflect religious themes and scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, showcasing the richness of these epic stories.
RESEARCH
ABOUT TYPOGRAPHY
Typography is what communication looks like. Typography is the use of type to advocate, communicate, celebrate, educate, elaborate, illuminate, and disseminate. Along the way, the words and pages become art. Type and typography fostered books, magazines, catalogues, newspapers, forms, and a plethora of promotional materials.
TYPOGRAPHY MAJOR DESCRIPTION
Typography ("form" + "Writing" in Greek) is the art and technique of designing, modifying, and arranging type (letters and characters). Typography is a craft that involves typesetters, compositors, typographers, graphic designers, calligraphers, graffiti artists, comic book artists, and anyone who arranges type to create something. Typography is an essential element to graphic design--it expresses feelings, conveys meanings, creates contrast, highlights ideas, and adds visual interest to the content that you're designing. The further pointers describes about type critically and how to use it more effectively!
SELECTION CRITERIA FOR THE SUBJECT
This subject was selected because according to the criteria this subject was found more experimental in Latin script.
According to the research, India has always been known as the land that portrayed cultural and traditional vibrancy through its conventional arts and crafts. The main reason behind selection of this topic is to make people aware about India's rich art style and to make them embrace the beautiful art pieces by taking it forward, by bringing the awareness about it and keeping its legacy.
This subject aims to raise awareness through visuals, with each letter imbued with meaningful significance to enhance impact and ease of understanding.
According to the research, India has always been known as the land that portrayed cultural and traditional vibrancy through its conventional arts and crafts. The main reason behind selection of this topic is to make people aware about India's rich art style and to make them embrace the beautiful art pieces by taking it forward, by bringing the awareness about it and keeping its legacy.
WORK PROCESS
The initial stages of work went mostly consisted of the research work about the script, basic structure, and its anatomy.
The purpose of language is to communicate, both verbally as well as visually, with scripts that are symbolic in nature. The fundamental purpose of writing is to convey ideas, but the man was a designer long before he started writing. Then afterward the anatomy of a letter can perhaps be defined as a system which depicts the structural makeup of a letter; describing certain key parts within the letter for a given typeface. These morphological articulations of the characters within the font forms the first level of description within the typographic ontology of a script.
APPROACH
For this subject, first I collected some textual information on Kalamkari art form of India. Once the information was ready, I had to short list 26 stories as per each letter which would be perfect for the execution part So, I finalised the stories based on Ramayana & Mahabharata.
FINAL DESIGNS
Unravel captivating tales in evert letter, blending Kalamkari art-inspired numerals and punctuations from Ramayana and Mahabharata for a visually rich language experience.
Each alphabet holds within it a tapestry of captivating stories, waiting to be unraveled. The numerical symbols, meticulously crafted in the enchanting patterns of Kalamkari art, bring a touch of artistic beauty to our numerical system.
Furthermore, the punctuations gracefully incorporate characters from the timeless epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata, lending an air of myth and legend to our written language. Together, these elements intertwine to create a rich proposed visual solutions
IMPACT & TAKEAWAY
I believe this project will deeply resonate with audiences by showcasing our cultural heritage and traditional life, making it unique and differentiating our work from others. This unique approach could attract more users by highlighting the timeless beauty and innocence of folk art. Additionally, the use of themes from epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, along with augmented reality enhancements, points towards our next direction: creating immersive, culturally rich visual experiences.
Personally, this project has allowed me to reconnect with the foundational aspects of art and culture. This project reminded me of the importance of cultural preservation and its potential to drive product growth through deep, meaningful connections with users.
