Indian Spice logo design and usage

Logo for Indian Spice, one of Jaipur’s best-known vegetarian restaurants, was designed at the inception of the restaurant. At Indian Spice, the emphasis is simply on serving high quality North Indian food prepared with authentic spices, in an elegant, nondescript and formal ambiance. The logo was created keeping these very aspects in mind.

The letters were set in the beautiful, simple and elegant typeface Optima the characteristics of which seemed to go hand-in-hand with the characteristics of the restaurant. The typography was clubbed with a leaf graphic to constitute a logo unit. The leaf symbolised ‘vegetarian’ and use of authentic spices and ingredients and was traced from one of the many reference images of spices collected during the logo research phase.

Maroon and orange colours were used to dress the logo as both have strong associations with the colour of North Indian food (curries in particular) and spices. As both colours fall on the same side of the colour wheel, together they added a lot of strength to the otherwise simple logo and helped to create a strong visual identity for Indian Spice. The logo was often used on a maroon background (see above) in formal communication pieces like restaurant menus.

The logo was also used on orange background (see above) on communication pieces that had to appear bright, like outdoor signages.

Indian Spice logo was most often used on maroon background together with the description and a watermark of the leaf (see above) and defined a formal, elegant, strong yet simple look or brand identity for the restaurant.

Rubbabu ‘Water World’ play mat design

Design of a play mat on the theme ‘Water World’ was commissioned by the well-known toy brand Rubbabu to be bundled with their Water World playset for kids (age two years and above).

Above: Computer rendering of the Rubbabu Water World play mat design

The design of the 3′x3′ play mat was kept very simple, with ample space for one or two kids to sit on. The design elements retained the simplicity and character of Rubbabu rubber-foam toys and were kept to a minimum to give kids only a little hint to play on what looked like a mini ocean with a beach!

Above: Photograph of Water World toys on the play mat (courtesy Rubbabu.com)

The design was screen printed in 7 colours on cloth, using safe, non-toxic inks. The aim of the product was to provide a safe area for kids to play on or indulge in and also learn about natural life in oceans / rivers / lakes.

International Glazing Technologies logo design

Design of corporate logo for International Glazing Technologies, Gurgaon, India, providers of high-end glazing services, was based around the typically geometric and modern look of buildings with glazed exteriors. Rectangular pieces of glass held together by linear supports in-between, a characteristic of glazing, was actually showcased in the logo with letters ‘G’ and ‘T’ playing the role of the supports. Letter ‘I’ was represented by a large dot symbolising the sun and placed within the logo area to convey a special quality of glazing that allows sunlight to enter glazed interiors and yet provides shelter from it.

The light green used in the logo was derived from the green colour actually used in glazed glass, it represented IGTs stress towards environmentally friendly processes and solutions. The green also symbolised transparency (both of the product and the company) and honesty as fair dealings is one of IGTs core policies. Black colour, much like the thin frames between glass used in glazing, was used to add strength and support to the logo, it symbolised IGTs strength and competence in the field of glazing. Univers Condensed Light was selected as the typeface (to write ‘International Glazing Technologies’) owing to its sleek-yet-strong, stylish, structural and geometric feel.

The logo, together with the baseline, was designed to be used as a comprehensive unit. Overall, IGT logo had a strong structural and technical feel (glazing requires a high level of technical competence) and was meant to appeal to both architects / interior designers and home / building owners. Stylistically, the logo design conformed to the Swiss Style or the International Typographic Style, one of the most influential graphic design movements.

‘Thinking about e-waste’ calendar design

To create awareness about electronic waste amongst schoolchildren in the National Capital Region (NCR) of India, painting competitions on the theme ‘Thinking about E-waste’ were organised in select high schools in NCR in late 2009 by GIZ India and Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group. To take the issue and message of electronic waste further, design of a 2010 wall calendar containing 12 selected paintings from the competition was commissioned.

Above: ‘Thinking about E-Waste’ wall calendar cover

All 12 shortlisted paintings were in portrait orientation and that, to begin with, defined the tall format of the calendar, which was laid out in 11″(w) x 17″(h) size. The calendar cover showcased all the 12 paintings that were featured on the inside pages. The high quality finish and creativity of the paintings amazed both the organisers and the designer and the design thus aimed to maximise the impact of each painting on every calendar page. Since the paintings by school children were quite playful, it was decided that the layout would be playful as well but only to the extent of ‘supporting’ the wonderful works of art showcased on the calendar and not to the extent of disturbing or dominating them.

Above: ‘Thinking about E-Waste’ wall calendar detail

Flat, rectangular areas of grey colour with distorted edges (symbolising e-waste components) and uneven lines (symbolising waste or discarded wires) were used as background design elements to strengthen the layout and to make it interesting. A stylistic or novelty typeface with a strong electronic feel was used for all calendar text.

Above: ‘Thinking about E-Waste’ calendar September and October pages

Each calendar page consisted of one painting occupying a dominant place or space in the layout, along with name and school information of the student who made the painting and a small fact about electronic waste. ‘Thinking about E-Waste’ of course featured prominently on every page!

FranConnect logo design

Logo for FranConnect Inc. USA, leading provider of franchise technology solutions, was designed around two ‘F’ letterforms symbolising franchiser and franchisee. Arranged in perspective and like an open-ended grid, the two fused letterforms portray smooth, strong and seamless integration of the franchiser and franchisee through FranConnect and the technology’s ability to connect or network over a potentially large or endless (geographical) area. The logo essentially represents the strong relationship between the franchiser and franchisees that FranConnect helps to forge.

Ultramarine blue and saffron colours were a given and adapted on to the logo from the client’s previous brand identity. Eurostile, the typeface used to write FranConnect, was selected for its robust, modern and technological feel, qualities that are also found in the offerings of the company.

Route map design for Indian Spice restaurant

The map above was designed to be used in take-away menus, flyers and advertisements for Indian Spice, one of Jaipur’s (capital of Rajasthan, India) best-known vegetarian restaurants. Indian Spice is situated on JLN Marg, one of Jaipur’s most well-known roads and very close to Jawahar Circle, near Jaipur airport; in short, a location that is known to almost everyone familiar with Jaipur. It was thus decided that all clutter be eliminated from the map and it be kept as simple and elegant as possible for Indian Spice is a formal, dine-in restaurant. The leaf from the Indian Spice logo was used to pin-point the location of the restaurant; light orange and maroon, colours from Indian Spice’s brand identity palette, were used to dress the map.

‘Zero Waste’ poster design

Let’s Go Zero Waste poster was designed for Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group to create awareness about waste amongst school children in the National Capital Region (NCR) of India. Text for the poster was provided by the client and the visual of an empty wastebin from the top, also looking like a zero, was used to compliment the text. The visual was shot by an employee of Chintan using a digital camera and poster text was wrapped around it, reinforcing the ‘Zero Waste’ message.

The overall design including fonts conformed to Chintan’s brand identity and bright or neon-ish colours were used to make the poster look bright and appealing to young minds. Keeping budgets in mind, 14×19 inches was chosen as the poster size. Offset was the printing process used to reproduce the design.

Logo design for AuthBridge

Logo for AuthBridge, one of India’s leading background screening and risk management consultancies, was designed at the inception of the company. The logo is essentially based on ‘A’ (for AuthBridge) letterform that together with the dot of the ‘i’ (from ‘Bridge’) forms a human figure, representing talent. A tick mark made by extending the shape of the A letterform and superimposed on the human figure symbolises the right talent, that AuthBridge specialises in selecting for its clients.

The box around the logo represents the strong focus and effort that AuthBridge puts in authenticating the credentials of each and every prospective individual. The thin figure, that seems to be happily moving forward or jumping with joy, depicts the company’s values of positive energy, sensitivity and enthusiasm. The figure also forms a ‘bridge’ across the two sides of the box, suggesting that AuthBridge helps its clients to bridge the gap between themselves and the right talent.

The thin typeface used in the logo, suggestive of the electronic age, contrasts beautifully with the curvy human figure and they together represent use of cutting edge technologies as well as the strong human touch the company puts into its activities.

Black and green colours used in the logo helped AuthBridge create a distinct identity from companies or competitors engaged in similar operations, that mostly rely on blues, greys and reds. The strong Green, in this case, symbolises green signal or approval of the right talent and also sincerity. Black symbolises strength, screening and also secrecy—which is an important part of the company’s area of work.

Art show invite for ‘Merged’

The invitation card above was designed for Merged, a solo show of abstract paintings by well-known artist Deepak Tandon, held in September 2003 at Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi, India. One of the most intriguing pieces of art displayed at the show was a circular, rotating painting, the design of which, after considering some of Deepak’s other paintings, was shortlisted and used in the layout. The painting design was placed in the middle of a 6×6 inch square size and invite text arranged around its circumference in a clockwise direction, to typographically simulate the movement of the painting itself. The circularly arranged typography, together with the abstract painting patterns and dark colours, created strong feelings of intrigue and mystery and were aimed to prompt people to visit the show.

The invite was a two colour print job with black and white colours screen-printed on dark grey cartridge paper, the surface of which was used as the third colour. Owing to use of only a few cartridge paper sheets for the entire print job and two (screen-printed) colours, the invite was quite economical to print. Overall, the design had a strong abstract quality, much like the artist’s work.

Rubbabu logo design

The Rubbabu brand consists of a wide range of soft, safe, intuitive, eco-friendly and pleasantly different toys for kids! The logo above was designed at the inception of the brand in July 2004 and in essence reflects the playfulness that the toys are all about. The soft, 3D shape of the logo gives a strong hint of a tangible product (in this case, a toy) and the letter R (for ‘Rubbabu’) takes the shape of a car, reinforcing the playful aspect. The letters were custom designed after studying carefully the curvy shapes of the toys and the colours used were again based on the colours the toys actually came in. This colourful logo was designed to appeal to kids and parents alike and embodied the softness and friendliness of the toys. Rubbabu is now a popular, globally recognised and respected toy brand. Rubbabu is a registered trade mark of Rahul Butalia and licensed to Iseo Chemdis Pvt. Ltd., India.