The brief for this project was to create a packaging design for a product. The product could be clothing, soaps or incense sticks. I chose to design packaging for an ethnic clothing brand.
The design must have an identity and a language. These had to be inspired by elements from traditional Indian art. These elements had to be architectural and painted motifs from religious and folk traditions.
I knew that I wanted to include the architectural motif of the Kirtimukha in my identity.
The Kirtimukha is often used as a motif surmounting the pinnacle of a temple or the image of a deity, especially in South Indian architecture. It serves primarily as an apotropaic demon-mask, a gruesome, awe-inspiring guardian of the threshold.
I had to first decide what kind of kirtimukha I wanted to base the design on. I began by sketching many drawings of kirtimukhas from various parts of India.
Kirtimukha is a motif that is present all over the Indian subcontinent. However, after experimenting around I decided to take inspiration from the south Indian version of the face.
My next aim was to simplify the complex motif to its base essential elements, so as to create a logo that scales well and is relatively simple.
The first part of the packaging I began work on was the tags which would be tied to the shirt with a string.
I decided to make 3 tags, one which explains the printing technique used on the garment, the second which explains the method of dyeing and washing instructions. The third tag would be common to all the products, and will simply explain the brand values.
The next step in my packaging was to create the paper bag that would hold the item in it.
I made some prototypes to decide on the shape of the bag. After finalizing the proportions of the bag, I made the design using the decorative elements I had previously shown.
I had a lot of enjoyment working on this project. The kirtimukha turned out to be one of my favorite motifs to pick up and I spent a lot of time drawing the various iterations of the logo. I also enjoyed working with materials and textures to bring my idea to life in such a short period of time.
