September 29, 2011 at 10:30 pm · Filed under Artwork, ASIA, Download, Illustration, India, Personal, Photography, Redhu
Here’s a desktop and mobile phone wallpaper for your personal computers, your Android devices and your iPhones. Happy Diwali!
Diwali wallpaper : 640 x 960 for your iPhone 4
Diwali wallpaper : 960 x 800 for your Nexus One
Diwali wallpaper : 1024 x 768
Diwali wallpaper : 1280 x 960
Diwali wallpaper : 1440 x 900
Diwali wallpaper : 1920 x 1080
Diwali wallpaper : 2560 x 1600
The previous years’ Diwali Wallpapers are available here : 2010, 2009, 2008, 2006 and 2005.
A very happy, prosperous and successful year ahead to all my readers.
Please keep in mind that these are made available only for personal use on your desktops and phones. For commercial usage, please contact Naina on naina@aside.in to discuss usage and payment terms. The image used in the wallpaper has been shot by Naina.
Popularity: 1% [?]
September 13, 2011 at 11:13 pm · Filed under ASIA, Case Study, Design Industry, India, Logo & Corporate Identity, Projects, Redhu
This branding engagement was carried out way back in February 2010. It is going to be a long case study.
I bank with HDFC and when they got in touch with me for a logo design project for a new product that they were launching, I was excited. They were launching something called HDFC RED or HDFC Real Estate Destination – an online portal for searching real estate – in the most easy layman terms.
Apart from having the team fill-in my own logo design creative brief, I was also given other brand guidelines that had been pre-decided. Additional information, in the beginning, is always helpful.
I started with sketches based on keywords – the first stage of sketching is to determine whether the client and the logo designer are on the same page and the direction for the engagement can be set. [ click on the images below to view larger versions ]
One of the guidelines was that the HDFC RED logo should not be influenced by the parent brand’s logo. The team was working with another logo designer as well.
Before the project started, I met the team once in New Delhi and once in Bombay. Apart from these two meetings, all conversation and discussions around the engagement were carried out either over the phone or via email. After the above sketches were reviewed, I refined the direction for this phase and sent them the following.
[ the above image is clickable for a larger version ]
The team came back with more feedback and from the conversations, I was able to gather that in terms of the process methodology that I was using to design and develop the visual identity for the brand, the team was not comfortable with it / not used to it / was not sure where this was leading. I will admit that in my enthusiasm, I might have sent them more options than are typically “handlable”. All this is in retrospect and it WAS almost two years ago!
I sketched some more and sent them the following sketches / scribbles. [ click for a larger versions ]
This particular iteration yielded enthusiasm from the team and we were finally working with something that looked promising. Following color variations and small edits to the lion were made and sent to the client. Meanwhile, the HDFC RED website was also being developed and was influencing the decisions revolving around brand color – but only temporarily. Don’t miss the small changes in the shape of the Lion’s head.
This led to further placement / layout / color and shape iterations. Lots of them. Some typographic finishing and variations were also included in the logo drafts.
[ the above image is clickable for a larger version ]
At this stage, the team decided to ask me for an additional concept to work with – something fresh. Since this was in addition to what was on the contract, which we had signed in the beginning for this logo design engagement, a fresh contract was drawn up and a new deliverable was added. The team at HDFC RED was thoroughly professional and even though there seemed to be many decision-makers, I always interacted with just one touchpoint. Following are sketches and semi-finalized versions of the second concept using a different set of keywords.
[ the above image is clickable for a larger version ]
The above concept was related to “heart” and “housing” – I was aiming for a depiction of the various ventricles and auricles, the one below was related to “building bridges” between what the target audience needs and what HDFD RED aims to deliver.
Some more ideas that were presented :
And then there was a bunch of additional sketches based on a different concept altogether. By this time it was April 2010 – the engagement had started in February 2010 and the original estimate was for completion in 30 working days. Considering that I was working with a large organization, this was a better scenario than I had anticipated.
[ the above image is clickable for a larger version ]
[ the above image is clickable for a larger version ]
Following was the final shape / logo draft that was presented, after which, the client finalized a design that the other logo designer was working on.
The team still bought over the copyrights to the Lion design that we had worked on. You can see the logo designed by the other designer, on the HDFC RED website. This is one of my favorite logo design engagements since I started implementing my skills in the area of brand design – not only because I really like the Lion’s head logo design or that the team was excellent to work with – but mainly because I got to learn a lot. Working with a big brand puts things in perspective and you realize the possibilities of how an engagement can progress and where you can take it. And this is when I am not aware of what the client-side team really thinks / had to go through at their end.
Popularity: 1% [?]
September 1, 2011 at 11:05 pm · Filed under Case Study, Design Industry, India, Logo & Corporate Identity, Projects, Redhu
The brand naming engagement, which resulted in “Sigante” is detailed here.
Following is how the logo evolved. [ Having named the brand, the business element of real-estate had to be included in the visual identity, without making it seem like a run-of-the-mill real estate company ].
Below : The first sketch in this logo development process led to the final shape as well. Rare, but usually the first option can be literally path-breaking for developing the identity, even when it does not translate to the final logo. [ click on image for larger view ]
I was doodling when a conversation on Twitter, with Sumantra Ray aka @upjaaudimaag [ which literally translates to "a fertile brain" ] gave me a visual reference of the Burj Al Arab towers in Dubai, where, it is claimed that is you stand at the top, you can see so far away into the distance that the curvature of the earth is visible. I conveyed the same meaning to the client via the following graphic. [ click on image for larger view ]
Following are various options for typography, color combinations and shades, logo and brand name placement and final shape suggestions.
The decision to include the letter “S” was made because of higher identification probability in a cluttered marketplace. While there is no direct reference on “buildings” or “construction”, the shapes lend themselves to the idea.
The logo was presented in two placement formats, which the client will modify depending on display media.
An example of the business card, which is only a graphic representation, not the final design :
Having an exceptional client is as important to an identity design & development projects as it is to have an exceptional designer. Without Sahil’s professionalism and constant co-operation with the brief and the meetings and the innumerable emails, this projects would not have been accomplished as smoothly. Thanks Sahil and here’s to a hearing great things about Sigante! Cheers!
Popularity: 2% [?]
