Selected Case Studies | Branding & Identity Design

MOOKUTHI

Fig 1. Brand mark created from main logo

This identity & packaging project is from 2017. The parakeet ended up becoming somewhat of a mascot and spirit animal for the brand, Mookuthi, which focused on producing traditional, South-Indian style nose jewels. Piercings are an integral part of culture and tradition in India, and the brand had to communicate femininity and old-world charm in a fresh aesthetic. I chose the Indian Ring Necked Parakeet as a motif—it is an enduring symbol of love, wisdom and passion in Indian mythology, appearing in a number of fables and legends, is associated closely with goddesses, and was often kept as a prized pet in medieval Indian homes.

Fig 3. Early pencil sketches refining the identity. I prioritise craft and care at every step.

I always prioritise the role of sketching and drawing by hand early on in the design process. This is the best way I’ve found, to always add my individual stamp—that handmade and custom touch to a design project. Here you can see the original pencil sketches for possible identity directions for the brand (Fig 1.)

Fig 1. Early iterations showing some other logo options we looked at.

Fig 1b. Another early sketch. My logos always prioritise handcrafted type for a truly custom identity

Fig 4. The hand-crafted lettering in the final logo was inspired by the swooping curves of the Tamil script.

To me, this project symbolises a syncretic relationship between a meaningful design identity and a business that can become a language that inspires in many ways. Here, we see some examples of the client taking forward the logo into many creative, curated, and hand-crafted applications (Fig 6.) A logo lives many lives as it continues to grow with a brand.