Visual Identity Design: Intellectual Observer - Promo video
Channel: Mandar Rane
Date: 2020-07-27

A struggle of the author to express Indianness in identity design; later his journey to prove his hunch that visual culture can play a key role in inspiring the creation of form, concept and identity. 

Know more:
https://mrane.com/portfolio/intellectual-observer/

A logo design assignment led to an insight that culture affects form and identity. To test this acumen, an observer took to the streets to soak up the culture of Assam, India. He was in search of a magical element that could capture the identity of the region. Soon enough, another question arose. Can a designer capture the essence of an entire state or nation in a symbol? 

After days of observation, the observer concluded that objects of shared belonging such as lamp posts, entry gates, buildings, streets, give the state a unique visual identity of its own. He noticed the unique temple gates built by local artisans and how their appearance was influenced by artefacts of Assamese culture. However, globalisation and its economic undercurrents with modern-day advertising is impinging heavily on local visual culture gradually depleting it. 

So, should a state or a nation resign to the fate of becoming a clone minus a distinct visual identity of its own? Can local visual idioms be protected? Inspiration was found in the neighbouring country of Bhutan. Here, development and globalisation have not meant a loss of Bhutanese visual culture but can inspire designers to search for an Asian grammar of design.