Designing the identity

As we started discussing the idea of setting up Kara Weaves, back in 2005 and 2006, we often went back to the reasons why this fabric was little known outside Kerala. It had nothing to do with the quality of the weave or the softness of the texture or the strength and durability, all of which it had. It came down to how people perceived the fabric: as dowdy, old-fashioned, dysfunctional, with lackluster colors and patterns. 
One of the basic premises of graphic design is to work with altering a sense of perception in the viewer/consumer. I was using this theory ad infinitum as I worked for a high-end branding agency in New Delhi, making it work its magic for clients in real estate, fashion, restaurants, storefronts and more. As we pondered this question in handloom, I decided that was precisely what we needed: some smart branding.

Only through a shift in perception of the fabric would we be able to establish a demand for the fabric, and through this demand we could probably revive the industry. As I write this now, it sounds so theoretical, but I assure you, at the time we were working off a simple instinct. We set about designing products that would appeal to a global audience and worked on creating a design identity to go with it. We called our brand “Kara Weaves”; kara in Malayalam means the thin striped border that is the typical term used to identify these fabrics (a towel with a yellow kara or a sarong with a silver kara). The word also stands for the shoreline, a significance we love, since Kerala is a state of beaches and backwaters with plenty of beautiful shoreline. Here's a doodle I had drawn during the time:

I drafted out the first set of logos, we brainstormed on it and settled upon the current version on this masthead. I was looking for a simple mark that would be readable at all sizes, and yet have the defining characteristic of our fabric's pattern. The fact that its geometric form made it a breeze on die-cut stamps was an added perk!

We settled on this verdant shade of green, a color we felt unified the idea of re-birth, nature and most of all, the feeling of being in Kerala. The brand identity is something we've held onto quite closely since the past few years as we design new products with simple bold colors and sharp patterns, all the time retaining the logo either in the green or reversed out on our images. We put it on our business cards, tags, flyers and posters, even hand-drawn on the back of some thank-you cards!