2016
Identity, printed materials, collateral design
Malhār | Waipuke o Ngā Pūoru Iniana
University Project
Brand strategy + guidelines, event identity and collateral design for New Zealand’s first festival of Indian classical music, Malhār | Waipuke o Ngā Pūoru Iniana. Malhār (Sānskrit) is a rāga in Indian classical music, associated with India’s monsoon season and said to induce rainfall when played or sung. The title is bilingual, with its Te Reo Māori component Waipuke o Ngā Pūoru Iniana, translating to “a flood of Indian classical music.” Much like the monsoon season, there is at the heart of rāga Malhār a paradoxical nature–– it cures the land, but by upsetting it with a flood first.
The festival holds its foundations on the concept of community and gathering, and intends to showcase the beauty and craft of Indian classical music on a plane that is attainable to all who are curious, or perhaps unexposed to the sounds, culture and traditions of the East. The aim of this project was to create a visual identity that reflects the sublime nature and opulence of the ancient music tradition, while transcending differences in language and culture to foster the synthesis of East and West.
Best Design Awards 2017 Finalist