What makes a logo look Indian?
or why people from India would associate a certain logo design with an Indian Company?
One of our client while explaining to us about what he wants his business to look and feel like, told us that he wants his logo to look ‘Indian’. Intuitively it felt like a right direction for them since they are a company working with indian farmers, trying to fix the age old problems in Indian agriculture.
This made an interesting brief because we had to figure out what makes a logo look indian in the first place.
Deconstructing the Indian logotype:
Some of the older iconic indian logos have been made before the age of internet. This was the time when designers or artists looked for inspiration not on the internet but from things around them. Their style could be inspired from motifs they saw, religious and cultural beliefs, famous architectural marvels, etc.
The most iconic “indian” logos can be seen in indian educational institutions, government organisations, old indian companies and banks. Here we are listing a few patterns we have observed in these “Indian” logos. (Minimalism is definitely not something they are trying to achieve)
1. Detailed storytelling
They have long stories attached to their meaning. The national emblem of India is one such example. Any one who has studied in India would remember learning about this in school. Refer to this wiki link to read about it.
2. Multiple elements
There might be multiple elements with cultural significance which together weave a story. In the IIT Mumbai logo here we can see a gear signifying engineering, a lotus and a book denoting Goddess of Knowledge Saraswati. All three elements placed together bring value as a whole
3. Geometric patterns
Geometric patterns, like the rangoli we traditionally make can be seen in a lot of Indian logos. An example would be the logo for National Integration Council.
4. Architectural references
A great example would be the logo of IIM Ahmedabad. It showcases the ‘Sidi Saiyyid ni Jali’ or the carved window from one of the most famous mosques of Ahmedabad
5. Cultural references
We can see a religious reference in the BOI logo showcasing goddess Durga with her lion and Trishul to signify power and protection. Same can be seen with the IIT Mumbai logo in point 1.
6. Colors palette
You will mostly see primary colours or complementary colours used. Some of the olds logos are just done in black outlines probably to make printing less expensive, they were mostly printed in newspapers. Colours may also be chosen based on their cultural connotations. An example is the Indian post logo where the red colour comes from the colour of the letter boxes.
Why a brand might want to look “Indian”?
One reason could be that their audience is predominantly people living in India. They want to look approachable and accessible to the masses. They want to highlight the fact that they are working towards the betterment of the society specially rural India.
A shift in consumer behaviour can be seen in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic where people are supporting local businesses.
Given the fact that India is an ocean of cultures, we are sure we have only seen the tip of the iceberg with the Indian logos we have explored. Do share some iconic logos that you remember where the visual aesthetics are culturally inspired.
If you want to see how we used these pointers to create an Indian logo for our client check out- Logo Design for Bharat Rohan on Behance.
The ‘Indian’ Logo Gallery
Compiling a few logos here to visually create the Indian aesthetic we are talking about in this blog.
