A calendar with a story
At Mooniak, we wrapped up all our projects for the year 2017 with a desk calendar design — A product Mooniak has been a part of since its inception in 2015 — for one of our long time clients, LB FInance. In its previous three editions, it featured a colourful set of photographs taken by the employees of the company, following a different theme each year. In this year LB Finance wanted to do something unique and different and the challenge was put in the hands of Mooniak to come up with a new idea for this well received product.
As we were given total freedom to develop a new concept, we started exploring new avenues to come up with the best solution as possible to make it even more meaningful and colourful. In the quest of a new idea, we finally landed on something we do the best––storytelling.
Yes! we used the calendar to tell a story. A story that motivates and encourages its user to set new goals and chase them until they are achieved. Client was immensely impressed by the idea and gave us the green light to continue immediately. The idea was simple and was inspired by the product itself. It was not just a calendar sitting pretty on a table but had become a very useful tool for the company’s employees over the years as it included a monthly planner as its main feature. Incorporating that to the visual design, we created an illustrated story about ‘An adventurer’s journey towards a mountain’; using the mountain as a metaphor for a goal.
Story and the Illustrations
As we had only twelve slides to tell the story, we broke down twelve important steps that anyone has to follow in achieving any goal or a target. We applied those steps to climbing a mountain, referring to the common feeling that ‘success is an uphill journey that you fulfill step by step through determination’ and there we had our story.
At the initial part of planning, we limited the scope of the visual design to be more relatable to the local context. The visual elements used in the background was designed to look familiar in the eyes of a Sri Lankan. We also tried to capture the general feeling of the seasonal weather, environment and the festivities in each month and incorporate that to the design as well.
Each month had a theme related to achieving a goal, and 12 short poems — 1 for each month — were written with guidance, inspiration and success in mind to go hand in hand with the assigned month’s illustrations. These poems, were kept short so as to be easily retained by the user’s mind and to instill inspiration in order for them to successfully achieve their goals, whilst addressing all short term goals, hiccups and other elements that would be part of the path to success.
Character
When designing the main character of the the Adventurer in the story, we made it a primary decision to create a gender neutral character as the calendar will be used by both men and women. We wanted to make the story and the character in it appealing to both genders and communicate the idea — even in a subtle way––that it does not matter what gender you are, you can achieve anything you set your mind to.
The primary objective of the design was to provide a tool that encourages the user to plan the year ahead and follow up on the goals and targets that he/she would set for the new year. As the product is distributed among the employees of the company, this desk calendar and planner needed to inspire them to plan and organize their year accordingly. So apart from the twelve-frames-illustrated-story, we added a guid to use the planner, and quarterly reminders for the user to get themselves back in track to achieving their goals and targets set by them as the year goes by.
In the end we had created a beautifully illustrated calendar with a story that inspires and encourages people to set new goals and work on achieving them, while providing them with a tool that helps keep track of their goals and targets and once in awhile, reminds them of how far they have come and how far there is left to go.
Concept & Art direction Kosala Senevirathne Pathum Egodawatta, Rajitha Manamperi Illustrations Kosala Senevirathne Sinhala text Pathum Egodawatta English text Zaweeda Ousmand Tamil text M.S.Thevagowry Prnited by DigiScan Special thanks Sameera Wanninayake of LB Finance
