My foray into Product Design came through developing ‘Malayali Aano’, an homage to ‘Cards Against Humanity’, that we sold 2500 boxes of during Covid. While providing an immersive cultural experience for the family, we were also pleased to hear how it made Malayalis question accepted practices and bridge communication gaps. My mandate was the box design, which I envisioned as an artefact invoking pride for our shared culture, something every Malayali home would joyfully display. Hundreds of pictures from customers who have done just that convinced me this was a successful experiment in crafting something to bridge the gap between commercial viability, aesthetic preference and social impact.
Malayali Aano? is a card game that takes its inspiration from the popular card game, Cards Against Humanity, and is a work of satire that touches upon all cultural facets of being a Malayali.
The colours are inspired from Kerala backwaters with green being the most prominent colour representing nature, well-being, inclusivity, culture and nostalgia.
The typography is bold and forward, much like the culture and its references, with the serif detailing resonating with popular movie posters and advertisements commonly seen in Kerala.
