Project Overview
Company: Dual Lights Productions | Duration: 2 weeks | Project Type: Individual Freelance Project
To design the logo, title text and promotional materials of an inspiring woman-centric Tamil film titled 'September 5' directed by a debutant film director named Shahid Khan from Chennai, India. The logo had to communicate woman power and the South Indian culture that the film was rooted in.
Company: Dual Lights Productions | Duration: 2 weeks | Project Type: Individual Freelance Project
To design the logo, title text and promotional materials of an inspiring woman-centric Tamil film titled 'September 5' directed by a debutant film director named Shahid Khan from Chennai, India. The logo had to communicate woman power and the South Indian culture that the film was rooted in.
My Role
Graphic Designer
Tools: Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop
My Process
Understanding the Director's Vision | Inspiration from On-Site Photos | Vector Artwork
The process started with listening to the Film Director narrate the story of his film. This enabled me to understand the complex personality of the protagonist who became the key element of my logo design. Once the logo was designed, it was possible to quickly create souvenirs such as textbook labels and T-shirts with it. I then used the photos taken by the crew on-site in the South Indian village where the movie was to be filmed as inspiration for poster design.
Graphic Designer
Tools: Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop
My Process
Understanding the Director's Vision | Inspiration from On-Site Photos | Vector Artwork
The process started with listening to the Film Director narrate the story of his film. This enabled me to understand the complex personality of the protagonist who became the key element of my logo design. Once the logo was designed, it was possible to quickly create souvenirs such as textbook labels and T-shirts with it. I then used the photos taken by the crew on-site in the South Indian village where the movie was to be filmed as inspiration for poster design.
Logo
The logo depicts a woman wearing a saree draped in the South Indian style. This is symbolic of the protagonist of the movie who is a fearless teacher at a kindergarten school. The angel in the background depicts her pure heart and how she breaks free from social convention and goes after what she believes in. The white muscular arms in the negative space between her and the wings are symbolic of her strength and courage. The number '5' on which she is standing is a part of the date 'September 5' which is celebrated as Teachers' Day every year in India.
Film Title in Tamil
Here, the logo has been used in place of the letter 'pa' in Tamil. The dot over her head which is the head of the angel is actually a part of the Tamil writing and is what converts the letter 'pa' to the 'p' sound in the word 'September.'
Here, the logo has been used in place of the letter 'pa' in Tamil. The dot over her head which is the head of the angel is actually a part of the Tamil writing and is what converts the letter 'pa' to the 'p' sound in the word 'September.'
Film Title in English
Here, the logo has been used in place of the letter 't' in 'September.'
Here, the logo has been used in place of the letter 't' in 'September.'
Invitation Card Design
Invitation for the inaugural function marking the auspicious beginning of
the shooting of the movie.
Invitation for the inaugural function marking the auspicious beginning of
the shooting of the movie.
Textbook Label Design
Textbook labels that were distributed to the children at the orphanage school
where the inaugural function was held.
Textbook labels that were distributed to the children at the orphanage school
where the inaugural function was held.
T-Shirt Design
The September-5 crew wore this T-Shirt during the inaugural ceremony.
The September-5 crew wore this T-Shirt during the inaugural ceremony.
Calendar Design
This Poster Calendar was released during the inaugural function and was distributed as a souvenir to all the invitees at the event.
This Poster Calendar was released during the inaugural function and was distributed as a souvenir to all the invitees at the event.
What's Next
After completing the design of the logo and souvenirs, I was hired to create illustrated storyboards that would enable the Film Director to better communicate his vision to the person behind the camera. The storyboards are a separate project in my portfolio. They can be viewed here.
Conclusion
This project exposed me to the exhilarating world of freelancing! It taught me to balance my time between my day job as an Interaction Designer, my night job as a Graphic Designer and time with family.
After completing the design of the logo and souvenirs, I was hired to create illustrated storyboards that would enable the Film Director to better communicate his vision to the person behind the camera. The storyboards are a separate project in my portfolio. They can be viewed here.
Conclusion
This project exposed me to the exhilarating world of freelancing! It taught me to balance my time between my day job as an Interaction Designer, my night job as a Graphic Designer and time with family.
