The title of my Typography project is ‘Kalamkari Letter Design’. I have influenced the title of this subject from the original Indian art form named as “Kalamkari Art”. The word Kalamkari is derived from a Persian word where ‘Kalam’ means pen and ‘Kari’ refers to craftsmanship.
Since few years I’ve been highly inspired by the aesthetics of Kalamkari painting. It was back in my art school days when I was introduced to Indian folk paintings from which the art style of Kalamkari and it’s history had grabbed my interest.
After specializing in typography I always wanted to explore letter forms combined with linear pictorials. This was the time when I decided constructing it with the use of Kalamkari art style. To make it more interactive, I chose to portray different story on each letter from Hindu mythology like Ramayana and Mahabharata.
The objectives of Kalamkari letter design are:
- To appreciate and educate people regarding the folk art of India.
- To publicise India’s rich cultural heritage in our country as well as abroad.
- To create awareness and generate further interest in art & history.
How is it related to Typography?
The beauty of well-designed type can have a huge impact on how we approach a text. The world of typography today is so much more than a simple game of fonts. Here I have tried to go beyond the technical necessities of typography and tried highlighting it as a true art form. It involves documenting India’s legacy with type.
Visual cues from instances of Indian culture are assimilated in letters.
Hence this subject has been chosen by which the people could get aware in the form of visual. To make this subject more impactful & to make the subject more interactive and easy to understand each letters are given meaning.
Once the information was ready, I had to short list 26 stories as per each letter which would be perfect for the execution part. So, I finalised the following Stories based on Ramayana & Mahabharata:
A- Krishna showing Vishwarupa to Arjuna during Mahabharata war.
B- Vishnu reclines on Sheshnaga with Brahma emerging on a lotus from his navel.
C- Cowherd in Vrindavan.
D- Durga on lion.
E- Panchmukhi avatar of Vishnu rescues mother Earth from the clutches of Hiranyaksha.
F- Krishna enchanting Gopika’s with Flute.
G- Siddhidata Ganesha surrounded by other Gods.
H- Rama gives Hanuman his ring to take to lanka for Sita.
I- Sita requests Rama to fetch the Illusory Golden deer.
J- Jatayu battels with Ravana to rescue Sita.
K- Krishna preaching Gita to Arjuna during Kurukshetra war of Mahabharata.
L- Lakshmi on lotus.
M- Krishna lifts Mount Govardhana.
N- Narsimha killing demon Hiranyaksha.
O- Churning of the Ocean Manthan.
P- Hanuman with Parvat Sanjeevni.
Q- Krishna dancing on Kaliya naag after winning Quarrel with it.
R- Ram Darbar.
S- Rama worshipping Shiv Linga at Rameswaram.
T- Rama and Lakshman at war with Ten headed Ravan.
U- Lord Uma Maheshwari.
V- Sita in ashok Vatika.
W- Rama meets Wounded Jatayu.
X- Dancing Shiva & Parvati on the Xyst of the far east.
Y- Dashratha received sacred Paayasam from the Yajna Purusha.
Z- Shravan kumar meets Zinger death.
After that, I decided to create stylized letter, designed in a contemporary modern style, so I had to study different ways of execution too. Later, I finalised with line drawing execution which would give me the desired result.
Further, to communicate my message more effectively, I decided to select the right typeface and make all the small adjustments needed. So, I choose Helvetica font as the skeleton for my letter design project.
Kalamkari letter design A-Z
Kalamkari number design 0-9
Kalamkari puntuation/ symbol design
Application- Tote bags
Application- Magnets
Application- Badges
Application- Post card
Application- Apron & Sling bag
Application- Lamp
'’From all these experiences, the most important thing I have learned is that legibility and beauty stand close together and that type design, in its restraint, should be only felt and not perceived by the reader. in the course of my professional life, I have acquired knowledge and manual skill. To pass on what I have learned and achieved to the next generation only becomes a necessity” - ADRIAN FRUTIGER
