Based on the idea behind Atmanaam, one aspect of the visual direction for the brand logo was clear from the onset – this isn't contemporary, pop or new age music but veers more towards tribal music. The 5 different musical movements chosen were Kabir's Nirguni Movement, The Baul Movement, The Warkari Movement, The Gypsy Movement and The Folk traditions of South India.

In the words of the client, 'We musicians live and sing our respective 'truth' without the need to conform to societal ideologies. Truth is Infinite. Shoonya, Nirantar, Nirguni or whatever else one might call it, the idea of the infinite reality remains the same across time, space, language and culture. From Adi Shankara in the South, Nanak in the North to Lalon in the East and Tukaram in the West, there is an uncanny resemblance in rhetoric. Today, we explore it in the language within which it still lives on – Music.'

During my research into tribal art, one aspect stood out. Their simplicity. Made of simple line drawings or shapes, they still managed to convey their stories for generations on end. Since Atmanaam is going to be a collaboration with artists from 5 different musical movements globally, can I simplify the brand logo icon and typography to better represent this?

In the course of multiple sketches, three concepts began to take form consistently. A musician. Showcasing any form of instrument would be restrictive as music can be created from a diverse range of instruments. Especially with tribes, whose inspirations come from their surroundings which is nature itself. But the origin of the music is from a human being. That is one constant.

Secondly, the infinity symbol to represent the musician's evolving truth and their soulful forms of music and thirdly, circles to represent a form of music. Why circle? Music at its core is varied forms of rhythmic vibration. The circles therefore are in constant, rhythmic motion moving to its individual beat represented by the varying thickness of the 5 lines.

The final Brand logo represented a combination of these three concepts as a simple, hand drawn, abstract version of iconography. The five circles represent the confluence of the musical movements. The line drawing in its midst represents a musician sitting crosslegged on the earth and creating music. He/She flows into an abstract form of the infinity symbol.  

I custom designed the brand name typography in simple brush strokes to avoid usual set patterns while supporting the flowing lines of the brand logo. The dashes in between each letter is an abstract form of musicians holding hands conveying unity and oneness. A form of tribal typography.