The brief was to create a brand, its identity, and a campaign from the ground up. The design challenge was deeper than naming and logo-making. It was about finding a cultural truth worth building around. Lanterns carry centuries of meaning in India: light, prosperity, the marking of sacred moments. But most lantern brands communicate either pure tradition without contemporary relevance, or pure aesthetics stripped of cultural depth. Maru Aura needed to hold both.

A complete brand identity for Maru Aura, a lantern brand rooted in the Māru-Gurjara, traditional architectural style of North-Western India. Designed a minimal line art logo, a Sanskrit shloka poster series, and a double spread magazine advertisement, all photography shot and edited by me, unified by a warm palette of red, cream, and dark brown.

'Maru' takes its name from the Māru-Gurjara style, an intricate tradition of North-Western Indian temple architecture — the same craftsmanship that inspired the lantern designs. The minimal and line-drawn logo, holds the contradiction at the heart of Maru Aura: ancient inspiration, contemporary form. A lantern brand that knows exactly where it comes from.

In India, lighting a lamp is never just lighting a lamp. It is an act of prayer, of intention, of marking a moment as significant. The poster series was built around two Sanskrit shlokas that most Indians know by heart before they know what they mean. Dipa Jyotir Namostute, I fold my hands before the light that brings prosperity, auspiciousness, and good health. Sandhya Deepa Namostute, I fold my hands before the maintainer of creation, who is in the form of this light. The goal was not to translate these words for an unfamiliar audience but to celebrate them for one that already carries them, giving them a visual presence worthy of their meaning.

The magazine advertisement extended that warmth into editorial space with a simple, human promise. Brings Good Luck. That lanterns carry troubles away and invite prosperity in. Lanterns have carried that promise across generations and across cultures. The double spread gave it room to breathe, letting the photography and the warmth of the brand speak.

year

2023

timeframe

6 Months

tools

Photoshop, Illustrator

category

Personal Project

01

Maru Aura Poster Series

02

Maru Aura Double Spread Magazine Ad

03