Power of voice around the office
environments of
Lokmat Media
Client: Lokmat Media, Location: Mumbai, Works: Environment branding; brand communication; and installation designs, Design firm: Leaf Design
Client’s profile
Being a widely read regional language newspaper and a leading Marathi daily in Maharashtra and Goa, Lokmat has its mission to enrich the lives of its readers by educating, informing, voicing and entertaining. It is the reason of being Lokmat. Over the years, Lokmat Group, publishers of the newspaper, has built upon this mission and seeded a culture of leadership and responsibility. The group has emphasised upon the power of voice, and has ensured that the smallest opinion be heard, valued and respected.
Design approach
Leaf Design wanted to pay homage to the traditional information gathering, processing, and publishing techniques such as letterpress or offset printing, type-setting, and pagination. These rudiments are the carriers of the voice that Lokmat is synonymous with. And creative team of Leaf Design wanted to re-connect the enduring backend processing and publishing with people sitting in editorial offices. The central theme was revolved around translating each design concept based on these authentic techniques. It not only emphasised the role of an individual in creating a compelling outcome, but became a metaphor and inspiration to craft the voice.
Pre-requisite move
In order to embed the power of their voice into the office environments, Lokmat Group was looking for a right design firm for the task and they happened to find Leaf Design. The rebranding was needed for the newspaper group to connect their stakeholders with the impact they make in the society. In addition, they also aimed at empowering the newspaper to reinstate its own unique culture.
Staying true to the leadership stance of the newspaper group, Leaf Design envisioned Lokmat as the centre of empowerment. The design firm brought each working space of the regional newspaper alive as a catalyst for embedding the voice and value of the media conglomerate. From local pride in Devanagari script to a love for letterpress, the overall concept around the workplace surroundings garnered a new quintessence.
Wall philosophies
Built as testimony to the journey of Lokmat, the welcome wall was sported with the legacy and values of the newspaper as well as its ideologies and impact. Even as the wall captured key philosophies of the brand, it also reflected its brave vision for tomorrow—the embossed wooden panel stood for capturing timeless truths, as strongly as it stood for carving a way ahead.
Cabin columns
As a powerful reflection of local pride, the treatment in cabin columns used life-size Devanagari numerals to connote a tradition. From another angle, the contemporary visual treatment gave it an urbane and lateral look.
All the while, a structure used a column grid that was directly inspired by the pagination technique of the newspaper.
Back to letterpress
Celebrating and paying homage to the erstwhile era of letterpress printing technology, Leaf Design decided to go back to where it all started. For this enduring brand, the creative team made a modern day tribute to this most iconic letterpress technique that was both inspired and deeply impactful. Then the team selected the letterpress alphabets to express the brand values and communication in a real way.
Brand communication
Leaf Design communicated the voices of the people behind Lokmat through posters that were woven around enriching lives, empowering people and the principles surrounding it. Combining photography with text, the design inspiration was taken from the editorial design of magazines and their layouts. The brand messages were rendered on actual offset printing plates, providing the backdrop of a processing house and becoming reminiscent of the editorial space.
Collection of voices
A journalist derives his power from strong writing. Portraying this, a unique book installation was implemented using custom-designed books and diaries that spoke about Lokmat’s beliefs, inspirational quotes about leadership and responsibility, and more. In a way, it was a collection of voices which various people would relate to.
Journey so far
Today the influence of Lokmat goes beyond classes, boundaries and people—this was the vision of Shri Jawaharlal Darda, founder of the newspaper. To showcase this powerful reach encapsulated in the tagline ‘Jithe ST, tithe Lokmat’, Leaf Design team installed a wall that traced the journey of the brand.
Then completing the story, a simple yet distinctive pillar design captured the milestones in the glorious journey of Lokmat—a fitting end to a memorable journey, an inspiring start to a new one.
Leaf Design
Helping its customers respond to a change through designs, Leaf Design has been in the industry since 2002. Core philosophy of the design firm is to bring change in the way people feel, talk and live. They constantly try to re-imagine the convergence of technology and design that can add new ideas to life. Deeply focusing on their competencies in strategic thinking, holistic branding and user-centric design, Leaf Design helps brands identify opportunities, differentiate presence and foster business. Headed by Sumit Patel, co-founder & director; Sandeep Ozarde, co-founder & director; and Mahendra Patel, chief mentor, the firm’s creative team ignites meaningful exchange of ideas for positive change in every single project they execute and work in an environment connecting the professionals in different ways through conversations, behaviours and interactions.
To learn more, visit: www.leafdesign.in
