MGM Foundation x BEADS
The Odisha Craft Odyssey (OCO) visual identity sits at the intersection of tradition and innovation of “making” in Odisha.
The logo of the Odisha Craft Odyssey programme symbolises its ethos to bridge the gaps between craft traditions of Odisha and mainstream art domains and networks of circulation. This way, the logo represents the identity, mission, and values for fostering new forms of knowledge and support structures in the field of craft, design, research, and contemporary art.
This programme also strongly believes in curatorial mediations for opening spaces for cross-disciplinary collaborations beyond the mediums and methodologies. Similarly, the logo of this programme equally symbolizes sensibilities around working with the history of making and building different forms of modalities for looking forward to the future.
OCO Logo Design
Colour
The colour of OCO’s logo reflects the soil of the land. Geru or the ochre colour of the soil represents the different gradations of landscape rooted in the land of Odisha. It also represents the extensive presence of red soil in different parts of the state, while sharing common spaces for its availability and its cultural significance in various forms of traditional practices.
Similarly, the usage of white in the logo, shares space with the everyday life of Odisha. The significance of the colour white in that way, comes from the use of rice flour for making murals in rural regions of Odisha and the traditional extraction of white colours from conch shells for making Pattachitra paintings.
The usage of white colour in that sense celebrates the vibrancy of all aspects from mundane life to religious significances that colour the cultural consciousness of Odisha.
Forms And Motifs
The logo stands for bringing various making processes, to highlight long lasting presence of material exploration in the cultural landscape of Odisha. The custom design fonts represent a coming together of the Odia script and the weaver's shuttle. The Odia script, an ancient language with a rich textual tradition, is juxtaposed with the weaver's shuttle, a visual copy between language and making processes.
Odisha history is strongly associated with the production of three things - dhana (paddy), mina (fish), pana (betel). This way the formal representation of the logo uses the fish motif as a constant in the logo to reflect upon the diverse usage and representations in the craft practices and livelihoods of Odisha.
Symbolically, the usage of fish also has been present in various craft making processes in Odisha. Such as the flexible brass fish of Bellaguntha village, fish in the silver filigree work of Cuttack and the representation of fish in various weaving practices of Odisha including Kotpad and Sambalpuri Ikat. With such varied depictions of fish in different craft practices, the logo strongly stands for the cultural heterogeneity and symbolic representation of fish in realising the visual identity of Odisha Craft Odyssey’s logo.
The intricate patterns and designs in the logo reflect ancient temples and monuments, which are visionary for their architectural and artistic significance. The use of the Konark Mukhasala (the entrance and the only large free-standing structure left in the temple) in the logo reflects the stone carving traditions extant in Odia craft traditions.
Similarly, the logo incorporates various forms and patterns from the Odia textiles. In many ways, the usage of such references, link both the age-old practices with the living traditions of Odisha’s cultural practices in the contemporary times.
Visual Representation
OCO’s logo and visual identity was developed by a collaboration between renowned Odia artist Jagannath Panda and Julius Das, lead product designer of BEADS and a contemporary artist of note.
From initial sketches to the final digital renderings, each step was a testament to their commitment to creating a logo that truly represents the OCO programme Starting from the colour to orientation, typology, and motifs used in the forms, they strongly referred to a bolder reconfiguration of meaning, structures of circulation and a sustainable future.
In many ways, this logo stands for meaningful collaborations and pushing the boundaries of craft-based practices of Odisha.
As the programme moves forward, the logo will continue to be a beacon of its dedication to the programme’s mission and vision, reminding us of the unwavering principles that drive it.
