While I was at Rave and DBar Inc., apart from the main project, which was redesigning the magazine, I worked on a number of other projects for DBar Inc., like branding for DBar Inc. itself, a couple of websites, and some projects related to identity and branding.
For a magazine, the first thing that had to be established was the brand message, or the identity expression and feel of the publication. The brand for Rave had already been defined as something that is youthful, and appeals to the younger generation, with fresh colours, and a visual language that is relevant to the current scenario. The Rave logo was set, so I proposed a couple of ideas, not only for the logo on the cover, but also for the representation of Rave as a brand, be it events, or in-house ads promoting Rave. I also revamped the general colour palette used throughout the magazine.
While the Rave covers are more or less the same every month, I tried to bring about a certain change in the cover style. To start with, I tried to use a different font for the cover, not one of the in-house fonts, as the whole magazine was already so monotonous with just a few fonts, adding a certain mood to the cover. I believe that using a figurative cover, with a famous musician or a celebrity works to a certain extent, because the image of that celebrity transforms from being a regular person, to a symbol which represents something.
This project made me learn that the real challenge in life is to establish one’s identity amidst a mass of people who are doing the same thing, and probably achieving it better than one can ever imagine.
