Mashak: Packaging Design

Heer Mandalia
Graduation Project Document
Cohort 2014-2018

School of Visual Communication
G R A D U A T I O N P R O J E C T
Project Title : Pakcaging of Mashak
Sponsor : Please See, Mumbai
Student Name : Heer Mandalia
UID Id No. : UA1418046
KU Id No. : 20170301876
Batch : 2014-2018
Programme : Visual Communication
Internal Guide : Sunil Gupte
Year : 2018
UNITEDWORLD INSTITUTE OF DESIGN

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Heer Mandalia | Visual communication | 2018 | UID
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11th June 2018
To whom it may concern,
Completion of Internship // Heer Mandalia
This is to certify that Heer Mandalia, successfully and with excellence completed a 20
week (22nd January 2018 – 8th June 2018) internship as a Junior Creative Designer
with Please See//.
Please See// is a boutique creative agency based in Mumbai, offering clients
complete branding and communication services.
Heer was an enthusiastic learner and loved to take inspiration from outside the
studio space. She is a talented photographer and works extremely well with the
medium, and we liked the fact that that she bought that aspect into two of the
projects she worked on. Heer is quick to grasp concepts and worked efficiently on
any given brief.
The internship involved:
1) Primary Project : Mashak by PortsideCafe
- Creating the visual design language for the new brand Mashak
- Collateral design
- Packaging design
- In-store display ideation
- Social media ideation and execution of posts for both brands
2) Secondary Projects:
- Parle – part of the team for photo shoots. Execution of social media posts.
- Foodhall – Visual merchandise design
Heer has proven herself to be a smart, dedicated, creative and hard working
individual. She has a strong aesthetic sense for frames, layouts and visual systems.
She was a welcome addition to our office, and was well liked by everyone who
interacted with her, we wish Heer her all the best in her future endeavors
Warms Regards
Pritha Thadani
Co-Founder
Completion certificate

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Copyright 2018
Student document publication meant for
private circulation only
All rights reserved.
Visual communication Design,
2014-2018
Unitedworld Institute of Design, Gandhinagar,
India.
No part of this document will be reproduced
or transmitted in any form or by any means
including photocopying, xerography,
photography, and videography recording
without written permission from the publisher,
Heer Mandalia and Unitedworld Institute of
Design.
All Illustration and photographs in this
document are Copyright 2018 of the author,
or respective people/organization wherever
mentioned.
Please note that the colour used in the design
deliverables throughout the document may
not be the correct colour due to difference
in a printing process and pigment used for
producing this document.
Edited and Designed by
Heer Mandalia
email- Heermandalia@gmail.com
Printed digitally in Ahmedabad, India.
July 2018

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Originality statement
I hereby grant the Unitedworld Institute of Design the right to archive
and to make available my diploma project/ thesis/ dissertation in
whole or in part in the institutes’s knowledge management center in
all forms of media, now or hereafter known, subject to the provisions of
the copyright act. I have either used no substantial portion of copyright
material in my document or I have obtained permission to use copyright
material.
student name in full:
Signature:
Date :

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Acknowledgment
This document is compilation of my learning
and understanding of Design of past four
years at Unitedworld Institute of Design.
I would like to thank the institute for the
infrastructure and the facilities which they
provided.
I would like to acknowledge Please see,
Mumbai to give me an opportunity to
intern with them. I am grateful to meet
very talented people who enhanced my
experience. Keeping that in mind I would
like to thank Tripat kang, who bear with all
my mental block and always pushed me to
create better things. Pritha Sahai, who always
gave a better direction and insights for my
project, Karno Guhathakurta and Khushboo
Gandhi to give bits of wisdom here and
there, Latika Shamra who provided with all
information that I needed on my project,
Vaibhav Bansal and Himanshu Chilbulkar
who always made a boring day into fun
times, and to rest of team at Please See who
made this an experiance worth cherishing.
Want to convey my thanks to vendors who
helped to execute the samples, Kishorji
from Majestic printers and Saurabh from
Oswald gifting shop. They also guided me
with right material choices.
I am also grateful to my project guide Sunil
Gupte who believed in my project and
helped me to understand different angles
of the project, who supported and guided
me throughout. Also want to thank Titu milli
and Lolita Dutta who helped me in various
way to complete my project. Also like to
thank all other faculty and visiting faculty at
Unitedworld institute of Design who helped
in building and shaping the designer in me
in this past years.
All of this could have never been possible
with the constant support of my family, from
bearing my tantrums and believing in me
all throughout my journey. I would specially
thank my mother who stood up all nights to
give me company and making endless cups
of tea and being there all the time.
Last but not the least to my batch mates who
always stood there in thick and thin, Kuldeep
Beniwal, Tonmoy Rajkhowa, palash chauhan,
Surbhi Mehta, Archana Das, Shreya Patwa,
Siddhant Khilauria, Stuti Bhatt, Subhadip
Paul, for always being supportive and having
all the conversation.

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Contents
About
Project 15
UID 16
Guide 19
Sponsor 20
Timeline 22
The birth of mashak 24
About PortsideCafe and their collection
How they initiated Mashak
Creating first collection- stepwell
How it all came alive
Mashak gets its own identity
And its ready!
The need to have it’s individual identity 38
Why Mashak needs its individual identity?
Understanding the target audiance
user persona
When I met mashak 44
When I saw Mashak
( Brief and Deliverables)
Initial thoughts
Why do we need packaging?

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Where mashak stands in market 50
Understanding packaging of
lifestyle products
Field research at
Cord
Obataimu
Nappa Dori
Nicobar
What I liked
Conclusion
The need to be above brown 68
Mashak through a wider lens
Setting up the mood
Exploring material
(conventional & Unconventional)
Going in wild for search of material
Elimination method
And Mashak goes blue
Shaping mashak 84
Thinking of shape (refrence)
Building the shape
Getting an overview
From digital screen to sampling
There it it! (sampling is ready)
Its not happening
Its more than a shape 112
A tale to tell
Re- looking at collaterals
Re-shaping mashak 118
How to get Mashak a better shape
Re- looking at all deliverable
Testing bag samples
It was a win!
Tesing other samples
Re-looking at Tags and Giftcard
Final Designs
Details matter 142
Font selection
Communication of Brand
Refining Animals
The Finale (all deliverables)
More than packaging 168
Next step (social media starategy)
Shooting
Setting social media templates
Conclusion 182

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Synopsis
PortsideCafe a furniture studio based in
Delhi, which aims to make stand-alone
furniture pieces. Bobby Agrawal started his
venture in 2007 and opened PoersideCafe.
His medium was leather and he has
experimented in all ways with his medium.
He is a creative person himself and wants his
brand to stand out and loves to experiment
with it. When wanted to experiment more
and start a new business which sells lifestyle
products. He started Mashak 2015 and came
up with the first collection inspired by the
toorji ka jhalra stepwell, Jodhpur. Now he
wanted to launch his brand in the market
and build its own identity.
Please see, a boutique design agency based
in Mumbai sponsored my graduation project.
It involved understanding and developing
packaging for Mashak. My project started
with understanding the parent brand,
PortsideCafe. And researching the scope,
audience and their competitors in the
market. From searching for materials to form
of the products and till actual sampling it
was a journey of exploring different aspects
of designing. It involved more off-screen
work, to go and meet vendor to know that
thoughts can be converted into a physical
sample.
From understanding the client, how
money affects the project, to explore a
new aspect of designing, It was a full
packaged project which let me explore a lot
more than just making artwork. I realised
how communicating your thoughts were
as important as designing. These four
months experience enhanced my skills and
understanding as a designer.

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About UID
Among the top design institutes in India,
Unitedworld Institute of Design (UID) is a
rarity. Founded with the aim to outclass the
top design colleges in India with its state of
the art labs and hands-on creative learning,
it seeks to create trendsetters and ideators
who’ll lead the future of design schools in
India.
UID stands apart from B. Design colleges
in India in exposure it offers to students
which are unmatched by top design colleges
in India. Precisely why its popularity grew
among design institutes in India in a short
span of time.
UID is a design institute with problem-
solving capabilities, depths of intellect and
a time tested creative education culture in
promoting design competencies and setting
standards of design education. The rigorous
development of the designer’s skills and
knowledge through a process of ‘hands-on,
mind on” is what makes the difference
UID’s course on Visual Communication
educates students to produce creative
solutions to meet the visual communication
needs of the society. It helps students
to become problem solvers and develop
effective visual products. Students are
equipped with technical and conceptual
skills to articulate and express ideas, think
conceptually, conduct research and critically
evaluate the process.

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About Guide
Sunil Gupte has two decades of experience
working as a graphic designer, 3d Animator
and design educator. He studied Visual
Communication (Graphics) from NID at
Ahmadabad. He has conducted several
seminars and workshops for prestigious
design institutes and organizations like
The Times of India, IIGJ and others. He was
full time faculty with PEARL (Mumbai) and
SRISHTI (Bangalore).
He helped me a lot in the duration of
my graduation project. He gave me a
new direction and perspective toward
my project. Also guided me for my
documentation with understanding the
project structure and layout.

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About Sponsor
Please See, a design agency was born in
2011 It was founded above 35000 ft from
land when Avinash Thadani bought URL
www.please-see.com. It was the time when
Pritha Sahai, co-founder and Avinash decided
to come back to their country after serving
for almost a decade in west. They started
please see, in Delhi.
Cut to today after 7 years, worked on
150+ brands, launched 37 brands across 7
countries. They have a team of 40+ members
striving to make would better with their
design. They shifted their office in Fort,
Mumbai.
My four month internship with their team
was not just a mere internship. It was a
roller coaster of making mistakes, learning
and growing to be a better designer. With
the work environment of 50 people working
together and new things running in every
corner it is an experience that I will always
cherish.

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February
March
The birth of Mashak The need to have its
individual identity
When I met Mashak Where Mashak stands
in market
The need to be
above brown
Timeline

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o be
wn
April
May
Shaping Mashak Its more than a shape Re-shaping Mashak Detail matters More than packaging

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THE BIRTH OF MASHAK

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About PortsideCafe and their collection
How they initiated Mashak
Creating first collection- stepwell
Mashak gets its own identity
And its ready!

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Portside cafe, a furniture store, established in
2007 by Bobby Agrawal. Bobby Aggarwal quit
a career in advertising, manufacturing and
designing footwear and organising concerts
in his younger days to crafting bigger, more
exciting things – furniture. He named the
brand after the port town of Mumbai, where
he first worked with leather and combined it
with the unfulfilled dream of owning café.
When he started out his career in furniture
design, his aim was to create something
which stand out. PortsideCafé aims to make
a statement with its individual pieces of
furniture, rather than taking over an entire
space with same style.
Bobby’s love for leather and all it’s natural
marks and blemishes add individual
character to each piece of furniture he
makes. He prides himself on achieving that
weathered,“brought down from the attic”
look that he has so distinctly managed to
encapsulate in all his pieces.
The most distinct feature about Bobby’s
design is that although “inspired, it can never
be categorised as belonging to a certain
style or period.” His sensibility shines through
everything he designs, making almost
everyone that walks into his shop smile.
Each of its handcrafted and hand finished
pieces are a testament to PortsideCafé
founder and designer Bobby Aggarwal’s
idea of exquisite craftsmanship melded
with novel design. The hand stained leather,
metal finishing, unique stitching and vibrant
colours all come together to evoke an
elegant & luxurious, yet strangely easygoing
sense of boheme aesthetic.
“The primary vision of
PortsideCafé is to add
zest to your home with
the inclusion of stand-
alone pieces”
The birth of Mashak

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Bali Maran Collection
Draws its inspiration from the romanticism
of the Mughal Era.
Dak Bangla Collection
Stylized with memories of the postal rest
houses and the bygone Dak routes.
Hughes Road Collection
Taking it’s cue from the many zebra
crossing along Hughes Road in Bombay.
Cement series
Inspired by the rawness and
rigid nature of cement.
PortsideCafè’s
Inspiration and
collection
PortsideCafe has developed more than
10 collections is past 11 years. He keeps
adding more collection when he finds new
inspiration around him. He takes inspiration
from old cities, popular cinema and cultural
elements.
He is currently selling pieces from eleven
collections which he has created over years,
he also has an export business which is
spread over 10 countries including Italy,
United Kingdom, India, France and the
United States. The product line is produced
entirely indigenously and reputed worldwide
(especially in Western Europe & North
America) for its global manufacturing
standards. PortsideCafe has retail outlets in
Delhi, Bengaluru and Jodhpur.

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Mixed Metaphor Collection
The Mixed Metaphor Collection combines
classic design with modern.
Rose Series
Inspired from the cascading colours of the
Char Baghs of Kashmira
Warp ‘n’Weft Collection
Intricately woven leather and cane are used
to create simple & unique pieces.
Carousel Series
Inspired from blades of a turbine engine and
shape of paper concertinas
Yacht Club Collection
Takes its cue from the vintage cars & boats
seen at the Bombay Yacht Club.
Retro Collection
Inspired by era where designs were clean
and the music was cool
Barn House Collection
Inspired by barn houses, usesa leather and
fabric to bring its pieces together.
The birth of Mashak

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And how PortsideCafè
initiated Mashak
Bobby Agrawal in building PortsideCafe has
always experimented with new materials
while creating his collections. While he
was building his Barn House Collection, he
came across canvas and loved how it is hard
wearing, versatile, uncomplicated and is also
quite masculine, which is like a lot of his
PortsideCafe brand furniture.
For a long time Bobby wanted to expand his
furniture studio and introduce more line of
products. He thought lifestyle design would
be a great option and with less competition
in Indian market for lifestyle brands,
PortsideCafe could easily make up a mark in
this industry.
Around this time, Bobby was also offered a
space in a new shopping complex in Jodhpur
that has come about as part of the stepwell
revival project. He ended up getting a small
shop there which was a perfect place to start
his new venture.

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Its all in the name
Mashak is a leather bag used extensively to
transport water by Bhishtis (water carriers)
till as late as the ‘60s in Chandni chowk and
other cities across north India. Historically,
a man would fill it with drinking water and
carry it across his shoulders to help quench
the thirst of weary travellers and soldiers.
Hence, we thought it was appropriate to
name this brand Mashak as it was envisioned
for wanderers and globetrotters.
The birth of Mashak

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Creating the first
collection-
Stepwell collection
Mashak is a leather bag used extensively to
transport water by Bhishtis (water carriers)
till as late as the ‘60s in Chandni chowk and
other cities across north India. Historically,
a man would fill it with drinking water and
carry it across his shoulders to help quench
the thirst of weary travellers and soldiers.
Hence, we thought it was appropriate to
name this brand Mashak as it was envisioned
for wanderers and globetrotters.
After taking a trip to Jodhpur, where Bobby
was exploring the idea of opening a store
with Raas hotel brought PortsideCafe’s team
to Toorji Ka Jhalra, a stunning 18thcentury
stepwell. It was built by a Queen, Maharaja
Abhay Singh’s Consort, continuing an age
old tradition that Royal women would build
public water works.
The whole area around the Toorji Ka Jhalra
step well has undergone a bit of urban
regeneration recently, under the auspices
of a project called JDH, with vibrant shops,
restaurants, hotels and cafes. The water
is pretty clean as there’s plenty of fish
swimming around the tank, who of course
get regularly fed by the locals.
The history and the architecture behind this
stepwell captiaved their imagination, thus
began their journey to convert it into a print.
As a tribute to Rajasthan, they added motifs
of the black buck, peacock and langoor which
are native to desert state.

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Extensive research and development were
undertaken to do justice to this inspiration.
After the preliminary stage, PortsideCafe
started with the materials. The texture of
canvas, leather and webbing straps were
the initial ingredients. Then, came the
sketches, pattern and size. Finally after a
lot of ideating, trial and error, sampling
and numerous surveys, the first definitive
collection was born. At the same time, we
were working with varied colours, which we
thought were very important and eventually
became intrinsic to the line.
The main challenge for them was to keep up
with with the fast changing preferences of
young consumers. So, they chose colours like
grey, khaki, and navy blue canvas with grey,
dark brown and tan leathers to feature in
their range of products. And to add more life
they decided to add vibrant orange printed
lining which has all the hallmark of other
PortsideCafe products.
The birth of Mashak

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Stepwell print, created by Bobby and team, printed and
used in lining for Mashak’s first collection.

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The birth of Mashak
Mashak got its own
identity
After research and development of products,
the only thing it needed was the identity
to go on it. They also wanted to show that
it belongs to PortsideCafe, that is why they
added PortsideCafe in its logo. They kept it
simple with just typography but did not miss
to add some modern feel with the condensed
font. They have reformed Ristretto Pro
and used for Mashak. For PortsideCafe
Open Sans- regular is used, which is more
mature font the same as the brand value of
PortsideCafe.
Ristretto Pro (modified)
Open Sans- regular

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And its ready!

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THE NEED TO HAVE IT’S INDIVIDUAL IDENTITY

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Why Mashak needs its individual identity?
Understanding the target audiance,
user persona.

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Why Mashak needed its
individual identity?
As alot of PortsideCafe collections consists
of accessory products, but when they wanted
to launch Mashak they decided to open a
new BRAND instead of just a new collection
in PortsideCafe catalogue.
So why did Mashak got its individual
identity?
Why was there a need of different
packaging?
Why did it need to communicate differently
than PortsideCafe?

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What is different
between two brands?
The need to have it’s idividual identity
A furniture brand who aims to make pieces
which can stand out
PortsideCafe has a peculiar style to which
very less type of audience can relate
Also looking at the monetary value of their
products it can be acquired by only upper
class of society
The target audience vary from age of 40-70
User are established professionals and have
a routine lifestyle
It is a lifestyle brand, which sells everyday
things with a fashionable appearance
For Mashak they want their products which
can relate to wider class of audience
They also have kept their products less
expensive as compared to its parent brand,
which makes it more accessible
The audience here is Young, 18-40
Users are young, high spirited and wanting to
explore new things in life

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Who will use Mashak’s product?
Basic Information
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Occupation: Engineering Student
Relationship: Single
Location: Ahmedabad, Gujurat
About
Chandni is a engineering student, completed
her graduation. Aspiring to study for masters
in United States. She is always presentable
and ready to do new things. She is curious
and loves to explore the unexplored.
Goals
She loves to study, and wants to gain as
much knowledge as she wants.
She wants to explore new places and new
cultures around the globe
Pain points
To network with people and establish more
contacts in her surroundings.

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The need to have it’s idividual identity
Basic Information
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Occupation: Lifestyle blogger, Copywriter
Relationship: Single
Location: Mumbai, Maharastra
About
Purva is a copywriter and by the weekend
she is a lifestyle blogger. She writes about
food and had immense knowledge about
differnt delicasi. She also writes about new
places, experiance that she encounters
around Bombay. Also a travel enthusiast
takes 2-3 trips a year.
Goals
She wants to experiance, find new things
and write about it. She also loves writing
about food and want to try differnt food
from around the globe.
Pain points
Not getting proper results for effort that she
puts in.

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WHEN I MET MASHAK

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When I saw Mashak
( Brief and Deliverables)
Initial thoughts
Why do we need packaging?

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When I saw Mashak
When I first read the brief of this project in
February 2018, by the time Mashak was live
and was sold in all three of their store which
is in Jodhpur, Delhi and Bangalore. Bobby
wanted it to refine more, he wanted to have
more fun with the brand and give it a shape,
a tale that people could connect to.
Brief
The brief I received was quite open ended,
they wanted to introduce more colour
and fun prints but also not forgetting
functionality and looks cool at the same
time. They also wanted to promote
sustainability in packaging aspect to make
their users more aware.
Deliverables
Talking about deliverables they were
expecting:
Packaging- which includes 2 sizes of carry
bag, product tags, gift card, envelope,
wrapping paper, cloth tag,
Brand Story- the voice and ideology of
brand which could be used on packaging
collaterals, in store, or Mashak’s social media
presence.
Visual Language- how the visual feel of the
brand could be based on the story and target
audience.
Initial thoughts
I was still trying to understand the brand and
their views. To put my thoughts together I
started with a mind map, which quite helped
to overlook the brand.
To start with, the initial flood of ideas started
with how will I make it “look cool”. But also
wanted to understand the functional aspect
of packaging.

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When I met Mashak
In conversation with Pritha Sahai
Creative director, please see
I know this brand from scratch, I am your
encyclopedia for PortsideCafe. Bobby is a great
guy who is open to all type of experiments, give
him something cool and he will be on board.
This is a blank slate and chalk is yours, paint it!

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Why do we need
packaging?
The question that why is it important, and
how it adds functional value to it?
Does it add more than functionality, in terms
of brand value?
Packaging is the activity of designing and
producing the container or wrapper for
the product. It must perform all the basic
function such as protection, ease of handling
and storage, convenience in usage and
should not be deceptive and convey any
deceptive message. It is the best method
for attracting the consumers for buying the
products. It is an important and effective
sales tool for encouraging the consumers
for buying. It is a powerful medium for sales
promotion.
Functionality
Physical protection:
The packaging is also used for physical
protection, which includes internal product
protection and reducing shock damage. Also
to save from interaction from water, gases,
fumes and insects.
Convenience
Packaging provides convenience in the
carriage of the product from one place to
another, in stocking and in consuming.
Visual appearance
Make your brand stand out
There are thousands of products on the
market competing for your customers’
attention. To succeed, your brand packaging
has to stand out from your competitors.
Marketing Tool
Your product’s packaging can be a helpful
marketing tool through in-store advertising.
Branded products are easily recognized,
which helps consumers remember your
product.
Brand Recognition
Take a moment to think about some of your
favourite brands. They all have one thing in
common: they are memorable.
A unique thing that leaves a trace of brand
on you.

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“Packaging can be theater, it can create a story”
-Jonathan Ive, Cheif Designer, Apple
When I met Mashak

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WHERE MASHAK STANDS IN MARKET

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Understanding packaging of
lifestyle products
Field research at
Cord
Obataimu
Nappa Dori
Nicobar
What I liked
Conclusion

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Understand packaging
of lifestyle products
What are kinds of packaging that a lifestyle
store gives?
What do they say about them?
What they communicate as a brand?
What materials are used?
How is their ideology coming through?
Is there anything extra that adds to their
product?
How does their store look?
Do they give the same feel as they
communicate of a brand?
These were the questions I had in mind
when I stepped out for research what other
lifestyle brands do. And visited few lifestyle
stores in Mumbai, including Cord, Nappa Dori,
Obataimu and Nicobar.

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Where Mashak stand in market

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Cord
About
Was established with an ideology to discard
conventional design mandates depicting
stories of craftsmanship, the beauty of
authenticity and charm of nostalgia. It is the
linking force that bridges the gap between
the past and the present. A complete mix
of contemporary clothing and handcrafted
leather goods designed with a focus on
interaction with body and durability offers a
lifestyle that does not only look restored but
feels relevant.
Observation
As soon as you enter the store, you will get
a homely feeling.
The display is subtle and not too much in
the eye.
When it comes to signage and label they
have minimal tags, you can only read them
when you get closer.
With the compilation of other decor
objects, they have enhanced the products.
They also tell a story of their brand or
products in different ways ie., on tags of
product, on a wall of the store, or a write up
with the collection.
For packaging, they have boxes (2 sizes),
carry bags (3 sizes) and duster bags(1size).
duster bags are mostly given for leather
products so that they don’t catch dust.

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Obataimu
About
In keeping with the Takumi tradition in
Japan, our production process is designed
around the ‘passing on of knowledge.’ Skills
are taught by masters to our tailors, who
are learning to be cutters, pattern makers,
and eventually designers through practical
learning and imaginative workshops on site
at our boutique in Bombay where everything
is produced live, like an open kitchen. Core
to our model of production and design is
to yield upward mobility for our artisans
through education
Observation
A small cosy store, as you enter they have a
jug of water which makes you feel at home.
Also, you can see their workshop, which adds
to their ideology
In term of display, they have a limited
number of products placed around the store.
With objects like body wash, wallet they
have price tags placed on the display and not
on tags with products, whereas clothes had
tags on them.
In terms of packaging, they have a one
sized cloth bag for everything.
Expanding design language on different
collaterals

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Nappa Dori
About
Nappa Dori is a tribute to quintessential
Indian sensibilities, blended perfectly with
contemporary interpretations in design,
material and craftsmanship. The Indian love
story aspired everyone to the nostalgia,
mysticism and romance of the historic
landmarks and vibrant culture. Every
handcrafted piece of Nappa Dori accessories
or luggage is an expression of fine
individuality and makes a distinct statement
that whispers elegance.
Observation
A two storey store, with the display on the
1st floor and cafe dori on second.
For tags, they have used same tags but
placed differently with products
The display is object heavy display with
all the objects placed on them. They
have dived their products into 3 section,
stationery, bags, trunks.-For the decor, they
usually use small plants to add a freshness.
For stationery they have a different
packaging ie. for scissors, paperweight they
have boxed packaging, for measure tape,
with stationery they have paper envelops(3
sizes)
Using in house products to highlight
smaller products

59

60
Nicobar
About
Nicobar is so much more than just fabric and
thread. At Nicobar culture and commerce
intersect. We are inspired by our namesake
paradise, and we’re keeping that tropical
mindset all year round, soaking it into a
lifestyle tailor-made for the contemporary
Indian. Our story begins at Good Earth, and at
the crossroads of craft and community. Two
decades later the time is ripe for the birth
of a new brand: Nicobar. In Nicobar you will
find a contemporary collection that is fresh,
aspirational, curious about the world.
Observation
As you enter the store, you eyes will the
everywhere they have a display heavy store.
Their tags tell the story of how their brand
is inspired by the lunar cycle.
They have smartly used the line of
products and composed to tell a story.
Also, have a small write up for the product
description or the collection description.

61

62
What I liked
Packaging
Label for box package, I like how minimal
and effective it is, the concept that they are
handcrafted is clearly coming across.
Tags have an illustration of tools used
and the other side has a story inspiration of
the product. Inspiration and stories to their
product, or why the collection is made, or
insights of product we can use that to add a
personal touch to the product.
The graphics on the packaging for small
stationery objects creates the whole feel
of brand. With the brand story of Mashak
we can work and create a graphic language
which represents the brand
Innovative placement of putting price tags

63

64
What I liked
Display
Here they have used small tags on the
display, you can only read when you are near
to the object and with this size we can keep
on experimenting.
Description of collection
small descriptive note can be put up near
the collection with the display so that
customers can know about it.
Not only the products but also the decor
of display adds to the experience of any
customer to create a decor in a way that it
compliments the products and also can use
to grab attention toward a particular object.
It can also be used to tell a story, can create
a theme
Use of in house other products to create a
display for smaller object also the use of a
table lamp to highlight the object.

65

66
This research of going out looking at
brands, their ambience also the look and
feel of their products and packaging
really helped me to understand packaging
better. I got to know more about what
they keep in mind while designing the
packaging of a lifestyle brand.

67
In conversation with Latika Sharma
Account Manager, please see-
So the challenge is to find a way to
differentiate ourselves visually, even though
our product and target market is very similar.
I definitely agree that the decor (display) for
display is very important, and something in
which we can add value for them.
As far as packaging goes, I think the obvious
option is to go the brown box/paper bag way.
And while it looks great, we did the same for
PSC 6 years ago, we are very keen we give them
a reusable/sustainable option. You know how
sometimes you love the packaging almost as
much as the product, it would be great if we
could get that feeling here.

68
THE NEED TO BE ABOVE BROWN

69
Mashak through a wider lens
Setting up the mood
Exploring material
(conventional & Unconventional)
Going wild for search of material
Elimination method

70
Mashak- through a
wider lens
When I started, I wanted to look at the brand
from a wider perspective. So to start with I
put down a mind map.

71
From mapping down, I got a idea of how I
could start with Mashak.
The need to be above brown

72
Setting up the mood
Next step I took was to think about the look,
feel and mood of the brand
White
clean
Fluid
Brown
Elegant
Raw

73
Cyan
Playful
Structured
Brown
Texture
Smart
Young

74
Exploring material
I started exploring materials which is one
of the most crucial part when it comes to
packaging. I wanted to move away from
paper and create something which can be
used more than once.
Things that I kept in mind while looking for
materials
Will the material be able to hold the weight?
Will it be sturdy enough?
How can it be sustainable?
Will it be re-usable material?

75
Initial options
Initial material options that I thought
about were quite conventional and
based on a neutral pallet, which could
be used as a main structure
Muslin
Jute
Canvas
Other material that could compliment
the primary material could be
Leather
Cork
Wood

76
Jute, Primary material.
easily available, sturdy, bulky
Muslin, Primary material.
easily available, soft, weak
Canvas, Primary material
easily available, sturdy, thick, heavy
Leather, Secondary material
easily available, thick, heavy
Leather, Secondary material
easily available, heavy, hefty
Cork, Secondary material
not easily available, fragile, thick
Conventional Material Options

77
Looking at the
unconventional side
I started to think about materials rather
on the unconventional side. What kind of
material use can add value to packaging?
The material before are conventional and
one thing that they lack is, colour. Looking
at Mashak and its collection, we can find
only earthy tones, adding colour will add
more life to it. Which will help the brand
stand out as well as connect to our target
audience ie. youth. When I started to re look
at the materials 2 things I kept in mind was
sustainable and colour.
“Material selection
in packaging is as
important as form”

78
Felt, Primary material.
easily available, soft, sturdy
Tarpaulin, Primary material.
easily available, sturdy, light weighted
Hemp, Primary material
not easily available, sturdy, thick
Flax, Secondary material
not easily available, soft, strong
PVC Mesh Secondary material
easily available,
Malai, Secondary material
not easily available, fragile, thick
Unconventional Material Options

79
Going in the wild for
search of material
Looking up for material on Internet and
feeling it with has a huge difference. So I
went out in the cloth market in Crawford,
Mumbai. Taking a look at material there
I released that availability of sustainable
material in market is quite low. I was not
able to find most of the materials. Though I
managed to find Tarpaulin, Jute and Felt.

80
Elimination method
After looking at a wider view and scope
of material, their strengths, weakness and
availability. It was time to eliminate options
to take a direction for further collaterals.
Deciding material was a very crucial point in
this project. As other collaterals and story of
brand will be formed around it.
Elimination of options was based on their
availability of options, cost, feasibility.
Material like Malai, Hemp, Cork, Flax was
quite expensive and difficult to source.
Whereas material like PVC mesh was not
feasible.
Felt could have worked but the material was
quite thick and wasn’t adding and fluidity to
brand. Canvas was also a major option, but
as the whole Mashak collection is based on
canvas. And if we would give away in canvas
bag it would cost much as a product and the
product wouldn’t stand out. Options that I
wanted to take forward were Tarpaulin for
primary use. Leather for secondary use.
Is tarp really feasible?
Characteristic
A tarpaulin or tarp is a large sheet of strong,
flexible, water-resistant or waterproof
material, made of plastics such as
polyethene. But there is tarp made from 60%
of recycled plastic. Plus plastic makes it’s
100% recyclable.
Uses
In city it is mostly used as a shelter outside
shops, houses or to cover terrace for avoiding
leakage. Other than that it is used to make
tents for refugees. Other than that it is used
in household to cover sofas, bikes etc from
rainfalls. Also used to boost production in
greenhouse.

82
After observing and testing material, and
also talking to a few vendors about the
chances to make a bag out of Tarp. We took
tarpaulin to be the primary material for
Mashak.
For complimenting Tarp, we took leather as
a secondary material. For the reason being
that it is very easily available to Bobby in
his factory as leather is primary material for
PortsideCafe.
Tarpaulin is available in various colours like
black, blue, red, yellow and almost every
basic colour on the pallet.
I went ahead with blue tarp because it all
ties back to that story that Mashak was
originally a water carrier and colour blue
represents water. hence, Mashak goes blue.

84
SHAPING MASHAK

85
Thinking of shape (refrence)
Building the shape
Getting an overview
From digital screen to sampling
There it it! (sampling is ready)
Its not happening

86
Thinking of the shape
And now the designing part begins. With the
excitement of working on a totally different
project and also with a very unconventional
material, I jumped on to designing and
shaping the bag. Also thinking of how to use
tarp on other collaterals.
Starting with Ideation for the form and
executions for the designs. I started
collecting references for what was in mind.
Can add a small leather
piece to get an extra touch
A carry bag which can
be used bag pack adding
a multi purpose use to
it. here we can change
material according to
our cost. The customer
can reuse and remember
the brand.
Ideation for carry bag

87
Can create a stepwell pattern as a
tag on cloth bag
The details are something that i
loved, we can add leather patch
to mashak bag
Shaping Mashak

88
Ideation for paper tags
We can add a small leather piece
with mashak logo We can add a story of the product as bobby has a lot
of stories and inspiration behind his products, which
also gives personal touch
Looking at unique shape option
A graphic language can be designed for Mashak or
for stepwell collection

89
Ideation for cloth tags
I really liked the material and the type
on it, adds an high end touch to it.
Or simply print inside of the t-shirt
with witty copy line
We can write a message inside
‘specially made for you’ or something
around this to give personal message.
I like how creative name of collection
is and it is dedicated to someone
Shaping Mashak

90
We can make a potli, for leather hand bands,
materials like leather or cloth can use used here
How can the brand story come on packaging, it can
be inside, outside or both. And how we communicate
it efficiently
Ideation for everything else

91
We can use step well pattern or create a
new step well pattern to use on tags and
may be on overall identity
We can use paper bag for small items
like leather hand band, I liked the button
here, can definitely implement it
Shaping Mashak

92
Building the shape
After looking at the mood boarding, mind
mapping, ideation, materials, now was the
time to put pen to paper.
Things to keep in mind
But how should the shape be?
When we are using a sustainable material to
make packaging, why not take a step ahead
and made is reusable?
Sometimes we use the packaging more than
just taking it home?
Why not make in such a way that it can be
reused as a laundry bag or a grocery bag, or
take lunch every day in it?
“Design a bag that is
so good that people
will automatically
REUSE it”
Sketches for Bag

94
Sketches for Tags

95
Shaping Mashak
Sketches for Tags

96
PORTSIDECAFE
PORTSIDECAFE
Large carry bag
Products which can go inside large packaging bag.
Here, only one strap is used which saves the
material usage and to make the process of
packaging simple I have added a button to
the strap
This is the simple version of the bag,
with 2 strap on each side.

97
PORTSIDECAFE
A stylized version of one strap bag.
Keeping the reusable concept in
mind, this bag can also be used
as a shoulder bag.
Shaping Mashak

98
PORTSIDECAF E
Small carry bag
Products which can go inside small carry bag,
also journals and t-shirt will go in this size
PORTSIDECAF E
For the smaller size of bag,
We can add a sling like strap
which add the re-usable factor.
A usual carry bag with small strap,

99
Envelope
Products which can go inside envelope.
PORTSI
D ECAF
E
PORTSIDECAFE
Shaping Mashak
Envelope made from news paper
Envelope made from brown paper

100
Paper Tags
Trying shapes inspired from stepwell

102
More Paper Tags
Trying more conventional shapes

103
Gift Card
Making different giftcard for different
collections
Shaping Mashak

104
Cloth Tags
For tag inside t-shirt

105
Getting an overview
Now it was time to look at all options and
to get down to one set of option. For bags,
we chose to go with a simpler option after
talking to a vendor about actually executing.
With tags, as mentioned above we wanted
to keep the cost as low as possible we went
ahead with a rectangular option, cutting
the cost of making a die for others. With
envelope brown paper was finalized as it
goes with the whole theme and making it
with newspaper was a task as only selected
parts could be used.
Shaping Mashak

106
From digital screen to
sampling
The next step was to see if the ideas on
screen actually are feasible. With packaging
sampling is a major part, to see the
mechanism that is in your head is actually
possible or not.
The final collateral were sent out for
sampling. The part that I was most worried
was the bags, making bags out of tarp is
quite unusual but the vendor I worked with
got quite enthusiastic to work on a usual
project like this. Other samples were paper
based so were easily made.
PORTSIDECAF E
PORTSIDECAFE
Final set for sampling

107
PORTSI
D ECAF
E
PORTSIDECAFE
Shaping Mashak

108
And there it is
The next step was to see if the ideas
on screen actually are feasible. With
packaging sampling is a major part, to
see the mechanism that is in your head
is actually possible or not.
The final collateral was sent out for
sampling. The part that I was most
worried about was the bags, making
bags out of tarp is quite unusual but
the vendor I worked with got quite
enthusiastic to work on an unusual
project like this. Other samples were
paper based so were easily made.
After the sampling of the bags, the
blue of tarp was quite in the eye, It
wasn’t looking as expected so we tried
turning around onto silver side which
looked way better than the blue one.
Also, the blue on the inside added an
aesthetic value to the design. So we
thought to stick with grey outside and
blue inside.

110
It’s not happening!
Looking at the feasibility of the collaterals,
it was happening. The bag samples did not
turn out to be as expected but there was a
scope of improvement. But looking at the
ergonomics, the large bags were not at all
right, the vertical length did not work out
at all. The small bag was alright but wasn’t
really something that I would really want to
carry around.
The size of tags seemed to work, but the
tarp piece seemed of no use at all, It would
not relate to the story until you see the carry
bags. So we thought to eliminate it.
With envelope, Mashak’s team suggested
using the muslin bag which they already
produce in their factory. Which initially I was
not sure about but then looking back at how
it adds value to the reusable concept that we
wanted to come through I agreed to it.
More than the visual look of the collaterals,
the story of brand was nowhere. There
was no voice of the brand. It was not
communicating anything to the audience.
Now was the time, to pause and look at the
brand with some fresh perspective. It was
time that it communicates a story. So what is
the story of Mashak?

112
ITS MORE THAN A SHAPE

113
A tale to tell
Re- looking at collaterals

114
A tale to tell
Mashak was not born out of a story, but
it had bits and pieces. It was more about
connecting dots and forming the story.
Keywords from mind map
-Sustainable
-Preservation
-Water
-Doer
-Playful
-Motion
Inspired by the water carriers of north Indian,
essentially carrying water from one place
to another people who were on the go,“the
doers”
So Mashak being a brand inspired by north
Indian water carriers because they are the
people who were on the go,“the doers”
So what do these doers do, in today’s world?
people who are getting on with life and are
trendy without thinking about or spending
too much time on it. They see something,
they like it, they use it. It’s that simple.
“Mashak is for
ordinary people,
doing ordinary
things in an
unusual fashion”

115
It is more than a shape
Re looking at the
collaterals
I broke down the information for each
collateral and what can be the voice of
brand on each collateral
Large carry bag
Usage by Mashak: used for the bigger
products (travel canvas bags etc) or when
people buy multiple products. The form that
could work for this purpose would be of a
large tote.
Also to change the look of the bag
Usage by Customer: After having looked at
usage by other brands like Lululemon and
Gap a bag of this size would be used as an
everyday bag to toss in a laptop and other
belongings, travel extras.
Branding on Bag: Mashak logo + Brand verbal
language. The communication here needs to
be bold but not intrusive.
We are movers, thinkers, travelLers, creators,
doers.
Doing Things and looking great while we do.
Or if we tweak what we already have Mashak
is you, who armed with this bag of tricks
is ready to take the world on, crossing its
mountains and parting its seas. To you we
say, carry on.
Small carry bag
Usage by Mashak: This bag will be used for
the smaller products (journals, albums, toilet
bags). The form that could work for this
purpose would be of a structured bag with
rounded edges.
Usage by Customer: A bag of this size would
be used as a lunch bag or everyday carry bag
for smaller objects.
Branding on Bag: Mashak logo + Brand verbal
language similar to the bigger bag. The
communication here can be the same or an
extension of the same language. Can bring
out a visual element which can represent
the brand

116
Pouch
Usage by Mashak: This bag will be used for
the smallest products (leather bracelets etc).
Usage by Customer: A bag of this size would
be used as a bag to store trinkets, to use as
a gift bag for other presents or as a dust bag
for watches etc.
Branding on Bag: This bag can always have
a print of the latest collection (currently
stepwell) It could be fun to extend this bag
with the different collections that are to
come with changing patterns and colours.
We could also drop in a small card or print
on the inside of the pouch a line/inspiration
about/behind the current collection.
Paper Tags
We have broken this down into 4 layers
Tag 1
Top Side: Mashak logo
Bottom Side: Brand Philosophy- What is
Mashak? Short, straightforward and bold
messaging.
Tag 2
Top Side: Collection name, inspiration and
pattern or motif
Bottom Side: Very functional with name
of product/ category/ code/ colour/ price.
(There maybe a barcode sticker as well)
Clothes Tag
Information on tag
This needs to be very functional but strong
in brand language
mashak logo
materials used
washing instructions
website
Made in India
One line of inspiration that brings back the
brand philosophy eg. Now go do something -
with your heart in it! or Do, something great
today.

117
Wraping Paper
This could be executed in two ways:
pattern using the mashak logo and
mashak fish
typographic with the mashak manifesto
Giftcard
Lets try to think beyond paper for an
option.
Also, can develop a photography style
for gift card.
And adding a fun line like -
You must be doing something right.

118
RE-SHAPING MASHAK

119
How to get Mashak a better shape
Re- looking at all deliverable
Testing bag samples
It was a win!
Tesing other samples
Re-looking at Tags and Giftcard
Final Designs

120
How to get Mashak a
better shape
For the bag, I started exploring new shapes,
with minimal and subtle changes.
PORTSIDECAFE
PORTSIDECAFE
PORTSIDECAFE
PORTSIDECAFE

121
PORTSIDECAFE
PORTSIDECAFE
PORTSIDECAFE
PORTSIDECAFE
Re- shaping Mashak

122
Paper Tags
Created a graphic water and fish pattern
which can be used to represent Mashak.
PRODUCT NAME
WEEKENDER BAG
PRICE
Rs. 8800/-
COLOUR
ACCESORY . TRAVEL . ST ATIONERY
MASHAK
STORY
WWW.PORTSIDE CAFE.COM
STEPWELL
COLL ECTIO N

124
Giftcard
For Giftcard I explored photography route,
also explored other simpler option.

126
Wrapping Paper
For wrapping paper I went with generic
pattern for Mashak logo and another one
with pattern.

128
Cloth tags
100% cotton
Machine wash cold
100% cotton
Machine wash cold
SMALL
100% cotton
Machine wash cold
Nienducilit fugia qui dit

129
Re- shaping Mashak
100% cotton
Machine wash cold
100% cotton
Machine wash cold

130
Testing samples
Sampling and testing a particular package is
the testing point. Last testing, the carry bag
samples did not turn out as expected and
ergonomically wrong. So sampling again was
a must.
I went again with the same vendor, and
asked him to make 2 variations of each bag.
I took his opinion on sizing and feasibility.
After getting to the point we decided that
the big bag size should not be more than
20 inches in width. Also we wanted to add
stability to the bag, He suggested that we
could add a base at bottom, which worked
well for me.

131
It was a win!
When new bag samples were done, I was
pretty happy the way they turned out to be.
The detaling and materials were correctly
used.
Re- shaping Mashak

132
Other samples
Other samples were paper based, and came
out quite nice last time, so this time it was
just to check out design and sizing and not
the colours and technical things.
Inside
Outside
1
1
2
2
3
3

133
Adding more!
While I was creating these samples and
splashes, I came up with the idea of keeping
in an envolope and a sticker, I liked how
sticker added fun to this card.
Re- shaping Mashak

134
More other samples
Exisiting pouch, with stepwell print, which
will be used to give smaller items.
Sample for wrapping paper and additional
stickers on them

135
Re- shaping Mashak
In convertstaion with creative Director
For bags: I like this, I think this works
For tags: I like the direction, try to add a classy
feel to it, may be a hint of wave would suffice.
For Giftcard: I feel this is still not working may
be lets follow another route, not photogtaphy
For wraping paper: I like the pattern ones, and
the sticker works quite well here.
For cloth tags:It looks nice, lets add a fun line
on it

136
Getting back to
business
After her feedback, I explored more options
for giftcard and paper tags.

138
Giftcard
For the form, client wanted a simple one
sided card. But to add an extra touch I gave
a open holder to it.

140
The final of final
This set was ready and designs were
approved by the client.
100% cotton
Machine wash cold

142
DETAILS MATTER

143
Font selection
Communication of Brand
Refining Animals
The Finale (all deliverables)

144
Font selection
For the extention of brand, we wanted two
type faces, that can be used on collaterals
and on social media presence.
Trying fonts on collaterlas, to get better
understnding.

146
Final fonts
Instead of two types, I went with three type
of fonts.
ANTONIO
Antonio typeface is Designed by Vernon
Adams in 2013. Mostly used as a display font.
It has three weights regular, light and bold.
Condenced font have a modern and fun feel
which adds to the design here For Mashak
will stick to regular font.
A B C D E F G H I J
K L M NO P Q R S
T U V W X Y Z
a b c d e f g h i j
k l m n o p q r s
t u v w x y z
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
NERIS
Neris is sans serif typeface, designed
by Eimantas Paškonis in 2013. It is a
contemporary typeface available in various
weights from thin to black including italics.
For mashak we are using this on other
collaterals like giftcard and cloth tags. Only
semibold version is used for Mashak.
A B C D E F G H I J
K L M N O P Q R S
T U V W X Y Z
a b c d e f g h i j
k l m n o p q r s
t u v w x y z
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

147
Adobe Caslon pro
This font was made by willam Caslon
between 1734 and 1770, and later digitised
by Carol Twombly. It is a old style serif type
face, mostly used in publication and news
paper. This font is also used for PortsideCafe,
so I extended its use for Mashak as well. It
has font from regular to bold, but for Mashak
we I have used regular, semibold and italic
version of the font.
A B C D E F G H I J
K L M N O P Q R S
T U V W X Y Z
a b c d e f g h i j
k l m n o p q r s
t u v w x y z
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
Details matter

148
Communication is the
core of brand
When I talk about communication it
means the language that is used on the
collaterals, I knew what the basic idea for the
communication. But to put it into right words
was important.
Here is where copywriter plays a role, I sat
with copywriter who was working on this
brand with me, Khaim talib and explained
how mashak came into existance and what
we did for it. I explained what exactly I
wanted to communicate on each collateral.
To start with and keep a similar
communication language I also took him
through PortsideCafe’s communication
languge. It has a very witty yet sophisticated
language to communicate. For Mashak we
wanted same but a little more fun and young
language.
We went through various rounds of copy
discussing with my senior and account
manager. This was the part in which I got
to learn the most, about choosing the right
words to communicate. We started with
manifesto and after that will adapt to other
collateral.
Mashak is for doers.
The ones who don’t think about what they’re
going to wear or how they’re going to do
something.
They just do.
And they look great while they do.
Except when you catch them in the dirt.
But even then, they look earthy. Not dirty.
We don’t know how they do it.
But they needed an ambassador.
So here we are.
Option 1

149
Whether it’s for a change of pace, a change of
scenery or a change of clothes, Mashak has
been crafted for change.
Inspired by the water carriers of Northern
India, each one of our products is an
amalgamation of culture, function and style.
Our timeless designs are built to last, and to
leave a lasting impression.
Crafted to be durable, our ruggedly
handsome products are loyal companions
on a weekend getaway, a trek with friends,
a leisurely afternoon by the pool or just
another day at work.
Mashak is fashioned for movers, doers and
thinkers. For those who endorse novelty,
bask in freedom and cherish every fleeting
moment.

We are made for you – because you choose
to do.
Are you a tote-ally awesome person who
takes on life hands-on?
Then you’re in the right place.
Our collection, inspired by the water carriers
of Northern Indian, is crafted to be rugged,
stylish and efficient.
When you’d rather be on the road than be in
bed, or create experiences rather than read
about them, that’s when we come in handy -
quite literally.
With a range of tote bags, wristbands and
other accessories, we are made for you –
because you choose to do.
Option 2 Option 3
Details matter

150
We are water.
Inspired by the water-carriers of Northern
India, we are a brand that binds the source of
life with a sense of identity.
We are for the calm. And for the fierce.
For those who go around obstacles, and
those who go through them.
We are bold. And we are beautiful.
Moving with the times, and carving our own
path.
We are lasting.
In constant motion.
Never looking back.
Option 4
Whether it’s for a change of scenery, a
change of clothes or to change the world,
Mashak has been crafted for change.
Inspired by the water carriers of Northern
India, each one of our products is an
amalgation of culture, function and style.
Our designs are timeless and yet, ahead of
their time.
With one eye on environmental sustainability
and the other, firmly fixed on durability, our
products are fashioned for the future.
We are in the pursuit of elegance.
We are crafted for thinkers, explorers, movers
and doers. For those who endorse novelty,
bask in freedom and cherish every fleeting
moment.
For those who scale mountains and part
seas. For those who drive and those who
ride. For leaders and for followers.
We are made for you – because you choose
to act.
Option 5

151
Final copy on collateral
For the copy options we decide to go with
option 4, it fitted the brand in all terms, it
had a energy and a story.
Expanding on other collaterlas:
Giftcard
A gift for you and everything you do
Cloth tag
Doing things everyday.
Paper Tag
Mashak story-
We are water.
Inspired by the water-carriers (bags) of
Northern India,
we are a brand that binds
the source of life with a
sense of identity.
We are for the calm. And for the fierce. For
those who go around obstacles, and those
who go through them. We are bold. And we
are beautiful.
Moving with the times, and carving our own
path.
We are lasting.
In constant motion.
Never looking back.
Stepwell story
Crafted by culture,
Using contemporary designs,
That are built to last.
Inspired by the iconic Toorji Ka Jhalra
Stepwell in Jodhpur, the print on our
linings and t-shirts encompasses a wide
spectrum of heritage and the environment -
celebrating nature, wildlife, indigenous craft
architecture.
Details matter

152
Animals are the heart
of Mashak
The story of Mashak revolves around these
animals, also bobby’s love for animals is
clearly shown in his collections. Wheras the
fish is a icon for Mashak, but other animals
like langoor, peacock and blackbuck are for
stepwell collection.
Looking at his stepwell print the icons
silhouette and also not refined, which works
very well for the print but when used on
collaterals, it dosen’t work at all. I wanted
to add some more fun to them. Initially I
created a langoor for using it on collaterals,
which was a placeholder vector.
Animals on stepwell print

153
First draft
Details matter

154
Exploring more!
After the first draft, I thought what more can
we add to this? So I started making more
digital and hand drawn explorations. Also
tried to introduced new style.

155
I tried a new style for these animals, to draw
them with a single line. This was a new and
young style which complimented tha brand
Started with sketching on paper and after
getting a right, traced from the sketch.
Details matter

156
From sketches to digital.

157
From sketches to digital.
Details matter

158
exploring digitally-1

159
Details matter

160

161
Mashak icon
Also made the mashak’s icon into the final
style, the fish will be constant throughout
the language.
Final Mashak icon
Details matter

162
Final icon set

163
The finale
Primary colour pallete
Colour pallete
Identity
Looking at collaterals we made a minute
change in the identity, removed the line
between Mashak and PortsideCafe.
Secondary colour pallete
Details matter

164
Paper tags
mock up
11 cm
3.5 cm

165
Giftcard
9 cm
5.3 cm
8.5 cm
6.3 cm
Details matter

166
Carry bags
Cloth tags
5 cm
5 cm
7 cm
Measurememt
Large bag
50* 35* 15
Small bag
24* 30* 10

167
Wrapping paper
stickers
Details matter

168
MORE THAN PACKAGING

169
Next step (social media starategy)
Shooting
Setting social media templates

170
Next step
Next was to think about Mashak’s presence
on social media, as in today’s world that
is the medium to put out your brand to
everyone.
I came up with the social media startegy
of how the shoots could be done and what
other things can be added to compliment the
social media feed.

171
people on the go
A property that feature the Doers, the
personalities that resonate with Mashak.
Professionals from different fields breaking
out of the ordinary. This property will capture
them on the go as they create and explore
and carry their essentials with them as they
go along.
1) A Biker exploring the city after hours.
2) A seasoned trekker on an obstacle course
3) A Blogger curating a lifestyle.
4) A Dancer in rehearsal
5) A Photographer setting up a set
6) A Fashion designer shooting their line
More than packaging

172
Mashak on the go
Travelling to new places, going off the grid
and exploring the unknown inspires the
doers and brings new energy to what they
do and who they are. Here we can curate
a series of locations to which a Mashak
personality travels. These places are unusual
and unknown by the regular traveller.
This property will come to life with a
curation of things the Mashak traveller will
carry with them while travelling to these
locations. A Mashak accessory featuring in
each one.

173
Mashak stories and
poems
It is essential for Mashak like PortsideCafe
to have a verbal language as strong as its
visual language. We can create a series of
posts that are text based. Stories, everyday
musings, poetry- all of these can tie back to
the brand and its values.
More than packaging

174
Mashak everyday
This property captures Mashak as a party
of daily life and everyday conversation.
While Mashak steps out of the ordinary
we also want to position it to be relatable
and accessible. A series of posts based in
everyday locations could feature different
accessories in use.

175
More than packaging
mood shots
Mood shots will create a balance between
products and other content based posts to
add aesthetic beauty to the social media grid
1 Hues of blue inspired by the tarp bags and
the colour synonymous with water can be
captured in architecture and other visuals we
encounter everyday..
2-3 Patterns are a visual treat and we can
capture patterns that we see in our daily
lives.
4-6 Details in Cafe’s, murals and floor
graphics have strong visuals that could give
the social media grid a vibrant edge.

176
Shooting
Mashak sells an apron in their store as well,
which was available to me at that point. So I
did a little shoot with it in the given time.
Apron property
In this property we want to feature the
Mashak apron on doers in their natural
habitat. Here, we can show real life
enthusiasts from different fields following
their passions.
We can send out 5 aprons to 5 young
trending professionals like chefs, potter,
mural artist, artist (who require working with
aprons) from different fields packaged in the
tarp bag with a note.
To start with i did a shoot at barista, with the
apron from which they can plan other shoots
and the mood of the shoots.

177
After shooting for several times, me and my
team were satisfied with these shots, while
shooting I realised that we could make a
shot photostory with the apron, as you can
see in these images.
1
3
2
4

178
Other shots, which can be used as stand
alone posts.

179
Setting social media
templates
Last but not the least, I created social media
templates which can be used ahead for
image based and also text based.

180
And the last for text based property.

181
This can be extended on social media posts,
E-mailer, for images as well as text posts.
There is a distinguish feel in Mashak
and PortsideCafe visual style, but also
maintaining a level of sophistication which
connects Mashak to PortsideCafe.

182
Conclusion
I am very grateful that I got a chance to be a
part of a very interesting packaging project.
My job was not just limited to graphic design,
I was also involved in strategy for the project
from scratch as well. The project was a huge
learning experience in many aspects.
There were many takeaways. I understood
the working environment of a core branding
agency and how they function. I had worked
with an advertising agency previously and
this experience was totally different as I
started looking at design in different ways.
In this project, I learn how to work outside
laptop screen, to go out and learn about
materials and how they function. The process
from screen to sampling was very different
and learned alot from it. I learned how to
take packaging projects and how are they
different from other digital or publication
projects. In packaging the ergonomics of
a human is a crucial point and how you
incorporate that into the design.
Within my journey of four months, there
were a lot was a lot of learning experience,
not just as a designer but how to work
in a design environment. I learned that
communication of your thoughts is as
important as the design. Until you don’t
voice your opinion and communicate
through your design are as good as nothing.
To conclude it was an experience that added
more skills in every term and made me more
confident to take packaging projects in the
future. It gave me a taste of the real design
world and how the projects are worked on.

184
Biblography
Image refrences
https://portsidecafe.com/
https://ww www.kebur.co.uk w.instagram.
com/portsidecafe_furniture/
www.kebur.co.uk
https://www.derflex.com
ecofashiontalk.com
canvasetc.com
raasjodhpur.com
spinneybeck.com
britishpipeclamps.co.uk
theombustore.com
https://www.instagram.com/overrated_
outcast/
https://www.instagram.com/nainagahlaut/
https://www.instagram.com/runaway_
bicycle/
https://www.instagram.com/nicojournal/
https://www.instagram.com/spandanbhatt/
https://www.instagram.com/indiacircus/

Mashak: Packaging Design

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Mashak: Packaging Design