My Approach To Design Is A Combination Of My Cultural Roots And Minimalism: Arani Halder

Infusing creativity with store layout is not a novel concept but many retailers have failed to create the desired impact, primarily because a retailer is seldom creative and, mostly, are insistent on replicating similar ideas that have been successful with other retailers, negotiating highly on creating their own distinct brand identity, then there are entrepreneurs who trust their designers to build them a legacy. 

‘While the vision to create and establish a new impactful brand is similar with nearly all entrepreneurs, the appetite to accept a novel design and ideas is lacked by many who steadily rely on the old tried and tested formula’ informs Arani Halder, a New York based Visual Designer and Illustrator who has designed the entire communications collateral and store designs for Jalongi.com, a Fish & Seafood supply chain startup. 

Arani Halder, an alumni of the Parsons School of Design, takes us through the journey of designing Jalongi.com, both the app and the stores and on winning the 2022 Digital Design Award from Graphic Design USA (GDUSA).

1. How did you translate the brief into design?
Matching vision and expectations is not an easy job, and the thought is to surpass client expectations. For a Fish & Seafood business that sources and delivers Pan India, the design had to connect uniformly across the various ethnicities seamlessly and create a brand identity that is easily identifiable, fresh, trustworthy and reliable. 

For it to be standard and recognisable across online and offline users, the illustrations are meant to be relatable for the two range of audiences with an attempt to deliver the brand message, that is, “We deliver fresh fish in the comfort of your own home”.

The use of fresh, vibrant colours and playful visuals were used effectively to reflect Jalongi.com’s streamlined process without losing touch with their core product.

The logo was designed to be minimal but recognizable. It is meant to sum up the fresh and modern nature of the brand without taking away from the visuals of the product.

2. What was the thought behind the store visuals and design?
It is the customer experience that is of prime importance. For a new customer, is it a store exploration and detailing of every aspect, like ambience and product placements, plays an important role in his/her journey. 

In case of Jalongi.com, the visual styling was defined to the efficiency with which a customer can find the products that he/she needs and, feel comfortable during the buying process and, at the same time, get information about the range of the products that are presently available at the store. 

The aim was to build a visually appealing format that if effective and informative. 

To improve upon the experience, we brought simplicity into the process and effectively used our space for positioning & promoting exclusive products in the store. 

We used the brand colours across the entire buyer experience from external layouts, store layout, product visuals and employee dressing to bring in brand uniformity and recall. 

3. Your work was selected and displayed at the NYC Artwalk’s exhibition?
It was a great experience to be able to display my work on the screens of Time Square as a part of NYC Artwalk’s exhibition. With such a large and accessible platform, my work was placed directly in the public eye and it encouraged a much larger volume of engagement and discourse.

Public art activates the imagination and encourages people to perceive and pay closer attention to the environment they inhabit. I hope that my work being displayed inspires people to think about art and society, about their interconnectivity, and about the social sphere as a whole.

4. You have been the recipient of the 2022 Digital Design Award from Graphic Design USA (GDUSA)
It has truly been an honour to receive a 2022 GDUSA Digital Design Award. Graphic Design USA is a very prestigious organisation that has given me and my work a platform alongside several other talented organisations and designers.

Recognition within the design industry is often driven by digital representation, physical representation and awards. Awards have become a representation of the innovation and transformation present in the industry. After receiving such national recognition for my work, I hope to influence more designers and audiences in the importance of linguistic and social design.   

5. What is your approach towards design?
I am most interested in the intersection of design, society and culture. My approach to design is a combination of my cultural roots, which one can see by the hint of patterns in my work; and minimalism, which I picked up during my time at Parsons. I like creating products and experiences that are motivated by language, culture and current events through mediums that are a combination of design and fine arts.

I create design that straddles the line between abstract, conceptual and still accessible; and are able to inspire and motivate people who experience it.