MALAYALAM PROJECT @ Viakerala Design Shop

MALAYALAM PROJECT is our favourite new pastime. As designers working in the medium of malayalam (language / letterform / landscape) this is an exhibit thats worthy of our time and research. It will show during the Kochi Muziris Beinnale 2014 - 2015 at the new Viakerala Design Shop Space at 292 B, Lily Street, Fort Kochi.

Come and visit!

#viakerala #shopviakerala #malayalam #typography #malayalamprojec

Whether weathered or simply local?

The weathered textures of hand painted walls are but humble submissions to the gods of this country, who run their democracy with rain. Drawing inspiration from local graffiti, fused with in-vogue design and cuts, is born a sturdy-canvas bag thats ready to travel any weather, any distance.

This limited edition canvas bag makes for a perfect 'namaskaram' to the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, starting tomorrow. 100% cotton canvas bag silk screened with authentic, rugged, picked-off the-street local malayalam lettering in sun bleached earthy colors. 

To make a purchase, call our Kochi studio outlet 0484 4012392, or drop in anytime between 9:30 am - 5: 30 pm. We're located at #102, canal road, girinagar, cochin-20.

Loopy Letter Love

Read it, turn it, flip it, or even hang it upside down, a Malayalam letter is going to intrigue the reader. It does not matter if you can read Malayalam text or are lost in its curves and loops, it would still make sense with its asymmetrical balance. 

Dipped in colours that invariably catch the eye; the deep blue sky and the lush green, the tiled roof's red and the sun bathed ochre. 

The Malayalam letters are the simplest memoir of a complex Kerala. 

These letter forms are available in two different thicknesses. Check them out in person at the studio outlet; #102, Canal Road, Girinagar, Cochin. Or call us at 0484 4012392, any time between 10 am and 5 pm.

A girl called India

Last summer, India Menninghaus spent a few months doing research and typography design at Viakerala. Heres an excerpt from her writings about working with the malayalam alphabet:

'Listening to Malayalam is exactly the same as trying to decipher the signs around the city: strings of dips and swirls that all blend together. The language is beautiful, and looks as friendly as it sounds with geometric curves & elaborate letter forms that loop back onto themselves. The spoken tongue seems to be peppered with an occasional English word, but never quite enough for me to understand the context of the conversation. After finally getting my hands on a copy of ‘Learn Malayalam in 30 Days’ I worked to twist my tongue into the unfamiliar sounds. It is not a concise language by any means, which I learned as I practiced the translation of 
“what’s up?”= enthe okke unde visheshangal 

During my time here, I worked on a typeface design inspired by the malayalam letterform, which turned out modern with a slight ornamental flavor of the local script.' - India Menninghaus

Twisting Type, Twisting Tongue

A beautifully curly script, Malayalam’s loopy curves co-incidentally symbolise the movements the tongue makes during pronunciation, and some characters are ever so hard for a non-native to pronounce. In some instances Malayalam takes your tongue to places it’s never been before! 

 

 At Viakerala, we have been researching on local hand-painted signs, and working on typographic designs that explore the Malayalam script and language, in a bid to bring fresh and exciting Malayalam-based typography and design to the attention of travelers and local young ‘mallus’ who may have moved to foreign tongues. 

Photographs & text by Leyla Temiz.

If you have some crazy cool malayalam typography that you dont mind sharing, drop us a note here, or email us. design@viakerala.com

An experiment in typography

 The malayalam letterform is symbolic of the character of Kerala and its people; the rounded curves resonate the sound of the spoken language. The viaKerala letterform is an experiment that combines vernacular street signage with a modern futura; a typographic tribute to malayalam.