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Ahimsa is an ambitious brand; it aims to convey luxury while remaining grounded and deeply philosophical. It redefines luxury as beauty in the reverence for the here and now.
It began as a passion for wire-wrapping that grew into a craft of making fine jewelry. As the price point changed, it became apparent that the brand experience would need to evolve as well. After the closing of the previous store and brand name followed by a 4 year hiatus, it was an appropriate time to re-brand.
Craft a brand for an ethical line of fine handmade jewelry. Identify the ideal target market and distill the core brand values neatly into a consistent visual style.
A brand that is positioned well for its craftsmanship and price point.
Brand Identity Design
Jewelry Packaging Design
Product Photography
Ahimsa is a line of handmade fine jewelry, featuring gemstones wrapped in precious metals. The price point and style of the jewelry make it best positioned as a luxury brand.
Conceptually, Ahimsa is a sanskrit term essentially meaning universal love, compassion, and non-violence toward every living thing. In the application of this concept, art is an instrument for inner peace, generating healing and beauty in the outer world. As an artisan jewelry business, Ahimsa embodies this concept in the ethical sourcing of materials, to ensure the fair treatment of all persons along the supply chain.
Aesthetically, it aims to convey the timeless sacredness of the here and now. The illumination present in the packaging and design is inspired by Persian-Islamic tazhib art, a visual expression of spiritual reverence. By ornamenting the brand in a similar way, Ahimsa invites the wearer to connect with the inner temple: the union of body, spirit, and mind.
More than one Brand Discovery session had to be conducted for Ahimsa to achieve clarity on the desired direction. A synthesis of the two revealed the core pillars of the brand and an aesthetic that mirrors the architectural beauty of holy temples. These six brand attributes summarize the personality of the brand, how it should look, sound, and behave.
There are two main user profiles for Ahimsa, describing each user’s relevant interests and values. This excercise is important, because the consumers of today want to know that they are investing in a brand that aligns with their values. Messaging that addresses these values is the gateway to making a genuine connection from brand to user.
Both of these users have distinct values and reasons for spending the way they do, it will be important to keep these individuals in mind during the creation of a website experience, and in the campaigns used to reach them.
This color palette is deeply inspired by temples and desert landscapes, aiming towards the attributes “grounded, sacred, and refined.”
Jewelry itself represents many things, such as adornment, intimacy, commitment, memorializing an event, and carrying on a legacy. Red felt appropriate for expressing all of these, as well as a sense of “royalty,” or more accurately, the essence of inherent sovereignty within all human beings.
This single hue influenced the rest of the palette, complimented by deep purples and softened with nude tones. One might imagine the remnants of an evening glow over white sand dunes, and sandstone carved temples.
Major influences include Islamic architecture and art styles, fine Indian textiles, and luxury brands of today.
Choosing textures conveys an “environment” that this brand could take place in, for example, the fabrics and decorative elements imply a fine quality of life.
The graphic mark for Ahimsa was conceptualized as a lotus flower, but also as a sacred flame of consciousness. It was essentially complete upon the first sketch, and then balanced and made symmetrical when digitized. The final typeface needed to be refined and somewhat geometric, inspired by the classic typefaces used in luxury brands.
From the stylescape:
“The world of Ahimsa resides in the crown jewel of the Bodhisattva, a world of peace and serenity.
It is the idealized state of abundance and creativity, free from constraints of physical limitation and emanating from the choice of compassion. It is a version of a Renaissance, wherein lies the boundless potential of souls in their creative, collaborative state. All are free in the generative light of expression; all is beautiful by nature of the creators’ intention.
Ahimsa is manifest in the action of art and laughter, when souls are united in mutual prosperity and celebration of the divine mirror of non-identity.”
