Indian folk art inspires Commonwealth Games pictograms

Bangalore-based design agency, Idiom, has created the logo, pictograms and mascot for this year's 19th Commonwealth Games which will take place in Delhi. The pictograms are, explains principal designer on the project Sonia Manchada, a blend of the pictograms designed by Otl Aicher for the 1972 Munich Olympic games – and Sanjhi, a form of Indian folk art...


Sanjhi (example shown above) is a traditional form of artwork created by paper-cutting stencils which are (and have been for centuries) used to decorate palaces and temples for celebrations. "The word Sanjhi is derived from 'sanjaa', meaning 'dressing up/beautifying' - says Manchada. "The pictograms will dress up Delhi and get the capital ready for the Commonwealth Games."



Here are more of the pictograms Idiom has created for the Games:


Unlike the complicated tendering processes in place which encourages a multitude of design agencies to apply to design various aspects of the communication collateral for London's forthcoming 2012 Olympic Games - Idiom has been charged with creating the entire "look and feel" of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Here's what the logo the agency created for the games looks like:


The logo is inspired by the 24-spoked wheel or 'chakra' that sits in the centre of the Indian national flag. "The chakra has been freed up, energised," explains Manchada of the approach to the logo's design. "The collective energy of our people will ensure that we don't just keep plodding along, but that we rise up!"


And, as well as the serious design of pictograms and a logo, Idiom has designed a jolly looking Mascot called Shera - who represents the great Indian tiger: