BANGALORE: When he first faced the world in 2006, he was a tiger ‘before’ makeover. His tummy stuck out in a cute little way, and his chests were not puffed up like that of the ones with royal lineage. Shera has come a long way from when he was first seen by the world at the closing ceremony of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Taking the shape of an athletic, able-bodied cute beast, convincingly living up to the title of the national animal of India and doing justice to the depleting tiger population of the country, Shera owes its gratitude to one company from Bangalore.
Idiom Design and Consulting, the Bangalore-based design firm that worked on Shera is popping champagnes, delighted by the way the Commonwealth mascot has taken shape. Says Sonia Manchanda, the principal designer of Idiom, “We can’t say that we created Shera. We only inherited him. All we did was smarted up Shera. We tucked in his stomach, gave him smart shorts and cool shoes.” She says that they puffed up his chests so that he would look inspiring. “We wanted to make him look cute, but at the same time, smart and inspirational. He had to be a mascot that would inspire the athletes,” she says.
The story started for Idiom when they won the competitive pitch for designing the logo for the Commonwealth Games in 2008. Apart from the logo, they have also designed the medals and the uniforms for the athletes. “We basically had to work on the entire look of the games. We also had to decide what elements went into the field of play. Field of play is what the camera records,” says Sonia.
The logo, says Sonia, is meant to reach out to the youth and inspire them. “The logo is simple, yet complex, playful, yet intense,” she says. The concept is inspired by the Indian flag and the 24 values represented by the 24 spokes of the Ashoka Chakra. “We used a spiral design instead of a circle, to say that it is about reaching higher. The logo is a call. It comes from a deep desire to shake up people and say, go further,” she notes.
elizabeth@expressbuzz.com
