Branding a Children’s Literature Festival
Our association with Bookaroo, India’s first children’s literature festival, dates back to 2011 when we were commissioned to design festival collaterals. Since then we went on to design their main Delhi festival for four successive years and also seven regional festivals spread across five cities in India. Featured here are designs from 2014 and 2015.
Bookaroo 2015
The 2015 Delhi edition wanted to emphasise its four key formats that the festival events are categorised into: art and craft, storytelling, drama, and workshops. In the poster that acts as the primary announcement material, these were imagined as masks that the children are seen wearing. “Art and craft” imagines itself to be a colour palette dotted with vibrant colours and brushes to get started anytime, anywhere. “Storytelling” is a kahani tree, the legendary tree under which many a stories have been told. “Drama” is a tiger (Bengal was a highlight this year), who with his best friend, the monkey of Bookaroo, considers itself to be the best performer ever. And “workshops” is a tech-savvy screen that let’s its face do the talking, literally. Together these four ensure there’s never a dull moment at Bookaroo.
The four maskkids
They were everywhere. Even on banners 50 feet high, hanging from the rooftop of the Shankar’s Centre for Children building, extending a warm hug to all the little guests.
Poster
Here’s all the information you need should you decide to time travel back to November 2015 to attend talks, readings, doodling, performances or meet your favourite authors and illustrators.
Programme schedule booklet
Booklet pages were a further riot of colours, wherein different colours were used to denote varied age groups (programmes at Bookaroo are slotted in age brackets to cater to children from all ages and a few sessions are for all). But one thing that excites us the most is illustrating venue maps and this year was special considering that Bookaroo had temporarily shifted to a new venue.
Bookaroo at the venue
And on a cool November morning, the stage was all set for the literary carnival for the young ones to begin.
Bookaroo 2014
The 2014 edition was all about an undersea wonderland of books, that’s inhabited by a Mr. Octobook who is always busy reading eight books simultaneously, a pirate sea horse who can always be seen in its favourite dress: alphabet G, a newly discovered species of crab with five pairs of eyes on equal number of books and a pair of pencils to poke whoever is found not reading a book, an oyster that rewards its reader with a real pearl, and a horde of fish in different shapes, sizes and formations. Children can be seen going bonkers in this wonderland as they find it difficult to decide which is more exciting: staying on deck or swimming amongst the corals.
Poster
The poster is divided in two equal halves where bulk of the action happens underwater, which tells a story of children interacting with books in fun ways.
Programme schedule booklet
And the fun continues through the schedule booklet. Components from the poster are re-used on all pages to make each page a little different from the others. The spreads here show programme pages, venue map for way finding and a listing of participating speakers.
Programme schedule board at the venue
Schedule boards, sized 12x8 feet, had announcements supported on larger than life buoys to inform children of upcoming exciting adventures.
Stage backdrops
And from time to time the ship would come to dock, to refuel itself and to board new children for newer adventures. These designs were used as stage backdrops announcing the venue names (Kahani Tree in this case).
Bookaroo at the venue
And on a cool November morning, the venue was draped in colourful buntings and all set to receive young readers.
“The beauty of working with Tiffinbox’s three musketeers is the attention to detail that they bring to the table. You can hear the gears engaging as Rohit patiently gives shape to your rambling brief even as Sriparna cuts to the core of the issue. And when you hear the assenting Dwarka drawl, you can be sure that everything is going to be all right with the end result. Brainstorming meetings with them are fun outings for us. As producers of a children’s lit fest, we wouldn’t have liked it any other way.”
Bookaroo expresses their love for us :)