Sioul: Three Villas and a Multi-sensory Experience
A tranquil, riverside spot in the village of Siolim (Goa) will soon be home to three premium luxury villas and we were commissioned to visualise a unique brochure to help in starting a conversation with the future buyers of the villas. We had to build an experience. The brief was to create an interactive digital brochure to communicate the essence of Sioul, for life at Sioul cannot be captured in words, nor can it be limited to pamphlets. It had to be a game for the senses and a multi-sensory experience is what we focussed on.
The narrative was imagined as a journey through a single-page website that takes a user through content blocks of relevant information designed in a way that’s chic, modern, intelligent and immersive. Each block was given a unique treatment that would complement the aspect of Sioul being portrayed. So the ‘location’ section of the website flaunted a montage of the free-spirited heart of Goa, its historical churches and local bazaars, against an old postcard reminiscent of the region’s rich history. A hand drawn map, aided by an animation of the waves and a solitary fishing boat, along with sounds of seagulls evokes the charm of a coastal life and sets the mood for onward journey of discovering Sioul.
The name Sioul is a portmanteau of Siolim and Soul.
Sioul’s identity
Sol, Lua and Terra, the three villas are inspired by the unique trio of elements in our universe - sun, moon and earth - and are laid out to spatially reflect the space and energy of these celestial bodies. The point of departure for Sioul’s identity was the roof plan of the three villas. Shown through circles (representative of spheres), and colours that represent the natural material unique to each villa (Sol is encased in exposed brick, Lua is blue-grey slate, and Terra is stone), a thick arterial line flows through them all, connecting the waterbodies (swimming pools) and living rooms of the three villas. It is symbolic of the river that flows adjacent to the site and is one of the main draws of Sioul. A set of three, thinner lines, also inspired by the roof plan, further encapsulate characteristics of each of the celestial bodies - the sun plays out in the form of wind that blows on earth, the moon makes its presence felt through waves, and birds are a good metaphor for life on earth.
Sol, Lua and Terra together exist in a delicate ballet of harmony and balance — just like one cannot imagine the sun without the moon, warmth without coolness or earth without the sky. Even though each is dazzling and unique by itself, in concert, they are magic.
Welcome: wander down on a sioul-ful discovery
The website comes with restricted entry and only registered clients are given access credentials. The landing page is a looping video of palm trees swaying in the golden light of Goa’s winter clubbed with the sound of waves crashing on a beach. The video is letterboxed and the mattes move out as a user logs in. The visceral quality of the video sets up a strong appetite for things to come (if you have a password!).
Mood setter pages
A visual montage was created for each of the villas put together like a moodboard of photos, illustrations, evocative text, specific sounds, and drawings of the villas. The selection of components was based on the characteristics of each villa - Lua beguiles, it holds secrets and shelters mysteries; Terra is generous and humble, it gives and never asks for anything in return; Sol is fiery, assertive and will enfold you in its warm embrace. These moodboards were created to not only talk about the intangible characteristics of each villa but to also gently ask the buyer a question, “which space connects to them the most”.
The whole website was designed around the central element of a circle. As the user scrolls, new sections come and go while the central element remains fixed, never moving, thereby tying together the whole website to this element. The central circle from the logo’s symbol transforms to a circular stamp on the postcard, which changes to the moon, then earth, then sun and so on.
The journals
Each mood setter page also has a journal at the bottom that would slide in and open up when a user clicks on it. Idea was to create fictitious journals belonging to those that occupy these villas. Lua is all about black and white illustrations (pen and ink) and personal thoughts. Sol is more outgoing, capturing moments through photos, quotes, and bold and vibrant illustrations (gouache). Terra is grounded, losing oneself in the marvels of nature (watercolour). All pages come with sounds (night sounds and owl, flowing waters of the river, thunder, waves, the wind, birds, jazz and so on) that enhance the experience further. When the journal is settled at the bottom of the page, each also has a character specific bookmark, a black feather for Lua, a seashell for Sol and a flower-bud for Terra.
The heart of it
After taking a user through the intangibles, we come to the hard facts. What role does the wind play in the layout of the villas, what kind of windows have been used, what’s the ratio of public vs. private spaces; everything that inspired, influenced and motivated the design of the villas is broken down into three segments - considerations, culture and climate - and shown through minimalist infographics and illustrations.
The show stopper: Sioul Mood Dial
What does the garden look like on a rain-drenched evening? How does the light feel by the pool on a sparkling new morning? Go on… find out. The journey of discovering Sioul ends on a high: the Sioul Mood Dial. Inspired by the celestial bodies the design of the rotating dial has a cosmic feel to it. This is where the user can go through rich renders of the different spaces in the villas.
Select a villa and use arrows to navigate through high resolution renders aided with captions and blinking highlighters. The highlighters on being clicked reveal a key detail of the villa in the form of text.
We live by the sun, We feel by the moon,
We move by the stars,
We live in all things, All things live in us,
We eat from the earth, We drink from the rain,
We breathe of the air,
We live in all things, All things live in us.
- Stephanie Kaza