In the season of new beginnings, we’re delighted at Kerala Ayurveda to introduce our new branding. Since 2004 when our former brand identity was launched, our company has grown. We continue to create traditional Ayurvedic products in the tradition of our 75-year lineage, and have expanded our offerings with new lifestyle product options, organic foods, in-class training programs, online learning options, and a global vision for sharing Ayurveda.
In 2020, we embarked on a rebranding process, and the bar was raised in 2021 when Brand Consultant, Hannah with Writing Wit Creative Studios joined our project. What we are about to share is just the first step in many exciting new beginnings for the Kerala Ayurveda brand.
Reimagining the Kerala Ayurveda lotus
Our rebranding project began with reimagining the Kerala Ayurveda logo.
2004-2021 | 2022 |
Our former logo used a lotus flower as our motif, and this has not changed. Our new lotus is a minimal, more modern take on the original.
The lotus is a sacred symbol of transformation: a water plant who roots herself in the murky conditions in the sands of a pond’s base. She grows through the water and blossoms on the surface, always rooted in the mud. The journey of the lotus is akin to that of the human experience – through deep connectedness with nature and grounding within the physical realm, we can draw strength to raise our consciousness into higher planes. A symbol often associated with Yoga, the lotus is a perfect representation of both sister sciences, Ayurveda and Yoga, for together they completely address the needs of the human mind, body and spirit.
Vitalizing gold for harmony
The signature yellow and white lotus of the former Kerala Ayurveda logo depicted a flower native to Kerala. Rather than literally depicting these exact shades in our new logo, we took inspiration from them and adopted a new, gold-toned lotus. Yellow and gold are auspicious colors for many reasons in Kerala culture, especially for their association with the sun, Surya. Surya provides energy for life to thrive. During the lotus’ journey of transformation, the rays of Surya penetrate the pond’s water and provide nourishment for her to grow. Gold is also considered the most rejuvenating of all the metals and has benefits when worn on the skin. Gold metal represents Ojas, the vital life force within all beings. The energy of gold is nurturing, harmonizing and stabilizing.
Reclaiming and healing with Indigo
Earth tones of green and brown formerly rounded out the old Kerala palette. We wanted to head in a different direction and explore a new hue representing our lineage. Our designer, Odessa Cozzolino, guided us to Royal Indigo, whose history is poignant to our mission.
The English term for the color indigo is only a few hundred years old, though production of the rich blue and violet hues has been practiced for thousands of years in modern-day India. The English term can be traced back to Greek indikon, which literally means “blue dye from India”! The indigo dye is derived from the Indigofera plant genus, and used for coloring a variety of goods. It has been used throughout the globe — the oldest fabric dyed with indigo was found in Peru, dated 6,000 years old. Indigo dye is most notably tied to India for its superior quality in that region. Due to a complicated web of colonialism in Asia, Africa and the Americas, the dye skyrocketed in value and was produced through unethical techniques, including slavery. As a result of the suffering of local Indian farmers and their communities from these unfair practices, indigo fell out of favor in the region.
During a time when holistic practices are on the rise and the world is reawakening to ancient wisdom, we wish to reclaim the lineage of indigo. Ayurveda is a science of celebrating life through living harmoniously with nature. It is our mission to raise awareness of Ayurveda for global healing, and with that comes healing injustices we have endured, both past and present.
In addition to its coveted color, indigo also offers medicinal value. It is documented in the Vedas, the root texts of Ayurveda, as nīla, in the ancient Sanskrit language. Nīla is bitter and hot in potency, offering benefits for hair, abdominal and health, as well as imbalances related to Vata and Kapha Doshas.
As our CEO and Master Faculty teaches the students of the Kerala Ayurveda lineage:
We all come from Nature, and return to Nature. The time in-between this coming and going is known as life.
–Vaidya. Jayarajan Kodikannath
For every precious moment we are here on this beautiful planet, blessed with life, we have the opportunity to connect with our fellow creatures in meaningful ways. This is the wisdom of Ayurveda, and the innate intelligence within you. The power of connection is possible when we show up in our best, truest colors and form. We hope that our new brand aura helps you to better understand what we represent and connect with the inspiration of Kerala’s Ayurveda.
Namaste~
Sources
- Indigo – Etymology
- Indigo dye – Wikipedia
- Indigo: The Incredible Color that Ruled the World – NPR
- Bhavaprakasha – root Ayurvedic text