In August 2024, I worked with the team of UMPC in India to develop the branding strategy for their handicraft products under the Sarayan brand.

For me, understanding the people behind a brand is just as important as understanding the products themselves. As part of the process, I visited one of the villages and spent time with the women producing the products, learning more about their daily lives, their businesses and the environment they were working in. I also photographed them and their surroundings, creating an authentic visual record of the people and context behind Sarayan. Some of these images later became part of the brand book itself.

The personal stories of some of the women made it even more worth investing time and energy in the brand. Their personal journeys also show what economic independence can mean. From having no stable source of income and an uncertain future, to building their own livelinghood, becoming an agri-entrepreneur and part of UMPC.

Together with the team, I worked on defining what Sarayan brand should stand for and how its visual identity could communicate both the quality of the products and the strength of the organisation and women behind it. The personal aspect also was captured in the brand concept. With a small note attached to every product, telling something about the women that made it.