In an attempt to understand the craft forms currently in decline around India, we visited the beautiful city of Firozabad to study the glass chandeliers found within this region.
Along with a comrade from the animation department, we arrived at the City of Glass and visited multiple craftsmen and factories within the urban localities to obtain first hand accounts of the problems that plagued them.
CATEGORY
BRANDING
ROLE
We conducted secondary research in order to understand the various issues that plagued this beautiful craft form and drafted a few preliminary questions that we could utilize to gain deeper insights from the artisans.
We then visited 4 locations which ranged from stores to factories and even the furnaces where the process of glass blowing occurred. Amongst the various craftsmen we visited, we received the most insight from the Samrat Glass Emporium.
the challenge
After the tour of the factory, we decided to sit down with Sunil Ji and understand the various problems which effect the craft.
1. Inadequate Furnace Technology
2. Lack of Awareness & Recognition
3. High Packing and Export Barriers
4. Unsafe Working Conditions
When thinking about what I could do to create a strong identity for Samrat Glass Emporium, I wanted the website to reflect the rich heritage and history of these chandeliers which inspired the colours for the website.
I wanted the customers to understand the journey behind these artisans and also create a way in which they could contribute towards change in a small way.
Following that line of thinking, I realised that I wanted people like me to also fall in love with this craft which led me to create a game which through which the history of the craft could be unravelled.
CONCLUSION
This project gave me my first experience of communicating with actual clients and understanding what I could do to impact real users.
There are many things I would do differently looking back at it in hindsight. Though, I will always remember this project as something close to me.