Khussa & Co

Khussa & Co approached me to design their new venture into the Pakistani handmade shoes industry. What attracted them to my work was the high use of colour found in my work and the consistency in the palette used. The offering to begin with for them was to sell khussa at an affordable price compared to their competition. The second aspect of the business was to highlight the culture found in Pakistan with regards to khussa, but also in a broader scale.

The inspiration for this was found in Pakistani Jingle Trucks that were highly decorated with over-the-top designs. Topics found on the trucks were vast in range as they not only served decorative purposes but also were informative and educational. Examples of what would be displayed included calligraphy, flowers, poets, army generals, angels, singers, political figures and animals. Messages found on them could relate to that of the education system in Pakistan, end to slavery, and messages to political leaders (such as a tackle to poverty, cold marriage, child labour, and domestic violence).

When in the conceptual stage, I found that the three concepts did not differentiate enough, therefore I opted to combine them into one brand. One key design choice was the difference in the two S’s found in ‘Khussa’. As mentioned above, animals were displayed on jingle trucks, and one common animal was the peacock. The second S is a reflection of that in which its head and tails are modified to resemble it. The second S is also the central letter found in the full brand name, which meant it was in the centre of the alternate boxed logo.

The last piece of the brand was to figure out how to teach Pakistani culture throughout the brand beyond Instagram captions. As an additional offering, I illustrated 3 pieces in the painterly jungle truck style. All three were expansions of the brands colour palette, and had specific Pakistani themes. These illustrations could then be used throughout the brands aesthetic to display exuberant design throughout the brand.