Client: Nature Conservation Foundation, Bangalore
Role: Web Comic Designer
Design Synopsis: Research, Layout & Design, Illustration, Bilingual Typography
Role: Web Comic Designer
Design Synopsis: Research, Layout & Design, Illustration, Bilingual Typography
Background: Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) is dedicated to increasing public awareness about the depleting coral reefs in the Lakshadweep archipelago due to climate change and human impact.
Melem Keezhem is a web comic that talks about the lives of Akbar, a fisherman and Ameena, a longnose butterflyfish, both of whom depend on a healthy reef ecosystem. Melem Keezhem is 'Above and Below' in Malayalam, the dominant language of the Lakshadweep Islands. The comic is a bilingual project in English and Malayalam, to promote it locally and globally.
The comic covers Lakshadweep's history, culture and ecology in the past and present in order to understand the patterns that can paint a picture of the future.
Bright, vivid colours are used in the comic to illustrate the biodiversity and lushness of the islands.
Each panel is drawn from Ameena or Akbar's perspective, capturing scenes from their lives, with the hope that it will tell the story of their dependence on Lakshadweep and the need to preserve these fragile ecosystems.
Content & Research by Kevin George and Somesh Menon