away x The Pipal Collective

away x The Pipal Collective

How we helped away introduce a new umbrella brand with a unique voice

How we helped away introduce a new umbrella brand with a unique voice

Brand Strategy

Social Media

Website

The Brief

The Brief

away is a new-age co-working space in Bangalore, created as an extension of the Kolkata based East India Works entity. With plans to scale to different cities, the founder was looking to establish a fresh umbrella brand - one that would carry its own voice, identity, and visual system with a subtle nod to it's origins. 

Our task: Shape this new brand from the ground up: name, narrative, look & feel across spaces, screens, and surfaces. The outcome? A 150+ page brand book.

away is a new-age co-working space in Bangalore, created as an extension of the Kolkata based East India Works entity. With plans to scale to different cities, the founder was looking to establish a fresh umbrella brand - one that would carry its own voice, identity, and visual system with a subtle nod to it's origins. 

Our task: Shape this new brand from the ground up: name, narrative, look & feel across spaces, screens, and surfaces. The outcome? A 150+ page brand book.

The Challenge

The Challenge

While East India Works had an established presence, away needed to stand on its own. The real challenge was to build a new identity on top of something existing - ensuring differentiation without dissonance. The project was as much about being a decision partner as much as it was about being a design partner. And that’s what made this project exciting. Through multiple workshops & discussions we waded through references, moodboards and spent a considerable amount of time developing more than 10 options for the logo. With opinions flowing in from family, friends, colleagues and strangers - the team stepped up to help reach a conclusion that felt convincing, and was the need of the hour given the pace of the project. 

While East India Works had an established presence, away needed to stand on its own. The real challenge was to build a new identity on top of something existing - ensuring differentiation without dissonance. The project was as much about being a decision partner as much as it was about being a design partner. And that’s what made this project exciting. Through multiple workshops & discussions we waded through references, moodboards and spent a considerable amount of time developing more than 10 options for the logo. With opinions flowing in from family, friends, colleagues and strangers - the team stepped up to help reach a conclusion that felt convincing, and was the need of the hour given the pace of the project. 

The Approach

The Approach

  • Naming & Narrative: It started with a list of options ranging from canopy to hub, and away was a part of it. The founder is a quirky personality, not the average corporate professionl and we wanted that to reflect in the name and the space.  We picked “away” to create a feeling of detachment from the ordinary, a mental and physical shift to a calmer, more inspiring workspace. Effectively away was “a soft rebellion against the chaos of work,” 


  • Visual Identity: A minimal, clean, font based logo where all the letters follow the same style and the “w” stands out, going “away” from the norm. The typography choices were also thought through with multiple rounds of discussions and samples created, till we were convinced on <X> and <Y>. 


  • Color Palette: We wanted to be bright and standout, and yet we needed to be professional. We were designing not just for a digital presence but also a physical space. The final choice of colour palettes reflects exactly that. With the orange as the hero ensuring we grab attention, and the teal to be a suitable secondary colour practical for walls & steel fittings.. Accent colors added versatility without overwhelming the base identity.

  • Naming & Narrative: It started with a list of options ranging from canopy to hub, and away was a part of it. The founder is a quirky personality, not the average corporate professionl and we wanted that to reflect in the name and the space.  We picked “away” to create a feeling of detachment from the ordinary, a mental and physical shift to a calmer, more inspiring workspace. Effectively away was “a soft rebellion against the chaos of work,” 


  • Visual Identity: A minimal, clean, font based logo where all the letters follow the same style and the “w” stands out, going “away” from the norm. The typography choices were also thought through with multiple rounds of discussions and samples created, till we were convinced on <X> and <Y>. 


  • Color Palette: We wanted to be bright and standout, and yet we needed to be professional. We were designing not just for a digital presence but also a physical space. The final choice of colour palettes reflects exactly that. With the orange as the hero ensuring we grab attention, and the teal to be a suitable secondary colour practical for walls & steel fittings.. Accent colors added versatility without overwhelming the base identity.

  • Brand Mockups: Now this is where things got super fun. To demonstrate the applications of the brand identity we created mock-ups for every possible marketing asset - ranging from social media templates, to walls and elevator/washroom signages, merchandise like tote bags or t-shirts and even an onboarding kit. Each piece had specific content suitable for that asset, and design that  helped visualize the brand not just as a concept, but as a lived space.

  • Brand Mockups: Now this is where things got super fun. To demonstrate the applications of the brand identity we created mock-ups for every possible marketing asset - ranging from social media templates, to walls and elevator/washroom signages, merchandise like tote bags or t-shirts and even an onboarding kit. Each piece had specific content suitable for that asset, and design that  helped visualize the brand not just as a concept, but as a lived space.

  • Illustration Style: A full section was dedicated to 10 custom illustrations that reflect away being a brand where it’s about work and play. Someone balancing a coffee mug on a stack of papers, doing yoga while attending a work call or late night meetings with scattered pizza boxes - the illustrations reflect everyday co-working moments and were then adapted onto brand assets. 

  • Illustration Style: A full section was dedicated to 10 custom illustrations that reflect away being a brand where it’s about work and play. Someone balancing a coffee mug on a stack of papers, doing yoga while attending a work call or late night meetings with scattered pizza boxes - the illustrations reflect everyday co-working moments and were then adapted onto brand assets. 

The Outcome

The Outcome

Design Collaboration: We worked closely with graphic designer Soumya Kalapa, whose design sensibilities played a crucial role in translating ideas into visuals. And a shoutout to Anjitha KV for absolutely hitting the brief on illustrations.

Design Collaboration: We worked closely with graphic designer Soumya Kalapa, whose design sensibilities played a crucial role in translating ideas into visuals. And a shoutout to Anjitha KV for absolutely hitting the brief on illustrations.

What’s Next?

What’s Next?

With the brand foundation firmly in place, away is now gearing up to bring its physical space to life. With a website in the works and interiors getting built, the brand is in process to launch officially, and we’re excited to see this identity take shape in the real world.

With the brand foundation firmly in place, away is now gearing up to bring its physical space to life. With a website in the works and interiors getting built, the brand is in process to launch officially, and we’re excited to see this identity take shape in the real world.

Let's bring your vision to life.

© Priyanshi Poddar 2024

Let's bring your vision to life.

© Priyanshi Poddar 2024

Let's bring your vision to life.

© Priyanshi Poddar 2024