Kerala Blog Express

Project Overview

Kerala Tourism launched Kerala Blog Express - an annual familiarization journey in which selected international travel bloggers traverse Kerala aboard a custom branded bus. The goal was to generate tourism interest, digital stories, and social media buzz by giving influencers an immersive travel experience.

Stark Communications engaged me to design the campaign, brand identity, and digital marketing assets. I led art direction and overall creative for the brand experience and campaign.

Challenges & Objectives

• Create a fresh, vibrant visual identity for a brand-new campaign (“Blog Express”) that aligns with Kerala's cultural and scenic richness

• Develop design systems and branding that didn't previously exist

• Launch a compelling campaign to attract participation and build anticipation

• Leverage emerging social media marketing (in 2014) to maximize reach and engagement

• Ensure the campaign visuals, identity, and digital presence felt cohesive, adventurous, and shareable

My Role & Approach

As Project Lead (Art Direction & Creative), I was responsible for shaping the visual identity, design systems, and campaign execution. I coordinated with the Stark Communications team, managed design production, and oversaw the digital marketing rollout.

Key tasks:

• Developed the identity system - logo, color palette, typography, and brand style

• Applied the identity across digital assets, campaign visuals, promotional collateral, and the branded bus

• Led the social media and digital marketing campaign strategy to build buzz, awareness, and participation

• Designed for a flat design aesthetic (then trending) to give the campaign a modern, clean look

• Ensured visual consistency across touchpoints: bus livery, social, print, web

Key Deliverables & Workstreams

Brand Identity & Design System

• Created a brand identity that captured the adventurous, vibrant spirit of a journey across Kerala

• Built the design system from scratch, which became the foundation for all subsequent campaign assets

• Developed visual language elements (icons, motif, layout grids) that could scale across media

Campaign Visuals & Bus Branding

• Designed the branded bus exterior (livery), making it a moving visual icon for the campaign

• Produced campaign collateral - posters, banners, digital visuals, and touchpoint branding

• Ensured that every visual element aligned with the brand voice, heritage, and travel narrative

Digital Marketing & Social Campaign

• Led the digital campaign to promote the Kerala Blog Express - leveraging social media as a core channel (still nascent then)

• Devised content strategy, visual campaigns, and outreach efforts to attract blogger participation

• Coordinated with social/digital teams to roll out campaign visuals, teasers, and engagement activations

Impact & Recognition

• The campaign won the ABBY Award (akin to “Oscar” of Indian advertising) in the Social Media (Outreach) category

• Successfully built a brand identity and campaign framework from zero, which enabled Kerala Blog Express to gain global attention

• Helped Kerala Tourism reach international travel bloggers and drive content-rich storytelling across social platforms

• Elevated Kerala's image through a modern, vibrant visual campaign supporting tourism promotion

My time working on Kerala Blog Express demonstrated how to build a compelling brand from the ground up - fusing strategy, visual identity, and digital storytelling to launch something fresh, visible, and meaningful. Every campaign visual, bus branding, and digital interaction was created to amplify Kerala's charm through a modern, cohesive brand experience.