Mehfooz- Brand Identity Project Documentation

MEHFOOZ Helping Womanhood

Brand Identity Project Documentation

Padmaja Amin PG VC 3

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Don’t let me be just another statistic, help me fight for my own body against FGM

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Content

01. Design Brief...............................................................................................05 02. Information Collection...............................................................07 03. Case Study..................................................................................................10 04. Information Analysis.....................................................................15 05. Brand...................................................................................................................16 06. Logo Ideation..........................................................................................17 07. Visual Application.............................................................................23

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Phase 1

Abstract

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Design Brief

The Problem Statement: We were asked to list down attributes which would describe ourselves as an individiual. After that we were to select a single attribute and were to select a product/ service (either a hypothetical or an existing one) and to brand it from the beginning (for a hypothetical brand) or rebrand it ( for an existing one).

Project Brief: After listing down the attributes, I chose the attribute ‘helpful’. My brand is a hypothetical NGO which strives to fight against FGM (Female Genital Mutilation).

The purpose of selecting this was I came across the existence of this practice a year ago through articles. Being a woman and not knowing the existence of this atrocity felt alarming to me. With this, I would also like to educate as many people as possible which might help in putting a stop to this practice.

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Phase 2

Research

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Information Collection

What is FGM? Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting and female circumcision, is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. Typically carried out by a traditional circumciser or a midwife using a blade, FGM is conducted anywhere from days after birth to puberty and beyond.

They include removal of the clitoral hood and clitoral glans; removal of the inner labia; and removal of the inner and outer labia and closure of the vulva. In this last procedure, known as infibulation, a small hole is

left for the passage of urine and menstrual fluid; the vagina is opened for intercourse and opened further for childbirth.

The practice is rooted in gender inequality, attempts to control women’s sexuality, and ideas about purity, modesty and beauty. It is usually initiated and carried out by women, who see it as a source of honour and fear that failing to have their daughters and granddaughters cut will expose the girls to social exclusion.

FGM in India The cruel practice of female genital cutting or female genital mutilation (FGM) is not happening only in far away Africa. It’s not just being practised in tribal societies. Young girls aged six and seven from a particular community are regularly being cut right here, in India. Mumbai abounds with untrained midwives who continue to scar young girls from the Bohra community, a Shia sub sect.

For long, FGM or khatna as the Bohras call it remained a well-kept secret, a taboo, a subject never to be discussed.

The beliefs that the clitoral head is ‘unwanted skin’, that it is a ‘source of sin’ that will make them ‘stray’

out of their marriages are reasons that lie at the heart of a practice that predates Islam but thrives amongst Bohras.

Even if the community is considered to be educated, progressive and modern, there is no openness about the issue. The abuse leaves women physically, psychologically, sexually damaged and scarred for life.

Research shows 75% incidence of female genital mutilation in Bohra Muslim community, despite government claim there is no evidence of the practice.

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Type I

Type II

Type III

Clitoridectomy

Excision

Infibulation image courtesy: www.endfgm.eu

Types of FGM

image courtesy: www.indiatoday.in

A young Bohra girl undergoing FGM

image courtesy: www.inuth.com

Razor blade being used for FGM

image courtesy: www.indiafolk.com

Protests against FGM

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As a stage of research I carried out a survey related to FGM. ( 50 forms’ data )

Are you aware of the practice of FGM?

Do you know about any ngos working to fight against FGM?

Do you know anyone who has undergone this procedure?

Do you know about any place where this practice is carried out in India?

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What do you think can be done to prevent this by the government?

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Strict actions should be taken against this.

More awareness and removal of the social stigma.

A law criminalising all who are engaged in this brutality and protect those who complain.

Law enforcement should take steps against ones practicing this and doctors who take on such requests.

Strict laws should be made, more NGOs should be there to create awareness about it.

Awareness through any program or seminars, educate them about these matters, it’s effect and steps to prevent. And it should done by local people among them whom they can trust not from any outsider NGO, doctor or activist as it won’t make huge impact.

Apart from making judicial and legal amendments, schools should be asked to introduce a formal subject on sex sanitization and related myths for both parents and children.

Educate the society.

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How can you help in preventing this practice?

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Spreading awareness.

Educating people.

By reaching out to people about this problem and solutions as well.

Inform law enforcement about any such activities to my knowledge.

Volunteering at some NGO which fights against this.

What are your views on this practice?

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It should be abolished and strict rules should be enforced.

I had no idea about FGM. Getting to know about this make me feel cringy. For ages men have tried to suppress women and they still try to do that! Women deserve equal rights and respect. If one cannot do that, they better be off and far away from women instead of harming then in any possible manner.

I actually didn’t know about this and I am glad that atleast I know now what’s happening around and being a female I really want this to stop at any case Its inhuman and unfortunately those suffering any such mal practise are not even aware of their rights in most cases. But its not just a single isolated issue its part of a bigger propaganda run by some who are against female rights liberation and maybe gender equality.

Case Study

Sahiyo

Sahiyo began in 2015 as a conversation between five women who felt strongly about the ritual of female genital cutting (khatna) in the Bohra community. Their group includes a social worker, a researcher, two filmmakers and a journalist, and all of them had already been speaking out, in our own ways, against the practice of khatna. As the collaboration grew, the need for an organised, informed forum within the community that could help drive a movement to bring an end to khatna was realized. That is how Sahiyo, the organization, was born.

Sahiyo is dedicated to empowering Asian communities to end female genital cutting (FGC) and create positive social change. By working towards an FGC-free world, it aims to recognize and emphasize the values of consent and a child’s/woman’s right over her own body. The aim is to enable a culture in which female sexuality is not feared or suppressed but embraced as normal.

Community Outreach: Learning about Female Genital Cutting in the Dawoodi Bohra Community Female Genital Cutting and Social Change Incorporating Storytelling into Gender Based Violence Work Sensitively Reporting on Female Genital Cutting – Media Training There is also a petition signed by them: End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting by 2030: Invest in Research, and Support in Asia

Thaal Pe Charcha: Thaal Pe Charcha (TPC), which loosely translates as “having discussions while eating food”, is a flagship Sahiyo programme where Bohra women are brought together in a private, informal setting so that they can bond over food and discuss issues that affect their lives, like FGC.

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We Speak Out

Our Mission We will strive to work for equal rights for Bohra women in all spheres of life. Specifically, on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), we all agree that the practice has no place in our lives and want it banned.

We were all drawn together on this platform: Because we never spoke out earlier…

Because we were taught not to question matters of Religion, Tradition, Culture…

Because our sexuality, our emotions, our desires, our pains, our traumas do not seem to matter…

Because we should have control over our bodies, our sexuality, our lives...

Because we believe that we matter, we count and we make a difference…

Because we want change, we want an end to practices which are harmful to us…

Because we are humans and our human rights matter…

Because no one has any right to harm us, hurt us, cause us any pain, physical or psychological…

Because we believe we will, and we can, change the world…

The Speak Out Movement: On February 6, 2016 to coincide with the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, Speak Out on FGM, in collaboration with Sahiyo, began the Each One, Reach One campaign where women pledged to reach out to a friend or family member to talk about khatna. These talks prompted further discussions with more people, men and women, and the subject of khatna became a whisper campaign among Bohras.

On February 6, 2016 to coincide with the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, Speak Out on FGM, in collaboration with Sahiyo, began the Each One, Reach One campaign where women pledged to reach out to a friend or family member to talk about khatna. These talks prompted further discussions with more people, men and women, and the subject of khatna became a whisper campaign among Bohras.

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Phase 3 Information Analysis & Design Solution

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Information Analysis

Problems around this practice It is carried out in the name of religion.

Mothers are forced to do this to their daughters to avoid social exclusion.

Untrained midwives and unsterile tools causes a lot of health problems to the victims.

Too much secrecy around this practice prevents victims to stand up for themselves.

People not aware about this practice.

This practice is not yet considered as a criminal offense.

Fatal deaths because of this practice.

Complications in sexual health.

Qualities to be imbibed in the brand

Freedom

Voice

Hope

Fight

Vision

Care

Support

Liberation

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Brand

The brand is an NGO which strives to eradicate the practice of FGM in India.

There is a need to make people aware about this practice and the real dangers in carrying out this practice. The brand also vowes to remove the secrecy and the taboo around this topic. Another main task is to make the women speak up and spark a conversation. Another important task is to make FGM illegal and a punishable offence. As this procedure is carried out mainly with the willingness of the mothers, there is also a need to educate them about this matter and also to not cave into the society pressure. This NGO is the one which is willing to fight for all those suppressed rights and those which do not have their own voice. It will make a difference in the world.

Brand Name ideation Aawaaz

Fight against FGM

Parakrami

Keeping our daughters safe

Vibhuti

End the cut

Parwaah

End FGM

Mehfooz Khayal

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Tagline ideation

Final

Helping womanhood

Logo Ideation

The concept was to have a symbol which shows a sense of protection along with having a feminine touch. To also show something which was caring and even delicate.

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Inspiration from nature Coccon Flower bud Shells Bird nest pea pod

Selected Concept

Variations of the concept

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The concept here was to show protection, growth, transition into something new. The basic element here was a flower along with a feminine figure inside it.

Selected Concept

Iterations in ink

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Digital Iterations

Final Symbol

Typeface Selection

Mehfooz Mehfooz Mehfooz

Mehfooz Mehfooz Mehfooz

Mehfooz Mehfooz Mehfooz

The typeface was to be selected in such a way that it would have that feminine nature along with balancing with the weight of the symbol.

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Selected typeface

Mehfooz Arrangement of symbol and typeface

Mehfooz Mehfooz

Mehfooz

Selected Arrangement

Mehfooz

Final logo (bnw)

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Colour Selection

Final Logo

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Visual Application

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