Shreya Arora
Google:
International Mother Language Day
How do you advertise a product as iconic as Google Translate on International Mother Language Day?
You don't.
Instead of highlighting technical features, we decided to focus on the 'untranslatable' words in regional Indian languages - the ones that can't be fully expressed in any other language.
RESULTS:
627k conversations generated online,
up from ~14k in 2023
99% positive sentiment recorded online
12 illustrations for 12 Indian languages, executed in 5 days
DESIGN DECISIONS:
We chose 12 unique words with a heavy dose of emotion and cultural significance, like the Telugu word "haayi" or the Punjabi word "gedi" among others. We got their regional scripts using Gboard and illustrated their meanings within the letters, making this an exercise in visual thinking. To make sure that the characters etched are not seen as caricatures, they weren’t skewed towards any particular skin colour, age or gender. This helped us celebrate cultural nuances, instead of appropriating them.
STEP 1: HOW IT STARTED




STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP 4: HOW IT ENDED
Even though this was a very illustration heavy project, the execution was completed over a period of five days, with some artworks going through 5-7 rounds of client feedback. I had the rare opportunity to art direct and illustrate a commercial project of this scale by myself, and with my love for typography and vectors, I could not have enjoyed the process more.


Marathi: Jhanjhanita
Spicy, piquant, usually used to describe food
Kannada: Impu
Melodious, sweet

Tamil: Mokkai
A dad joke, something lame that falls flat

Telugu: Haayi
Peace, contentment

Punjabi: Gedi
A leisurely stroll or drive.

Hindi: Rimjhim
The soft pitter-patter of raindrops.

Bengali: Adda
A long chat with friends, usually over tea

Odia: Dhain Kiri Kiri
To rush, go super fast

Gujarati: Fudardi
A game where two people hold hands and spin as fast as they can

Urdu: Khairiyat
Both a question and answer, that asks as well as means well-being


Assamese: Saaliya
Awesome, amazing, kick-ass
Malayalam: Adipoli
Also awesome, amazing, kick-ass. (I probably wasn't supposed to have favourites, but this totally was mine)
Team:
Copy: Leena Gupta, Malvika Thirani | Account: Abhishek | Art: Shreya Arora | Creative Direction: Binaifer Dulani