waniyah farah - City Branding

Challenge

The brief asked to select a country of personal significance and develop a full branding system for it.
I chose Pakistan and focused on the city of Karachi, where I grew up. Despite its diversity and cultural richness, Karachi lacks a cohesive and contemporary brand identity. The challenge was to create a visual and verbal system that unifies its many layers while celebrating its energy and resilience.

Goal

The goal was to design a modern identity that reflects Karachi’s coastal character, cultural diversity and vibrant spirit. This included developing a brand story, personality and tone of voice, followed by a complete visual system with logo design, colour palette, typography, iconography and sub-branding. The aim was to blend heritage with modernity for citizens, visitors and investors.

Outcome

I developed a brand positioning Karachi as “The City of Flavour”, capturing its diversity, warmth and creative spirit. The final outcome included a cohesive visual identity supported by brand guidelines, promotional applications and mock-ups demonstrating how the system extends across tourism, culture and civic platforms. The brand invites both locals and global audiences to experience Karachi in a fresh, contemporary way.

The City of Flavour” reflects Karachi’s rich cultural, culinary and social identity, making the brand feel warm,
vibrant and globally relevant.

The vision and values guided the brand identity, ensuring it was authentic, resilient and future-facing.

Tailored messaging for citizens, visitors and investors ensures the brand resonates with each audience while
maintaining a unified voice.

The primary logo combines cultural motifs and coastal waves with the strapline ‘The City of Flavour.’ The quotation marks mimic rising steam, symbolising Karachi’s vibrant culinary culture, warmth and hospitality.

The secondary logo is a simplified ‘K,’ designed for compact applications such as social media, merchandise and icons. It retains the cultural patterns and wave motif, ensuring brand recognition even at small scales.

Tailored sub-brands were developed for Citizens, Visitors and Investors, each using bespoke icons and messaging while maintaining a unified identity.

The palette reflects Karachi’s diversity, bold primaries inspired by food and culture, supporting tones drawn from heritage, nature and the sea.

Real-world mockups showcasing how the Karachi brand identity translates across urban environments and public spaces.