Navadvip

The Navadvip project is a charity initiative that brought us both immense joy and unique design challenges. The website is dedicated to the pilgrimage route across the nine sacred islands of Navadvip — a path first formalized over a century ago and still traversed by pilgrims from around the world today. Some of the holy sites along this route date back 500 years, while others trace their origins to millions of years ago.

Our challenge was translating this centuries - old pilgrimage into a digital format, making it accessible to a global audience while preserving its historical and spiritual depth. The site needed to serve two types of users:

• ➜ Remote seekers — those far from India who want to immerse themselves in the sacred atmosphere of Navadvip from a distance.
• ➜ On-site pilgrims — those physically on the journey who need quick, clear access to information about each location.
• ➜ With over 30 pilgrimage sites to document, our task was to create a seamless experience where visitors could explore detailed descriptions, view immersive galleries, and navigate effortlessly through the sacred geography of Navadvip.

As we explored the book’s themes, we realized that its core message — the paradox of modern architecture and the depersonalization of cities — had to be at the heart of our design approach.

The first element that emerged was the cover, featuring a radically simplified, almost generic house icon. A faceless, characterless form. This stark symbol became the foundation of the entire visual identity.

We then incorporated sketches drawn by the author, reducing them to their most primitive shapes — bland, monotonous structures that fail to integrate with their surroundings. These forms mirror the shopping malls, gas stations, and pharmacies that dominate contemporary urban landscapes, struggling to find their place.

This book left a profound impression on us. It made us reflect on the direction humanity is heading—not just in architecture but across industries. It reinforced our own mission: to create design that is distinctive, meaningful, and alive—beyond trends, beyond standardization.