British Airways High Life Magazine
British Airways celebrates 100 years of flying to India. To commemorate this special milestone, they commissioned a collection of six illustrations for their High Life magazine, spotlighting the country’s most unmissable attractions.
The collection focuses on key themes such as food and drink, sport, the vibrant city life, architecture, and nature, all while showcasing India’s joyful culture and incredible wonders. The designs use playful patterns and warm, inviting colours to bring these elements to life.
The article, written by Sachin Rao, highlights the 25 must-see sights of India. The illustrations are presented in the following order:
An Ode to Eternal Love, The Big City Lights, Goa's Artisanal Spirit, A bat, A ball, and a Religious Experience, Mumbai's Iconic Food Scene.
Sketch and Colour
The design process begins with hand-drawn sketches and concepts, which evolve into vector-coloured illustrations. Additional details are incorporated to bring life and intrigue to the designs. Colour is gradually layered, followed by shading and intricate detailing, to create a sense of depth, light, and vibrancy, making the designs truly stand out.
The aim was to create a collection that feels bright, colourful, and warm, capturing the essence of India’s vibrant and rich traditional culture. To achieve this, colour palettes were inspired by the researched places, along with elements such as food, markets, clothing, nature, and architecture. Each colour palette started with the colours from the Indian flag: saffron, white, and green, then expand them further to reflect the diversity and energy of the sights.
The style combines heritage and tradition with modern illustration influences. It focuses on preserving the essence of traditional craft and design while adding a contemporary twist to keep the illustrations fresh and relevant.
