Mala Kumar, author and global leader in the groundbreaking field of technology for social good, has completed her second novel, What it Meant to Survive. This modern and global love story follows its queer protagonists as they fight to navigate race, religion, class, and trauma, through the systems built to fight back.
The Studio was asked to design an illustrative book cover that captures the story of its two female protagonists, while speaking to the rich cultures from which they each come.
The love story of Ramya and Juliet weaves together their unique Nigerian and Indian cultures. The beauty of love—and of art—is in finding all the ways in which we are connected. Drawing from the vivid art and textiles of Nigerian and Indian cultures, the finished product seeks to pay homage to the shapes and design elements that are pervasive in both Indian and Nigerian art, without copying the cultural patterns directly.
Check out the design background process and initial concepts for What it Meant to Survive below!
