ALIGNMENT GUIDANCE
A doctor of medicine and philosophy set out to create her own business. Kölam is what ensued. Here’s the story of how it came together.
Behind the Brand
Priya Sury is an emergency medicine doctor, medical educator and Rhodes Scholar who studied theology at Oxford University.
After over a decade of advocating for diverse patients in the midwest, she saw the need for a service that caters to the whole person. While holistic medicine assembles a diverse care team to improve a patient’s whole body health, there wasn’t a service that could help people find alignment in every sphere of their life: career, family, self-esteem, expression, health and spirituality.
Drawing from her knowledge of Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, as well as her degree in medicine, Priya wanted to provide exactly this service. She knew her ambitions, but then began the hard work of figuring out how to position this incredibly unique service. In partnership with designer Joe Walkling, we set out to build her brand.
Positioning & Naming
We started with a deep discovery process wherein we examined Priya’s personal and professional ambitions, associations, inspirations and memories. We also looked at adjacent categories, from life coaching to career counseling to define the conventions of each. We explored possible category descriptions, and landed on the idea of alignment guidance. We also found inspiration for the company name in the emotion conjured by backyard pools in India.
Kölam
Kolam is a type of pool in the courtyard of homes in Kerala, surrounded by trees, connected to and fed by surrounding natural springs. Kolam acts as a space that connects the safety of the home with the organic nature of the outdoors. It is an oasis for all creatures. It is an inspiration. It also connects to the sound of the word "column,” which denotes longevity. Together, these meanings create a tension between the organic and fluid, and the structured and reliable.
Central Metaphor
Molecular Transformation
To build her brand, we took inspiration from the concept of mycelium, a network of fungal threads that is invisible to the eye. It does the important work of breaking down toxic waste and turning it into something new, organic and vital. This idea, paired with the brand’s core tension, became central to Kölam’s visual identity.
Core Tension
Rigidity
The structure of a column nods to strength and reliability.
Fluidity
The ripple effect of a pool speaks to constant change, flexibility and adaptability.
BRAND DESCRIPTION
Kolam is an alignment guidance service founded by Priya Sury MD, DPhil who combines her expertise in Western medicine, anthropology, yoga, and theology to help individuals find health through balance and alignment in their lives.
Through Kolam, Priya offers a unique approach to holistic personal and professional discernment, guiding clients toward a more integrated and purposeful existence. Her work draws from in-depth training in diverse pools of knowledge to bring the best of various systems in an integrated and cohesive way to improve your life. Her work bridges the gap between structured and fluid, helping clients connect their goals with the best paths to achieve them
Traits
Refined
Sensory
Rich
Focused
Intriguing
Intuitive
Imaginative
Tone
Insightful
Curious
Organized
Inspiring
Universal
Observant
Brand Identity & Visual Design
The culmination of our work with Kölam was a brief to guide the brand identity work conducted by Joe Walkling.
Joe masterfully translated the core idea into custom-made, analog imagery capturing the interplay between light and water. The effect was a series of hand-made patterns of rippling water that speaks to waves of positive change.
This dynamic fluidity is captured in the wordmark, which features flowing curves and movement. The color palette he created plays on the textures found inside the kolam, from dense moss to sturdy stone.
Defining the Category
A key exercise in building the Kölam brand was defining the category. What do you call a service that is similar to life coaching, but guided by a focus on holistic health and spiritual exploration? We talked through a variety of possible combinations before landing on alignment guidance, which best captured the curriculum Priya will offer her clients.
Want to work with Kölam?
Email
kolamconnect@gmail.com
Priya Sury, MD, DPhil