The Swaddle – An Independent Voice on the Moments that Matter

“We are so much bigger than our brand feels.” This was the problem projected to us by The Swaddle’s founder in our first workshop. The challenge was twofold - they had both outgrown their previous brand identity, and their website no longer served the needs of the evolving business. Expanding from a focus on solely written editorial content, to a content production studio, we needed to create a brand which could live comfortably across all pillars, as well as house the dynamic, bright content created by The Swaddle’s editorial team. The new identity also needed to appeal to youth and academics.

From a creative territory of “Fearless expression”, we explored the power of self-expression through an identity that is as bold, authentic, and thought-provoking as the content. We explored The Swaddle’s role in providing deeper context to the world, adding visual “layers” of understanding and information when it matters most. We needed to strike a balance between the revolutionary spirit of a younger audience, and the maturity and sophistication to appeal to their secondary audience of academics, journalists, and film producers, with whom The Swaddle is seen as a highly credible source of information.

The Swaddle is India’s largest indie digital publication. Its progressive and thought-provoking approach to gender issues, health, and culture, empowers hundreds of thousands of young Indians to make sense of their world and its many taboos. The rebrand was an important part of signalling their commitment to their audience, and delivering diverse perspectives in media narratives. The Swaddle’s revenue streams are podcasts and short films, so the new brand identity was crucial in presenting The Swaddle as a relevant, credible and business-minded partner for potential networks and collaborations.

The Swaddle started in 2015 as an SEO-driven directory for baby products and resources (hence the name) and quickly grew into something much bigger. At the time, there were no publications discussing the real issues facing Indian women (and men), and breaking them down in a way that is engaging and empowering to today’s generation. Very quickly, The Swaddle evolved into a platform for Indian youth culture, covering pop culture, social justice commentary and news analysis, helping people contextualise what is going on around them, and why they should care. The Swaddle had outgrown its roots and corresponding brand identity, we were looking to evolve, while maintaining their challenger attitude.