Caravanserai
Taken from Samantha Childress' Substack:
A caravanserai (pronounced “care-uh-VAN-sur-eye”) is a type of roadside inn, historically found along the Silk Road in its heyday. Caravanserais served as respites where trade caravans and other travelers could stop to rest overnight, away from the dangers of the road. While the outer walls of a caravanserai would resemble a fortress, the inside would be much cozier, with small guest rooms, stables, and sometimes even prayer rooms and bath houses. As travelers from all over Eurasia flocked to caravanserais, they became hubs for the exchange of culture, goods, food, religion, art, and, of course, stories. When you read this newsletter, I want you to feel as though you are stepping into a caravanserai—a haven where you can listen to fellow travelers’ stories from the road and sample bits of far away places.
The content of this renamed newsletter will remain largely the same as it transitions from The Cairo Dispatch to Caravanserai, but it will be more focused on personal stories and intimate explorations of world cultures than ever before.
Role: Art direction, Graphic design
Client: Samantha Childress
Field: Branding & identity, Illustration
Year: 2024
A caravanserai (pronounced “care-uh-VAN-sur-eye”) is a type of roadside inn, historically found along the Silk Road in its heyday. Caravanserais served as respites where trade caravans and other travelers could stop to rest overnight, away from the dangers of the road. While the outer walls of a caravanserai would resemble a fortress, the inside would be much cozier, with small guest rooms, stables, and sometimes even prayer rooms and bath houses. As travelers from all over Eurasia flocked to caravanserais, they became hubs for the exchange of culture, goods, food, religion, art, and, of course, stories. When you read this newsletter, I want you to feel as though you are stepping into a caravanserai—a haven where you can listen to fellow travelers’ stories from the road and sample bits of far away places.
The content of this renamed newsletter will remain largely the same as it transitions from The Cairo Dispatch to Caravanserai, but it will be more focused on personal stories and intimate explorations of world cultures than ever before.
Role: Art direction, Graphic design
Client: Samantha Childress
Field: Branding & identity, Illustration
Year: 2024
Concept:
The logo is based on the architecture of the caravanserais. The middle arch is the entrance and the side ones represent the many doors of the inn. I added palm tree leaves for more warmth, to make it more inviting.
The letters, with their strong top and bottom serifs, are reminiscent of columns and reflect the architecture of some caravanserais.
The logo is based on the architecture of the caravanserais. The middle arch is the entrance and the side ones represent the many doors of the inn. I added palm tree leaves for more warmth, to make it more inviting.
The letters, with their strong top and bottom serifs, are reminiscent of columns and reflect the architecture of some caravanserais.
Dividers
The caravanserais would most likely have been full of rugs, used in the bedrooms but also in the common room to sit down and exchange with fellow travellers. The ‘rug pattern’ dividers use various patterns found in Middle Eastern rugs.
The other divider is based on the vapour coming out of warm tea, drank while telling or hearing stories.
In situ:
A more illustrative version of the logo, which can be used for the Substack banner:
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