an industry leader’s elevated and deep view of comfort, and itself
Sheela Foam has led foam manufacturing in India since 1971. It owns well known Indian comfort brands Sleepwell & Kurl-on and fast-growing the furniture rental startup, Furlenco. Till recently, Sheela Foam led them with a reserved, background stance.
In the course of a longstanding brand-advisory relationship with Sheela Foam, ICD recommended an elevated framing of Sheela Foam as an industry guide and owner of brands. This corporate website design, the photography and messaging have their roots in that conversation. ICD conceived, planned and designed the website in close collaboration with the leadership at Sheela Foam.
website structure puts the immovable operating principles of Sheela Foam upfront
Sheela Foam designs, makes and moves its own products, from plant to showroom. ICD articulated a coherent philosophy of design, manufacture and delivery of comfort. The message frames this approach as the necessary control of comfort, to deliver value for the final consumer which they hadn’t articulated. This framing opened a wellspring of ideas to visualise the movement of comfort from idea to application.
a subcontinental shoot spanning 4 Indian states to cover the website’s full story
The Sheela Foam story came to life through an extensive photography programme, planned and directed by ICD. The team’s collaboration with expert industrial photographers Raghav Pasricha and Eva Zannetin covered 7 cities, 4 key plants, multiple offices and 100s of people in New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.
The photography and video shoot focused on elevating the core of each activity Sheela Foam engages in—from the making of foam to its foundation’s work in improving the lives of the youth. Each situation served the larger story—a secure, comfortable leader’s view enlightened view of the world.
understand Sheela Foam in a single sweep or many dives—for the interested and the invested
The website’s architecture creates two levels of detail. On top, Sheela Foam’s high-level story can be absorbed in a single, browsing visit to the main pages. It’s an experience designed for the interested public. A second, deeper layer reveals itself as one spends more time on the pages and sub-pages that branch off from there. A detailed path for the invested audience.
a corporate website that presents Sheela Foam as an owner of brands
On the business side, we showcase its vibrant brands and thriving international subsidiaries. The Sheela Foam people, leadership and employees, are shown in natural workday situations, without pretence or performance.
an unhurried focus on Sheela Foam’s brands, businesses, leadership and people
The site spends time and space on what’s important to Sheela Foam, nothing is rushed or glossed over. On the business side, we showcase its vibrant brands and thriving technical business, by getting close or from a 20,000 feet view. The Sheela Foam people, leadership and employees, are shown in natural workday situations.
the photography plan places Sheela Foam in life situations
The imagery and the messaging balances facts, focus on material science and machinery with the soft forms of foam. People are shown as the human actors running large systems. The love for nature is ever-present. The attempt is to present a leader’s enlightened take on how people, nature, systems and science interact.
sharepartner-in-charge & creative director itu chaudhuri | design concept itu chaudhuri, ashok dey, pradyut nath | photography plan itu chaudhuri, ashok dey, pradyut nath, raghav pasricha, eva zannetin | photography raghav pasricha, eva zannetin | development alok joshi, aditya rastogi | site architecture itu chaudhuri, ayushmaan agarwalla | writing itu chaudhuri, ayushmaan agarwalla | project management ayushmaan agarwalla
