India France Year of Innovation 2026
Campaign & Communication
Project Background
In 2025, the French Embassy in India launched the France–India Year of Innovation to spotlight shared ideas in sustainability, design, and cultural exchange. The Embassy approached The Design Village to design the campaign’s identity from the ground up; moving beyond a logo to create a system of meaning, tone, and visuals that could adapt across formats, languages, and institutions. C4SD together with The Design Village led the project and developed the visual and conceptual guidelines.
A year-long campaign identity and design system for the France–India Year of Innovation. The Design Village & C4SD co-created the visual language, messaging, and experience framework to define what the year would mean—and how it would be communicated across both countries.
Objectives
Define a clear and compelling identity for the France–India Year of Innovation
Build a bilingual campaign system that resonates in both French and Indian contexts
Design a scalable visual and verbal toolkit for partners, cultural institutions, and media
Position innovation as a shared civic and cultural value—not just technological
Key Features Delivered
A responsive identity system that adapts across touchpoints (digital, print, space)
Messaging pillars: Celebrating the future of Innovation
Visual language inspired by both nations—modular, vibrant, and collaborative
Comprehensive toolkit including logo usage, typography, tone of voice, templates, and iconography
Built-in flexibility for use by partners ranging from universities to embassies and NGOs
Our Approach
Discovery Phase:
Stakeholder Immersion: Conducted interviews and alignment workshops with Embassy representatives, cultural partners, and French/Indian institutions.
Benchmarking: Researched prior “Year of…” campaigns across Europe and Asia to identify best practices in bilateral branding.
Context Mapping: Identified themes of shared innovation—sustainability, design, technology, and youth exchange.
Design & Messaging Phase:
Narrative Development: Crafted the messaging pillars: “Celebrate the present, Co-create the future.”
Visual Identity: Designed a dynamic, dual-toned system reflecting the cultural DNA of both nations—adaptable across digital, print, and spatial applications.
Tagline & Language: Developed bilingual taglines, brand voice guidelines, and modular content kits.
Implementation Phase:
Brand Toolkit Delivery: Delivered a flexible, multi-format brand toolkit for use by Embassy and partner organisations.
Campaign Rollout Support: Supported first-phase implementation including launch collateral, partner onboarding tools, and press-ready design assets.
Results
A unified, bilingual identity that positioned innovation as a shared cultural and civic value.
Toolkit adopted across events, educational institutions, and diplomatic spaces in India and France.
Helped elevate France’s positioning as a forward-thinking cultural collaborator in India.
Set a new standard for adaptable, values-led campaign design in public diplomacy contexts.
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