Pondicherry Botanical Garden

Description

The Pondicherry Botanical Garden is a real landmark in Pondicherry, India. In Life of Pi, it becomes home to a fictional zoo and Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger at the centre of the story.

I grew up with the film and wanted to build the identity that this imagined version of the garden might have had.

Field
Branding · Illustration · Web Design
Client
Self-initiated concept
Year
2022
Pondicherry Botanical Garden logo and cover artwork
Illustrated photograph of the Pondicherry Botanical Garden archway

The identity brings the zoo and botanical garden together in one mark, with Richard Parker beneath a tree. I drew the animals, map, and tickets by hand so the system felt consistent with the illustrated world of the story rather than a contemporary digital brand.

Pondicherry Botanical Garden stamps and admission ticket on teal
Hand-drawn animal illustrations on teal
Pondicherry Botanical Garden stamp and ticket layout

The story in the movie and book is set in 1961 Pondicherry, before the web. I designed the fictional Pondicherry Zoo website as a digital newspaper, using editorial layouts, hand-drawn imagery, and references from the city’s architecture to place it within the period.

Illustrated Pondicherry Botanical Garden map on brown

treated the zoo as a real institution within a fictional setting. Every decision had to feel plausible for that place, period, and organisation.