Branding / Web Design & Development
A Kerala, far away from Kerala.
01 Overview
Kerala Samajam, Jamshedpur has brought the city's Malayalee community together since 1939 — and runs a model school, a free evening school and a community canteen. The brand, the website and the platform behind it were designed and built from the ground up.
02 The problem
An organisation with eight decades of history, three institutions and a busy calendar of festivals had no single, dignified place to tell its story, share news and welcome new members.
03 Objectives
- 01A brand identity that honours the Samajam's heritage and feels current
- 02One home for the organisation, its institutions, events and news
- 03Let the committee publish events, notices and galleries themselves
- 04Make it easy for new families to become members
04 My role
Branding, design and development — the visual identity, the website's design and front end, and the content platform behind it.
05 The solution
A Next.js website backed by Payload CMS, with an editorial identity — serif headlines, deep navy and gold — and sections for institutions, events, the visitors' book, downloads and membership.
06 Technical architecture
- 01BrandIdentity, typography, colour and brand assets
- 02FrameworkNext.js, server-rendered pages
- 03CMSPayload CMS for events, news, galleries and downloads
- 04MediaCloudinary for optimised, responsive images
Stack — Next.js / React / Payload CMS / Cloudinary
07 Screens
Screens captured from the live site, October 2026.
08 Key features
Institutions
The Model School, the Hindi School and the canteen, each with its own story and numbers.
Events & festivals
Onam, Vishu, the annual get-together and sports — dated, illustrated and archived.
Visitors' book
Words from distinguished guests who have visited the Samajam over the decades.
News & downloads
Announcements, calendars and past issues of the Samajam Patrika.
Membership
A clear path for families who want to become part of the Samajam.
Site search
A ⌘K search to jump to any page, event or institution.
09 Challenges & solutions
- ChallengeEighty-plus years of history, one homepage
- ApproachA clear editorial structure — numbers, institutions, programmes, voices — that leads from story to action.
- ChallengeHeritage without feeling dated
- ApproachA classic serif and gold-on-navy palette set in a modern, spacious layout.
- ChallengeVolunteers keeping the site current
- ApproachPayload CMS, so the committee can publish events, notices and galleries without a developer.