Chakra is a spin studio in Bangalore developed by a small team of fitness industry veterans. In India’s most evolved city, they needed to stand out in a fast-saturating category, where they compete all at once with zumba, aerobics, crossfit, and, of course, yoga.
I developed the brand identity concept.
As a name, Chakra came laden with meaning and subtext. In everyday Hindi usage, it means circle or wheel; in Sanskrit, it takes on more profound associations: that of the metaphysical cycle of life-death-rebirth.
This layered meaning meshed beautifully with the type of exercise it represented. Unlike other forms of modern fitness, spin-cycling is far less intense. Participants can simply ride the bike at their own pace, interacting with the trainer and their fellow riders. This idea of ‘wellness at your own rhythm’ helped us define the brand’s visual identity.
The Imperfect Circle
We translated ‘wellness at your pace’ as the physical representation of the name itself. Throughout art and history, the circle symbolizes perfection and completeness. And yet, modern fitness is about practicality, not perfection. Everyone approaches it differently—just like everyone draws a circle differently.
Thus the ‘imperfect circle’ became a key design element, showing up in different places, assets, and textures. The lo-fi nature of the visual language meant it got the job done without much of a fuss. The circle, fluid by design, became a holding shape just as easily as it became a logo-as-window.