Vehicle Graphics Sri Lanka

Dominic’s comment to the pervious post on this topic prompted me to dig out these pictures I’d bagged with my ancient tiny digital camera. Its part of my haphazard attempt to document (I’m not ambitious enough to say catalogue) contemporary graphic design/ illustration in Sri Lanka.

The bus below has the image of the Dalada Maligawa (temple of the tooth) which I mentioned in the first post.

These are Sri Lanka’s version to the Jingle Trucks of the subcontinent and the Jeepneys in the Philippines. As I mentioned in my in another comment, I favour traditional motifs. Its evidence that ancient sensibilities are evolving to stay relevant in a world where positive intangibles are hijacked into branding and selling products. A further layer of irony is that these traditions are evolving quite literary on the delivery system that brings globalisation to until recently fairly cut off places. While retracing (in the case of the Jingle trucks at least) the old trade routes that connected the continent of India to Babylon and beyond.

But seems I have digress (confession: it is fun)

Sri Lanka’s manifestation of the Jingle truck tradition is admittedly rather high tech and cheesy. In a Hikkaduwa school of design kind of way. Right now it seems to be focused on copying something. The symbolism will inevitably evolve – at its usual glacial pace.