Yaar App

Yaar matches you with local buddies and bridges you to your first community in your new country.

Moving to a new environment and leaving behind support networks often causes feelings of isolation, loneliness and even depression among many newcomers. Yaar is a mobile app that matches them with local buddies & provides cultural insights of their city, thus empowering newcomers to feel right at home in their new environment.

First Place: Concept Work, Print Awards 2025

2024 • MFA THESIS VENTURE

ROLE: CONCEPT, RESEARCH, BRAND IDENTITY, GRAPHIC DESIGN, UI/UX, ILLUSTRATION

ADVISOR: JOHNSON TANG

Anyone who has ever moved abroad is aware of the uncountable tasks that need to be done right after. To ease a newcomer’s transition into their new country, we have broken down those tasks into categories and also gamified them, thus making it less overwhelming to complete a task.

Each task is represented by an iconic landmark, and progress is noted through points. This gamified system can be extended to any city they are moving to, in this case New York City! Once they reach 500 points (designed to be achieved in 4 months) and have ‘conquered the city’ they are no longer a newcomer. This is when we prompt them to become a Yaar and help other future newcomers!

Our wordmark is dynamic and reflects the constant outgoing and incoming of people moving across the world. The implied loop signifies our flywheel of newcomers eventually ‘graduating’ to Yaars and helping other newcomers.

Presenting ‘Yaar’ at the SVA Theatre in New York City.

Fonts in use: Fiyona by ThatThat Type, Söhne by Klim Type.

Models: Pearl Patel, Nicolette Francis, Shivani Patel, Doga Bircan, Harry Cen, Saloni Jain

Soumya Gupta

Lab

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