Mother Tongue Design has won two Blue Elephants at the 2026 Kyoorius Design Awards for its rebranding work for PTAL, a hand-beaten metalware brand for contemporary homes.
The awards recognise the work in two categories. One comes under the Integrated category in the Design Craft track, while the other is in the Brand Identity Refresh & Rebrand: MSME category under Design in Action.
Agency worked on more than the visual identity of PTAL, covering its positioning, packaging and brand storytelling. The rebrand was aimed at presenting traditional Indian metalware as a contemporary lifestyle product.
PTAL Rebrand
According to the information shared by Mother Tongue Design, the reworked brand has since reached more than 150,000 customers across over 40 countries. The company has also expanded its retail presence with an Exclusive Brand Outlet in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.
PTAL was also selected among five Indian brands to showcase at Shoppe Object in New York. The design firm has linked these developments to the wider repositioning of the brand, although the award announcement does not provide a separate measure of how much of the growth can be attributed to the rebrand.
The packaging changes have also been presented as part of the redesign. Mother Tongue Design says the packaging has helped remove 880 kg of plastic, while the brand now works with more than 125 artisan families.
Targets Younger Buyers
The rebrand has positioned PTAL around Indian metalcraft while attempting to make the category more relevant to younger consumers. The brand has focused on design, health-related use and contemporary home products while retaining traditional metalworking practices.
Mother Tongue Design founder and creative director Shruti Singhi said the project involved understanding the craft and the communities working behind it. “These two Blue Elephants belong as much to the artisans as they do to us,” Singhi said.
PTAL CEO and co-founder Aditya Agrawal said the brand identity refresh was intended to help the company reach consumers outside India while remaining connected to its craft and heritage. He said the new identity was designed to represent the craft, process and artisan community.
PTAL Fresh Funding
The design work has also been followed by a funding round. In September 2025, PTAL raised $3 million in a Series A round led by VC Grid, with participation from Rainmatter, the fund backed by Zerodha co-founder Nithin Kamath.
The funding gives the company capital to expand its operations, although the award announcement does not establish a direct link between the investment and the rebranding exercise.
Mother Tongue Design said PTAL has also reported a 3,500% increase in monthly income for artisan families over the past three years. The figure is presented by the design firm and relates to the livelihoods supported through the brand.
What is PTAL
PTAL, or Punjab Thathera Art Legacy, is a metalware brand built around hand-beaten metal products and traditional Thathera craft. The business works with artisan communities to develop metalware for contemporary homes and sells through its consumer-facing brand. Its model combines traditional craft production with modern design, packaging and retail distribution.
The brand has sought to take traditional metal products beyond their conventional cookware positioning and present them as lifestyle and home products. Its expansion includes online and offline sales, international customers and retail outlets.
The company has also used its association with traditional metalcraft as part of its brand positioning. The craft has received recognition under UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage framework, while PTAL has focused on giving the products a contemporary market.
Brand Position
The two Kyoorius awards place the PTAL project among the recognised design work at the 2026 edition of the awards. For Mother Tongue Design, the recognition covers both the broader integrated campaign and the brand identity refresh.
For PTAL, the rebrand comes alongside international expansion, a new retail outlet and the $3 million funding round. The longer-term impact of the exercise will depend on whether the new positioning can translate into sustained customer demand and wider adoption of traditional metalware in domestic and international markets.
