EK INAYAT ( A BLESSING)

Graphic Novel (RTL)

Urdu graphic novel exploring the lives of domestic workers in Pakistan

Overview
Ek Inayat (A Blessing) is a graphic novel developed as my final year thesis at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. The project explores the personal lives of domestic workers in Pakistan, using storytelling to create empathy and awareness around their lived experiences.
ROLE:
Author & Illustrator
SCOPE:
Research, writing, storyboarding, illustration, layout, print production
Challenge
The goal was to represent sensitive, real-life experiences through a narrative format that could communicate emotional depth while remaining respectful and accessible to readers.
Approach
The project was grounded in research into the legal and social conditions of domestic workers in Pakistan, combined with narrative storytelling based on real-life experiences.

The story was written in Urdu and structured as a right-to-left (RTL) graphic novel. Each page was first sketched in pencil and inked by hand, before being digitized and refined using Illustrator and Photoshop. The visual approach focused on simplicity and clarity to support the emotional tone of the narrative.
Visual System
The visual system was developed to support a right-to-left reading experience, ensuring clarity and continuity across pages while maintaining a consistent narrative flow from sketch to final print.
  • Research and story development
  • Page layout and sequencing (RTL format)
  • Pencil sketching and hand inking
  • Digital refinement and text integration
  • Print preparation and book binding
Campaigns & Posters
Outcome
The project was completed as a fully printed and bound graphic novel, presenting a cohesive narrative through a series of illustrated pages.

Let's work together

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