A Magazine Design Project by Asmina Shaikh

SPONSOR CAMPUS DIARIES

STUDIO 3

MAGAZINE DESIGN

STUDENT ASMINA SHAIKH

PROGRAMME UNDERGRADUATE GRAPHIC DESIGN 2009-10

PROJECT COORDINATOR TRIDHA GAJJAR PROJECT GUIDE RUPESH VYAS

INTRODUCTION THE FIRST WORD INTENT PROJECT PROPOSAL THE TEAM

12 FIRST DIALOUGUE

client calls : gathering details Redefining/Expanding the Brief

THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS

ANSWERING SOME VITAL QUESTIONS PAGINATION

the study BOOKS, ETC. LAYOUT STUDY visual references

46 THE CAMPUS DIARIES MAGAZINE brainstorming

picking out kewords interaction with sanjay basvaraju the kind of content the different pages typography initial ideas & concepts the grid refining the idea the first test print & feedback FINAL DESIGN PITCH

CONCLUSION REFERENCES acknowledegements

INTRODUCTION

Magazines, periodicals, glossies, or serials are publications that are printed with ink on paper, and generally published on a regular schedule and containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by prepaid magazine subscriptions, or all three. At its root the word magazine refers to a collection or storage location. In the case of written publication, it is a collection of written articles. In the library technical sense a â&#x20AC;&#x153;magazineâ&#x20AC;? paginates with each issue starting at page one. Academic or professional publications that are not peer-reviewed are generally professional magazines.

THE FIRST WORD

This is a detailed process documentation of my third classroom project at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. This project was an attempt to discover magazine design, something I have always been interested in. The magazine is for Campus Diaries Collaboratory based in Bangalore. The magazine is meant for the youth and anybody who loves stories. It consists of the best stories written and drawn or captured by youngsters from across the country. This client project gave me the opportunity to learn more about magazines and how they are made. My keen interest in magazines and their design impelled me to take up this project, which spanned over approximately two months.

My soul intent of taking up a project like this was to learn more about magazine design and also very importantly work within a fixed time line and try and accomplish a complete magazine in the given time line.

INTENT

Having guessed that magazine design was about a lot more than just layouts, I was keen on discovering all the aspects that are covered in a project of this sort which included branding the magazine, visual language, the tone and voice of a magazine, content analysis and editing, managing space and much more.

ABOUT CAMPUS DIARIES

THE BRIEF

To design the first issue of a monthly student magazine managed by Campus Diaries Collaborative, Bangalore.

PROJECT PROPOSAL

THE OBJECTIVE

To learn the basics of magazine design and try and execute them in my first attempt to design a magazine. I would also like to explore handling large amounts of content of all kinds and experiment with various possibilities of handling changing content.

Project Campus Diaries envisions of creating not only the first ever but a truly collaborative and democratic social and community project. For this, we look to build an extended team of leaders, thinkers and initiators in various campuses and communities. A social network and community program developed, operated and used by the community! A platform to create and lead even a small change in community based expression and creativity. The biggest, maddest, grooviest collaborative and community storytelling experience. Campus Diaries is a collaborative team and an entire movement of storytellers, creators, artists, consumers, curators who have a common vision to come together on this quest to create a gripping storytelling experience.

METHODOLOGY

This would be a brief overview of the process I would be following through the course of this project to make it handy and functional. Studying existing magazines n terms of their layouts and other aspects such as typography, colour, pagination, content management,etc. Studying the context and content for this magazine. Design development in various stages with explorations in layout, treatment and typography upto the final ready-to-print magazine. Documentation of the process and the outcome of the project.

TENTATIVE OUTCOME

The outcome of this project would be the first issue of the monthly magazine series. A standard size, approximately 44 page, 4 colour magazine to be launched tentatively this march.

THE TEAM

I worked with a small yet very interesting group of people for this project. As the graphic designer I was to look at purely the look and feel and the visual system the magazine would follow. There was a team of content developers and editors and a couple of other people who held high stakes in the production and publishing of this magazine. The entire team was part of Campus Dairies, a collaborative, democratic and a social community project. Most of them are fresh college graduates from various walks of life who have come together to celebrate their love for stories in their own way; whether it is writing, editing or marketing them. The following were the people I worked with closely throughout this project.

SUMIT SAURAV

SAMATA JOSHI A Journalism Post-Graduate, she literally lives to write and writes to live. Samata takes care of the entire content culture and experience at Campus Diaries and doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let go of any chance to make magnificent desserts for the entire team.

Being an Engineering graduate (MIT Manipal), for a long time after that, he was bitten by the information sciences and technology. He is consumed by the convergence of design, society, storytelling, psycho-analysis, the web and technology and how it can change the world. He was the face of Campus Diaries from the purpose of this project and helped me manage everything from content to execution. He is also the editor-in-chief of the magazine.

SONIC PRABHUDESAI A senior year student of Engineering at BMSIT, Sonic is the Head of Business Development, community management and more than a gazillion small and big teams and groups. He is also a dear friend who i would like to thank for this project opportunity.

FIRST DIALOUGUE

This section describes the initial phases of the project. In this phase, I was trying to gain complete understanding of the client, the idea of magazine and also some basic understanding of the magazine design process. This was documented in the form of a number of notes and some brainstorming as well as Google Doc spreadsheets.

client calls

gathering details

The first few calls were the ones over which I learnt more about Campus Diaries and how they imagined the magazine to be. In the first few calls it had been established that the content of the magazine was user generated stories from www.campusdiaries.com. This website is a repository of stories written by young minds from colleges across India. The magazine would have the best of these stories designed and presented to please story-lovers.

Redefining/ Expanding the Brief

After a couple of discussions with the client I was able to get a better idea of what exactly the magazine is about. Till this stage I was trying to delve into the idea of the magazine completely which would help me use these rather intangible ideas and impressions into the designs I would ultimately create. The image above illustrates one of the brainstorms I did to put down these ideas on paper.

By now it was clear that the magazine would be contemporary looking and rather bold. But I also wanted to retain the essence of each of the stories in the way it looked as that would make them more personal and genuine. All the above ideas formed the keywords and principles based on which the visual language of the magazine emerged.

ANSWERING SOME VITAL QUESTIONS

After getting an overall idea of what the magazine should be like and having identified the basic requirement of the client, I started delving into some deeper and more important questions which were crucial from the point of view of the design of the magazine. These catered purely to the magazine design process. Their answers lead to some major clues for charting out the structure of the magazine. Having realised the importance of the structure of the magazine I now wanted to draw out the basic pagination of the magazine based on the status of the content of the magazine. This helped me identify the essential pages that would

hold the magazine together as well as content that needed to be edited or developed. The first step towards detailing out the structure of the magazine was to identify the kind of content and then the different kinds of pages. The two major kinds of stories covered in the magazine were - picture and text stories. The other kind of content included ads, editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s note, contents page, etc. After having identified the pages I drew up a basic pagination of the magazine that helped to look at it all together.

PAGINATION

Having discussed the tentative content helped me put together a basic sequence of the content page by page referred to as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;paginationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in editing which is slightly different from pagination in publishing. This basic pagination helped me visualise how the magazine would unfold, what was the story it told? This also helped pinpoint missing content and any other problems in the magazine. Most importantly it put everything together and yet facilitated picking out the distinguishing factors of the different kinds of pages.

A lot of the communication between me and the client happened over Google Docs. Simple excel sheets with details of each page would allow both ends to work together and also communicate changes very efficiently. The initial sequence of the stories was made the same way. This document also included important information such as type of story, the author, campus, editing status, references if any, etc.

CD Mag_ ISSUE 1

..................................................................................................................................... Page No.

4 6 5 7 8 9

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

Page Name (With final list of stories and their no.of pages) Cover Back of Cover About CD Ad page Curator's Note Contents -contdIn this Issue -contdPeople of the Pink City -contd-contd-contd-contdViva Woes http://campusdiaries.com/stories/vivawoes -contdCampus Diaries Graphic Point Between Parallels - http://campusdiaries. com/picture-stories/point-bw-parallels -contd-contd-contd-contd-contdProject in Focus - IIT Guwahati -contd-contdUprising of Women In India -contd-contdMumbai Politics of Food Economy in India -contd-contdTarnished -contdBrief History of Raju

Type

No of pages

DRAFT 01 PROOFREAD (By Content Team)

DESIGN STATUS

FINAL DRAFT CONTENT FINALISED

DESIGN STATUS

1 1 1 1 Work in progress 1 Work in progess 2

Non-Story

2 Work in progess

Picture Story

5 Work in progess

Yes

Text Story

2 Work in progess

Yes

No Yes

no yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes no

Yes

Ad/Filler Yes

Picture Story

Story

Picture Story

3 Work in progess

Yes

Text Story Text Story

1 Work in progess 3 Work in progess

Yes Yes

Picture Story

2 Work in progess

Yes

2 Work in progess

Yes

Text Story

Is this a spread (a spread which is part of same story) HRES Pictures?

Cover Ad/Filler Non-Story Ad/Filler Non-Story Non-Story

Work in progess

PROOFREAD CONTENT?

The final pagination from the clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s end looked something like illustrated above. This was a detailed chart of the status as well as all the essential details about a story which was updated throughout the project to keep everybody informed about the status of the work.

yes

no no

not needed

no yes yes yes yes

yes

yes yes no no yes yes no yes yes yes yes yes

yes not needed not needed yes not needed

This approach to look at the different stories was very efficient for editing and communication purposes. But to fulfill the design needs I preferred to draw out the pages and put them up all together.

This part of the document is a compilation of the research that went into this project. The research included looking at different magazines, studying the magazines for their structure, layouts, visual language as well as their content. I looked at a variety of magazines that gave me an insight into how the visual language of a magazine illustrates the voice and content of the magazine.

the study

I also looked at some very well written books on magazine design. Some described a step by step process of how a magazine is designed where as some dissected some of the famous magazines of the world. The third kind of approach I took was to build a collection of visual references. This not only helped me visualise and study graphics elements but was also my window into the current trends in magazine design. A number of platforms such as Behance, Pinterest and a number of design blogs were the major sources of the collections for this approach.

BOOKS, ETC.

“Magazines are habit forming, and while the excruciating pressure to read them mounts as the piles grow, most subscribers can’t bear to own up to the fact that time will rarely allow for more than a casual glance.” -Steven Heller

Magazines inside & out Steven Heller & Teresa Fernandes

This particular book was very helpful to look at a variety of magazines and their analysis. Compiled one of the most respected design critics and author, Steven Heller, this book was my window into the world of magazines and a lot more about them. The presentation of the content in this book is what I admire the most about it. Magazines are categorised according genres/kind under which each magazine has been explained in detail with supporting visuals. This format helped me understand how to look at a magazine through a designerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eye. The foreword of the book very clearly and simply explains how the world of magazines has evolved over the years. In the later part

talks about the approach for this particular book. Here are a few things and ideas I picked out from the foreword that shaped my understanding of the magazine world. â&#x20AC;&#x153; The magazines selected for MAGAZINES: INSIDE AND OUT represent the diversity not just of subject, but of visual approach. The reason for making these selections is not to show all award winners, but how various methods are practiced; how certain current styles are reinterpreted by different designers; how unique design identities are established; and how conceptual thinking pervades the design of the best magazines. â&#x20AC;&#x153;

THE DESIGN CONSULTANT

Design has been an important editorial component, but beginning in the 1960â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when the magazine industry was initially threatened by the television, it has taken on the proportions of a miracle cure- at the same time it can also be a deadly disease. Without design a magazine is merely a melange of disparate elements; with it, it is a disciplined entity. Therefore all magazines are designed in some or another way- for better or worse- and design should be crtically discussed as either bad or good.

The design consultant is an outsider hired for his or her expertise, who builds a design scheme based on the editorial (and advertising) requirements of the magazine as expressed by its publisher, editor, and art director. Some believe design alone propels a magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success, ignoring other editorial factors. When design works it does so in harmony with editorial content. A magazine is only as good as its content, and while design may enhance content, it rarely replaces it.

Magazine Design A hands-on guide Ronald Walker

This book uses a very textbook like approach towards explaining the process of designing a magazine to its minutest detail. A wonderful resource for those new to the field (me). The bok describes a step by step process and important steps invovled in designing a magazine from start to end. It also adresses some important questions like why does a magazine need to be â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;desinedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;?, What is the role of the designer?, what should be the basic decisions before starting to design?, etc. In the major part of the book, it talks about factors that affect the design such as typography, layouts, content, etc. in a step by step process. A brilliant guide to start off with.

Grid systems Josef Muller-Brockmann

LAYOUT STUDY

Layout study was the most important part of my research for this project. I looked at a variety of magazines closely and studied their layout, distinct design elements and their visual language. The method that i followed for this was that I would summarise the magazine in the form of basic hand drawn sketches and notes to help compare them. I also drew out the basic grid structure along with their measurements. This section documents this with samples of my notes and reflections.

eye

Eye, is a graphic design magazine that I referred to. Most of the content in this magazine is to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;showcsedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to which the layout of the magazine does complete justice. The magazine follows a strict layout well designed. This makes the magazine look very refined and consistent. It uses very pleasing hierarchy in typography and bold lines as visual elements. In a few issues the magazine also revolves around a certain colour palette. The cover of the magazine is simple and bold with the masthead (logo) consistently placed in the top left corner.

Wired was one of the most surprising magazines I looked at. It has a wacky style of treating its content. A very contemporary approach to its design, Wired reveals a lot of surprising pages as you flip through.

wired

At the first glance it is difficult to tell what holds the magazine together but a little attention to detail reveals a very flexible yet well designed system of generating interesting layouts.

national geographic

Within the strong framework, the variety of content is what makes the magazine fresh. It uses both image-centric as well as text heavy content.

biblio

National Geographic was another magazine I loved going through. This particular magazine has a lot of different yet well defined content. The magazine uses fixed templates for the variety of content . This adds to the uniform look of the magazine It is very layout driven and uses some beautiful typography. Within the strong framework, the variety of content is what makes the magazine fresh. It uses both image-centric as well as text heavy content.

time

Time magazine was a current affair/news magazine that dealt with a variety of content. This particular magazine belonged to the category that would be on the stands for hardly a week. The content kept shifting often and hence the visual language was much stronger and consistent but at the same time brought out a lot of variety. It used a well designed system of layouts and I could study shifting templates using this magazine very well.

TEHELKA

OPEN

ROLLING STONE

visual references

This section illustrates a few of the visual references I collected that served as a mood board for building the look of the magazine. Some were specific to certain parts of the magazine whereas some helped in deciding the key visual elements of the magazine. Most of these visuals were collected from a number of web references listed at the end of this document which include graphic design blogs, professional design networks and a few well designed magazine websites.

THE CAMPUS DIARIES MAGAZINE

After having done enough research it was time to get down to the actual task at hand. This began with some brainstorming again which helped me put down my ideas and understanding of the needs of the client on paper, all together. This then lead to initial layout ideas, choosing a typeface, classifying the content and building a visual language. The immediate result of brainstorming was a set of keywords which served as guidelines to create tangible explorations in layout, colour and typography. This major section of the document documents in depth the making of the Campus Diaries magazine pitch.

brainstorming

The process I followed for brainstorming was simple, I took a large sheet of paper and started to list down and group all the information and thoughts I had about the magazine. These were still just mere ideas, but ideas that would be then translated into actual layouts.

white space text story picture story

picking out kewords

17 genres

clean solid bold inaugural issue first of its kind

diversity

My interaction with Sanjay Basvaraju, a Graphic Designer and my faculty for a Publication Design course was very insightful. It started off as an informal discussion about the project but quickly turned into a crash learning session. Some of the ideas and feedback he gave me brought about a lot of changes in what I had been working on.

interaction with sanjay basvaraju

He explained to me about the voice and tone of a magazine and about how designing a magazine is not a mere exercise in design. The voice of the magazine according to him is similar to the personality of a person whereas the tone is derived from how the magazine. The above two concepts were completely new to me that I hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come across in my research which changed the way I looked at magazines and magazine design.

Another very interesting ideas that Sanjay spoke about was that of creating a system for the magazine rather than taking it issue by issue. This he said, would help make the magazine more consistent in terms of design as well as content. After discussing some of the layouts I was working on, we discussed how the same layout can be used to create templates for situations where the content may vary. A very important insight that I received was that the layouts should not be content driven. Ii is very common that the content is never the same or even similar, it changing per issue. In that case the layout should be flexible and be able to accommodate any kind of content for a given type of page. This was a system design approach

towards magazine design which was completely new to me. But it catered to very important issues like creating a brand for a magazine and making it a stable and long lasting design. After this discussion I re-looked at what I had been working on and tried to create templates which later helped me create a variety of layouts within a given framework to keep the stories interesting. We also discussed the importance of the target group for a magazine. The target audience for this particular magazine is the youth and anybody who loves reading stories. The target group is a major influence on the design of a magazine. It also defines the tone of the magazine hence defining a target audience is of the foremost things that should be taken care of in the process.

the kind of content

The content of this magazine was one of the most intersrting things about it. It was chosen from the Campus Diaries website. All the stories were published on the website and the most popular would be featured in the magazine. Another very interesting thing about the content was there were two kinds of storiespicture and text stories. The picture stories were like photo eassays,

in some cases a sequential narrative and in some mere impressions of different walks of life. The text stories were like written articles, interviews, stories,etc by a variety of youth from across the country. The content for the first issue was also chosen in way to showcase maximum variety of genres as well as people.

the different pages

To create the visual language of the magazine I narrowed down to these six different kinds of pages which would require specific layout templates. The entire magazine would be formed by multiples of some of these pages, But these were the basic. This also helped me look at how the system of layouts and visual elements that I was creating was working. It helped me refine the flow of information throughout the magazine. It was also easier to point of flaws when I looked at these basic pages put together.

1 cover page 2 contents 3 editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s note 4 contributors 5 text story 6 picture story

typography

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Droid Serif 10 pt at 12 pt leading

Droid Serif 10 pt at 13 pt leading

Droid Serif 9 pt at 12 pt leading

Alongside developing a visual language for the magazine I also worked on choosing the right typeface. Beautiful typography is one of the key elements of a well designed magazine. To make sure I had tested the typeface well before I decided to use it for the magazine, I took sample test prints with the type set in different sizes and leading to figure out at what point size and leading the typefaces works the best. I was fortunate to have a client who agreed to invest

Adobe Caslon pro 10 pt at 12 pt leading

Calluna 10 pt at 12 pt leading

Calluna 9 pt at 11 pt leading

in a beautifully designed text typefaceCalluna for the magazine. For the title I finaly chose Oswald, a free typeface. With such a wide variety of typefaces available, it was one of the most difficult decisions I had to take during the course of this project. My aim was to choose a well designed serif typeface with a minimum to 4 weight variations for the body text and a bold sans serif typeface for the titles.

OSWALD LIGHT

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

OSWALD DESIGNER Vernon Adams

WEIGHTS & TYPE OF FILE 3 weights (.OTF) CLASSIFICATION Sans Serif Category Text KEYWORDS GOTHIC SOURCE WWW.FONTSQUIRREL.COM

abcdefghijklmnopqrs tuvwxyz 1234567890 OSWALD BOOK

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrs tuvwxyz 1234567890 OSWALD BOLD

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrs tuvwxyz 1234567890

Calluna Regular

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 Calluna Italic

Calluna Designer Exljbris

Weights & Type Of File 4 Weights (.Otf) Classification Serif Category Text Keywords Classical Source www.fontsquirrel.com

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 Calluna Bold

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 Calluna Bold Italic

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890

Aller light

ALLER Designer Dalton Maag Ltd

Weights & Type Of File 6 Weights (.Otf) Classification sans Serif Category Text Keywords humanist Source www.fontsquirrel.com

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 Aller light Italic

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 Aller Regular

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890

Aller Italic

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 Aller Bold

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 Aller Bold Italic

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890

The above sampled typefaces were used in the magazine. Calluna is used for majority of the body text. Oswald for the titles and Aller for the block quotes in the text stories. A number of other typefaces were also tested from which I ended up choosing these 3 typefaces. The other options included Droid Serif, Droid Sans, Adobe Caslon pro, Ostrich Sans, New Cicle.

Alongside choosing typefaces I had also started simultaneous work on the basic layouts for the different pages. I was looking at creating sets of layouts that worked together as a system.

initial ideas & concepts

I started this off by making hand drawn thumbnails of the layouts and putting them up together to analyse them. After drawing these out I would make templates of the same in InDesign to see how would look in actual size. This helped me to take actual size print outs to compare details of the different ideas I was working on. While doing this I felt the need to freeze on a basic grid around which I would be able to make more alternative layouts. Some of these were later refined and formed the final layouts.

Hand drawn thumbnails for the contributorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s page with a few mental notes made after analysis

Hand drawn thumbnails for the editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s note

Hand drawn thumbnails for the contents page

Basic grid for some picture story pages

Basic grid for some non story pages

Basic margins for the pages

Basic grid for the story pages

the grid

Top margin : 15 mm Bottom margin : 15 mm Inside margin : 10 mm Outside margin : 10 mm

Defining the grid was one of the first steps of taking the ideas to the computer. The grid was the basic guidelines around which I started exploring the different possibilities for the layouts. These were the three basic grid structures I worked with for the different pages of the magazine.

refining the idea

The stage of the project involved a lot of hands on work, creating multiple layouts to see what works and refining the basic idea behind the magazine. This stage was also the first test of the templates for the basic layouts created earlier. A number of drafts and layouts were made, printed and compared to arrive at the final solutions. A number of drafts that had a number of stories put together were also exchanged in the form of PDFs.

65 IN THIS ISSUE

IN THIS ISSUE Sreepriya Menon

IN THIS ISSUE

IN THIS ISSUE Sreepriya Menon Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

Sreepriya Menon Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi

Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

Sreepriya Menon

Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student...

Sreepriya Menon

Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student...

Sreepriya Menon Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

Sreepriya Menon

Someone who is in love with the world as it is. Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student. Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

Lady Shri Ram College

Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi

Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

Sreepriya Menon

Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi

Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

Sreepriya Menon

Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi

Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

CONVERGE // MarCH 2013

Sreepriya Menon

Lady Shri Ram College New Delhi Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count. Aditatiant. Endiatios eatemost qui commo quid quuntem eatio blaborro tem. Boreper atemporio. Ex ercipsae. Nequos sin nosam qui nonsequae ea porporiore, ulpari commodisciet venisGitae et id millitate dellandaes nimus es pre, esenteTium si rest quia il id modiciu

IN THIS ISSUE 1

Sreepriya Menon

Someone who is in love with the world as it is. Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student. Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

Lady Shri Ram College

Sreepriya Menon

Lady Shri Ram College New Delhi

Sreepriya Menon

Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

Sreepriya Menon

Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.Ut quis et as quis vellest, sant mollaut vollanis

Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.Ti cum aut omnim ea cus. Caerepudit voluptur,

Sreepriya Menon

ConVerGe // MARCH 2013

Lady Shri Ram College New Delhi

Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

1 CONVERGE / MARCH 2013

Sreepriya Menon

Lady Shri Ram College New Delhi

Sreepriya Menon

Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

Lady Shri Ram College New Delhi

Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

Sreepriya Menon

Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist.

Sreepriya Menon

Lady Shri Ram College New Delhi

Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

Lady Shri Ram College New Delhi

Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

Sreepriya Menon

Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student...

Lady Shri Ram College New Delhi

Sreepriya Menon

Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi

Sreepriya Menon

Lady Shri Ram College New Delhi

Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

Sreepriya Menon

Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student...

Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

Sreepriya Menon

Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student...

Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

Lady Shri Ram College New Delhi

Sreepriya Menon

Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

Lady Shri Ram College New Delhi

Sreepriya Menon

Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student... Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

Lady Shri Ram College New Delhi

Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi

Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student...

ConVerGe // MARCH 2013

Sreepriya Menon

Lady Shri Ram College New Delhi

Sreepriya Menon

Lady Shri Ram College

Sreepriya Menon

Lady Shri Ram College

Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi

Sreepriya Menon

Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student...

Sreepriya Menon

Someone who is in love with the world as it is. Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student. Poetry lover and a foodie. Basically i believe in making the good times count.

Lady Shri Ram College

Sreepriya Menon

Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi Someone who is in love with the world as it is... Die hard optimist. Chatterer. Eternal student...

Lady Shri Ram College New Delhi

IN THIS ISSUE

Lady Shri Ram College New Delhi

ConVerGe // MARCH 2013

Lady Shri Ram College New Delhi

ConVerGe // MARCH 2013

Lady Shri Ram College New Delhi

66 people

PeoPle

#women

My society and yours, lives in shame for criminal acts against women is happening in most parts of our nation, in no fear. Are we a modern society truly ? In context of the Delhi Uprising, a story told in sketches.

#women

The Uprising of Women in india My society and yours, lives in shame for criminal acts against women is happening in most parts of our nation, in no fear. Are we a modern society truly ? In context of the Delhi Uprising, a story told in sketches.

CONVERGE // MARCH 2013

PEOPLE

CONVERGE // MARCH 2013

PEOPLE

#women

PEOPLE OF THE PINK CITY

By Anubhav V Christ University

Ma, din se que te opos sces nocrum imus, tam omperae int. Buninte rviliqu onender oponsinu essimens condi, notia vivirmistiumDo, intieni hiliae nosterra nostali ngulicata, senatus cutum sendum vivider riocupiori inguliam ia publiem

By Anubhav V Christ University

18 lives, 13 professions, 1 city. This is the story of survival,of people on the streets making a living. This is the story of the people of Jaipur.

CONVERGE // MARCH 2013

18 lives, 13 professions, 1 city. This is the story of survival,of people on the streets making a living. This is the story of the people of Jaipur.

CONVERGE // MARCH 2013

67 PeoPle

PeoPle

#viva

here is a lot we do not understand. Most of what we do not understand at one point of time gets clear at some other point of time but there still would remain sediments of disbelief or vague hints of the past lack of understanding post the (un)specified time of understanding. If you were wondering whether I started busying myself with Ludlumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s philosophy, you probably have never stepped into an engine-erring workshop lab.

whom I last remember seeing on the first day of college. After a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;cordialâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; welcome of instruction shouting, we are made to take down the model supposed to be made - a quadrant of a circle which fits neatly into its hollow counterpart, both made from two steel pieces, for 30 marks; a welding joint for 10 marks and viva for 10 marks, all to be added to our internal assessment marks to total it to 75.

amusement in inducing more broken Hindi or get down to business and finish early for my regular dose of caffeine in the canteen.

For newbies: Workshop (06WSL18) is a compulsory subject in the first year of any engineering course in Karnataka (and in IITs too, I think) with the exception of a certain autonomous college in Bangalore. The syllabus includes designing fitting models which extract physical labour in alarming quantities and welding models which demand a fumbling freshie risk his looks. The warsht that could happen was probably this particular subject carrying 75 marks for the semester exams which includes a 10 mark viva voce (rapid fire question-answer session with the examiner). Why workshop was made compulsory for all branches despite it having least application in our chosen career stream has bounced over every takerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head from time immemorial.

VP adds as an afterthought, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Time limit ees 2 avars, that is exactly 120 minutes.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hue and cry greets this announcement.

Me: Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an alternative: Why donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you just scroll above and apply simple summation of finite series? I am Akshata, branch electronics, from Bangalore, roots in Karwar.

#viva

ViVa Woes

Me: From Bangalore sir. Ex: Oh. Originally from where? Me: Coastal Karnataka. Karwar. Ex: Ees eet? So Akshata, can you introduce yourself?

Omnihitis int eaque mod magnis ad qui aut et

CONVERGE // MARCH 2013

from two steel pieces, for 30 marks; a welding joint for 10 marks and viva for 10 marks, all to be added to our internal assessment marks to total it to 75. VP adds as an afterthought, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Time limit ees 2 avars, that is exactly 120 minutes.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hue and cry greets this announcement. Assuming his words could make things better, he states with a grin, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;See 2 avars more than yenaf if you have a good breakfast and come. You will get full 120 minutes for your work and nobody can take these 120 minutes from youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. His version of a certain â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sattar Minuteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; speech that made waves last year.

Omnihitis int eaque mod magnis ad qui aut etdgfbb Thus, we get to work; marking, punching, cutting (the thin blade wobbling dangerously, extracting a work of 317.55 joule/second from yours truly), filing and then welding. I choose to do away with the details because after all the effort, it looked like my strategy paid off and I got soopar looking models. ;) Just when I thought those marks were in the bag, I hear Hagar call, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; Roll numbar threeeeee. Vivaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. I walk nervously to the external examiner, a man in mid-thirties in a crisp white shirt and sit down when asked.

CONVERGE // MARCH 2013

PEOPLE

Omnihitis int eaque mod magnis ad qui aut et

Ex: Ees eet? So Akshata, can you introduce technicality for such a simple device? It is a yourself? simple divider which children yooze. Me: Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an alternative: Why donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you just Me: Fuming. Yes sir. But you said yexplain so.. scroll above and apply simple summation of (yes, with the sarcasm and my best smile) finite series? I am Akshata, branch electronics, from Ex: Vokay vokay. *looks at VP* This is the interest we expect in the subject, sir. So Bangalore, roots in Karwar. Akshata, what ees yoovar ambition? Ex: Goooood. So, can you identify this device? (points to a lethal looking tonged instrument) Me: Law will sound out of track and might lead to more questions, making me late for Me: Loading..27%..89%. Image of Dad using it coffee. Think..something big and complicated. Research in satellite ranging and nano to unseal a cough syrup bottle. technology, sir. Cutting plyer, sir. Ex: *grins* Six yellowish white teeth on each jaw visible. See ma, in engineering level, we expect certain amount of technicality from you. Of course, you are right but even a 3rd standard child can tell me that no?

Ex: Oho. What is that?

Me: Sir, it is a snipe. Used in sheet metal work. It has two movable jaws attached to the handle and the jaws are shaped for pinpoint precision cutting. Usually made of hardened steel, grade 4. Specification given by size of jaws in mm. No operator skill is required. Even a third standard child can handle it. (Without pause. Mujhse panga lega?)

Ex: Ees eet? All the best. *takes register* Roll number three..three..three. *scribbles what looks like a nine* You may go.

Me: Erm..adopting electronics for research in satellite ranging and nano technology. (source: Elementary Explanation Guide for External Examiners).

Yay! Thanked him and fled. And it was only after I reached the canteen that I received this SMS forward:

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Trying to argue with your examiner in viva is Ex: *looks impressed* Good good. But I just like fighting with a pig in mud. After a while, you realize that you are getting dirty and the asked you name no? pig is enjoying itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Me: Grrr.

Circa 2008, January the 18th. We yawn our way to the college workshop at 8:15 am in half tucked hideous khaki uniforms and leather shoes, carrying a 4 Rupee hacksaw blade which serves the purpose of cutting steel (yes, solid steel!). The instructor stands smirking like he has been nominated the next Ivan the horrible (or is it Hagar the terrible?) with the sneaky HOD and the wispy Vice Principal (VP) whom I last remember seeing on the first day of college. After a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;cordialâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; welcome of instruction shouting, Ex: Hmm. So roll number three. So what is we are made to take down the model supposed your name? to be made - a quadrant of a circle which fits neatly into its hollow counterpart, both made Isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t that on the register next to the roll

Me: What technicality do you expect from this, human? Sir, that is a screw-turn marker. Precision measuring instrument which can be used to measure distance between

Was prepared for this, considering five out of three people take me for a Northie. Took a second to debate between continued

Me: From Bangalore sir. Ex: Oh. Originally from where? Me: Coastal Karnataka. Karwar.

Me: Fuming. Yes sir. But you said yexplain so.. (yes, with the sarcasm and my best smile)

the center of a circle. It is made of mild steel, has sharp edges and movable legs. Specified by maximum separation measurable in mm. (Now talk about technicality).

Ex: Full Hajara Choudhary manual tip of your Was prepared for this, considering five tongue aa? *laughs* See ma, in engineering out of three people take me for a Northie. level, simplification is the key. Why so much Took a second to debate between continued amusement in inducing more broken Hindi or get down to business and finish early for my regular dose of caffeine in the canteen.

By Anubhav V Christ University

Omnihitis int eaque mod magnis ad qui aut et

Thus, we get to work; marking, punching, cutting (the thin blade wobbling dangerously, extracting a work of 317.55 joule/second from yours truly), filing and then welding. I choose to do away with the details because after all the effort, it looked like my strategy paid off and I got soopar looking models. ;) Just when I thought those marks were in the bag, I hear Hagar call, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; Roll numbar threeeeee. Vivaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. I walk nervously to the external examiner, a man in mid-thirties in a crisp white shirt and sit down when asked.

Isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t that on the register next to the roll number, you near-sighted warp? Me: Akshata, Sir. Ex: Hmm. So which branch? Me: Electronics. Ex: Hmm. Aap kidhar se aaya hai?

An engineering viva in all its glory.

Ex: Full Hajara Choudhary manual tip of your tongue aa? *laughs* See ma, in engineering level, simplification is the key. Why so much technicality for such a simple device? It is a simple divider which children yooze.

Ex: Vokay vokay. *looks at VP* This is the interest we expect in the subject, sir. So Akshata, what ees yoovar ambition? Me: Loading..27%..89%. Image of Dad using it Me: Law will sound out of track and to unseal a cough syrup bottle. might lead to more questions, making me Cutting plyer, sir. late for coffee. Think..something big and Ex: *grins* Six yellowish white teeth on each complicated. Research in satellite ranging and nano jaw visible. technology, sir. See ma, in engineering level, we expect Ex: Oho. What is certain amount of that? technicality from you. Of course, you are Me: Erm..adopting right but even a 3rd electronics for standard child can tell research in satellite me that no? ranging and nano technology. (source: Elementary Explanation Me: Sir, it is a snipe. Used in sheet metal work. It has two movable jaws attached to the Guide for External Examiners). handle and the jaws are shaped for pinpoint Ex: Ees eet? All the best. *takes register* Roll precision cutting. Usually made of hardened number three..three..three. *scribbles what steel, grade 4. Specification given by size of looks like a nine* You may go. jaws in mm. No operator skill is required. Even a third standard child can handle it. Yay! Thanked him and fled. And it was only (Without pause. Mujhse panga lega?) after I reached the canteen that I received this SMS forward: Ex: *looks impressed* Good good. But I just asked you name no? â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Trying to argue with your examiner in viva is like fighting with a pig in mud. After a Me: Grrr. while, you realize that you are getting dirty and the pig is enjoying itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Ex: So, can you identify and yexplain about this device? (points to a divider from a school kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s geometry set)

number, you near-sighted warp? Me: Akshata, Sir. Ex: Hmm. So which branch? Me: Electronics. Ex: Hmm. Aap kidhar se aaya hai?

An engineering viva in all its glory.

Ex: Goooood. So, can you identify this device? (points to a lethal looking tonged instrument)

Ex: Hmm. So roll number three. So what is your name?

By Anubhav V Christ University

ViVa Woes

two separated planes, draw parallel lines or locate the center of a circle. It is made of mild steel, has sharp edges and movable legs. Specified by maximum separation measurable in mm. (Now talk about technicality).

Ex: So, can you identify and yexplain about this device? (points to a divider from a school kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s geometry set) Me: What technicality do you expect from this, human? Sir, that is a screw-turn marker. Precision measuring instrument which can be used to measure distance between two separated planes, draw parallel lines or locate CONVERGE // MARCH 2013

PeoPle

#viva

VIVA WOES

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An engineering viva in all its glory.

Me: From Bangalore sir. E %5 %?646;.99F 3?<: D52?2 Me: Coastal Karnataka. Karwar. By Anubhav V Christ University

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ViVa Woes

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#2 ,5.A A205;60.96AF 1< F<B 2E=20A 3?<: A56@ 5B:.; (6? A5.A 6@ . @0?2D AB?; :.?82? &?206@6<; :2.@B?6;4 6;@A?B:2;A D5605 0.; be used to measure distance between two @2=.?.A21 =9.;2@ 1?.D =.?.9929 96;2@ <? 9<0.A2 A52 02;A2? <3 . 06?092 A 6@ :.12 <3 :691 @A229 5.@ @5.?= 2142@ .;1 :<C./92 924@ (=206J21 /F :.E6:B: @2=.?.A6<; :2.@B?./92 6; :: $<D A.98 ./<BA A205;60.96AF E B99 .7.?. 5<B15.?F :.;B.9 A6= <3 F<B?

CONVERGE // MARCH 2013

By Anubhav V Christ University

down the model supposed to be made - a quadrant of a circle which fits neatly into its hollow counterpart, both made from two steel pieces, for 30 marks; a welding joint for 10 marks and viva for 10 marks, all to be added to our internal assessment marks to total it to 75.

here is a lot we do not understand. Most of what we do not understand at one point of time gets clear at some other point of time but there still would remain sediments of disbelief or vague hints of the past lack of understanding post the (un) specified time of understanding. If you were wondering whether I started busying myself with Ludlumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s philosophy, you probably have never stepped into an engine-erring workshop lab.

E 2@ 22A 99 A52 /2@A A.82@ ?246@A2? '<99 ;B:/2? A5?22 A5?22 A5?22 @0?6//92@ D5.A 9<<8@ 9682 . ;6;2 -<B :.F 4<

Me: From Bangalore sir. Ex: Oh. Originally from where? Me: Coastal Karnataka. Karwar.

Ex: Vokay vokay. *looks at VP* This is the interest we expect in the subject, sir. So Akshata, what ees yoovar ambition?

Ex: Ees eet? So Akshata, can you introduce yourself?

Me: Law will sound out of track and might lead to more questions, making me late for coffee. Think..something big and complicated. Research in satellite ranging and nano technology, sir.

E %5< ,5.A 6@ A5.A

tongue aa? *laughs* See ma, in engineering level, simplification is the key. Why so much technicality for such a simple device? It is a simple divider which children yooze. Me: Fuming. Yes sir. But you said yexplain so.. (yes, with the sarcasm and my best smile)

out of three people take me for a Northie. Took a second to debate between continued amusement in inducing more broken Hindi or get down to business and finish early for my regular dose of caffeine in the canteen.

#viva

VP adds as an afterthought, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Time limit ees 2 avars, that is exactly 120 minutes.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hue and cry greets this announcement.

Assuming his words could make things better, he states with a grin, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;See 2 avars more than yenaf if you have a good breakfast and come. You will get full 120 minutes for your work and nobody can take these 120 minutes from youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. His version of a certain â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sattar Minuteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; speech that made waves last year. Thus, we get to work; marking, punching, cutting (the thin blade wobbling dangerously, extracting a work of 317.55 joule/second from yours truly), filing and then welding. I choose to do away with the details because after all the effort, it looked like my strategy paid off and I got soopar looking models. ;) Just when I thought those marks were in the bag, I hear Hagar call, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; Roll numbar threeeeee. Vivaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. I walk nervously to the external examiner, a man in mid-thirties in a crisp white shirt and sit down when asked. Ex: Hmm. So roll number three. So what is your name? Isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t that on the register next to the roll number, you near-sighted warp? Me: Akshata, Sir. Ex: Hmm. So which branch? Me: Electronics. Ex: Hmm. Aap kidhar se aaya hai? Was prepared for this, considering five CoNVeRGe // MARCH 2013

Ex: Goooood. So, can you identify this device? (points to a lethal looking tonged instrument) Me: Loading..27%..89%. Image of Dad using it to unseal a cough syrup bottle. Cutting plyer, sir. Ex: *grins* Six yellowish white teeth on each jaw visible. See ma, in engineering level, we expect certain amount of technicality from you. Of course, you are right but even a 3rd standard child can tell me that no? Me: Sir, it is a snipe. Used in sheet metal work. It has two movable jaws attached to the handle and the jaws are shaped for pinpoint precision cutting. Usually made of hardened steel, grade 4. Specification given by size of jaws in mm. No operator skill is required. Even a third standard child can handle it. (Without pause. Mujhse panga lega?)

Ex: Oho. What is that?

VP adds as an afterthought, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Time limit ees 2 avars, that is exactly 120 minutes.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hue and cry greets this announcement.

Me: Erm..adopting electronics for research in satellite ranging and nano technology. (source: Elementary Explanation Guide for External Examiners). Ex: Ees eet? All the best. *takes register* Roll number three..three..three. *scribbles what looks like a nine* You may go. Yay! Thanked him and fled. And it was only after I reached the canteen that I received this SMS forward: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Trying to argue with your examiner in viva is like fighting with a pig in mud. After a while, you realize that you are getting dirty and the pig is enjoying itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Ex: *looks impressed* Good good. But I just asked you name no? Me: Grrr. Ex: So, can you identify and yexplain about this device? (points to a divider from a school kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s geometry set) Me: What technicality do you expect from this, human? Sir, that is a screw-turn marker. Precision measuring instrument which can be used to measure distance between two separated planes, draw parallel lines or locate the center of a circle. It is made of mild steel, has sharp edges and movable legs. Specified by maximum separation measurable in mm. (Now talk about technicality). Ex: Full Hajara Choudhary manual tip of your

CoNVeRGe // MARCH 2013

68 PeoPle

PeoPle

And just when I thought those marks were in the bag, I hear Hagar call, “Roll numbar threeeeee. Viva!” I walk nervously to the external examiner, a man in his mid-thirties, wearing a crisp white shirt and sat down when asked.

ViVa Woes An engineering viva in all its glory

#viva

akshatha hedge accenture

here is a lot we do not understand. Most of what we do not understand at one point of time gets clear at some other point of time. But, sediments of disbelief or vague hints of past lack of understanding, post the (un)specified time of understanding, still remain. If you were wondering if I started busying myself with Ludlum’s philosophy there, you probably have never stepped into an engine-erring workshop lab. For newbies: Workshop (06WSL18) is a compulsory subject in the first year of any engineering course in Karnataka (and in IITs too, I think) with the exception of a certain autonomous college in Bangalore. The syllabus includes designing fitting models which extract physical labour in alarming quantities and welding models which demand a fumbling ‘freshie’ risk his looks. The warsht that could happen was probably this particular subject carrying 75 marks for the semester exams which includes a 10 mark viva voce (rapid fire question-answer session with the examiner). Why the workshop was made compulsory for all the branches, despite it having the least of application in our chosen career stream, has bounced over every taker’s head from time immemorial. Circa 2008, January the 18th. We yawn our way to the college workshop at 8:15 AM in half tucked hideous khaki uniforms and leather shoes, carrying a 4 Rs. hacksaw blade which serves the purpose of cutting steel (yes, solid steel!). The instructor stands smirking like he has been nominated to be the next Ivan the horrible (or is it Hagar the terrible?) along with the sneaky HOD and the wispy Vice Principal

“We yawn our way to the college workshop at 8:15 aM in half tucked hideous khaki uniforms and leather shoes, carrying a rs.4 hacksaw blade which serves the purpose of cutting steel (yes, solid steel!)” Assuming his words would make things better, he states something again. This time with a grin, “See 2 avars more than yenaf if you have a good breakfast and come. You will get full 120 minutes for your work and nobody can take these 120 minutes from you.” His version of a certain ‘sattar-minut-speech’ that made waves last year. Thus, we get to work; marking, punching, cutting (the thin blade wobbling dangerously, extracting a work of 317.55 joule/second from yours truly), filing and then welding. I choose to do away with the details because after all the effort, it looked like my strategy paid off and I got soopar looking models!

Ex: Hmm. So, roll number three. What is your name? Me: (Isn’t that on the register next to the roll number, you near-sighted warp?) Akshatha, Sir. Ex: Hmm. So which branch? Me: Electronics. Ex: Hmm. Aap kidhar se aaya hai? I was prepared for this, considering five out of three people take me for a North-ie. I took a second to debate between whether to keep the continued amusements by inducing more broken Hindi from him or to get down to business and finish early for my regular dose of caffeine in the canteen. Me: From Bangalore sir. Ex: Oh. Originally from where? Me: Coastal Karnataka. Karwar. Ex: Ees eet? So Akshatha, can you introduce yourself? Me: (Here’s an alternative: Why don’t you just scroll above and apply simple summation of finite series?) I am Akshatha. Branch, electronics. From, Bangalore. Roots in Karwar. Ex: Goooood. So, can you identify this device? (Points to a lethal looking tonged instrument) Me: (Loading...27%...89%. Image of Dad using it to unseal a cough syrup bottle) Cutting plyer, Sir. Ex: *grins* (Six yellowish teeth on both the jaws visible) See ma, in engineering-level, we expect certain amount of technicality from you. Of course, you are right but even a 3rd standard child can tell me that no? Me: Sir, it is a snipe. Used in sheet metal work. It has two movable

jaws attached to the handle and the jaws are shaped for pinpoint precision cutting. Usually, it is made of hardened steel, Grade 4. Specification given by size of jaws, in mm. No operator skill is required. Even a third standard child can handle it. (Without pause. Mujhse panga lega?) Ex: *looks impressed* Good good. But, I just asked you name no? Me: Grr. Ex: So, can you identify and explain

“ex: Full hajara choudhary manual tip of your tongue aa? *laughs* see ma, in engineering- level, simplification is the key.” about this device? (Points to a divider from a school kid’s geometry set) Me: (What technicality do you expect from this, human?) Sir, that is a screw-turn marker. Precision measuring instrument which can be used to measure distance between two separated planes, draw parallel lines or locate the center of a circle. It is made of mild steel, has sharp edges and movable legs. Specified by maximum separation measurable in mm. (Now, talk about technicality) Ex: Full Hajara Choudhary manual tip of your tongue aa? *laughs* See ma, in engineering- level, simplification is the key. Why so much technicality for such a simple device? It is a simple divider which children yooze. Me: (Fuming) Yes, sir. But you said yexplain so… (Yes, with the sarcasm and my best smile) Ex: Vokay vokay. *looks at VP* This is the interest we expect in the subject, Sir. So Akshatha, what ees yoovar ambition? Me: (Law will sound out of track and might lead to more questions,

making me late for coffee. Think… something big and complicated!) Research in Satellite ranging and Nano technology, Sir. Ex: Oho. What is that? Me: Erm...adopting electronics for research in Satellite ranging and Nano technology. (Source: Elementary Explanation Guide for External Examiners) Ex: Ees eet? All the best. *takes register* Roll number three...three...three! *scribbles something that looks like a nine* You may go.

#ViVa

An engineering viva in all its glory

Yay! I thanked him and fled. And, it was only after I reached the canteen that I received this SMS forward: ‘Trying to argue with your examiner in a viva is like fighting with a pig in mud. After a while, you realize that you are getting dirty and the pig is enjoying it.’

akshatha hedge accenture

PeoPle

has been nominated to be the next Ivan the horrible (or is it Hagar the terrible?) along with the sneaky HOD and the wispy Vice Principal (VP), whom I last remember seeing only on the first day of college. After a ‘cordial’ welcome of instruction shouting, we are made to take down the model to be made – a quadrant of a circle which fits neatly into its hollow counterpart, both made from two steel pieces, for 30 marks; a welding joint for 10 marks and a viva for 10 marks, all to be added to our internal assessment, bringing it to a total of 75. VP adds as an afterthought, “Time limit ees 2 avars. That is exactly 120 minutes.” Hue and cry greets this announcement

PeoPle

in the bag, I hear Hagar call, “Roll numbar threeeeee. Viva!” I walk nervously to the external examiner, a man in his mid-thirties, wearing a crisp white shirt and sat down when asked.

ViVa Woes

Ex: Hmm. So, roll number three. What is your name? Me: (Isn’t that on the register next to the roll number, you near-sighted warp?) Akshatha, Sir.

An engineering viva in all its glory

AkshAthA hedge Accenture #viva

to do away with the details because after all the effort, it looked like my strategy paid off and I got soopar looking models! And just when I thought those marks were in the bag, I hear Hagar call, “Roll numbar threeeeee. Viva!” I walk nervously to the external examiner, a man in his mid-thirties, wearing a crisp white shirt and sat down when asked.

ViVa Woes

(VP), whom I last remember seeing only on the first day of college. After a ‘cordial’ welcome of instruction shouting, we are made to take down the model to be made – a quadrant of a circle which fits neatly into its hollow counterpart, both made from two steel pieces, for 30 marks; a welding joint for 10 marks and a viva for 10 marks, all to be added to our internal assessment, bringing it to a total of 75. VP adds as an afterthought, “Time limit ees 2 avars. That is exactly 120 minutes.” Hue and cry greets this announcement. “We yaWn our Way to the college WorkshoP at 8:15 aM in half tucked hideous khaki uniforMs and leather shoes, carrying a rs.4 hacksaW blade Which serves the PurPose of cutting steel (yes, solid steel!)” Assuming his words would make things better, he states something again. This time with a grin, “See 2 avars more than yenaf if you have a good breakfast and come. You will get full 120 minutes for your work and nobody can take these 120 minutes from you.” His version of a certain ‘sattar-minut-speech’ that made waves last year. Thus, we get to work; marking, punching, cutting (the thin blade wobbling dangerously, extracting a work of 317.55 joule/second from yours truly), filing and then welding. I choose to do away with the details because after all the effort, it looked like my strategy paid off and I got soopar looking models! And just when I thought those marks were converge // MArch 2013

Ex: Hmm. So which branch? Me: Electronics. Ex: Hmm. Aap kidhar se aaya hai? I was prepared for this, considering five out of three people take me for a North-ie. I took a second to debate between whether to keep the continued amusements by inducing more broken Hindi from him or to get down to business and finish early for my regular dose of caffeine in the canteen. Me: From Bangalore sir. Ex: Oh. Originally from where? Me: Coastal Karnataka. Karwar. Ex: Ees eet? So Akshatha, can you introduce yourself? Me: (Here’s an alternative: Why don’t you just scroll above and apply simple summation of finite series?) I am Akshatha. Branch, electronics. From, Bangalore. Roots in Karwar. Ex: Goooood. So, can you identify this device? (Points to a lethal looking tonged instrument) Me: (Loading...27%...89%. Image of Dad using it to unseal a cough syrup bottle) Cutting plyer, Sir. Ex: *grins* (Six yellowish teeth on both the jaws visible) See ma, in engineering-level, we expect certain amount of technicality from you. Of course, you are right but even a 3rd standard child can tell me that no? Me: Sir, it is a snipe. Used in sheet metal work. It has two movable jaws attached to the handle and the jaws converge // MArch 2013

are shaped for pinpoint precision cutting. Usually, it is made of hardened steel, Grade 4. Specification given by size of jaws, in mm. No operator skill is required. Even a third standard child can handle it. (Without pause. Mujhse panga lega?) Ex: *looks impressed* Good good. But, I just asked you name no? Me: Grr. “ex: full hajara choudhary Manual tiP of your tongue aa? *laughs* See ma, in engineering- level, siMPlification is the key.” Ex: So, can you identify and explain about this device? (Points to a divider from a school kid’s geometry set) Me: (What technicality do you expect from this, human?) Sir, that is a screwturn marker. Precision measuring instrument which can be used to measure distance between two separated planes, draw parallel lines or locate the center of a circle. It is made of mild steel, has sharp edges and movable legs. Specified by maximum separation measurable in mm. (Now, talk about technicality)

ellite ranging and Nano technology, Sir. Ex: Oho. What is that? Me: Erm...adopting electronics for research in Satellite ranging and Nano technology. (Source: Elementary Explanation Guide for External Examiners)

#viva

ViVa Woes An engineering viva in all its glory

Ex: Ees eet? All the best. *takes register* Roll number three...three...three! *scribbles something that looks like a nine* You may go. Yay! I thanked him and fled. And, it was only after I reached the canteen that I received this SMS forward:

By Akshata Hedge Christ University

‘Trying to argue with your examiner in a viva is like fighting with a pig in mud. After a while, you realize that you are getting dirty and the pig is enjoying it.’

Ex: Full Hajara Choudhary manual tip of your tongue aa? *laughs* See ma, in engineering- level, simplification is the key. Why so much technicality for such a simple device? It is a simple divider which children yooze. Me: (Fuming) Yes, sir. But you said yexplain so… (Yes, with the sarcasm and my best smile)

There is a lot we do not understand. Most of what we do not understand at one point of time gets clear at some other point of time. But, sediments of disbelief or vague hints of past lack of understanding, post the (un)specified time of understanding, still remain. If you were wondering if I started busying myself with Ludlum’s philosophy there, you probably have never stepped into an engine-erring workshop lab.

are made to take down the model to be made – a quadrant of a circle which fits neatly into its hollow counterpart, both made from two steel pieces, for 30 marks; a welding joint for 10 marks and a viva for 10 marks, all to be added to our internal assessment, bringing it to a total of 75.

For newbies: Workshop (06WSL18) is a compulsory subject in the first year of any engineering course in Karnataka (and in IITs too, I think) with the exception of a certain autonomous college in Bangalore. The syllabus includes designing fitting models which extract physical labour in alarming quantities and welding models which demand a fumbling ‘freshie’ risk his looks. The warsht that could happen was probably this particular subject carrying 75 marks for the semester exams which includes a 10 mark viva voce (rapid fire question-answer session with the examiner). Why the workshop was made compulsory for all the branches, despite it having the least of application in our chosen career stream, has bounced over every taker’s head from time immemorial.

Hue and cry announcement.

Circa 2008, January the 18th. We yawn our way to the college workshop at 8:15 AM in half tucked hideous khaki uniforms and leather shoes, carrying a 4 Rs. hacksaw blade which serves the purpose of cutting steel (yes, solid steel!). The instructor stands smirking like he has been nominated to be the next Ivan the horrible (or is it Hagar the terrible?) along with the sneaky HOD and the wispy Vice Principal (VP), whom I last remember seeing only on the first day of college. After a ‘cordial’ welcome of instruction shouting, we

Ex: Vokay vokay. *looks at VP* This is the interest we expect in the subject, Sir. So Akshatha, what ees yoovar ambition? Me: (Law will sound out of track and might lead to more questions, making me late for coffee. Think… something big and complicated!) Research in Sat1

VP adds as an afterthought, “Time limit ees 2 avars. That is exactly 120 minutes.” greets

this

Assuming his words would make things better, he states something again. This time with a grin, “See 2 avars more than yenaf if you have a good breakfast and come. You will get full 120 minutes for your work and nobody can take these 120 minutes from you.” His version of a certain ‘sattar-minut-speech’ that made waves last year.

“We yawn our way to the college workshop at 8:15 AM in half tucked hideous khaki uniforms and leather shoes, carrying a 4 Rs. hacksaw blade which serves the purpose of cutting steel (yes, solid steel!)”

Thus, we get to work; marking, punching, cutting (the thin blade wobbling dangerously, extracting a work of 317.55 joule/second from yours truly), filing and then welding. I choose to do away with the details because after all the effort, it looked like my strategy paid off and I got soopar looking models! And just when I thought those marks were in the bag, I hear Hagar call, “Roll numbar threeeeee. Viva!” I walk nervously to the external examiner, a man in his mid-thirties, wearing a crisp white shirt and sat down when asked. Ex: Hmm. So, roll number three. What is your CoNVeRGe // MARCH 2013

See ma, in engineering-level, expect certain amount of

technicality from you. Of course, you are right but even a 3rd standard child can tell me that no? Me: Sir, it is a snipe. Used in sheet metal work. It has two movable jaws attached to the handle and the jaws are shaped for pinpoint precision cutting. Usually, it is made of hardened steel, Grade 4. Specification given by size of jaws, in mm. No operator skill is required. Even a third standard child can handle it. (Without pause. Mujhse panga lega?) Ex: *looks impressed* Good good. But, I just asked you name no? Me: Grr.

“ex: Full hajara choudhary manual tip of your tongue aa? *laughs* see ma, in engineering- level, simplification is the key.” Ex: So, can you identify and explain about this device? (Points to a divider from a school kid’s geometry set) Me: (What technicality do you expect from this, human?) Sir, that is a screw-turn marker. Precision measuring instrument which can be used to measure distance between two separated planes, draw parallel lines or locate the center of a circle. It is made of mild steel, has sharp edges and movable legs. Specified by maximum separation measurable in mm. (Now, talk about technicality) Ex: Full Hajara Choudhary manual tip of your tongue aa? *laughs* See ma, in engineering- level, simplification is the key. Why so much technicality for such a simple device? It is a simple divider which children yooze. Me: (Fuming) Yes, sir. But you said yexplain so… (Yes, with the sarcasm and my best smile) Ex: Vokay vokay.

*looks at VP* This is the interest we expect in the subject, Sir. So Akshatha, what ees yoovar ambition? Me: (Law will sound out of track and might lead to more questions, making me late for coffee. Think… something big and complicated!) Research in Satellite ranging and Nano technology, Sir. Ex: Oho. What is that? Me: Erm...adopting electronics for research in Satellite ranging and Nano technology. (Source: Elementary Explanation Guide for External Examiners) Ex: Ees eet? All the best. *takes register* Roll number three...three...three! *scribbles something that looks like a nine* You may go. Yay! I thanked him and fled. And, it was only after I reached the canteen that I received this SMS forward: ‘Trying to argue with your examiner in a viva is like fighting with a pig in mud. After a while, you realize that you are getting dirty and the pig is enjoying it.’

Changes both in terms of suggestions for the design as well as design changed were communicated through comments in the PDFs.

the first test print & feedback

After having finished a considerable number of stories I insisted on a dummy print check of the magazine. This would give me an idea about how the magazine was turning out and would also be a well timed check on the finalised paper and size. The magazine draft was printed in Bangalore and sent to me. This printed copy was a very important step as a lot of things changed after analysing this draft carefully. One thing that struck me the most

was that by reducing the visual elements like the column separators would make the design more bold which was one the main keywords I was working with. The size of the body text was also reduced by a point size. Apart from these another major change was made in the basic margins. The margins in this draft were creating a lot of odd white spaces; this was resolved by re adjusting the grid a little bit. Along with these many other story specific changes were also made.

I did the analysis of this draft with two other graphic design batch mates. Views of two other visually sensitised people helped me get fresh perspectives on the design of the magazine. It was an early morning energetic discussion in which we discussed ideas of the layouts could be made more visually balanced and refined. A landmark idea that emerged through this discussion was the idea of treating one pagers as a poster to retain the boldness but to distinguish them from the cover pages of the picture stories.

FINAL DESIGN PITCH

After a critical analysis of the many drafts of the magazine I was finally able to put together a final draft of the magazine. This final draft also incorporated the editing changes and a print ready draft was made and sent to the client. The printing of the magazine was handled by the client and publisher, Sumit Saurav. The magazine was launched in early April this year, with 9000 print copies circulated through various colleges across India.

THE MAGAZINE

ISSUE

HELLO WORLD! AT PAY WH T AN YOU W VOL. 1 / APRIL 2013

A small disclaimer: A few of the designs in the final printed copies were altered from what I had sent to the client. Hence as part of the submission and as far as my â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;pitchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is considered, there may be some discrepancies. I have included as part of my designs the complete design done by me and as pitched to the client.

Honestly sitting one late night and wording a conclusion to this particular project doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really do much justice to the amount of learning I have gained through this project.

CONCLUSION

Apart from being new to the vast field of magazine design and finding my way through it, this project is about a lot more. It taught me how to deal with a real time client project. Interacting with the client was surprisingly very different and tricky from what I had imagined it to be like. Working as a graphic designer was not the only thing I have had to do for this. I worked very closely with the content team and the publisher which was about not only design but a lot of other issues like writing standards, editing, managing space and a lot more.

As far as magazine design was concerned, this was my first experience and I learnt in depth about layouts, typography, visual language, etc. Referring books helped but one of the most crucial inputs was looking at magazines off the shelves and studying and analysing them. The put-it-up method was very helpful as it helped me see things together and understand the difference between how it looked on the screen and in actual print. To conclude, this project gave me an all round experience and learning about a real time project with strict deadlines. It taught me how design works within time-lines and with real time issues beyond design.

books

REFERENCES

Magazines Inside & Out Steven Heller & Teresa Fernandes

Magazine Design- A Hands on Guide Ronald Walker

Grid Systems Josef Muller-Brockmann

Layout Essentials- 100 design principles for using grids

from the web 1

Making Magazines http://issuu.com/papress/docs/fresh-dialogue-7/1

September Industry — Designspiration http://designspiration.net/image/456566933069/

Designing Magazines » Blog Archive » Esquire Cares, Part I http://www.designingmagazines.com/?p=438

MagSpreads - Magazine Layout Design and Editorial Inspiration http://www.magspreads.net/

THE OUTPOST #01 on Behance http://www.behance.net/gallery/THE-OUTPOST-01/6768693

TRIDGES Magazine on Behance http://www.behance.net/gallery/TRIDGES-Magazine/3688007

NEWWORK MAGAZINE, Issue 5 on Behance http://www.behance.net/gallery/NEWWORK-MAGAZINE-Issue-5/7005905

MagCulture.com/blog http://magculture.com

Designspiration http://designspiration.net

Magazine | design mind http://designmind.frogdesign.com/magazine/

Jot Down Cultural Magazine http://www.jotdown.es/

AIGA | Redesigning The New Yorker, Pt. 2: A Visual Critique http://www.aiga.org/redesigning-the-new-yorker-part-two/

Issue 3 — Offscreen Magazine http://www.offscreenmag.com/issue3/

Push Pop Press — Al Gore’s Our Choice http://pushpoppress.com/ourchoice/

There are quite a few people I would like to thank for helping me throughout this project. Sumit Saurav and Samata Joshi (Campus Diaries, Bangalore) for being such a wonderful team to work with and trusting me with my skills to handle this project.

acknowledegements

Rupesh Vyas, for guiding me and for his continued support throughout this project. This would not have been possible without his valuable guidance. Tridha Gajjar, project coordinator for her support.

I would like to thank Surabhi Manchalwar, a very dear friend and fellow graphic designer for her continued encouragement, support and brilliant insights throughout the project. I would like to extend my gratitude to Shantanu Salgaonkar, a graphic design senior for sharing some very helpful references and experiences about magazine design. My batchmates for their support and my parents for their continued motivation and support.