creative
Editorial Editor-in-Chief_Nitin Tiwari Nitin@CreativeGaga.com Art Editor_Anureet Kaur Phul Anureet@CreativeGaga.com Operations Editor_Pragya Bharti Pragya@CreativeGaga.com Junior Designer_Shelesh Kumar Shelesh@CreativeGaga.com
FeaturedFolks A bunch of insights, techniques and inspiration from the best design minds of the country.
Advertising
Chief Marketing Officer_Sudhanshu Srivastava Sudhanshu@CreativeGaga.com_+91 7827155582 Sales & Mktg. Consultant_Sanjeev Anand Sanjeev@CreativeGaga.com Sales & Mktg. Consultant_Prerna Shah Prerna@CreativeGaga.com Sales & Mktg. Executive_Ishan Gupta Ishan@CreativeGaga.com
Consultants
Media Consultant_DBase4Media Group ssrivastava@dbase4mediagroup.com
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Ashwini Deshpande Design Entrepreneur
Ishan Khosla Artist/ Designer
Anindita Sengupta Toy Designer
Gopika Chowfla Design Entrepreneur
Rajkumar Sthabathy Watercolour Artist
Dushyant Mehta Creative Entrepreneur
Gautam Gajbar Illustrator/ Designer
Sarang Kulkarni Typographer
Abhijit Bansod and Amrita Bansod Product Designers
Rupinder Singh Digital Artist
Pankaj Bhambri Digital Artist
Vinay Pateel Illustrator/ Designer
Ad Sale Consultant_Shraddha Suman Creative Arts neelmani@sscaindia.com
Contributors MP Tiwari, PPS Phul, Archan Nair, The Copy Shop, Abhijeet Singhania, Santosh Kumar, Rajesh Kumar, Mitushi Khurana, Roop Sahoo, Maanasi Hattangadi, Ruturaj Parikh, Ratika Seth, Pankaj Michael Brown, Snehangsu Banerjee, Sachin Mohadikar, Pooja Chaudhary, Charu Pandit Nandita Sood, Avinash Sharma, Jaya Sharma. Distribution_DBase4Media, Sudarshan Book Distributors and Dial-a-Book
Directors_Nitin Tiwari & Anureet Kaur Phul Financial Consultant_KSMC & Associates a. 133-A, 2nd Floor, Westend Marg, Saidulajaib, New Delhi 110 030 t. 011 2953 5423, 011 2953 5623 w. www.CreativeGaga.com Open Bracket Publication aims to publish trade-specific, knowledge-rich magazines. Creative Gaga is our launch product, aimed at graphic design, animation, illustration, photography, product design and contemporary art. Š Open Bracket Publication 2010. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used or represented without the written permission of the publisher. Creative Gaga is not responsible in any way for the views expressed by the artists. The copyright of the artworks rests with the artists themselves. Correction! There was an error in the bio of Salil Shail in our last issue. Apologies. Salil Shail is an animation filmmaker, working as a story consultant/art director for animation/ design across various studios in India and abroad. He holds a Masters Degree from NCCA, Bournemouth University.
Exhibit SpendThrift
SpendThrift
Quick look at a bunch of thoughtfully designed products.
< Peacock Vanity Mirror. Narcissism is, after all, a virtue! Made with individual pieces of hand crafted mirror and beaten silver, it features a peacock, the vahana of Karthikeya, God of conquering vices. Admire yourself or the piece, both ways you’re right. Design Temple
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≥ Animania Playing Cards. Traditional playing cards go for a twist. This collectible box contains 2 decks of playing cards with animal illustrations by Leandro Castelao, an Argentinean designer. Printed on recycled paper in 4 colours including silver. Design Temple
≤ Handy Aujar Toolbox. Whoever thought the odd jobs in the house isn’t stylish! The DIY tool storage box, is a perfect storehouse for everything you need handy. Keep anything from scissors, safety pins and tape to screw-drivers, hammers, and nails handy. Design Temple
≥ Ardha Clutch. Carry blessings of the goddess in a convenient way. The raw silk clutch bags feature a wrist loop and front slash pocket. The side zipper opening means easy access. And the motif of goddess Lakshmi on the front is hand painted. 22.2 accessories
< Tri Corner Clutch. The contents may be small in size, but are big on style. The origami styled clutches are made out of single piece of leather. Each piece is hand painted, inspired from geometric prints and Madhubani art. 22.2 accessories
≥ Lokkhi Tote. Invoke prosperity and carry it along with this two-tone art, silk tote with a front detachable hanging pouch bag. The front illustration of goddess Lakhshmi is handcrafted on leather and is inspired from Bengal art style. 22.2 accessories
Design Temple Design Temple aims to provide a platform for urban Indian design. The store is a sensorial delight with its part gallery - part store approach that celebrates design. http://www.designtemple.com
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22.2 accessories Brainchildren of National award winner accessories designer Richa Dubey, its products are functional amalgamation of traditional craft technique with Indian textiles. http://www.facebook.com/22.2accessories
< Jute Cushions. The golden fibre can spell magic to your décor. Based on the earthen color palette, they are comfort and style rolled into one. Get artistic, get eco. Serenity
≥ Lamps and Bottles. Colourize your home bright, besides accessorizing it right. These orange colored bottles and vases, once placed at key locations, captures your vibrant mood. Fill them up with pebbles or just use them as show pieces anywhere in your house. Serenity
< Sutta Wala. It’s the same streetwise cuttingchai experience. Albeit in a new style. Sutta wala mugs feature the mean-looking smoker, an ubiquitous sight on Indian streets.The stubble, the fags up his ears and the matchbox background add up to the fun. Madtrip
< Psy Form. That’s your state of mind walking with you. The tote bag has many characters fused into one psychedelic design. With a zip inside, the bag is sturdy and functional. Madtrip
< Doodh Wala. Local fun in international flavour. The Doodh Wala mug has the milk man character with a distinct smile and turban on his head. The background has his “doodh ki ketly” bringing on the quirk. Madtrip ≥ Office Wala. Office hours need to be serious and sober. Oh really? With the Office Wala Mug, the coffee breaks become more fun and wacky. It features the typical executive on a background that has computers and chairs. Madtrip
Serenity: Blissful Living The Mumbai based store offers an eclectic collection of home accessories. It offers a variety of furniture that comprises products to pep up your home or office. www.facebook.com/serenityindia
Madtrip by Manas Kunder Manas has a keen interest in bizarre forms and characters. And that is evident through his designs created for ‘Madtrip’. He creates designs for t-shirts, mugs, bags and coasters. http://www.shopo.in/shop/Madtrip
* Think your products are worth a few square-inches here? Send them to us at Knock@CreativeGaga.com with ‘Spendthrift’ in the subject. creativegaga.com
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Figures StudioScope 09 Exxon Mobil Chemical. A perfect example, where designs meet client objectives.
10 11 Pupil Tree. Design created keeping the objective and target audience in mind.
Happiness is a great motivator. It’s a good feeling when your senior appreciates your work. But an even greater feeling is when the client smiles upon seeing your design. But most of all, you should be happy creating all across. Draw inspiration from client’s problems and the solutions you create thereafter. When your clients are happy and appreciative, that’s the ultimate pay off to hard work, dedication and talent. Keeping yourself happy is success in its truest sense.
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Brainstorming integrates creativity. Ideation, as an independent activity, goes for a boost when you sit together and brainstorm. It facilitates ideas that a single mind probably can’t think of. The catch is to sit together and hear ideas from others, because when we do so we tend to come up with more. Idea generation is a healthy exercise. It is secondary whether those ideas are used or not. And that’s where choosing people carefully matters. A team with varied exposure and interest helps in finding varied mediums and expressions of an idea that takes it to the next level.
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If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got the passion for both design and business then a creative business is your calling
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The future starts now. Start up and spend the rest of your life constantly improving the quality of your design and service. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got the passion for both design and business then a creative business is your calling. With India becoming a very exciting place for design in the next decade, anything done with a long term perspective is bound to have fruitful results. All the best <
12 Sankara Eye. When visual and copy complete the story, the communication becomes easy to understand.
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13 Bangalore Traffic Police. Communicates the
message effectively in an interesting manner. 14 Eisai. Absorbs the brand and thinks from the point of view of the client.
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Figures GagaWorthy
05 Batsman. Displays how design becomes effortless when you can immediately connect to the subject and plot. 06 Che Guevara. A reminder that the value of a real icon is always more than a slap-on design on a ten-dollar T-shirt. 07 Smoking Angel. Anything is possible when you are in control. Inspired from the movie John Constantine.
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Not being bound by any particular design language makes you versatile. Whether it’s scribbled pencil lines, brush strokes or edgy ink splashes, there is no restriction to using any particular written or spoken language. The key is how you use them and create a new visual/graphic language which is understood just by looking at it. However, it’s important to keep in mind that one’s not deviating from the subject. It’s about being versatile and at the same time leaving one’s own unique essence in it each time. A rule free zone encourages impulsiveness. A designer is not a scientist. Following one’s own instinct while at it is how a designer develops and grows. The idea is not to calculate and care about definitive forms and elements, but to do what feels right. Art or design can never be wrong or right. It’s a personal opinion. You either like something or you don’t. As long as you’re using elements that everyone can connect to, you can rest assured your design is multi-dimensional, offering unique points of view depending on how one looks at it. No professional hierarchy means, no rules. Imagine working for yourself and only yourself. That’s the advantage of being a freelancer. However, such comfort also comes with a lot of responsibility and challenges. Versatility is key, where one needs to adapt quickly and with the needs and demands of the client and manage 07 creative_gaga May/June2012
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deadlines on your own. At the end, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not your good social and communication skills but simply good work that gets you clients.
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There is an opportunity to be individual in the industry. Independent set ups are a haven for young designers. It lets them stay true to what they do. Moreover, it gives designers the golden opportunity to work with clients, subjects and brands that they relate to and connect with immediately. Commissioned projects automatically become a part of a designer with respect to the subject. Such a liberating environment encourages the unique style of a designer.
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08 Peace of Mind. A doodle-like portrait inspired by the unique personality of a friend.
09 Elephant Artwork. Watercolour is used along with a visual idea to communicate a strong belief.
10 Death to Birth. The cycle of life that every human being passes through, in this age of information.
11 Inkspiration Stall Panel. For Kala Ghoda festival 2010-11. A graphic collage of personal works.
Be relentless, until and unless the goal is achieved. Freedom is good only if it is managed well. One must not forget that there is a brand objective that needs to be fulfilled. After all, there is a difference between a painting and client work. Right from start to finish, one must not go off track and forget the subject. The key is to stick to the basal idea at all times. Think whatever, do whatever, but within a particular niche. This is how the entire art work flows from the mind of the artist into the minds of the viewers as one coherent story < creativegaga.com
Figures GagaGod
01 Transport. Detailing and an eye for observation help create an authentic look and feel. 02 Waiting. Sometimes, watercolour has the ability to capture expressions and character better than photographs. 03 Rickshaw. India on 3 wheels. 04 Family. Strokes and watercolour combine to paint the picture of a rural family.
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NativeGallery Imagine a rickshaw puller who sits majestically in his vehicle, like a king, murmuring an old song, that’s one of those moments, which brings rural India alive. And that’s exactly what watercolour artist Rajkumar Sthabathy always tries to capture. His objective is to preserve this raw culture before it gets lost in today’s fast changing world. creative_gaga May/June2012
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A painter by profession, Rajkumar Sthabathy is a villager by heart. After completing Bachelor of Fine Arts, he started painting rural India in watercolour. His signature style has won him many accolades and appreciation.
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Simplicity inspires like nothing else. The common Indian village folk has a distinct body language, costume and general way of life. The simplicity and rarity that is so engraved is highly appealing for any artist. Even with minimum colours, their lives can beautifully narrate themselves on the canvas. It’s surprising how small things can make them happy. And when this simple life is conveyed through a canvas, it calls for dignity. When people around the world admire a painting, the rickshaw man finds his own space in this huge, complicated world. Art captures the moment you missed. 70% of the Indian population still dwells in villages. And it’s surprising how little about them is known. Art is a time machine, taking people to times they’ve not witnessed or experienced. Traditional paintings, featuring rural folk, represent the memorable moments city dwellers have missed. Sadly, the rural man’s space is getting minimized by modern, urban expansion. And that’s where an artist must use his most powerful weapon, art, in order to gratefully record the rural commoners. So that those who have missed out understand the underlying intention, appreciate it and perhaps even do something about it >
creativegaga.com
Gyaan BrandStand
The objective was to employ pure geometry to create a structure that reflected the brand values
Development. The objective was to employ pure geometry to create a structure that reflected the brand values of straight lines, cubism and minimalism as well as to integrate the initials of the firmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name in the logo. Hence, settled on a structure that met both the requirements.
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Positioning. The next step was to work on the typeface that reflected the brand philosophy. Choosing Myriad pro had its benefits as the font had a corporate as well as an emotional look. The placement of the text was chosen keeping in mind the balance of the layout. Also, the logo had to be used in multiple collateral. Therefore, the complete structure needed to complement the other elements as well.
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Toning. The colour palette had to be warm and emotional, yet serious in approach. This also had to complement the choice of the font. That defined the choice of the colour palette.
Final form. The final logo with all the elelments.
Replication. The logo was placed on multiple stationery items to demonstrate its varied use < creativegaga.com