Project 2 khadi 221213 by Jasleen Kaur

INDIA SPINNING PROJECT DOCUMENTATION Studio Two

STUDENT Jasleen Kaur S1101108 PGDPD ´11 Graphic Design

GUIDE Rupesh Vyas Senior Faculty Graphic Design

INDIA SPINNING CLASSROOM PROJECT - TWO

PROJECT DOCUMENTATION www.indiaspinning.wordpress.com

Written by JASLEEN KAUR Photographs by JASLEEN KAUR & LOVEPREET KAUR

INDEX INTRODUCTION

ABOUT THE PROJECT

PROJECT SCOPE & TIMELINE

INFORMATION COLLECTION

INFORMATION MAPPING

BUILDING WIREFRAMES

DESIGN DECISIONS

EXPERIENCES & LEARNINGS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

RESOURCES

COLOPHON Typeface Meta Pro, Meta Serif Document Dimensions 8.2”x 11.6” Print Version

INTRODUCTION

Project Khadi is my second project at National Institute of Design. As a part of our curriculum, in our 3rd semester here, we are to take up a project that extends over 8 weeks. Our studio project guide, Tarun Deep Girdher, gave us three themes for our project â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Khadi, Indian Spices and School Education (K12). We did a lot of brain storming on these three themes. We looked at segregating the words and then mapping down the possibilities and areas where we could intervene. I started out with looking and reading about Khadi and Indian Spices, as both the themes seemed pretty interesting. While going through the website of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), I realized that there was a lot of information on their website which was just available. There was a lot of clutter and un-organized information. The website carries information about khadi, khadi products, village industries, schemes for the artisans, subsidy schemes, employment, details about the training centers and various other things.

India Spinning // Project 2

While browsing their web portal, I perceived that the KVIC board has missed out on the opportunity of online indulgence from youth as well as their prospective buyers. The current website does not look at presenting products to these prospective buyers. There is no promotion and propagation of their products in this inter-net age that we live in. There is a lot of e-commerce that happens today and that has been left untapped. Therefore, I chose to look at the digital ecosystem for the Khadi and Village Industries Commission for e-commerce. Due to the vastness of the data and the scope of project, I shall try to look at only the khadi and handicraft sector. I talked to our Graphic Design deptt. head, Rupesh Vyas, about my project. He also agreed to guide me on my project.

WHY THIS PROJECT?

The handcrafted cloth with the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;human touchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; that lends to it the exclusivity is something that is the ethos of who we are, Indians. Khadi owns a unique flexibility of keeping you cool in summers and warm in winters. Today, khadi has an untapped international market. There is a need to revive the promotion mediums. Khadi has the ability to be the brand ambassador for India. Through my project, I want to promote khadi among the young Indians and spread it across by using the digital ecosystem. Digital media shall help khadi to reach out to a vast and larger audience.

Considering the tech savvy generation, khadi is losing out on introducing itself to the current generation and also those to come. They do not understand the whole ecosystem related to khadi and the employment it is providing to the rural masses. Khadi is not just a cloth, but a movement. It has lead to women empowerment, social reforms and played a very important role in Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s freedom struggle. There is a need to create a niche among the people about the worth of khadi. Through my project, I aim to place khadi among people and make it more accessible.

PROJECT SCOPE

• To create a digital ecosystem for khadi promotion among the present generation and also create a meaning for them. • To interest and persuade them to indulge in the products/services. • To understand the aspirations of people associated to khadi and enhance them. • To establish content and context of use.

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week one

two

three

four

five

six

seven

Contextual Study The past and present Understanding the political, social and economic history of khadi. Understanding the aspirations of the people with khadi and the khadi ecosystem.

Analysis & Synthesis Clustering and grouping findings, establishing relations and making connections. Defining the needs and the target audience.

Strategy Planning Identifying Stakeholders, the target audience and connecting the dots. Creating information architecture apt for the digital experience for the user.

Design Execution Exploring the possibilities and narrowing down. Selecting visual elements for the design execution.

Documentation

The above mentioned timeline was a proposed timeline. It shall always be! The project extended over for more than a year.

eight

INFORMATION COLLECTION Readings & Findings

While surfing books in the KMC (Knowledge Management Centre) at NID, I came across a few books that I thought would help in knowing more about khadi. One of the books was a publication by an NID alumni, Martand Singh, whose diploma project was titled Khadi: The Fabric of Freedom. The book is a part of a moving exhibition on the same title. Some of the key points that I listed down while reading the book are: - Khadi is a cloth that is porous, cool and absorbent when worn in summers but also insular when worn in winters. - Hand spinning lends to khadi its defining material and character. The processing of the cotton fibre into yarn by the human hand endows the fabric with its multiple guises and varied appeal. - Hand spun cotton yarns when woven by hand yield a cloth with unsurpassed tactile quality and comfort. - Repeated washing enhances the quality of khadi to the extent that the fabric assumes texture as natural and soothing as our skin. - Spinning is not just work but sacredness is attached to the act of spinning.

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The cloth to be made passes through various stages that are: -Harvesting seed cotton - Ginning: Separating fiber from the seed. - Opening and cleaning baled cotton - Carding - Drawing and Combing the cotton - Rowing - Spinning - Weaving and Finishing The khadi cloth that is now available is of three kinds: - One where cloth is woven on handloom and yarn spun in mills. - Second, cloth woven in mills and yarn spun in mills too. - Third, cloth that is woven either on handloom or mill and the yarn is imported from foreign land. The main aim today is to : - Manage market, - Promote sales, and - Project khadi as a commodity of conscious choice.

Talking to Experts Discussion with Ms. Aditi Ranjan Ms. Aditi Ranjan is a weaver, textile designer, and design teacher at National Institute of Design. She has introduced the use of culture as a design resource in education, conducted research on the textile traditions of India, and designed collections for its handloom sector. She has been involved with textile design education at the National Institute of Design since 1972. I met Ms. Aditi Ranjan after a brief meeting with my guide Rupesh Vyas who told me to talk to her and get to know about khadi and make the most out of these meetings. They say â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;listen first and then sayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. So, after giving a brief introduction about myself and my project, I sat to hear what Ms. Aditi Ranjan had to say about it. Following are the key points of the conversation: - To understand khadi, read about Mahatma Gandhi. Know how he used khadi as a mass revolution to shake the foundation of the colonial rule. Not only this, he raised a voice when the British were forcing the farmers to grow only indigo which was then exported to Manchester to dye cloth.

- Khadi was promoted not only to produce our own cloth but also to empower women, provide employment, stop cotton export and create cloth for self suffiency and become self reliant. - Read about indigo dyeing and indigo farming along with cotton export to better understand how the whole system worked. - Khadi must not be forced upon the masses but they must accept it on their own. - Look at the model of Malkha , a trust set up by Uzra Bilgrami who works with khadi artisans in Hyderabad. Ms. Aditi Ranjan also told me to refer to certain books and journals and dig more on the Gandhian lifestyle. She advised me to watch the movie Gandhi by Richard Attenborough which shall help me to know more. I would like to thank Ms. Aditi Ranjan for sparing her valuable time and giving me all the information.

Talking to Experts Discussions with Mr. Krishnesh While at NID, the good thing is that you can sit over a cup of tea or just walk in to some faculty and discuss your ideas, projects or anything with them. I went to Krishnesh Mehta, faculty at NID who also took a course for us on Design Management. Krishnesh is a person who is very good at strategy design and understanding the market and the users. He has built strategies for marketing for many big brands. I met him and discussed my project with him. He asked me various questions as to why I had chosen Khadi as my topic and other questions to understand my project and in my views also to judge my knowledge about khadi.

India Spinning // Project 2

Krishnesh told me that if I want to market Khadi then I have to modernize it to match the aspirations of the current generation and also of those to come. He said that Khadi needs to be revived and also experimented with. While in discussion, Chakradhar Saswade, also a faculty at NID came in. After knowing our topic of discussion, he also gave valuable feedback on Khadi. He said, to sell khadi, we must give a meaning to khadi, which shall match the aspirations of the audience. Both of them, told me to find out the aspirations of the people and why they would buy/ not buy khadi.

Talking to Experts Meeting wih Mr. Tridip Suhrud As Ms. Aditi Ranjan had mentioned to meet Mr.Tridip Suhrud, so I fixed an appointment with him. He was earlier a faculty at NID. Later he joined DAIICT, Gandhinagar. Now Mr.Tridip is stationed at the Sabarmati Ashram. Entering his office, I see the man. In white khadi kurta, he sat across the table. Deep inside, I knew I was meeting the right person who can actually give me a direction into khadi. I had been in constant communication with him through e-mails. He had even suggested me some readings on Khadi. We started discussing about my project and then he explained to me how khadi was diminishing. It was only brands like Fab India that were selling it and a few others. He told me he buys khadi from a lot of places like West Bengal, Bangladesh and also these Khadi Bhandars run by the Gujrat State Govt. and also from Utsav, a shop in New Delhi who sell really nice khadi sarees.

The main points discussed in the meeting were: - Khadi can be sold by banking on three factors/ approaches: Ecological, Social Upliftment, Women Upliftment. - If you want to bridge the gap and collaborate designers and artisans, do not aim at independant artisans but their communities. - To bring khadi artisans in light, using digital media, create a city-wise portal. - Communicate khadi as a fabric useful for various types of regional embroideries. Encouraging designers to use khadi for various embroidery styles can help to uplift and market khadi. Visiting Mr. Tridip Suhrud opened newer avenues of looking at khadi and making it available to him. I am extremely thankful to him for his time and valuable feedback.

FIELD VISIT KNOWING KHADI

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Visiting Khadi Udhyog Stores & Understanding Buyer Psychology To know the khadi products, the market of khadi and what kind of people come to buy khadi, it was necessary to go on a field visit to the khadi stores. I thought it well to go to the stores opposite the Sabarmati Ashram because a lot of people, primarily tourists visit the Ashram. These stores being opposite the Ashram become a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;souvenir shopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for the tourists. They would be fetching more customers and selling a little more than the shops spread around Ahmedabad.

very low income. So, even they are not driven towards putting any efforts in display, or even communicate with the customers.

On reaching there, I realized that in the row, there were many khadi stores belonging to different samitis and trusts. Except just one store, others were more like stalls on the road. They had tin roofs. The condition in which they are operating is not too good. And they fail too to attract any customers there. On talking to a few salespersons and the store managers there, a lot of problems came across. First of all, the quality of products they are selling is not very good. The display is not at all appealing. The salesperson who work there have

I also visited the Kalam Khush store which is also the manufacturing unit. It is a handmade paper manufacturing and retail store. The manufacturing is done from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. After that sheets are hung for drying and later in the evening, the sheets are compiled together when they dry. The kalam khush store has very poor lighting and there is no proper product information or guidance. The sheets are kept on separate racks. It is difficult to identify which sheets are placed where.

Another important thing is that, the khadi stores have a rebate period starting from October till the end of March. This is the time when most of their sales happen. Some times then their stores are flooded with customers. They are able to do enough sales during that period.

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Visit to Saurashtra Rachnatmak Samiti & Villages One of the main reasons why we were given Khadi as a theme for our project was that NID has signed an MoU with KVIC (Khadi and Village Industries Commission). Therefore, I met Ms. Geeta Dawe, who is handling the MoU at NID. I told her about my project and we exchanged our thoughts over it. Ms. Geeta Dawe told me that a visit had been scheduled to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;khadi villagesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. So, I went to Limbdi, a village on the Ahmedabad Rajkot highway, along with other students from Apparel Design Department. We first went to the Saurashtra Rachnatmak Samiti, where we met Jijabhai who is the administration in-charge and care taker of the institute. He is the one who keeps a check on the quality control. He explained to us the whole

process of khadi making. Their trust gets the raw material (cotton sliver) from Madhya Pradesh. The trust has provided employment for the nearby villages who have been given charkhas and looms so that they are not displaced away from home. The people from the villages are given raw material which they weave and then bring it back. Some make the thread while some of them weave. Another admin worker at the institute told us that in Gujrat, the weavers are more skilled to weave daris as the thread count is less and the thread is thicker. So, the wages are also less. Therefore, they pay more to those weavers who weave finer cloth which is used for dress materials. They showed us varying textures in the weave captured through varying the weft and warp combinations.

The sanstha has maintained a tabular chart where they have written information for the weavers and spinners who come there to take raw material. They have specified dates against which names of villages are written. So, they keep a record on which day which village people are coming and the purpose of the visit. Also, the cloth that they produce is made out of the yarn that is dyed in pucca colours that cost them around 60 to 70 rupees per metre. The shortcoming of pucca colours is that they come in limited shades. The single thread used for weaving is very weak and can break easily therefore, it is starched before using it to weave. The institute has a few looms where women from near come to weave the cloth. I happened to talk to the female workers there. One of them, named Meenakshi, explained me the whole process of weaving. I asked her about her family and earnings. She told me that they are daily wage workers and are paid Rs.100 for a day as wage. Her husband runs his own shop where he makes and repairs watches and clocks. She has two kids and both of them study in school. They work from 9 in the morning to 12 noon, break for two hours for lunch in which all of them go back home. And later return at 2 in the afternoon and then work till 6 in the evening. They are also given monetary help and also have their PF accounts.

India Spinning // Project 2

From there, we went to a nearby village named, Mota Timla. It is a very tiny village near Limbdi. All the families living there are involved in spinning and weaving. Each home had a maximum of five family members and whenever free, each of them involved themselves in spinning. These families have been given charkhas by the sanstha run by government. Only few male members of some families are engaged in farming. Most of the women spin while their husbands work on the loom. The weavers are paid Rs.20 per metre for the cloth they weave. They weave a total of 10 metres of cloth from one yarn. Most of the weavers engage in weaving day and night to weave maximum so as to earn more. Every year, those weavers who weave maximum cloth in a year are awarded with medals and given some amount of cash prizes too.

Visit to Bal Nalkantha, Ranpur The same day, after Limbdi, we went to Ranpur which is around 30 kms from Limbdi. We went to the Bhal Nalkantha Khadi Gramodhyog Mandal, an institute where woolen khadi is made. There, we met Govind Bhai, the administrative in-charge. He gave us detailed information and explained the whole process of woolen khadi. It is the only woolen khadi institute in Gujrat and supplies it all over the country. The institute does not involve any middlemen to make their sales. They are wholesale sellers.

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The institute was started in around 1956-58 by a Jain Muni Sant Bhal ji. The institute aims at empowering women and providing employment for them. Women from around the village come there to weave while their husbands work in the factory adjacent to the institute. At the institute, weaving, knitting, stitching and dyeing is done while spinning is done by the women at home who have been given charkhas. The institute has created employment for around 250 women.

The institute imports the wool from Ludhiana in Punjab which is mill spun woolen yarn. This yarn is also imported from countries like Australia because Indian wool is not fine enough. It is only fit for making blankets. The institute also runs a retail store where they sell the products that they produce.

FIELD VISIT KNOWING CRAFTS

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Khadi Dyeing

While at Bhuj, I met Mr. Abdul Jabbar Khatri, who along with his brother runs his own enterprise where they do Bandhini on various materials. He has been doing bandhini since many years. He showed us the whole process of tie and dye. He has around 20-30 employees working under him in the village. Women come to him and he gives them the design and the cloth to be tied. They bring it back and then the dyeing is done in his studio. In that village it is the Khatri community that does the bandhini work. They still work on the jobs what their communities have been doing since ages. Jabbar Bhai in conversation asked about my project. On briefing him, he told me that there are people who

are not aware what khadi is and its process. They do not understand the value of a cloth that is woven with hands by humans using the thread that is also hand spun. He said that Khadi is a cloth that can be placed for the upper middle and higher class people. Khadi because being hand spun and hand woven consumes a lot of time and hard work of the spinners and weavers. This makes the cloth a little expensive. Jabbar Bhai uses chemical dyes to dye the material. He said that the colour palette in vegetable and natural dyes is very limited. He uses certain vegetable dyes as well but to meet the demands of the clients, he uses chemical dyes. He showed me a sample of khadi cloth that he had tied with thread. It was to be dyed.

Visit to Bhuj

While I was moving around, meeting people, getting to know Khadi, I thought it would be nice to study other models of preserving, reviving and promoting crafts and arts in other sectors. So, I went to Bhuj, 392 kms from Ahmedabad, along with my other friends so as to study and see what is being done by other people for promoting the crafts of Kuchch and the also the artisans. I went to Bhujodi, a small village just 10 kms away from Bhuj. The village is resident to a community of weavers, who weave shawls, daris (mats), dupattas and stoles in wool, cotton and tussar silk. I met Dinesh Bhai who is one of the six brothers who run their own workshop and also have their own retail

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shop. They have employed around 40 artisans and weavers in their village. He explained that the fur of the sheeps of Kuchch is exported to Rajasthan where it is spun and is then imported back where it is woven. Earlier, people in their village and around used to spin but they took over to weaving because spinning did not fetch them enough money for their livelihood. The yarn that is used by them to make shawls and dariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is not hand spun but mill made. He said that the quality of the khadi yarn is coarse and not fit for them to make good quality shawls. He showed us a sample of the woolen khadi shawl too in red and blue colour. Another limitation in working for khadi shawl is of the colour palette. The colour palette for khadi is very

limited whereas the work done by them is done in various colours. The weavers weave according to what they know. These weavers are also contacted directly by various designers and brands, one of them being Fabindia. Looking at the intricacy of the design, the weavers are paid accordingly. They have workers who are daily wage employees, monthly wage employees and per piece wage employees. The work done by them is so intricate that artisans take 4 to 12 days to finish one piece. He says that Khadi is dying and someone needs to work not to popularize only but uplift and increase the wages of the khadi spinners and weavers or else in the near future khadi will no more be produced.

Visit to Khamir

The graphic language developed for Khamir is young, vibrant and the presentation is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;modernizedâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;. While discussing with the people at Khamir, they explained that to capture global market and the youth, it is important to modernize not only your products but also the language of communication. Today, very few people are driven towards the act of preserving and promoting their crafts and culture. Same thing is happening with khadi too. Therefore, if Khadi is to be placed in the shelf, it has to be modernized.

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The next destination at Bhuj was Khamir, a joint effort of Kachch Nav Nirman Abhiyan, Nehru Foundation for Development and Confederation of Indian Industry. It was set up after the Bhuj earthquake in 2001 to revitalize and reposition the crafts of Kachch. Khamir is an institute that: - does trading - is a raw material depot - has a weaving studio where samples are made - has a textile laboratory - has a dyeing and stitching unit Khamir works with nine various crafts of Kachch such as leather, organic cotton, block printing, copper bells, lacquer, pottery and others. They provide raw material to the artisans who work around nearby villages. The artisans then bring to them the prepared craft items which are finished in-house at their studios. When asked if they work with khadi as well, they replied that they prefer to use organic cotton over khadi. Another interesting thing at Khamir is that they are using waste plastic garbage to make various products. They pay the women and other people who collect garbage to bring waste plastic to them. There, these plastic bags are then washed and rinsed thoroughly and then hung to dry. Later it is cut into strips and then woven on the loom. The plastic strips are used with the nylon thread. The nylon thread forms the warp and the plastic strips are woven in weft with them.

Visit to Kala Raksha

The last visit while at Bhuj was to Kala Raksha, a non profit organization that works with the Kuchch artisans to revive and reposition their Kuchch craft of embroidery. The organization was started by Judy Frater in order to empower women artisans and create employment opportunities for the artisans. At Kala Raksha we were welcomed by Mr. Nilesh Priyadarshi, the in-charge there. He explained that they work in reviving six various types of hand embroideries - rabari, paako, kharek, suf, jat and munjal. They work with the women in various villages of Kuchch. In each village a cluster of women are headed by one woman who collects the raw material and gives work to other women of her cluster. The raw material too is acquired from the local weavers, dyed by the local artisans and is block printed by them. They even started a design school for the artisans called Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya situated on 8 acres in Mundra Taluka, a rural setting near the Gulf of Kutch. At Kala Raksha, they use cotton 220 and cotton 420 and have recently started using Gondal Khadi for apparels. Mr. Nilesh said that khadi availability is an issue otherwise if they get good quality khadi, they would definitely use it. Recently, they have also started to use the Malkha fabric. The tailor at their design studio made jackets and tops from the malkha fabric and used khadi lining for a feel good factor. It was done for an order for export and the foreigners who placed the order loved the product. They said that khadi can be used for certain embroideries like suf but not for embroideries like rabari.

Some important discussions that happened with Mr. Nilesh gave me very important and relevant insights into my project. I asked him about his promotional methods and means that they were using. He said that to cater to the international clients and tourists, one has to make a strong presence on internet. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If we are strong on the web, we can fetch people to invest and buy from around the worldâ&#x20AC;? Another place of their promotion is the office of the District Superintendent of Police because the foreigners have to take his permission to visit Bhuj. So they have placed their brochures there. Other than that, they promote themselves through the word of mouth of the taxi drivers and guides that operate in that area. Another interesting model of payment of the artisans is that they have made pricing communities of the artisans themselves who set their own price reasonably for the work they do. This way, the artisans do not feel betrayed or that they are paid less. Mr.Nilesh explained that one should be able to identify the USP on which one would promote/sell their product and hold on to it.

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Parallel Study Operation Flood The Amul Model While in talk with my guide, Rupesh Vyas, he had encouraged me to study parallel models such as the HAAT concept and the Operation Flood. I looked up and studied the AMULâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Operation Flood model. Pre-Independence, the government had given monoply rights to the traders of a dairy, Polson. They exploited the marginal milk producers and did not pay them enough for the worth and quantity. They paid them very less and then sold the milk in Bombay at higher prices. To stop this exploitation a Milk Producers Union was set up. Under this, they set up co-operatives in each village to decentralize milk collection. This model that began at Anand in Gujrat was then implemented all over India. Under this, three major bodies were formed-at the village level, district level and then state level. The milkmen were paid according to the quality of the milk. From this model, I understood that it is better to target communities of artisans than independent spinners and weavers. Also, a village or a community wise data base is more workable and eases locating them. Mobilization of a community that already exists would help create better opportunities for them as well.

Meeting with Rupesh Vyas

After returning from Bhuj, documenting the visit, my observations from the visits and the work done, I met my guide Rupesh Vyas. I discussed at length with him, my observations and learnings from the visits and meetings with the artisans. We discussed khadi from the weaverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s point, the point of the sansthas and kendras that employ the artisans in villages and the designers and various business set-ups that contract with the artisans. Rupesh asked me to map down a sort of a systems chart and identify the design opportunities. Some of the ideas discussed in the meeting were: - To look at the design opportunity in digital media where it can be a one-way promotion of the khadi artisans and craft communities.

India Spinning // Project 2

- To build a platform for the collaboration of the designers (probably fresh graduates, new start-ups) and the sansthas and the kind and quality of work produced. There could also be an online HAAT concept where the sansthas can sell their products. - To sensitize young audience about Khadi by creating a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Journey of Khadiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; - It could also be a guide for newer start-ups where they are provided with information about the artisan communities, their workfolio and then collaboration could happen. The next level was now to understand the problems and then map the design opportunities.

INFORMATION MAPPING

Problems Identified: • If the artisans work only for the institutes, are they motivated to work and do the sansthas pay enough? • Why don’t KVIC and KVIB improve quality of Khadi by enrolling designers? • Can a web space be created to feature Khadi, khadi artisans, the process of khadi making to sensitize people? • Can connections be made between tourism industry and the artisan communities to boost foreign investment? • Why have the sansthas and khadi institutions not tried to collaborate with other artisans who work around in various embroidery and embellishment styles?

Idea Generation/ Concept: What if a web space is created that acts as a database of the artisan communities, which is made available to the designers/fresh fashion design graduates? How about promoting the artisan communities (spinners, weavers, dyers) through on line spaces and building a network through micro blogging? Can a system of networking work where area wise khadi weavers, and nearby local form of embroidery and embellishments be established which are build up not only for the designers but the urban audience who can also share their experiences of that place?

DESIGNING STRATEGY The Idea

After carefully analyzing the problems and the present scenario, I tried to develop a model where designers could come in and work with khadi artisans to boost the quality of khadi. Also, khadi alone may not be able to sustain, therefore I thought of bringing in the crafts, the embroideries of various states and channelize it to experiment embroideries on khadi. This model shall benefit Designers: - A portal like this shall establish contacts for those looking to build a fresh start-up or a boutique. - The designer can put up his portfolio. This in turn shall help create employment opportunities for them. But designers willing to work only in khadi shall be allowed to put up. Khadi Artisans: - Khadi promotion and efforts to improve the quality. - By bringing in designers, artisans shall benefit by learning newer designs. - The artisans will get exposure through the web and thus their contacts will be made available to all. This shall bring them more orders and thus they can bargain and get better paid for their work.

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Crafts and Embroiderers: - Through the collaborative working, the crafts shall also get recognition. - Embroideries shall add value to khadi cloth. - They shall get recognition and will be promoted. The model shall benefit all of above in the following ways: - The portal shall have a database of the khadi artisan communities as well as the craft communities,i.e., the embroidery styles of that region. - Attempt to collaborate crafts with Khadi to bring newness. - Document khadi making centres and craft in a particular region. This shall help in promotion of artisan as it shall give a boost to tourism as well. - Encourage newer start-ups by fresh design graduates as easily available artisan location and information will be available.

Flow of Goods & Services

I met my guide, Rupesh Vyas, as I felt I was getting lost and did not identify the actual problem I was developing solutions for. Even in my jury, I was told that I need to identify my target audience and understand the context. Rupesh suggested me to build a scenario involving all the lives I was touching through my project. I first listed down the people who were involved â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the khadi community (weavers and spinners), the craft clusters, the consumers.

The scenario shows how the movement of goods shall happen once an order is placed. It also shows how this website shall be a boon for the craft and khadi communities as they shall have a web presence. The main aim of this website is to bring these people at par with the consumers and get them to contact these people directly. Here I have highlighted the current situation where these artisans are being exploited and are not given their due share.

User Personas

Through my previous research and discussion with the client on the target audience, I managed to organize the people groups that this website was targeting. It was broadly two personas: customers and the artisans (who shall be signing up). Each of them relate to the website in different ways and with different mindsets and objectives. It is essential that the website can meet the needs of each persona.

CUSTOMERS

ARTISANS

NEED

People looking for khadi or various embellishments and embroideries from different parts of India.

The khadi and craft artisans looking to sell their products. They can directly get in touch with prospective buyers.

MOTIVE

To spread khadi and indigenous crafts among the people and make them available for a larger audience.

To push them to product enhancement and bring the artisans closer to the buyers. This shall empower them and shall also be exposed to the larger audiences.

RESPONSE

Browse through the various embroideries of India and also the varieties of Khadi and pursue them to shop online.

Encourage them to document their work and upload and keep it open infront of the customers and in turn look for their response to these products.

India Spinning // Project 2

Scenario Building The scenario building helped me to understand the context and gave me a check of what I was doing is right. So, in discussion with Rupesh, I arrived at the business model where the people who shall run this website shall bring crafts and khadi of India together. While, on the field visit and visit to khadi stores, I had understood that the problem lay in non-revival of khadi. Over the years, the brand strategies had evolved, newer stores had been opened up by KVIC and KVIB but without reviving Khadi. It is essential for the product to change and get a makeover over the years if it was to stand in competition with better clothing like cotton and linen. The idea of collaborating crafts with khadi would give khadi the make over it was yearning for. And this is not a new concept. Earlier too, many embroideries were done only on khadi cloth, such as phulkari work in Punjab. It was essentially done only on khadi earlier.

Case Studies CASE STUDY ONE

NAVIGATION Primary between project categories Secondary between product info, details, etc.

LAYOUT Clear and structured three column layout for homepage, while four column for the shopping page.

INTERACTION Hovers and roll overs for the product links on header bar, fade in fade out’s.

TREATMENT Use of earthy hues and textures. Has a very ‘crafty’ feel to the website. Uses a sans-serif font.

BROWSING Opens with featured crafts and a link to take you to shop.

India Spinning // Project 2

CASE STUDY TWO

NAVIGATION Primary between product categories Secondary between budget, filters, etc. INTERACTION Hovers/roll overs present on the homepage links. BROWSING Opens with very loud and bold links on header. Pictures of the new arrived collections.

LAYOUT Three column, mixed. TREATMENT Use of indigo colour as background. Very bold and loud typography.

CASE STUDY THREE

NAVIGATION Primary on left showing categories of the range of products they sell. INTERACTION Hovers and roll outs of the products when mouse comes over the categories. BROWSING Opens with latest offers. Takes to the product page. Very simple and easy to choose filters.

India Spinning // Project 2

LAYOUT Clear four column layout. TREATMENT Very simple and clear. Uses Helvetica.

CASE STUDY FOUR

NAVIGATION Primary on the right. Simple clear divisions. INTERACTION Image changes, flashes, serene simple rollovers. BROWSING Very subtle use of whites and greys. Easy browsing. Static layout.

LAYOUT Static with description on right (one column) while the other two occupy images. TREATMENT Use of whites and greys. Very soft and subtle.

Building Wireframes

Wireframing is one of the most valuable parts of any web design project. Wireframes are the skeleton of a website. It is the first step where the designer actually starts to think about the elements and their layout. It can save a designer a lot of time by hashing out the details of a siteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s architecture, functionality, and content prior to actually starting a visual design. It assures the client that the site can achieve functionality and provides the designer with a freehand to explore visual design then on. Creating wireframes are crucial because they kick-start the thinking process. They allow a visual designer to shed all concerns regarding the appearance and allow one to focus purely on function and affordance.

SITEMAP The sitemap describes the organization of the contents of a certain website. It is a kind of a flowchart that helps in designing each page. It also serves the purpose of a checklist.

India Spinning // Project 2

LOW FIDELITY WIREFRAMES Before starting to construct wireframes on the computer, I thought it better to start sketching and quickly build a bit ideas about how do I place the elements of my webpages. The sitemap helped in sorting data and made it easier to put down the content in place.

ADVANCED WIREFRAMES Having sketched a few wireframes and ideas on the paper, I switched to the digital tools to make wireframes. These wireframes are advanced in a sense that they have been designed keeping in mind the resolution, scale, proportions and space on the screen. These wireframes depict a better understanding of the structure and layout of the web pages. These wireframes can be made using a number of online tools available for the same. I used Balsamiq Mockups to make my wireframes.

India Spinning // Project 2

Presented below are the first set of attempt at making wireframes. Once I got a hang of how it is to be done, the wireframes kept evolving through the process.

Menu Bar

Product Picture

Identity

Search Bar

Product thumbnails

Wireframe showing how the product pictures shall be shown on the webpage.

After working on the wireframing software, I thought it better to make a little more enhanced wireframes on a vector software. I therefore, made a bit more detailed wireframes on Adobe Illustrator. This gave me a better understanding of placements and layouts on the webpages. The landing page/ homepage of the website.

header

images keep changing

content

footer

India Spinning // Project 2

A better illustrated wireframe showing the product page

Selected product picture

Product Description

DESIGN DECISIONS The Grid

After creating the sketched wireframes of the different viewport layouts, I had a clear idea of what the grid demanded functionally and how I could achieve it. For my project, I was mainly looking at executing my business idea. Therefore, I did not pay attention to responsive design. I started designing

for a screen resolution on 1280x800 pixels. This way, I could pay more attention to idea and content at he present and leave responsive design as a future scope of the project.

column width 36 px gutter width 16 px

screen resolution 1280x800 px

India Spinning // Project 2

The following image shows the column distribution used for the website. The extreme left column has been used for descriptions, while the orange columns were used for images.

300 px 58 px

407 px 25 px

25 px 1280 px

This describes the layout of the website with specific pixel dimensions and distribution of space within the grid. The following image shows the column distribution used for the website. The extreme left column has been used for navigation / descriptions, while the orange columns were used for images and product displays.

India Spinning // Project 2

407 px 58 px

Type Selection

Type selection for web is as crucial, as for the print. At some point, I too thought that form and readability was all that mattered but the web builds some additional constraints and opportunities with it for typography. The challenge lay in drawing the distinction between choosing a typeface for print and web. The website has been planned to target the audience which would shop online. Through the website, I plan to attach an aspirational value to khadi and Indian crafts. Considering the target, I thought it better to use a serif type for the website. It would add that charm and elegance to the website.

Google web fonts makes it quick and easy for everyone to use web fonts, including professional designers and developers. Anyone can access it and it â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s free of charge. In three steps you can have your site running on a Google Webfont. 1. Choose Search or browse hundreds of font families, then add the ones you like to your Collection. 2. Review Compare and refine your collection, even see the styles in a dynamic sample layout. 2. Use Grab the code we prepare and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re ready to add the Collection to your website.

GEORGIA DESIGNER Matthew Carter WEIGHTS / STYLES Georgia Regular Georgia Italic Georgia Bold Georgia Bold Italic

The idea of forming an apex body for the craft industry emerged out of various discussions between some of the current members of AIACA’s board, especially William Bissell, the Managing Director of FabIndia and Laila Tyabji, the Chairperson of Dastkar. Georgia 16/24 pt

PLAYFAIR DISPLAY DESIGNER Claus Eggers Sorensen WEIGHTS / STYLES Playfair Regular Playfair Italic Playfair Bold Playfair Bold Italic Playfair Black Playfair Black Italic

India Spinning // Project 2

DROID SERIF DESIGNER Steve Matteson WEIGHTS / STYLES Droid Serif Regular Droid Serif Italic Droid Serif Bold Droid Serif Bold Italic

LORA DESIGNER Cyreal WEIGHTS / STYLES Lora Regular Lora Italic Lora Bold Lora Bold Italic

On discussions with my guide, Rupesh Vyas, he asked me if I was sure I wanted to use a serif type for my website. He said that it would hamper the legibility and it being an e-commerce website, it is important that each detail be visible and readable. Rupesh asked me to reflect on it and think again. I then decided to use a combination of a serif and sans-serif type family. I decided to use sans-serif type for menu, description and body text on the website while using serif type for the text on images.

India Spinning // Project 2

LATO DESIGNER Matthew Carter WEIGHTS / STYLES Lato Hairline Lato Hairline Italic Lato Light Lato Light Italic Lato Regular Lato Italic Lato Bold Lato Bold Italic Lato Black Lato Black Italic

DROID SANS DESIGNER Steve Matteson WEIGHTS / STYLES Droid Regular Droid Bold

Deciding what typeface to pick was not just a question of choosing something that had the ‘look’ , but also extended to functional factors. •

• •

•

The form would need to complement the emotion of a business-like and respectable tone yet have a hint of craft to it. It had to hold the business dialogue and yet the elegance. I looked out for consistent performing fonts that were supported by larger platforms and operating systems. The selected font family would need some amount of versatility to justify the varied voices within the website. A sufficient number of weights and styles is assuring. I did not wish to discount the possibility of having different fonts work in combination. This can be a very good idea to achieve visual interest. There are a number of ways to make an appropriate selection. If the voice of your content is very bold and outspoken, I would try to contrast a heavy more decorative title font with a subtle matter-of-fact light body text. or if the content is more conservative you might pair cousins of a serif/sans family and manipulate weight and style to achieve a nice compositional rhythm.

The Serif typeface extends a formal tone, class and grace to the text it embodies. The Sans typeface extends factuality, assertiveness and consistency to the text it embodies.

India Spinning // Project 2

The Chosen Ones

LATO DESIGNER Matthew Carter WEIGHTS / STYLES Lato Hairline Lato Hairline Italic Lato Light Lato Light Italic Lato Regular Lato Italic Lato Bold Lato Bold Italic Lato Black Lato Black Italic

PLAYFAIR DISPLAY DESIGNER Claus Eggers Sorensen WEIGHTS / STYLES Playfair Regular Playfair Italic Playfair Bold Playfair Bold Italic Playfair Black Playfair Black Italic

The Visual Language

Design as confused, is not just the visual beautification. But, when you reach that stage, you realize it is what the clients pay you for! This misconception is a bit hard to clear off among the clients. Once, I was sorted with grid, layout and type, I sat to work down on the visual appeal of my website design. I knew I wanted to use big, huge images with text on it. These images would have rich colours and the feel of handcrafted-ness. The product images too, were conceptualized to be bigger to give the customers a feel of the cloth as well as the craft.

India Spinning // Project 2

The treatment of the website was something worked upon towards the end of the project. After fleshing out the wireframes with respect to typography and layout, I attempted some explorations in use of colour and image. This was to create a visual intricacy and uniqueness in the representation.

The Features

Identity

Mouse-hovering interaction

Click-able link Description about the page it links to.

The Website Landing Page

India Spinning // Project 2

Option to surf through the website on your own.

The mouse hover subdues the brightness letting user concentrate on the description.

Social Media

Primary Navigation Bar

Search Bar

Dynamic Set of Images that keep changing.

Alternate set of direct links to products

Testimonials from social media

Footer / Sitemap

The Website Home Page

Mouse hover presents the description.

PRODUCT VIEW PAGE

The product display page was the most difficult to decide on. As the website shall be selling loose unstitched cloth, I wanted to keep product image as big as possible. A consumer buys a cloth by its feel. The touch and experience plays a very important role while purchasing cloth. The image on the adjacent page shows an alternate layout that I tried for the product range. I was not very happy with itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s feel, but it gives a better description and a better choice of products.

India Spinning // Project 2

The option of an alternate product display was explored, wherein, the product thumbnails are pushed down making space for the selected product image to preview along the product details and buying options.

India Spinning // Project 2

PRODUCT PREVIEW PAGE

Items in your shopping bag. Filters to alter your design

Option of saving your design and placing order later.

Display to show how the design shall look

Breadcrumbs

Link to payment page.

More options to undo/redo steps. Save a picture of the design and share it on social media.

PAYMENT PAGES

Important exit point. To go back to shopping.

Order Details

The navigation detail that lets the customer know the number of steps to final payment.

The summary of the order.

Hassle free minimal details. Pull out info from email.

India Spinning // Project 2

Landing on Website and Browsing

1 2

The user lands on the website and moves mouse over. The mouse hover leads to subduing of one of the sides leading the user to the next selected page. It lets user continue to the home page.

India Spinning // Project 2

The user checks out the various thumbnails one by one.

User reads the description of the selected product.

Makes a selection.

India Spinning // Project 2

The user checks the product names and details.

User is then directed to filters where s/he can customize the product accordingly.

Views the product image.

Uses the undo/redo and take-a-photo and share features. Can save the design in email or share on social media and order later. Can see alternate product views.

6 7

In case s/he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like the design can start customizing over again.

Typographic Styles

This describes the typographic styles created and used through the website. It serves as a guide for any future content/ design updates that maybe necessary in the future.

Playfair Display Italic 30/36 pt

Choose your favourite Khadi fabric from any part of India.

Playfair Display Italic 14/16.8 pt

Phulkari and Baghthe crafts of Punjab. Choose your favorite and get it done on your choice of Khadi fabric.

Lato Regular 16/24 pt

The idea for forming an apex body for the craft industry emerged out of various discussions between some of the current members of AIACAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s board, especially William Bissell, the Managing Director of FabIndia and Laila Tyabji, the Chairperson of Dastkar.

India Spinning // Project 2

Playfair Display Italic 30/36 pt

Lato Regular 20/24 pt & 30 pt

Lato Regular 20/24 pt

Red Matter Cotton Khadi Dimensions : 110 cm wide Price : `

560 per metre

Handspun and handwoven in West Bengal

EXPERIENCES & LEARNINGS

Initially, when I took up this project, I was totally vague about how will I proceed. I was skeptical building a website. The divide between print and digital media is such a hyped and talked about topic, that I thought it very challenging for me to be able to do justice to my project. While I proceeded to work on this project, I realized the problem is not in executing the website but understanding whether it is the best thing to do? Khadi, is very close to my heart. I have build in me an affinity to handmade and handcrafted products. The visits to the villages and the encounters with the artisans and their communities have brought in me humility and grounded-ness. I feel more humane and have tried to build and nurture in me empathetic approach to design.

India Spinning // Project 2

The research lets you dive completely into the problem, but it is you who must know how to resurface. The problems of corruption, poverty and unemployment are so grave that you might start to feel useless. But maintaining that consciousness is very important and reinforcing the fact that you are working to benefit the people is very important. Indian handicrafts are far more valuable than what we think of them as. Throughout my research, I encountered non-Indian people who are extremely fascinated by khadi. Working on a digital platform is not as scary as I thought of it. Print and web, do not exist in a divide but parallel-y. One cannot sustain without the other.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

GUIDE / MENTOR Rupesh Vyas

Jijabhai Manager at Saurashtra Samiti

PROJECT CO-ORDINATOR Tarun Deep Girdher

Govind Bhai In-charge, Bal Nal Kantha

FACULTY AT NID Immanuel Suresh Aditi Ranjan M P Ranjan Krishnesh Mehta Chakradhar Saswade

Abdul Jabbar Runs Sidr Craft in Bhuj

RESEARCH SOURCES Geeta Dawe Handles MoUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at NID Textile Design Student Batch of 2011 Tridip Suhrud Professor, Researcher & Writer

Staff at Khamir Staff at Kala Rakshav SUPPORT, HELP & FEEDBACK Lovepreet Kaur Anupriya Arvind Jyoti Mann Abhisek Behera Urmila Mohan Rajat Dhingra Family and friends for all the love and support.

RESOURCES

BIBLIOGRAPHY Khadi: The Fabric of Freedom Martand Singh Gandhiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Khadi Rahul Ramgundam Clothing matters Emma Tarlo Envisioning Information Edward R. Tufte Modular Web Design Nathan Curtis

WEBLIOGRAPHY www.khadi.com/ shobanarayan.com/2012/04/11/khadi/ www.khadiandco.com/ www.facebook.com/handmadehope DOCUMENTARIES www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5PJrzLdAbk www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnLGkffiaLY&feature=related

India Spinning // Project 2

A project that looks at uplifting Khadi and empowering the khadi artisans and the crafts of India. An attempt to indulge into product development through creating a demand for the product (khadi and the crafts)

India Spinning // Project 2