PORTFOLIO Kanishtha Kujur
With a degree in Textile design, I have explored India’s craft sector through one-on-one interaction with numerous artisans. and cultures. I have experience in product development, material innovation and system design in several projects across India and different industries. My core areas of interest are ethnographic research and design strategy.
AREA OF INTEREST
The following pages contains a few of my projects, some classroom based and some with clients.
kanishthakujur@gmail.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/kanishtha-kujur/
Social design Design Research System thinking
Ethnographic research Traditional crafts Material innovation
CONTACT
NAVYATHA : The Making of a New Textile Story
Scope of Work : Research, Strategy Development, Visual Identity Design Chirala, Andhra Pradesh Jan - Apr 2020 Client : KSR Handlooms Pvt Ltd.
I worked in a team of 4 on the early stages of developing the new brand of KSR Handlooms, a B2B company based in Andhra Pradesh. KSR Handlooms, is known for their women’s ethnic wear including handloom sarees, suits and dress material. With the intent to bring handloom to the middle income families, we worked on the brand strategy and visual identity keeping in mind the trend of the market and aspirations of the customer.
RESEARCH How do we make this brand stand out from the multiple brands in the market? A gap in handloom brands serving the middle income families in tier II and III cities. The need to form an intimate relation with the customers Lack of age and size inclusive clothes
How do we connect to the customers beyond a one time affair?
Brand Persona
Need for affordable good quality products A fast lifestyle demands easy to carry garments A growing need for users to express themselves through their clothing
How do we find a stay relevant to the trend of going trendless? How do we balance the global trends with the local ones? Intricate details Rising trend of natural and handmade goods Sustainable products and processes Trendless designs
User Persona Based on the research, the user and brand persona were created. The keywords and visuals from these boards became the building blocks that defined the philosophy, mission and vision for the brand.
BRANDING BRAND MISSION
MOODBOARD
VISUAL REFERENCE
WHAT The link between the middle income group customers and their aspirations at affordable rates, while promoting handloom WHY Satisfying lifestyle aspirations Contribute to sustainable textile practices Help handloom penetrate the urban domestic market HOW Controlling in-house production quality Altering the value chain to refocus on the creatprs Positive and practical marketing strategies Inspiring innovation and adaptibility by the maker
How do we relate the simplicity of the small coastal town with the sophistication of the modern Indian woman?
BRAND VALUES WHO
WHAT
HOW
Open minded Aware Changemakers Progressive Experimental
Quality Inclusivity Understanding Empathy Collaboration Motivation Freedom Innovation
Inspiring Welcoming Confidence Passionate Driven Caring Promising
KEYWORDS Elegant Rich Culture and Tradition Feminine Comfort Organic
COLOUR PALETTE
KEYWORDS INNOVATIVE TRENDLESS INCLUSIVE MARK OF HAND ARTISAN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT SUSTAINABLE EXPRESSIVE VOCAL TRADITION
Navyatha, a ballad of cultural handloom production in Chirala. The name has roots in the two terms : navya and katha. Together they depict the new story of re-energized traditional clothing. We have set out on a journey to develop handloom products with a practical approach and an eye for detail. With natural materials as our strength, we aim to deliver the unique experience of latest trends and centuries old traditions under one roof. We strive to make every day unique for the Indian woman, paying tribute to their beuaty and acknowledging their need for practicality and comfort. Exceptional fabric along with out team of skilled artisans bring to you designs that fit you modern lifestyle and identity.
The customer demographic is based in tier II and III cities of South India, which called for a name with a tradiitonal touch. The name Navyatha comes together with the two hindi terms : navya and katha, depicting the new story of re-energized traditional clothing the company wants to put forth.
The logo is derived from a cotton bud and a flair around it that depicts the natural flair of fabric. To bring a balance of a modernity to the logo, a clean minimal typeface and a bright shade of yellow support the organic feel of the bud and the flair.
URBAN DECAY : A Collection of Handloom Cotton Sarees Scope of Work : Market research, Collection design Chirala, Andhra Pradesh Jan - Apr 2020 Client : KSR Handlooms Pvt Ltd.
Urban Decay is a collection of cotton saris that finds it’s inspiration in the lost crafts of Chirala–Telia Rumaal and RMHK. The saris are built upon the idea that there is beauty in all things lost, forgotten and sometimes even broken.
INSPIRATION AND MOODBOARD When a previously function city falls into a state of despair, the elements in the area undergo urban decay. Nature reminds us its resilience and strength by enveloping the man madde environment. This collection highlights the transformation in the process of degeneration when nature takes back control. It establishes the forgotten elements of past that lay dormant behind modernization, just like the Ikat and Madras checks weaving of Chirala KEYWORDS Transition Contrast Irregular Memory Colour burst What does the saree say? To initiate the design development, I looked into several photographs for inspiration. The key element while looking into them was the transition from good to bad. Understanding this transition, is understanding the complete story. And in this collection, the sari becomes the medium of representation of that story.
How does a designer bring more meaning to a collection beyond its aesthetics? The collections were designed keeping in mind the current skill set of the dyers in the region and their capacity to learn the ikat dyeing technique in the near future. The layouts were made in line with the current trend of contrasting visual division throughout the length of the sari.
For each of the layouts, feasibility was an important part of the planning. The designs were broken down to the warp and weft. To reduce the intensive work, I decided to employ single ikat instead of double.
The patterning on the saree is inspired by the uneven broken edge of the metal sheets. I tried to highlight the colour graduation from blue to pink to black through the transition from pleats to body to pallu.
warp
weft The grid like manner of concrete cracks with green weed peaking from within was the main inspiration for the even checks in the saree. I focused on the transition from concrete to green for the layout of the saree.
warp
The individual stones in the image led me to explore even fragmentation on the saree as well. I interpreted the green textured moss as the rough faded look on the coloured portions.
weft
The saree became my medium of art here. Instead of a static one however, the art changed pace along length of the saree. Breaking down the saree into the warp and weft helped me visualise the complete process of its production and pre-empt the necessary changes. warp
weft
The statue has a calming feel to it, interrupted by smalll cracks on the surface along with bits of green weed growing in between. The colour proportion was an important aspect during the explorations. The final design has few green ikat portions spread across the end part of the saree.
warp
weft The stark difference between the white base and the brown rusted portions is the first aspect I noticed in the image, the second being the directional faded rust. I took these two forward by using the two stark colours in faded checks.
warp
Two strong colours, brown and teal compete for visual balance in the image that led me to explore a similar demarcation on the saree as well. The yellow algae bits inspired the golden highlights on the saree executed by small extra weft motifs.
weft
warp
weft
MEMOIR : A Collection of Handloom Silk Sarees Scope of Work : Market research, Collection design Chirala, Andhra Pradesh Jan - Apr 2020 Client : KSR Handlooms Pvt Ltd.
Memoir is a collection of lightweight silk saris for the young women for occasions such as formal parties and festive gatherings. The combination of the famed silk kuppadam saris along with subtler designs provide the perfect balance for occasions where one wants to put a fresh spin to the conventionally heavy silk saris.
Why are most of the south sarees known only for its extravagant aesthetic? Can it have a new identity that accomodates people with a more subtle aesthetic?
The collection draws inspiration from Muggulu, a type of floor patterns made outside houses in south Indian states.
The lookboard was defined keeping in mind the current trends along with practical needs of the modern woman. The colour palette was also derived from the south Indian
The moodbaord contains elements that I noticed around South Indian household, and in particular, Chirala. Insights from the inspiration board and user study led to keywords like culture, tradition and feminine grace.
culture of spices. The palette falls right in the sub-section of south Indian and western colour palette making it appropriate for the customer base.
How do I define the essence of Muggu designs? Is it there in the curved lines or the grid with dots or its symmetry and intricacy? How long do I keep tweaking it for the creative freedom before it loses it’s essence? The visual cues from the inspiration board led me to the keywords : • Symmetry • Lines and Dots • Figure and Ground • Intricacy • Geometry I then explored the forms on orthographic and isometric grids, while also simplifying the curves. I also studied the process of making the designs that helped me while simplofying the forms.
Several groups of designs were grouped together. Each group consisted of different options for motifs for the body and the pallu. The elements from the same groups were then taken forward and composed together in the layout of the sari.
FINAL DESIGNS
THE UNTOLD TALES OF SWANSI : A Written Document on the Cotton Weavers of Jharkhand Scope of Work : Ethnographic Research, Documentaion, Publication Design Oct 2018 Jharkhand Team : Kanishtha Kujur, Nidhi Veer
This was a 8 week long project where I researched the traditional weaving practices of the tribal artisans of Jharkhand. The project was initiated by inquiring into the craft, techniques and community involved in the craft and led to an in-depth document that was presented to the Department of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of Jharkhand.
RESEARCH METHODS
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
• SECONDARY RESEARCH - Books - Articles - Museums
• Learn the history of the weaving traditions of Swansi (weaving community) and Nivucha (weaving cooperative)
• PRIMARY RESEARCH - Field Visit to craft cluster - Interview with artisans - Interview with stakeholders - Participant and non-participant observations - Photography/ Videography/ Sketching
• Look into the change in visual language of the weaving cluster to understand how the formation of the cooperative has affection their practices, directly and indirectly.
We documentated and illustrated several parts of their craft like their process, their tools and their traditional value chain.
For this project I chose to go back to my state and study the traditional woven products and the communities involved in the craft. The inquiry started on a high spirit since the region was close to my heart. However, as our secondary research went forward, I realised how difficult it was going to be. There were hardly any written documents on the local or national level that shed light to the craft or the artisan community, the Swansi. Through word of mouth, we were able to locate a few academicians and people of the community who shared stories from the past. We compared these stories with written accounts of other crafts in the region to form a better understanding of this one. The result is a document that covers the traditional techniques, products and the relation between the artisan community and their client community.
The communities relation with nature was apparent once we documentated the design lexicon of the craft. Each of the motifs were derived directly from natue or a ritual around nature.
QUESTIONS ADDRESSED IN THE DOCUMENT • Who are the Munda and Swansi, and what is the relation between them • The role of textiles in this scenario • The change in meaning of textile products and the practices
The project gave me a chance to look at my tribal roots from a different perspective. I came to appreciate not just the weaving skills of the community, but also the manner in which the fabric joined two communities in a mutually beneficial bond. I grew more conscious of the social structure of different communities and looked into it for design inspiration.
KARNATAKA HANDLOOM PROJECT: Sarees of Molakalmuru
The Karnataka Handloom Project: Molakalmuru, was a live project initiated by Smart Handloom Innovation Centre, Govt. of Karnataka, to support the handloom sector of the state. In a team of 3 guided by our faculty, we studied the weaving tradition of the cluster, pinpoint the causes for the decline in their revenue, and proposed methods to revive the fading craft. The process consisted of research, craft documentation, opportunity mapping and product development.
Scope of Work : Research, Craft Documentation, Opportunity mapping, Product Development Molakalmuru, Karnataka | NID Ahmedabad April 2019 Sponsor : SHIC, Govt. of Karnataka Team : Alfy A. Backer, Nilotpal Roy, Kanishtha Kujur
RESEARCH METHODS • SECONDARY RESEARCH - Books - Articles - Museums
• PRIMARY RESEARCH - Interview with artisans - Interview with stakeholders - Participant and non-participant observations - Photography/ Videography/ Sketching
Shidlaghata (Chikkaballapur) Naturally Yellow silk yarn is made of 8-10 filaments priced at Rs. 3200/kg Ramanagara Naturally White silk Yarn is made of 3-5 filamenst priced at Rs. 3800-4000/kg
Dyes and chemicals sourced from Dharmavaram, Bangalore and Raidurga
Zari is procured mainly from Surat and Banglore. Surat Zari costs Rs3,600/ 240gm Banglore Zari Costs Rs2,500/240gm
Sree Venkateswara Silks Silk Yarn Twisting Manufacturers
Nagaraj Silk Yarn Dyeing Unit Owned by Damodar Vangde
Warping Unit
Owned by Prahallad K.P. and Shantharam Basapathi
Run by 8 people, 5 family members and 3 labour from the village
Managed by 5 employees
Dyes 20-25 sarees of same colour per day. Earns a profit of Rs10-12,000/ month
Warps are prepared for the length of 10 sarees.
2 people running the unit Currently own 1 rolling machine set, and is preparing to buy a second machine. Silk warp - Rs. 35 per saree Where 1 warp has 10 sarees Viscose warp Each warp has 30-40 sarees
NHDC
The saris are collected by Cauvery and sold under the brand name K tex
Sold at Co-operative’s own shop
Finished Saris are given back to the director
Yarn is distributed to weavers to be woven
Finished Saris are handed over to the co-operatives
Sold at Dharmavaram, Hyderabad and Bangalore
Director of the region collects the yarn from NHDC
Order goes to the weavers The looms are owned by the cooperatives
Sold at Exhibitions
Harness setup (Nagendra) Jacquard card printing and lacing
Mapping the value chain allowed us a macro to micro view of the full system. The red links are the pathways where government is involved while the green links are the pathways where other stakeholders can be roped in for better product management.
Cauvery J.K. Prahllada is the director of Cauvery for Molakalamuru zone.
Co-operatives 7 co-operative societies •Sri Vinayaka Silk and Cotton Weaver’s Co-operative Society Molakalmuru •Sri Shirdi Saibaba Silk Handloom Weaver’s Cooperative society Molakalmuru •Sri Nunkimalai Siddeswara Silk Weaver’s Cooperative Society •The Handloom Weaver’s Co-op Society Ltd. •Molakalmuru Taluk Silk Handloom Weaver’s Co-op Society, Molakalmuru •Pattashali Handloom Co-operative •Kondlahally Silk Weavers Handloom Co-operative Society
Orders from Dharmavaram, Banglore, Hyderabad, Designers and their own designs
Sold at their own shop Finished Saris are handed over to the Master weaver Sold at Dharmavaram, Hyderabad and Bangalore Sold at Exhibitions
The master weavers distribute work to weavers working for them
Independent weavers Maruthi Thippeswamy Vanjre Ramesha J.K. Prahllada etc
While documenting the design lexicon of the craft, we were able to see how the market change has affected the products directly. The heavy competition from neighbouring clusters resulted in Molakalmuru conforming to the needs of the market and loosing it’s identity.
STRENGTHS
THREATS
• High level skill set • Unique traditional techniques • Localised production • Trend conscious product development
• Competition from powerloom industry • Competition from similar clusters in the region • Loss of traditional skills and designs • Loss of unique identity
WEAKNESS • Fluctuating raw material costs • High production costs • Low weaving wages • Lack of innovation
OPPORTUNITIES • Revival of natural dyeing techniques • Revival of traditional designs • Introduction to highend customers • Rebranding of craft
RECOMMENDATIONS • Highlighting their traditional techniques as the USP of the craft
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Saree designed as part of the product development deliverable of the project. It highlights some of the traditional design elements like checks and temple border. It also incorporates cotton in the fabric that reduces the cost of the saree and makes it better suited for its current market that is price conscious along with situated in a hot and humit region.
• Revival of natural dyeing and traditional designs. • Product development to make the sarees better suited for the current market needs. • Creating a system for individual designs to collaborate with the cluster. • Expanding the market to cover high-end and niche sector. • Rebranding the craft that highlights the above mentioned changes
BRANDING
BUSINESS EXPANSION
The live project gave me a chance to interact with several stakeholders in the capacity of a designer and realise the effect of my design choices. I also came to understand the importance of working on all tangents of a system along with product development for efficient model of working.
NANHE SATHI : Design interventions to aid hindered learning
Scope of Work : Research, Opportunity mapping, design interventions. Delhi May - Jul 2021 Client : Godhuli Charitable School Society
‘Nanhe Saathi’ is a collaborative project in association with the Godhuli foundation, a Delhi based charitable society that runs education and welfare programs for underprivileged children. The project was targeted at understanding the effect of covid in the lives of these children and design interventions to aid the hindered learning. The project team consisted of 4 designers working aongside the principle teacher heading the team of 4 schools.
How do we make sure that our secondary research is not biased opinions of our sources?
RESEARCH
How do we make sure our own biases do not affect our data?
INSIGHTS • In the absence of digital tools in most of the students’ households, teachers are unable to keep a track of the assignments provided. • Due to a lack of constant touch with education, students are losing out on previously learnt skills. • The area of residence contribute to a demotivating environment that hinders growth.
OPPORTUNITY MAPPING • Designing a system that enables constant and easy communication between teachers and students, • Designing tools of learning that teachers can employ for easy teaching. • Designing tools of play that encourages passive learning along with fun activities.
REDEFINING BRIEF After a discussion with the Godhuli team and looking at the DVF model, we decided to move ahead with the third optionDesigning an educational activity for the students of Godhuli that aids hindered learning while improving them on several other fronts like motor skills, shape recognition, color recognition, skills of correlation, etc., along with helping them revise previous topics.
How can we break down our activities to inculcate the smallest of behavioural change?
KEY FEATURES
ACTIVITY IDEAS
IDEATION WORKSHOP We conducted an ideation workshop with 10 designers. The designed workshop focused on exploring solutions with 3 individual contraints and their interaction together. In the end we came up with several points such as :• How design can be incorporated in learning • The important aspects to have in mind while designing for children • The relevant areas of study for children of the given age group
MEDIUM
FACTORS • Capacity of children in younger age groups vary drastically, leading to two different mats with increasing difficulty. • Short attention span : quick, easy to understand, open ended activities that one can return to. • No adult supervision needed : materials and games suited for kids to engage with in the absence of adults. • Compactness : easilty foldable to occupy less space. • Production and material : simple, readily available material and services used for easy and quick production. The material also allows for easy wash care. • Social distancing : Can be played individually until the Covid case are in rise, but also be played in groups thereafter
How can a learning tool be interesting enough for the children to keep coming back to it?
FINAL DESIGN The final product is an interactive game mat keeping in mind the constraints of post pandemic scenarios. The mat helps improve motor skills, shape recognition, colour recognition, skills of correlation while helpin children revise topics from their curriculum through indirect means. The tactile three dimensional quality of the mat further build curiosity and encourage hands on intuitive explorations by using the mat in numerous ways - playing over, under, around it.
• STORY MAZE : A maze that has to be completed by arranging pebbles along the right path. Multiple levels enables the kid to come back to it. • ILLUSTRATED PICTURE/ MAP : Through the illustrated picture kids can spot and learn about different elements in the scene. It also acts as a medium for the children’s natural storytelling inclinations. • SHAPE BUILDING GAME : Buttons arranged in a square grid that acts as a guide for kids to form shapes using imagination and execution.
• ORIGAMI : The mat is made up of smaller triangular units that allow it to be folded along several axes. Due to the size and flexibility of the structure the folding process would also help in motor development and allow them creative exploration.