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Soumitro Ghosh pg 28 | Photographed by Nayantara Ghosh Ruma Dhingra 02 Adil Jal Darukhanawala 08 Prachi Kamdar 14 Gaurvi Sharma 20 Medha Khosla 42 Vrinda Mathur 48 Parvati Pillai 54

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Editor in Chief | sudhir@indidesign.in

June 2016 | # 70

The Professional Code

Sudhir in his office

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Most creative people have this doubt about whether they are 'artists' or mere 'workers'. I would say it is good to have your feet on both sides, but when it comes to your survival and reputation, it's better to be professional. www.indipool.com

Understand that most of your work will be with marketing professionals, and most good marketing professionals imagine themselves to be creative as well (truth be told, we really humor them). Though they do not understand even the C of Creative, what they do understand and demand is that you be professional.

Being professional means: 1. There is a Deadline.

Soumitro Ghosh pg 28 |

Photographed by Nayantara Ghosh

Ruma Dhingra 02 Adil Jal Darukhanawala 08 Prachi Kamdar 14 Gaurvi Sharma 20 Medha Khosla 42 Vrinda Mathur 48 Parvati Pillai 54

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Anything you do in your professional realm will come with a date to finish and hand over the work. You can explore, experiment, doubt and redo as much as you want before that… but value that date. It's likely that your work will be tied to other events and schedules and upsetting that means upsetting a chain of events. Sometimes understanding this code is good enough to stamp you as professional.

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2. There is a Process.

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There is always a process to whatever you do, but take care that this process does not become a reason to fault on the deadline. You should not need to lean on your process to explain your failings. Clients do not care about processes.

Designindia was founded in 2002. It was started as a platform for interaction for the design community in India and abroad.

Over the years it has grown into a forum spread over many social and professional networking domains, linking design professionals into an active, interactive and thought leading community.

3. It is about Business.

Your work is always part of a bigger machine; it fits in and does its role.

Better understanding of that bigger machine will make you more efficient, as you rework your process and then meet your obligations.

Understanding these three codes will make you professional, and fit for the world you operate in. But you need to remain the artist for your soul to thrive. Do keep that alive as well.

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Endorsed by

Sudhir

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DESIGN FORUM

DOVETAILING TOGETHER Ruma Dhingra explains how branding and communications firm Lopez Design facilitates collaborations through an intimate, diverse and creative Forum Graphic designer Anthony Lopez, founder of Lopez Design, had a dream and it began with his pet mission of widening the scope of design through the very essence of what all of us human beings are engaged with communication. Anthony realized when we meet people socially or professionally, we exchange notes about our work but tend to miss out on understanding the larger journey people make through their chosen professions. At his studio in Shahpur Jat in New Delhi, Anthony was enthused to start a forum that would bring opportunities not only for Lopez Design but also for other professionals to learn about each other’s work processes. By selecting a panel of individuals from diverse backgrounds, Anthony wanted to facilitate the possibility of new, exciting and unexpected collaborations.

What the forum is all about The Lopez Design Forum is a collaborative interaction that takes place at the Lopez Design studio on the first Saturday of every month. The studio invites 10 speakers from diverse backgrounds to take other participants through their journey of work: it’s essentially about ten minds sharing their journeys with ten other people. Observes Anshul Kapoor, architect at Lopez Design,

“Of course it was intentional, but we have definitely also been lucky to always get people from very diverse backgrounds.”

The last Forum saw a mix of people ranging from an apparel designer, a space designer and filmmakers to a self taught architect and designer, and even a rapper. While it may seem like a one-day event, almost a month of continuous effort and energy goes into making this mini conference happen - from food to invitations to individual preferences.

The evolution of the forum The idea of the Forum is not new to Lopez Design. The boutique design studio has a history of conducting internal forums featuring interesting team activities like book binding, cricket, acting, etc. In 2014, a collaborative forum happened where external speakers, essentially graphic designers, were invited. Jonak Das, former Project Director at Lopez Design, remembers that early in the game the group realized that nothing becomes an active and well prioritized exercise until it is made a discipline. Thus, the Forum became one of the main priorities of the organization. Anthony explains, “The idea was not to conduct an indefinite exercise but to build a group or growing repository of people that stays connected and alive.”

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PUBLICATION DESIGN

ALWAYS A STAR Adil Jal Darukhanawala’s book ‘Mercedes-Benz WINNING!’ is a fitting tribute to one of the world’s most iconic brands, says Jehan A.D.

No mention of German excellence is complete without the two words that have shaped the automobile world today - Mercedes-Benz. No company in the world can boast the rich heritage of Mercedes-Benz, and with over 120 years of motorsport experience, it has a racing pedigree like none other! From offroad to track racing, from Formula 1 to touring car racing and a host of different racing formats and styles, MercedesBenz has done it all. The company was also the first to ship a fully-built car with an internal combustion petrol engine to our country about 120 years ago!

Most of us erroneously believe that the first cars in India were the Rolls-Royces ordered by the Maharajas of yore. When Adil Jal Darukhanawala, one of India’s pioneer automotive journalists and automobile historians, stumbled across the Mercedes-Benz archives, he was stunned to see the information on their vehicles exported overseas! Inspired by what he had read, Adil decided to celebrate the venerable company’s 8 POOL #70

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GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Prachi Kamdar of Bangalore-based FORBYOF Design Studio has created a design language that is deeply rooted in Indian sensibility

What drew you to design?

PK: Originally, it is genetic information. My father left Karachi with his family during Partition and later became one of the first architects in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. My parents' appreciation for literature, arts, architecture, music, and science made creativity an integral part of our growing up. They respect imagination as an essential factor of human evolution. They hardly cared how we did in school till about matriculation and were perceptive about our overall development. As a child, I remember spending a lot of time on my own, drawing. Art and travel became my parallel schooling.

Every vacation was in a new place, feeding my curiosity about world cultures and their languages, scripts, social practices and their connection with the local visual arts.

How did your design journey develop from there?

PK: In 1999 I joined the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, and did Visual Communication with specialization in graphic design. I met ‘Type’ as an integral member of graphic design and felt an instant intimacy with it. I was inspired by the work of Soffici, Hendrik Werkman, Kurt Schwitters, El Lissitzky, and John Heartfield; their work was my first encounter with the visual communication that was revolutionary for social movements. It was very overwhelming to graduate from NID with the idealism one carried about how design can 'change the world' while still being naive about its power in society.

In the NID library, I discovered the work of Jonathan Barnbrook, a British graphic designer and typographer in London, who not only crafts type beautifully but also illustrates his political views through his work. His work changed the way I understood graphic design and in early 2006, the reverence paved my way to his studio for a six-month long internship. The time with him opened my eyes to the imbalance between ‘Design as Communication’ and ‘Design as Persuasion’. My diploma project and the experience with Barnbrook directed the trajectory for my work. I was inclining to graphic design that was culturally and politically driven.

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ARTIST

RECORDING EMOTIONS Everyday occurrences, from the mundane to the more sublime, inspire collage artist Gaurvi Sharma

When did your creative streak develop?

GS: As a child, you develop natural interests depending on the people and environment around you. In my childhood I always tried to beautify anything that I could get my hands on, from paper, walls and earthen pots to dresses, toys, and random objects. My father had a big role in nurturing my creative outputs; he was always tinkering with something. Both my parents were working so after coming back from school, I used to have a lot of time to myself.

When I was not drawing or painting, I was writing poems. Expressing thoughts through poems came naturally because it allowed me to look at things differently. This was my first experience with ‘abstraction’ and also formed the core of my visual language and how I perceived my world. I sent poems to CRY Foundation, some of which they published in their newsletters. I got several appreciation letters which fuelled my passion to write and create more.

The first time I could see my expressions becoming a career was when I met a cousin who was studying fine art. Watching her creating art with enjoyment gave wings to my dreams. That is when I decided I wanted to be an artist, and went on to do a BFA from College of Art – Chandigarh, and MFA from Jamia Millia Islamia.

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COVER STORY

ZANAV FABRIC DESIGN & BRAND - Terrace 28 POOL #70

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FASHION

A FINE BALANCE

Medha Khosla’s Anomaly bridges the gap between functional day wear and elegant evening wear with ease

What initially captured your imagination about textile design?

MK: My tryst with textiles began when I was a young girl accompanying my mother to numerous textile exhibitions in Delhi. Her deep interest and knowledge of Indian fabrics inspired me to research and explore materials from a very young age. I was encouraged to take textile courses and drawing classes early on. I think high school was a turning point for me; I enrolled in a progressive art class, and further got to explore materials, and even weave a handloom rug! With a lot of encouragement from family and my high school art teacher, I enrolled at Pratt Institute in New York for a BFA in fashion.

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FURNITURE

BEYOND WOOD Space and furniture designers Vrinda Mathur, Navya Aggarwal and Sahej Bhatia pooled their diverse skills to start Studio Wood. Speaking on behalf of the three, Vrinda Mathur explains how they hope to change the perception the Indian furniture design market.

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ILLUSTRATOR

GETTING INTO CHARACTER

For Parvati Pillai a successful illustration is one that appeals to the widest audience

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HEAVY METAL HOME:

THE SHIMMERING NEW TREND

Bidri Artisan at Work

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