Supported by
September 2011 | # 15 Indian edition
“As an artist I am impulsive and spontaneous, and as a designer I follow the design process.” Vijayakumar Arumugam 20
“My style when it comes to blogging is quirky, fun, bitchy, and design inclined. I’m a tough cookie.” Santu Misra 24
India’s First International Design Magazine DESIGN•INNOVATION•CREATIVITY
0 Around the World Cagri Cankaya
03
Photography Shrinivas Patke
06
Beyond Borders Miriam Strehlau
08
Illustrator Jayesh Sivan
Naina Toor Singh
18
Photographed for POOL by Marlo Shemere
Events
Cover Story
Design at the Edges 04
Naina Toor Singh
12
Posters
Campus
Remembering Chernobyl 26
MSU Faculty of Fine Arts
30
Advisors
Listen
Abhijit Bansod Studio ABD, India
Kigge Hevid CEO, Index Awards, Denmark
Adil Darukhanawala Editor, Economic Times, Zigwheels, India
Kishor Singh Business Editor, India
Dr. Inyoung Albert Choi Professor, Hanyang University, Korea
Kohei Nishiyama Founder, Elephant Design, Japan
Anaezi Modu Rebrand, USA
Madhukar Kamath Managing Director and CEO, Mudra Group, India
Prof. Anil Sinha Principal, NID, India
M P Ranjan India
Anna Muoio Social Innovation, US
Prasoon Pandey Corcoise Films, India
Anuj Sharma Designer, India
Rajesh Kejriwal Kyoorius Exchange, India
Aradhana Goel Designer / Strategist, Ideo, USA
Rodney Fitch UK
Cathy Huang President, China Bridge Shanghai
Shilpa Das Head, Publications, NID, India
Craig Branigan Chairperson, Landor, CEO, B to D Group, USA
Dr Soumitra R Pathare Psychiatrist, India
Christopher Charles Benninger Architect, Studio CCBA, India
Shrikant Nivasarkar Founder, Nivasarkar Consultants, India
David Berman David Berman Communications, Canada
Subrata Bhowmik Subrata Bhowmik Design, India
Deepika Jindal Managing Director, Artdinox, India
Sudhir Sharma Designindia, India
Essam Abu Awad MIDAS, Jordan
Suresh Venkat CNBC, India
Hrridaysh Deshpande Innoastra, India
Uday Dandavate Sonicrim, USA
Jos Oberdof NPK Design, Netherland
Umesh Shukla Auryn, LA, USA
Julia Chiu Executive Director, JIDPO, Japan
William Drentell Winterhouse, USA
Kieu Pham Haki Brand, Vietnam
William Herald Wong WHW Design, Malaysia
Editor in Chief Sudhir Sharma sudhir@indidesign.in Copy Editor Ashvina Vakil Editorial Coordinator Sonalee Tomar sonalee@poolmagazine.in Research & Design Coordinator Shriya Nagi Layout & Production Pradeep Arora, Satyajeet Harpude Subscription & Logistics Seema Sharma subscribe@poolmagazine.in Finance Kuldeep Harit Deepak Gautam Art & Design Pradeep Goswami, Swapnil Giakwad
From left; Anette Hiltunen, Sudhir Sharma, Cagri Cankaya Photograph by Shriya Nagi
As humans we have very limited ways to input information. Basically we hear, talk, see, feel, taste and smell, and through these five senses we process the inputs into various feelings, thoughts, likes, dislikes and emotions. These five senses are our interfaces for interaction with the world through our lives. It’s not how well these senses function but how you process them that defines who you are. The processing is dependent upon our geography, culture, education and various other contexts. I believe that brands need to emulate these five input senses and then use a higher processing to create a unique identity. Not just commercial brands, but political and social brands need to emulate these as well. Any company which has a recognized mechanism of hearing, and an organized mechanism of speaking to its stakeholders will always be close to them. These lead to what we call a feeling of the pulse of people in the democracy. Citizens or stakeholders will always feel secure when they know to whom they can talk, when they know they will be heard, and they will hear in turn. It indeed is a funny situation when citizens cannot see the leader; obviously they won’t know who will hear them or talk to them. In my view, the Indian government needs just a basic input-output process in place. Brands do it so well. Brand ambassadors work so well in this context; faceless companies become recognized, you start hearing them. Whenever you can interact with a brand in an intimate manner, it leads to experience. Stakeholders usually are very tolerant towards behaviors as long as interaction is happening. I hope as a democracy we in India realize these basic principles of living. I have introduced a Turkish ‘Designer on the Road’, Cagri Cankaya, in an earlier issue. He is going around the world working in various design offices and collecting a huge cultural and professional experience. He is on his second stop in this journey at INDI Design. We intend to follow his journey, starting with this issue. We have also had Anette Hiltunen from the University of Southern Denmark, Soenderborg at INDI, and she has helped us put POOL on the iPad. We are listening...do tell us what you are doing! :) Sudhir Sharma Editor in Chief sudhir@indidesign.in
Digital Manish Kori, Manish Kumar Marketing Arjun Samaddar, Tarun Thakkar arjun@indidesign.in
September 2011 | # 15 Indian Edition Supported by
September 2011 | # 15 IndIan edItIon
“As an artist I am impulsive and spontaneous, and as a designer I follow the design process.” Vijayakumar Arumugam 20
Assistants Yamanappa Dodamani, Shailesh Angre Publisher INDI Design Pvt Ltd www.indidesign.in
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.
India’s First International Design Magazine DESIGN•INNOVATION•CREATIVITY
0
Address India Indi Design Pvt Ltd C-1, Unit No 503-504, Saudamini Commercial Complex, Bhusari ColonyRight, Paud Road, Pune 411038 Phones: +91 20 2528 1433 www.poolmagazine.in Vietnam Haki Advertising Ltd, 142 Le Duan Street, Hanoi, Vietnam www.haki.vn
“My style when it comes to blogging is quirky, fun, bitchy, and design inclined. I’m a tough cookie.” Santu Misra 24
around the World Cagri Cankaya
03
http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/designindia
Photography Shrinivas Patke
06
International Design Media Network Participant
Beyond Borders Miriam Strehlau
08
Illustrator Jayesh Sivan
naina toor Singh
18
Photographed for POOL by Marlo Shemere
events
Cover Story
design at the edges 04
naina toor Singh
12
Posters
Campus
Remembering Chernobyl 26
MSU Faculty of Fine arts
30
www.poolmagazine.in 1
POOL Book VOL-1 • Compilation of first 12 issues of Pool Magazine • Hard bound 400 Pages • Design Showcases, Success Stories, Experiences and a lot more on design • It’s a melange of ideas and inspiration
DESIGN•INNOVATION•CREATIVITY India’s First International Design Magazine
Subscription For 12 Issues of POOL Magazine:
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For India: ` 3000 (Free shipping) Other countries: USD 100 + Shipping Charge 20% Discount for Designindia members *30% off if you subscribe POOL Magazine
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Name ________________________________________________________________________________________ Phone / Mobile _______________________________ Address ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Pin ___________________ E-mail ____________________________________________ Subscribing From : mm / yyyy to mm / yyyy (12 Months) Terms & Conditions: It is not possible to cancel subscription. The publisher reserves the right to terminate/extend this offer or to accept/reject any or all forms received at his absolute discretion. For further clarification/information Please Call 020 2528 1433 or mail at info@poolmagazine.in
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FIRST STOP
I A B M U M
in ri Cankaya fills us ag C d’ oa R e th on ld! ‘Designer trip around the wor ue iq un s hi of t ar st on the
Around the World
Hello to all POOL readers! I’m Cagri Cankaya, a ‘designer on the road’ who is trying to make a world trip without money. I want to complete it only with the power of design. To achieve this goal I have left my current job. I will work with different companies around the world for 2-5 weeks or more, depending on each company’s current needs. My working days, adventures, companies, places, things I do, and people I meet will be covered daily on my blog and shared on my web page with photos, videos and other interesting media. On my final return to Turkey, the whole story will be compiled and published as a very special book of devotion. The memories, the reviews of agencies, designers, cultures, and places will be reflected in the book. India was always in my mind as the first stop of this project and I already had my invitation from Sudhir Sharma of Indi Design in Pune. While I was preparing for the trip, a friend of Sudhir’s from Mumbai also invited me. I decided to visit DesignFlyover (DFO) first and Mumbai became my first stop. I worked at DFO for three weeks with Nachiket Gandhi and Shreya Sharma, founder partners of the company. They were super fine and kind to me during my Mumbai days. We ate, designed, watched, thought, laughed and chatted together. They showed me the city and they cared for me very well. My primary project was making some t-shirt, bed sheet and nightdress patterns for an organic clothing company. Then we started an in-house project called ‘Bind my book’, which is going to be a custom notebook company. Mumbai was an awesome experience for me, with mind blowing culture! Everything was different and it was all beautiful. I tried to experience and live every detail about Mumbai as much as possible. I visited many places such as the Gateway of India, Marine Drive, and National Park that you can see and discover in my blog. I have just jumped to Indi Design in Pune and you can read about my new adventures in the next issue. www.designerontheroad.com
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Events Taipei101 & Taipei International Convention Center
The 2011 IDA Congress to be held in Taiwan in October promises to be a one-ofa-kind cross-disciplinary design spectacle!
DESIGN AT THE EDGES Leaders of disparate disciplines will come together in Taiwan next month to collectively challenge the boundaries of design. The 2011 IDA Congress, with its ‘Design at the Edges’ theme, is where design visionaries will draw inspiration for innovative design visions and share new perspectives, and non-designers will imagine previously unexpected roles for design.
To be held on 24-26 October 2011 at the Taipei International Convention Center in Taipei, Taiwan, the Congress is an initiative of the International Design Alliance (IDA), a strategic venture between the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid),
the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda), and the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI). ‘Design at the Edges’ refers to the boundary between design and nondesign industries, the boundary between the various design disciplines, and the perceived limit of design that is constantly challenged by visionaries within the industry. The Congress looks at these boundaries and stimulates interaction between them, culminating in an overlap between industries and disciplines where design can be of greater influence. Keynote addresses by invited international experts will introduce leading-edge thinking on topics ranging from
@prolificd Heh. Meh. Bleh. That’s the usual progression. 4 POOL | 9.11 | #15
Economic Development, The Internet, and Biotechnology, to Urbanism and International Migration. The galaxy of luminaries includes EskoAho, Prime Minister of Finland 1991-1995, Executive Vice President, Corporate Relations and Responsibility, Nokia Corporation; Barry Lam, Chairman & CEO, Quanta Computer Inc.; Vandana Shiva, Founder, Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology; Peter Bishop, Deputy CEO & Group Director of Design, Development and Environment, London Development Agency; and Bob Elton, Chair of the Board of Directors, Immigrant Employment Council of British Columbia, and Executive Chair, PowertechLabs Inc.
2011 Taipei World Design Expo – Expo’11 Delegates will also get the opportunity to attend a host of interesting parallel sessions such as Design Salon, Education Conference, Regional Report, Young Designers Sharing, Design Practice, Design Education Symposium, and Design Exploration. A number of parallel events are also being held, including the 2011 Taipei World Design Expo from 30 September-30 October, where exhibitors from 53 enterprises, 51 design studios, 27 design schools and 36 design promotion organizations from 16 countries will showcase the ‘Design at the Edges’ theme by emphasizing ‘beneficence design’ (safety design, green design, universal design, and humanistic design) to achieve the goal of building a friendly environment and improving people’s livelihood. Other exhibitions and allied events will give visitors to the country a chance to experience Taiwan’s creative and design strength, its history and culture as well as its natural environment. The 2011 IDA Congress promises to be a significant part of the design calendar this year. As media partners for the Congress, POOL will be part of this special event. Watch this space for further reports! www.2011idacongress.com
Dates | 30 September – 30 October 2011
01
Theme Exhibition
02
Int’l Industrial Design Exhibition
03
Int’l Graphic Design Exhibition
04 05
Interdiscipliary Creative Works on Asia’s Cultural Creativity Exhibition
Int’l Craft Design Exhibition
06
Golden Pin Designs Exhibit Area
07 08
Design Player’s Area
09 10
Int’l Interior Design Exhibition
Glory of Taiwan Design Exhiition
Taiwan Design Museum
Representatives of International Design Alliance in Montreal
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Photography
GANAPATI BAPPA
MORYA!
In a country like India it’s difficult to truly capture in pictures the fervor of people welcoming or bidding adieu to their favorite God. When it comes to the universally revered Lord Ganesh, there’s a passion, a deep faith that can’t be pinned in an image, but Shrinivas Patke has spent years trying. A former photojournalist with Marathi newspaper Loksatta, Shrinivas was so intrigued by the Ganesh Festival, celebrated in his home state of Maharashtra with unparalleled enthusiasm and devotion, that he devoted seven years to photographing various aspects of it. His pictures show nuances of the festival that the average eye may have missed; they present the Ganeshotsava from a vastly different perspective. Shrinivas will showcase his photographs at Balgandharva Kala Dalan in Pune from August 26-29, aptly timed to act as a curtain raiser for the Ganesh Festival which will be celebrated in September this year. sometimesinmymind.blogspot.com
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Beyond Borders
KHADI CHIC German by birth and Goan by spirit, Miriam Strehlau designs young urban street wear, a striking fusion of contemporary fashion and traditional fabrics There’s no separating Miriam Strehlau from her label. Miriam’s designs are imbued with her values and beliefs, and are a vivid and colorful manifestation of her innate joy and positive energy. For this Goa-based designer, innovatively translating Indian esthetics into affordable, trendy and contemporary designs is what defines her. Born and raised in Freiburg in the Black Forest region of Germany, the ‘free thinking’ designer moved to Goa five years ago. “My love for India, and passion for handicraft, colors and chaos brought me to Goa when my daughter was two years old,” she says. “I renovated an old house in Anjuna and opened a workshop and showroom. I got discovered by several buyers and stores in India and abroad and started supplying to them. I got selected for GEN NEXT at the recently held Lakme Fashion Week, which was a great opportunity to show my collection to a broader audience and make more contacts.” While being part of Lakme Fashion Week has brought her firmly into the spotlight, Miriam has been working in a quiet and determined way to bring her designs to the notice of the world. “I was always interested in making things by hand,” she
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recalls. “I used to volunteer on different handicraft workshops or collaborate with artists. For a few months I volunteered in Sri Lanka on a development project for handspun and hand-woven nonviolent silk and other alternative textiles like banana and pineapple fiber and hemp.” Deciding to take her passion for textiles seriously, Miriam studied Fashion Design, and went on to develop costumes for small theater groups, dancers and bands and individual people in Freiburg. “I had a little studio and an organic fashion line, and I purchased organic fabrics from India.”
“I get inspired by the fabrics from local bazaars and artisans in India.” In time Miriam realized that it would make more sense to be and work directly at the source, and so she packed her bags for India. she exclaims. “I take the textiles the villagers use in their daily lives
@HHCGuiltFree Hey @bombayelectric, have the itch to shop but the inventory (online) hasn’t been updated in ages! :( Help a girl(s) out! www.poolmagazine.in 9
out of their usual context and purpose and give them a new appearance. The colors of the materials are very tempting! I would like to go green and use only ecological fabrics for my collections, but organic fabric is more expensive and the quantities I need to purchase are too big. That’s why I like to recycle second hand saris or buy khadi from local stores.” An intuitive designer, Miriam is not particularly bound by trend forecasts. All her designs are recreated at her home based workshop and showroom in Goa, under fair conditions, supporting the artisan work that surrounds her. “My plan for my business is to work closely with craftsmen and create a workshop where I involve local women in stitching, embroidery, crochet and other typical local handwork, and teach and share my knowledge as well,” she reveals. miriam-strehlau.com
@antumisra i m in love with @vogueindia’s senior fashion editor DEEP KAILEY, most #amazing person evur! interviewing her for Y MAGAZINE! #EPIC www.poolmagazine.in 11
IT’S ALL IN THE
CHANNEL PACKAGING! There’s more than enough space for talented designers in the intensely competitive broadcast field, assures Naina Toor Singh, Associate Vice President, On Air Promotions - NEO Cricket/NEO Sports Network
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Cover Story What drew you to the broadcast medium? NS: I was a brilliant science student, and though I was expected to take up the usual streams, I decided to go into something creative. I wasn’t too sure exactly what then, but I knew I wanted to do something that was creative and fun, with never a day of stagnation. I studied Fine Arts at M.S. University in Baroda, and Animation Film Design at NID. Then I joined the On-Air Promotions division of Star TV Network in Delhi, and since then I have been in the broadcast field. I got hooked on to motion design, edits, music, shoots, and promos. Promotions for TV were so dynamic, ever evolving, and interesting, that I loved every bit of it, and decided to stay. So, TV it was finally! What was your first assignment for television? NS: I started with making promos for ‘Star Talk’, a celebrity talk show hosted by Vir Sanghvi. It was a brilliant show with one-on-one, no-holds-barred interviews and it inspired me to stay on in TV. I got to see the brilliance of the media, hear about the aspirations of celebrities, and their stories. I used to spend 15-18 hours working then. I would write my own promo scripts, cut promos, and do graphics for them. Slowly I was made responsible for the look and feel of the promos done by other producers as well. What is Channel Packaging? How is a designer suited for the job? NS: In simple terms, Channel Packaging is the look and feel that communicates, and builds perception of a certain product, person, etc. The on-air look and feel of a broadcast station is contributed mainly by its logo, ID design/ animation, menus, bumpers, promo toolkit, promos, screen elements, etc. The on-air look, referred to as Channel Packaging, is conceptually created with the use of either/or shoot, graphics, motion design and music. This look and feel builds the attitude, brand/identity of the channel. It reflects the network or particular channel’s positioning and vision and connects with its target audience. There is a strategic intent behind every good channel branding. A graphic designer needs to be good at building concepts based on the brief and
budget, and thereon, build and design the entire channel look. At times channels work with shoot footage and gfx, or just use graphics. The designer must have the talent and skill to build elements of branding in such a way as to connect with each other as a family, as well as have their own personality, adding in every way to the channel’s image. Are you inspired by any particular Channel Packaging effort? NS: There is so much great work being done out there – it is difficult to pick any one. The BBC network branding is very fascinating. They have built multiple channels for different genres, but irrespective of the different look and content, the BBC mother branding stands out, and connects. There are lots of international design houses that are doing great and outstanding work in channel branding and promotions. Some of them understand one genre better than another, so you can’t pick one. For example, there are some agencies/designers that have done good work on the sports genre, others are better in say, the youth genre, etc. Lots of Indian broadcast channels are outsourcing channel branding work to these design houses, based on their expertise and understanding of the Indian market/audience. What are your views about the Indian TV industry today? NS: The Indian media and entertainment industry is growing at a considerable rate. Recent times have seen an influx of new content distribution platforms, DTH, growth in regional markets, 3G, HD, and 3D. With so much action and dynamic growth, TV trends are going to undergo a sea change in the coming years, and the future looks very bright. There is tight competition among content providers as more Indian and international media companies are turning towards India for a portion of the big pie. The media universe is also becoming very specialized and fragmented, as the consumer has multiple choices and specific preferences. This hints at building a focused content, quality, strategic promotions, marketing
@Karthik so if nothing interesting happens to me by year end I might just go bald to make it interesting. www.poolmagazine.in 13
Cover Story and delivery plans, technological advancements, cost optimization and best practices in operations. After the slowdown subdued performance a couple of years back, the TV industry has seen a growth in advertising and subscription revenues. The media and entertainment industry as a whole shows potential for penetration of different mediums. Audience segmentation, target content, growth in the regional markets, government’s and industry players’ push for digitization, new technologies, mobile and Internet access add to a good looking future. The TV watching trends and media landscape around the world are fast becoming more and more personalized and specific. Executives of leading TV channels across the world believe that in less than two years, 75% of TV content would be available and preferred online and on mobile devices. According to a report, Americans spend more time watching TV and surfing the Internet ‘simultaneously’. Nearly 60% of TV viewers use the Web at the same time. Predictions are that these trends will continue to grow. So, the Internet is definitely affecting the television industry? NS: They say excess of everything is bad. This holds true for TV as well. Quantity without quality does not have a life. TV content providers do have a challenge providing differentiated, quality content to the audience. The ‘me too’ race does not hold interest for the consumers who have multiple choices and platforms to keep them engaged now. There is a fast shift and a change of focus for this generation, which was earlier more dedicated to TV. The volume of Web / video content provided online with sleek technical sophistication cannot be ignored for sure. The level of innovation in Web programming is higher than in TV programming. In Web-mature markets and developing markets, the time spent by users on the Internet devices is big, as the user needs to stay connected always. On the other hand, technology is adopted now at much faster pace than it was before. The multi-billion dollar TV industry and the existing and new players will not let it die. For example, complete 3D channels exist now. The focus of content is on innovation, adapting to consumer trends and interest, and being more personalized and more dynamic entertainment / infotainment providers. What is the future of a designer in the television industry? NS: TV is growing by leaps and bounds and packaging is the key to build a perception for a particular brand. A good designer is and would always be needed in the TV industry. Depending on their own strategy, broadcast channels always aim at giving a fresh look to their shows, channel, logo, etc. to stay on top of their audience’s mind. This could range from new show launches and revamps of old shows or channel branding, to new channel branding. International design houses are a natural choice as their work is of very high standard and fits the budget as well. The only hitch is in their understanding of Indian culture, audience, and belief systems. There is a dearth of good Indian broadcast designers in the industry. If design houses or individual designers here can provide the quality, there is room and enough work for everyone. How can young designers prepare to join this industry? NS: A broadcast designer needs to be extremely passionate about his work. Apart from good motion design sense, there needs to be a constant hunger to do something new and break the clutter. The basic job would be to create a look and feel for a specific idea; packaging elements of a show; logo design and its animation; channel branding; creating elements of branding for an existing set brand; etc.
@designindaba New research on the power of Comic Sans: capable of evoking the same mirth as fat people & penguins, say scientists 14 POOL | 9.11 | #15
Story Board - Neo Cricket - Latest Project
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AKAR INFO-MEDIA
PRIVATE LIMITED
Designindia POOL and AIM presents
DESIGN XYMPOSIUM NIRMAN – 2011 Spectacular cross-disciplinary design event on 24th September 2011
Keynote Address by Subrata Bhowmick followed by five cross media experts who will offer presentations and insights into designing for architecture and interiors.
Sumit Patel
Nidhi Mehta
Anthony Lopez
Falguni Shah
Sudhir Sharma
Director
Head
Director
Designer
Creative Director
Leaf Design
Freedom Tree Design
Lopez Design
Landor Associates
Indi Brand
Mumbai
Mumbai
New Delhi
Mumbai
Pune
Venue: Timing:
Gujarat University Convention Centre, Helmet Circle, Ahmedabad, India 16.00 to 18.30 hrs
Contact: akshat@aimcorp.in
www.nirman.biz www.poolmagazine.in
What is also important is good visualization, an above average sense of shoot, out of the box thinking, being able to understand and break the brief into visual design solutions, being in sync with new technological developments in the area, also in the overall display or interface when the deigns reach a particular audience. Do you enjoy working with celebrities? NS: The TV and film industry is definitely very glossy and attractive. I have worked with some of the best and most talented and good looking stars, and it has been a great experience always. Celebrities are people too; some of them are really great human beings, very conscious of their look, script, and quality of work. I had a small but important promo shoot with Amitabh Bachchan. We were shooting with him late evening and he had already had a long day. He looked tired, but when we rolled the camera, he was a treat! I remember Akshay Kumar was very creative and wrote his own script as he was not too happy with the existing one. It was a good experience to work with Bhajji when he was Brand Ambassador for Neo Cricket. He is a very down-to-earth and easy guy. What do you look forward to doing now? NS: From the start of my career, I have been fortunate enough to cover lots of genres and have worked with the best professionals in the industry. Starting with Star Network, to UTV, Sahara and now Neo Broadcast Pvt. Ltd., it’s been a creative journey, with learning and personal growth, and I’ve made great friends along the way. I have been fortunate to have always had bosses who gave me enough of a free hand and trusted my creative and professional abilities. The corporate world is not easy, but I have been really lucky. Working on a network brand, with multiple genre channels would be challenging and inspiring. naina.toorsingh@gmail.com
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Illustrator
Bangalore-based graphic designer and illustrator Jayesh Sivan is always discovering new canvases for his artwork. Inspired by the colorful flip flops for sale on city streets, he bought two pairs and began working on them. The results were exciting enough to inspire him to launch a line of hand drawn flip flops.
“I had found another medium to sketch on! Long-lost ideas and memories of places traveled to came pouring out,” exclaims this fine arts graduate from the College of Fine Arts, Trivandrum. “And that fountain of bold color and quirky design is what you see in my range of Funk Flip Flops!” Jayesh’s eye catching range of flip flops is currently available at Masala Chai in Chennai and Yellow Button in Bangalore. jayesh-sivan.blogspot.com
@ilovetypography After a month of Chrome, I’ve concluded that is it without a doubt, the worst browser I have ever used. Aw, snap! 18 POOL | 9.11 | #15
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mythic proportions
Giving form to characters from Indian mythology is what Vijayakumar Arumugam, story teller and conceptualizer, truly delights in
“I belong to a very conservative Tamil family and have been fed mythology along with my every day meals since childhood,” says Vijayakumar Arumugam, explaining his fondness for visually recreating gods and other characters from Indian mythology in his typical style. “I like lines; they have fascinated me since childhood, and that shows in my work. Distinct lines and complex ornamentation sum up my work. Detailing thrills me!” It is this fascination for detailing that probably makes Vijayakumar, a post graduate in Animation Film Design from NID, good at what he does. His job as a Story and Concept Design Artist with Rhythm & Hues Studios in Mumbai also allows him to indulge his imagination. “I am into conceptualization, mainly for animated computer graphic (CG) films,” he informs. “Every story has a unique form and flavor to it. My passion is to find the way the story should be presented, the texture it should carry and the aroma it should spread. The pre-production area is quite a fascinating zone for me because it’s the beginning. That’s where the fresh clay gets its form and one decides the look of the character, the narrative
@aamchimumbaii Anna’s village Gram Sabha asks 14 people fasting in village to give up fast bit.ly/q9syxx 20 POOL | 9.11 | #15
Story Teller structure of the story and the style and treatment that will set a visual tone to the film. So I participate in the process of pre-production and to an extent in the production as well.” At Rhythm & Hues Studios, Vijayakumar is part of a team that makes short films and television commercials, but he recalls with pride his post graduation film ‘Rain Dance’, made during his second semester at NID. “It came straight from my cup of chai... on a rainy day,” he remembers. “So much hard work went into it, as it was a one man army project.” The film was nominated in the students’ category at the Annecy Film Festival in France, and later at Digicon, FICCI, BAF and other international film festivals, and fetched Vijayakumar considerable recognition and many awards. “Since I did not get any monetary aid from NID, I decided to sponsor my trip to France for the Annecy Film Festival myself,” he relates. “During the visa process, the interviewer, a young girl, asked me ‘What’s the story of your film?’ I got the opportunity to pitch my story to a stranger and I began passionately narrating it. As I reached the end, she stopped me and said, ‘Hey look, I am getting goose bumps!’ This reaction from a total stranger suddenly meant more than the awards and accolades that I got for the film!”
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While work is more focused, the ‘fun stuff’ is what Vijayakumar does at home - illustrations, artworks, stories, explorations into lighting and texturing. His blog reveals his penchant for mythology, featuring intricately detailed illustrations alongside paintings and experiments with digital sculpture. “As an artist I am impulsive and spontaneous, and as a designer I follow the design process. I feel marrying both qualities results in a much better product,” he admits. “Since I am inclined towards the CG medium, I am looking forward to exploring other interesting areas like lighting, compositing, and look development,” says Vijayakumar of the future. Meanwhile, he has developed large reserves of patience, a natural result of the kind of work he is engaged in. Time, he believes, will pay. “And in my parallel universe I will still be giving stylish forms to mythology.” vj-macha.blogspot.com
@Naina I’m sitting in front of where the video camera is placed & it seems camera-savvy speakers are looking at me & talking. #cmo2011 #weird www.poolmagazine.in 23
Blogger
THEDEVILWORE.
blogspot.com
Not yet 20 years old and Santu Misra is terrifying the fashion world through his ‘The Devil Wore’ blog
Liberally peppered with adjectives like fierce and ferocious and other words that presumably are meant to conjure up the Devil, Santu Misra’s blog is not for the faint hearted. He gets reprimanded by readers for using four letter words but that doesn’t stop the irrepressible young man from having his say on what is after all his own personal fiefdom. A fashion blog guaranteed to stop you in your tracks. A second year fashion student in New Delhi, Santu is also a blogger,
freelance stylist, and magazine editor with an interest in photography and illustrating. Quite naturally he has a lot to say in his blog, and he says it in his own startling style. “I started the blog about two years ago as an online journal of everything that inspires me,” he says. “The name was inspired by the bitchy and quirky fashion magazine editor Miss Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada and hence every post ends with her signature line ‘That’s all’!”
Everything is grist to his mill, from rain drenched vistas in his native Guwahati and fashion magazine covers to self portraits and photographs of friends, and international runway scenes. His design training shows in the often striking layout of the blog. “My style when it comes to blogging is quirky, fun, bitchy, and design inclined. I’m a tough cookie,” he admits. “A good blogger must have sense. Having a sense of esthetic is very important too.” And
@LooptChicago If I reach 1,000 rad followers tonight I’ll go streaking in the quad! (disclaimer: no I wont) 24 POOL | 9.11 | #15
obviously a finger firmly on the pulse of the world one is trying to capture on the blog. He’s kind of kicked to be a blogger for Vogue India. “Vogue put me up as one of their first guest bloggers. I was handpicked by the magazine’s fashion editor, Anaita Shroff Adajania,” he reveals excitedly. Santu credits that and the fact that he uses a different ‘lingo’ for the popularity of his blog. ”I first started shooting fashion pictures at the Fashion Week, and at college,” he recalls. “My teachers insisted I start shooting because I could produce images with amazing mood attached to them, especially dark, moody, gloomy images.” He now shoots most of the pictures for his blog, but there is more to see than dark, moody pictures. “I cover whatever intrigues me and whatever I feel like, no one can and ever will force things out of me.” Santu devours blogs like Tommy (Tom), Garbage Dress, Sang Bleu, 21 arrondissement, I See Jane Mary. com, TAVI, fashiontoast, and other ‘alternate cool bloggers’. “I don’t know where my blog is going; I will let it grow more and more as a personal journal. It’s like a part of my life now, I’m addicted and I cannot give it up!” He has more definite plans for his career. “I want to be editor in chief of a big magazine (possibly international) and earn loads of ‘cashoila’,” he exclaims. “But I’m not the journalist type; I’m more heart, and more of an image person.” And yet, there’s room for imagination anywhere. All it requires is some perseverance. That’s all.
@ooomz AFAIK Google street view shows only things that anyone can see wen he/she is on the road. Dunno why govt thinks it would help terrorists www.poolmagazine.in 25
Posters
Remembering
CHERNOBYL...
The international commemorative poster action ‘25 on 25’ by 25 worldrenowned designers marks the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster
April 26, 2011 marked the 25-year milestone of the Chernobyl power plant explosion at reactor number 4, which released a radioactive cloud that caused an unprecedented ecological disaster that not only destroyed the lives and livelihoods of those directly in its shadow, but also that of those born much later. This global environmental catastrophe taught humanity a lot; it brought about many positive changes in society, in political views, and in science and culture. Chernobyl remains an important historical event that, even today, influences international energy development strategies, and affects scientific assessments when it comes to protection of human health and safeguarding the environment. Unfortunately, it has gained an even greater historical significance now, after the terrible accident at the Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant in Japan. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, graphic designers association ‘The 4th Block’, with the support of Ukraine’s Takashi Akiyama / Japan
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Igor Gurovich / Russia
Niklaus Troxler / Switzerland
Jan Rajlich Jr. / Czech Republic
Vitaly Shostia / Ukraine
Jochen Fiedler / Germany
Yuri Gulitov / Russia
Yossi Lemel / Israel
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Radovan Jenko / Slovenia
Joao Machado / Portugal
Vladimir Lesniak / Ukraine
Lex Drewinski / Germany
Alain Le Quernec / France
Lin Horng-Jer / Taiwan
Dan Reisinger / Israel
Phil Risbeck / USA
Ahn Sang-Soo / South Korean
Uwe Loesch / Germany
Luba Lukova / USA
Pekka Loiri / Finland
Alex Jordon & Nous Travaillons Ensemble / France
Kari Piippo / Finland
Vladimir Chaika / Russia
National Academy of Arts, and other organizations, is launching a poster action called ‘25 on 25’. Artists invited to participate in this event are exceptional individuals, highly celebrated in the international designers’ community. Poster action ‘25 on 25’ is a tribute to those who risked their lives and their wellbeing to protect the world from the nuclear horrors of Chernobyl. Broadening our understanding of modern disasters, this campaign continues, through artistic means, the efforts of
the liquidators at Chernobyl, who battled the aftermath of the accident, and hopes to help prevent future disasters. The world should be safer and more beautiful. Remember Chernobyl! www.4block.org
@Charles_Keith I am going down to #Charles_Keith stores now to shop the End-of-Season SALE. #offline www.poolmagazine.in 29
Campus
Faculty of Fine Arts, MSU Baroda Brief Overview In June 1950, a program of study was introduced to offer UG/Diploma, PG/Post Diploma Courses at the Faculty of Fine Arts, a constituent institution of The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. The major subjects are Applied Art, Painting, Sculpture, and Graphic Arts, all of which have an interactive relationship.
Prof. Markand Bhatt, Prof. N.S. Bendre, Pradosh Das Gupta, Shanko Choudhary, Dr. Motichandra, Dr. Goetz, and K.G. Subramanyan were amongst the pioneering teachers. The first generation of students like Mahendra Pandya, Ratan Parimoo, Jeram Patel, Gulam Sheikh, Raghav Kaneria, Jyoti Bhatt, Jyotsana Bhatt, VR Patel and others later taught at the faculty.
Students are admitted to the courses on the basis of their aptitude. Regular contact between graduates and undergraduate provides a healthy and active fertilization of ideas and exchange of experiences. The training offers opportunities for students to access a range of learning resources and research facilities to hone individual ability and expression through one-toone teaching, seminars, exhibitions, study tours and the extracurricular activities like the Fine Arts Fair and the garba during Navratri festival.
Campus The Faculty is situated in leafy green surroundings in the heart of Baroda city, and features spacious studios, well equipped classrooms, library, exhibition hall, auditorium and an amphitheater.
Vision The Faculty of Fine Arts is dedicated to the education of professional artists and scholars of history and theory of art. Emphasis is laid on creative identity to foster an approach to the study and practice of art which is inquiring, experimental and research minded. The Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda is a leading arts school in Asia, offering a unique interdisciplinary platform for teaching and learning; a model institution for innovation, sustainability and commitment to issues and trends in Art. Staff The Faculty has excellent teachers, mostly alumni from different parts of the country, and well known artists/ designers/academicians in their respective field.
Number of Students There are 500 full-time students from across India and abroad. Number of Graduates Over 100 students collect their BVA, MVA Degrees and Diplomas every year from various disciplines in fine arts. Courses Offered 4- year Professional Program for Bachelor of Arts/ Diploma in: Applied Art, Painting, Sculpture, and Art History and Aesthetics.
2-year Professional Program for Masters of Arts/ Diploma in: Applied Art, Painting, Sculpture, Print Making, Museology, and Art History and Aesthetics. The Faculty also offers research facilities in every area leading to Ph.D.
Admission Procedure Application form for admission can be obtained from the Faculty every year in the month of June. Candidates who have passed HSSC Examination or an equivalent examination of +2 with English as a subject and having scored a minimum of 50% marks are eligible to apply for admission to undergraduate courses. Applicants seeking admission for MVA/Post Diploma studies require BVA Degree for MVA, and Diploma for Post Diploma courses from an institute recognized by the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, as a full time student. The admission process is a transparent 3-step process. The Entrance Test includes a test in General Knowledge, followed by and aptitude test in the subject of choice. Finally the short-listed candidates are called for a personal interview and review of portfolio. ADDRESS: Faculty of Fine Arts, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda Pushpa Baug, Prof. C.C. Mehta Road, Vadodara – 390002, Gujarat, India
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Contact: Phone/TeleFax: +91 265 2795520 E-mail: ffnmsu@yahoo.com For details visit www.msubaroda.ac.in/finearts
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RNI-No. MAHENG12606/13/1/2010-TC