-
The Week in Desi Design V
There was a rare treat in store for me this week. Architecture writer Gautam Bhatia (whom I have always admired for his book on Laurie Baker) wrote a lovely piece of graphic design criticism in this month’s Outlook magazine. After a general lament about the poor state of Indian magazine design, he comes to his ...
-
The Week in Desi Design IV
I wonder what has provoked these sudden outbursts in the Indian media, asking desi designers to stay true to their “heritage”? First, fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee complained to the Times of India, “It is a shame that designers are moving away from India’s rich culture and heritage and aping the West for their creations.” Then ...
-
The Week in Desi Design III
Congratulations are long overdue for the prizes desi designers have been raking in these past few weeks. Peter Alwin’s Snail, which we featured here when it was chosen as a finalist, was declared the overall winner of the Electrolux Design Lab competition. Also, Yogesh Chaudhary and Manas Barve have won the Montana World of Wearable ...
-
The Week in Desi Design II
I always argue that Indian design should be defined culturally rather than geographically, so some news from South Africa this week has given me food for thought. Mohit Jayal and V. Sunil, from the advertising agency W&K Delhi, were invited to edit and design the new issue of the Design Indaba magazine. Design Indaba, Africa’s largest ...
-
The Week in Desi Design I
Solar Lamps for rural India are very much the flavour of the season. Last month, Kiran, a solar lamp designed by D.Light Design, won the prestigious Ashden award. And this month, one of the case studies that was much applauded at the International Development Design Summit 2010, was the Sollys Solar lamp prototyped and distributed ...