Audiogyan

Friedrich Nietzsche’s famous line - “And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” In today’s episode, we’ll be talking about improvisation in dance with Avantika Bahl. Avantika is a dance practitioner and educator based in Mumbai. As an artist, she works towards creating inclusive performances that can be accessed by a larger community. Over the past few years, her choreographic choices have brought diverse voices and experiences to the mainstream. She studied at the London Contemporary Dance School and completed the Curriculum-in-Motion program offered by Jacobs Pillow. Avantika has a Masters degree in English Literature and completed her Level 3 certification in Indian Sign language.   Questions What according to you is improvisation? Where do we see it mostly happening? Is it seen in all creative endeavours? You have dabbled with silence, mundane chores, sometimes with just burst of sounds. What do you call your form of dance? Which category / genre does it belong? What does it mean to improvise in the context of dance? What guides improvisation for you - Body, Music, Theme, Story, Location or anything else? Traditionally dance (or most performing art forms) were considered to be performed effortlessly (Sahaj) and elegantly (simple). Does one need to know the rules to bend the rules? What does bending a rule mean? Improvisation? Your show “Say, What?” with a creative partner who is deaf. What is the extent of improvisation that a dancer can explore and still make it palatable? What the biggest challenge in experiments like these? You said, “We just have to be still and dance” - What do you mean? Tell us about your experience learning the Indian Sign language. How did it help? When and why do dancers improvise? When we fail or when we do something over and over again? Is it the boredom? Is it uncovering deeper layers as they keep performing or revisiting the movements? Is it that the medium falls short to express? Can improvisation be a starting point? Do smaller improvisations impulses land in changing the meta narrative? How does one come back to the main kathavastu / main narrative? May be you can explain in the context of “Look left, turn right”? What is the extent of improvisation when it comes to dance? Can you share any examples - names and artists who are doing and have done a lot in the past? What according to you is the future of dance and improvisation?   Reference reading https://www.avantikabahl.com https://www.instagram.com/avantikabahl/?hl=en https://prakritifoundation.com/artiseprofile/avantikabahl/ https://vimeo.com/user5724048 https://www.themovementartsco.com/blank-page https://narthaki.com/info/rev17/rev2058.html https://theideaslab.com/say-duet-celebrating-sounds-silence-movement/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merce_Cunningham https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2006/sep/16/dance https://sites.northwestern.edu/cageanddance/jcchoreo/ https://www.abt.org/people/john-cage/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cage https://studsterkel.wfmt.com/programs/merce-cunningham-and-john-cage-discuss-music-and-dance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohad_Naharin https://www.dansedanse.ca/en/ohad-naharin https://www.gagapeople.com/en/ https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/02/arts/dance/review-ohad-naharin-hora-batsheva.html https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-secret-history-of-the-israeli-choreographer-ohad-naharin  

Tune into this 7th episode of a 10-part series, "Designer’s Digest” with Ruchita Madhok. Audiogyan creates this series in partnership with @godrejdesignlab Designer's Digest series is about Design as a profession, its daily grind, the secrets to climbing the design career ladder, and what edge we’ll need to thrive in the captivating design world. Ruchita has been a guest on episode 159, named “Designing a Visual Guide”. The poetry of everyday life inspires her. Through the mediums of cyanotype printmaking and drawing, she explores the conversations between nature, the cosmos, and the inner self. An award-winning communication designer, Ruchita brings a passion for print, photography, and illustration to her work as she plays with words and images to create works of art, books, and zines. Ruchita is the Founder and Director of Kahani Designworks and built Storycity, Imaginative books, maps, and guides for curious people. We talk about what it means to be a graphic designer, in India, as a woman, and how you grow as a designer, many things to unpack. Questions Who is a graphic designer? What's the job? You engage yourself in Poetry, Literature, and many other things beyond design. How critical it is for any creative endeavor? How do you see growth in this discipline? What does an entry-level designer do in Graphic Design? A person with 30-40 years of experience like Paula Scher or Milton Glaser - Will they be still hands-on like a performing artist? How do you see the graphic design career ladder? I understand that Design has many aspects, including communication, solving problems, and more… Particularly in graphic design, it’s communication, right? What is making you move (or have moved you) from Graphic Design and infographics to ‘art’ and more niche sort of storytelling? Why have you started exploring cyanotype printmaking and more? Kahani Studioworks and StoryCity believe in collaboration? Do you hire? What do you seek in people with whom you hire or collaborate? How does your trio identity as an Indian woman, a designer, and now an artist influence your artistic style and perspective? Do you see a distinct thread running through your work that speaks about your Identity or Indian-ness? How do you harness it to give it a personality or avoid it stereotyping your work? What would you share as a tip/advice for young designers? Do you think your design work / or art needs to impact society? Should it influence fellow and young designers? You have been taking a lot of workshops and are interested in education. Tell me a little bit about it? Ethical practices and sustainable design choices are now becoming mainstream buzzwords. Where are you on that and what are your principles in this dynamic world of Graphic Design? In today's digital age, where people have been looking to increase the number of followers on social media, what advice would you give to Indian Designers (especially women)? What do they chase? What can make their work stand out or be impactful in this noisy world? How long can it take to find one’s voice? The design field is vast and multifaceted. How would you encourage Indian women designers to explore their unique strengths and passions to find their niche within the industry? References https://www.instagram.com/ruchitamadhok/?hl=en-gb https://www.ruchitamadhok.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruchitamadhok/?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&originalSubdomain=in https://www.behance.net/ruchita https://www.kahanidesignworks.com/ https://homegrown.co.in/homegrown-creators/ruchita-madhoks-botanical-cyanotypes-are-vibrant-interpretations-of-the-poetry-of-light https://audiogyan.com/2020/01/22/ruchita-madhok/ https://www.storycity.in/

Introduction Welcome to a new series, “Footprints of History”. The Drawing Board, with whom I am partnering for the 3rd consecutive year, brings this series to you. The Drawing Board is an international architecture competition based in India where students can test their understanding and skills in shaping how communities live and thrive while preserving local heritage. TDB has been actively running an Architecture competition for undergraduate students since 2016. It is conceptualised by Mindspace Architects and Rohan Builders. This year, which is the 9th edition of the competition, the design brief revolves around redesigning the Pathu Thoon Lane in Madurai (Tamil Nadu, India) also known as "10 Pillar Street”. This site is somewhere between the Meenakshi Temple and Thirumalai Nayakar Place. The design challenge is to restore and integrate the lane's cultural heritage, emphasizing these 10 pillars. The submission deadline is 16th September 2024. More details in the show notes and thedrawingboard.in Ludwig Mies, the German-American architect, once said "Architecture is the will of an epoch translated into space.” And this quote aptly describes our today’s guest. Hans Brouwer. Hans, originally from Hong Kong, is a distinguished architect with a global footprint. He studied architecture in Switzerland and the University of Southern California, where he graduated top of his class. Hans spent his early career with Sir Norman Foster, contributing to landmark projects like the Century Tower in Tokyo and Commerzbank Headquarters in Frankfurt. In 1995, he founded HB Design, later relocating to Singapore, and expanded to regional offices in Phuket and Bangkok. An award-winning architect, Hans also teaches at the National University of Singapore and frequently speaks at industry events. Questions What do you see when you see the 10 Pillar Street - as an architect and as a tourist or history lover? Which aspects stand out for you? You have a strong emphasis on “the process”. You say this process is truly creative because the end is not known at the beginning. Can you unpack this for us? At HB Design, you emphasize the importance of context and site in shaping architectural outcomes. How do you balance the need for innovation with the preservation of cultural heritage in a project? You deeply engage with clients in the design process, how would you involve a community or stakeholders in a project like the restoration of Madurai’s Pathu Thoon Lane? Assuming Designers or specialists are generally aware of the pros and cons of various solutions and living on tradeoffs. Given the expertise, what amount of community involvement is apt - because, if we go and ask people, they will want faster horses while the solution could be inventing a car. I am very curious to know about BIM - What is building information modeling? How does it help in the process and over all practice at HB Design? With BIM being such an integral part of HB Design’s process, how do you see technology aiding in the preservation and restoration of culturally significant sites? You are working in South east Asia where we are seeing a lot of innovation with great emphasis on green infrastructure. What are a few trends in the technology and architecture industry which can be applied to this complex network of communities and historical 10 pillars? In the future world if AI, which faculty should young architects need to build to accept or reject AI proposals assuming they have the analog context of climate change and other challenges? Especially with AI, machines can simulate and build imaginary landscapes and more… Reference links https://www.hbdesign.biz/ https://zakworldoffacades.com/speaker/hans-brouwer/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/hans-brouwer-70b6b0a7/?originalSubdomain=sg https://www.designandarchitecture.com/article/hans-brouwer.html https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/architect/hb-design/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srX9bcl10MI

Introduction Welcome to a new series, “Footprints of History”. This series is brought to you by, The Drawing Board, with whom I am partnering for the 3rd consecutive year. The Drawing Board is an international architecture competition based in India where students can test their understanding and skills in shaping how communities live and thrive while preserving local heritage. TDB has been actively running an Architecture competition for undergraduate students since 2016. It is conceptualised by Mindspace Architects and Rohan Builders. This year, the 9th edition of the competition, the design brief revolves around redesigning the Pathu Thoon Lane in Madurai (Tamil Nadu, India) also known as "10 Pillar Street”. This site is somewhere between the Meenakshi Temple and Thirumalai Nayakar Place. The design challenge is to restore and integrate the lane's cultural heritage, emphasizing these 10 pillars. The submission deadline is 16th September 2024.  Today’s episode is called, “Pillars of Past and Present”. I am pleased to have Architect Uday Andhare with us on Audiogyan. Uday has been a design principal at Indigo Architects since 1998. He holds a degree from CEPT University and the University of New Mexico. Uday advocates for technically appropriate and ecologically sensitive architecture, blending traditional wisdom with modern design. Uday teaches at CEPT University while leading his firm in Ahmedabad. He has drawn diverse experiences during his internships with B.V Doshi and while working in the USA. Questions What do you see when you see these 10 pillars on Pathu Thoon Lane? Which aspects stand out for you from an Intent, Material, and Context point of view? The Getty Podcast - B.V. Doshi said, “Is Architecture defined by theory or it’s a convention, or it is something which is rooted in the place?” What are the potentialities of such a project? Do you consider it be a restoration project or conservation or anything else? You have consciously chosen friendlier materials in your projects at Indigo. If one has to restore or build things around the pillars, would you build with new materials and new technology or continue with existing materials or the same fabric? What are the few anchor points of traditional Indian architecture that still hold relevance today? (More meta) Likewise, what are the few enduring aspects of Indian architecture that can inform students in this project? Your Philosophy is “search for contemporary rootedness in this ever-changing environment”. How do you spot it? What are the key parameters on which this search happens? For you, every new project feels like your first. How can any practicing architect or any creative individual maintain this fresh perspective, this outlook/worldview? Which faculty would young architects need to build for the future digital world? Especially with AI, machines can simulate and build imaginary landscapes and more… What will make architects accept or reject AI proposals assuming they have the analog context of climate change and other challenges? Reference reading https://indigo-architects.com/ https://www.instagram.com/indigoarchitects/ https://www.instagram.com/udayandhare/ https://www.instagram.com/rohanbuilders/ https://www.instagram.com/mindspacearchitects/ https://www.instagram.com/thedrawingboard.in/ https://thedrawingboard.in/ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFIgtET-7ZIzMxVo0EeOdO3NaG-g0V2ve https://www.linkedin.com/in/uday-andhare-0b34406/?originalSubdomain=in https://theloftforum.org/people/uday-andhare/ https://x.com/indigoarch_amd?lang=en https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/know-your-architects/a1534-indigo-architects-15-iconic-projects/ https://thinkmatter.in/2017/02/27/indigo-architects-mausami-and-uday-andhare/ https://www.archdaily.com/author/uday-mausami-andhare https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1264525753603165 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT1jqsobX8o https://audiogyan.com/ https://blogs.getty.edu/iris/audio-b-v-doshi-modern-architecture-in-india-part-2/  

Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “We should be a mirror of being: we are God in miniature.”. I Had Srijan Jha in Ep. 258 on “How mini can a miniature art be’ and a case study of ‘Green humor’ with Rohan Chakravarty in Ep.253. And today’s episode is an amalgamation of both. Today’s guests do a lot of work in the realm of nature in miniature. I am pleased to have Nayan Shrimali & Venus Bird (earlier known as Vaishali). They are the duo who run the “The Paper Ark”, store, project - we’ll find out soon. Nayan is a furniture and interior design graduate from NID, Ahmedabad. He now works full-time as a paper cut artist. Venus holds a diploma in animation and visual effects, she brings life into these objects through colors. They both are from Ahmedabad. Questions What is The Paper Ark? How did you start and why? What initially drew you both to miniature papercutting and specifically to birds and animals as your subjects? The "1000 Days of Birds" series is a remarkable feat! How did the concept for such a long-term project come about, and how did you two stay motivated throughout? Does this art form have a rich history in various cultures? Do you have a specific name for the style of papercutting you practice? Are there specializations? How can one get into this? For aspiring artists interested in papercutting, what basic skills or knowledge do you think are most important to develop? Given the intricate detail, can you give us a rough estimate of how long it typically takes to create one of your miniature artworks? What is it about working in miniature that appeals to you? Is it the focus on detail, the challenge of working small, or something else? In your collection, you have a wide variety of birds and animals. Do YOu also have various themes such as ‘Rare’, and ‘Pollinator project’? How do you decide which subjects to create miniature paper cuttings of? How do you start and what is the process like? As successful artists selling your work online, have you encountered any specific challenges in marketing or running a business focused on miniature paper cutting? Can you share some insights into your tools and materials? Are there any specific types of paper or cutting implements that you find essential for creating your miniature objects? It's fascinating that your primary audience is overseas! What do you think attracts international collectors to your work? What is the future? Any new series, themes, or techniques you'd like to explore? Where and how can people collaborate? Reference reading https://www.thepaperark.com/ https://www.instagram.com/thepaperark/ https://www.instagram.com/nayan_venus/ https://www.instagram.com/venusbirdart/ https://audiogyan.com/2022/10/19/green-humour/ https://audiogyan.com/2022/12/21/how-mini-can-be-miniature-art/

John Pathrose interviews me in this 300th Episode. The Host becomes the guest. John is an old friend and a media professional. The following topics were covered in our conversation.  Power of Design What is design (your definition)? What is the impact of design (beyond visual – socio/economic/political)? What is the current opportunity in the design world – past, current, or future? How would you pitch ‘the world of design’ to someone – why is it exciting? Three favorite design moments   Power of Knowledge What are your top 3 learnings through Audiogyan Share some aahaa moments during your conversations How has this helped you? Role of knowledge in a ‘fake it till you make it’ world Spoke to 300 knowledgeable people – what is the commonality amongst them (attitude/ qualities/ aptitude)   Power of Passion What does passion mean to you - and how has it influenced your Audiogyan journey? How do you maintain and nurture your passion over time, especially when faced with obstacles or setbacks? How do you keep the energy high? In your opinion, what are the signs that someone is passionate about something – how do you apply this in your professional life? How do you think passion differs from mere interest or enthusiasm, and why is it important? What advice would you give to someone who is struggling to find their passion or purpose in life? Have you ever had to make a decision that required you to choose between your passion and a more practical or secure option? How did you approach that decision? Reference links https://audiogyan.com/2018/05/02/noopur-datye/ https://audiogyan.com/2023/12/13/discussing-typeface/ https://audiogyan.com/2019/10/02/anupama-hoskere/ https://audiogyan.com/2020/12/02/neelkanth-chhaya/ https://audiogyan.com/2019/01/02/ayaz-basrai/ https://audiogyan.com/2024/04/10/measure-of-good-designers/ https://audiogyan.com/2024/04/16/design-leadership-in-startups/ https://audiogyan.com/2017/09/27/shiva-n/ https://audiogyan.com/2017/03/19/varun-grover/ https://audiogyan.com/?type=wrtd-series https://audiogyan.com/?proffession=typographer #design #podcast #art #audiogyan #kedarinterview #300episodes #designthinking #passion #knowledge #consistency #humility #openminded #learning #questioneverything #embracethegrind #loveandempathy #stevejobs #opportunity #brucelee #water #porous #johnpathrose #typedesign #architecture #passionproject #milestone  

We're delving into the exciting yet complex world of African architecture, with a particular focus on Nigeria. We'll explore trends that hold valuable lessons for India, a nation grappling with similar challenges. Nigeria is experiencing rapid urbanization, with the urban population projected to reach over 200 million by 2050. A significant portion of this urban population lives in slums and informal settlements due to housing shortages. Many urban areas lack proper infrastructure like sanitation and water supply. We discuss all this from a Designer’s lens, I have James Inedu George with me on Audiogyan. James is one of the most eminent and influential West Africa architects and designers of recent decades recognized for his innovative approach to solving complex urban challenges, and most famously his brilliance with space and design. He is the founding partner and Design Lead at HTL Africa Ltd, Tao South Africa, and HTL Asia Plus, which works on projects around the world and is widely considered “among the most significant in contemporary architecture”. Questions Why and how does architecture empower people? What do you mean when you say, “Buildings become citizen”? You also say, architecture should become land pads. Tell us more about it? What are metro houses? What are some successful examples of involving local communities in the planning and construction process for metro housing projects in Nigeria or around the world? yes, it’s innovative and radical but are their any proof of concepts? What is the main reason that government choses to provide housing and not land? Is it easy to manage given the state capacity? What makes you believe in so decentralised and democratic way of thinking in Africa or Nigeria? Can you share examples of successful projects that bridge the gap between urban centers and rural communities in Nigeria? India’s per capita GDP is 2.4K USD and Nigeria’s is 2.1K. Nigeria’s literacy rate is also almost in the similar range of 75-78%. What gives you hope that Mama Ya Bo, she generates employment, produce energy, distributes, build stuff for future generations and become part of the main economy? Can you unpack the word Affordacity in context of architecture, urban design and planning? In your TED talk, you said, ‘cities are dying’. In India, especially the financial capital, Mumbai, we see a lot of ghost buildings where they are either not in use or built illegally. With the city growing vertically and no land to build, What would be your advice to repurpose architecture. Cities are economic power hubs where people migrate for better life and opportunities. But few thinkers in India believe that life is truly in small towns and villages. How do you see this as a designer and urban planner? Can you share few tips for young designers who wish to get into this profession of architecure? When you see all problems, I can understand that you see opportunity. But being a designer, you also see solutions. Tell us more to wrap this episode. What insights have you got as a designer? Reference reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Inedu-George https://www.instagram.com/jymsig/?hl=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-inedu-george-2ab80a24/ https://x.com/unfolding_arch?lang=en https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Next1LJHCVU https://www.htlafrica.com/ https://www.ted.com/talks/james_george_introducing_the_future_of_african_cities?subtitle=en https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxCIrCwmv70

This is the last episode of the #designersdigest series where we have Daniel Burka and co-host Shreyas Satish. We talk about blurring lines between product and design, the importance of being a generalist in design, and the role of product managers in the design process. This series is created by Audiogyan in partnership with @godrejdesignlab Designer's Digest series is about Design as a profession, its daily grind, the secrets to climbing the design career ladder, and what edge we’ll need to thrive in the captivating world of design. Daniel is the director of product and design at the not-for-profit Resolve to Save Lives, where he spends most of his time on the open-source project, Simple. Simple is used by thousands of hospitals in India, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia to manage over 2 million patients with hypertension and diabetes. He is on the board of Laboratoria, a not-for-profit based in Peru helping Latin American women build successful careers in tech. In 2021, Daniel also started the open-source Health icons project to provide free icons to healthcare projects around the world. He is also a member of Adobe's Design Circle, which grants scholarships to a diverse group of designers each year. Previously at Google Ventures as a Design Partner, Co-founder of Milk.inc and SiverOrange, and more…   Questions At RTSL, You’re a Director of both Product and Design. How do you distinguish between the two verticals daily, especially concerning concerns and metrics? Who is a Product manager and who is a designer according to you? Who according to you is supposed to focus on defining the right problem and then crafting the perfect solution? How blurred are these lines? What are the primary differences if I may ask? Seems like a designer can become a PM. Can it be the other way around? This is in the context of a few hard skills. A PM is torn between a thousand things from business to analytics and many other things. How can designers venture into this role? Also, can you steelman the case for a designer to become a PM? In a lot of companies, tech and design functions are both product reports, while in many these are separate verticals. In your experience what works best and when? One criticism of product managers, by folks like Marty Cagan, is that product managers often function as project managers. What in your view should a product manager focus on bringing to the table?* Designers in their romantic vision want to solve problems for all users. While Product folks go after those getting the dollars. Can you give any example from your experience where you have balanced it elegantly? What did it take? One death is a tragedy while a thousand deaths are statistics. How do you see this in the world of Product managers obsessed with data over real emotions? This is specifically for your work in healthcare. Some companies Like Airbnb have evolved their org structures to have Product Marketing Managers and Apple of course has Program Managers who report to a Product Director. Do you have a framework to think about organizational design with product teams, of course, knowing that different organizations have designed differently based on what they are focused on? What do you consider the key responsibilities of a product designer? Again, from tiny startups to large MNCs* You work on Simple, which is of course, primarily focused on creating impact. Can you talk a little bit about what it’s like designing for social impact compared to increasing market share or profitability? In a digital landscape, how can we ensure our products create real value and positive impact beyond just solving problems? What is the future of Product Managers and Designers in the AI world? What does the career ladder look like? What skills do we acquire for the future of WWW? Reference links https://audiogyan.com/?type=wrtd-series https://audiogyan.com/2021/10/06/shreyas-satish/ https://twitter.com/shreyas_satish https://www.ownpath.com/about https://www.linkedin.com/in/shreyassatish/?originalSubdomain=in https://designup.school/teacher/daniel-burka/ https://library.gv.com/defense-against-the-dark-arts-of-design-a114e5f048bb https://iconscout.com/contributors/healthicons https://medium.com/@dburka https://x.com/dburka?lang=en https://www.instagram.com/dburka/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/dburka/?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&originalSubdomain=uk https://danielburka.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Burka

Tune into this 9th episode of a 10-part series, "Designer’s Digest” with Chandrashekhar Wyawahare. We talk all about Industrial Design, Make in India, and the skills required to become an Industrial Designer. This series is in partnership with @godrejdesignlab. Designer's Digest series is about Design as a profession, its daily grind, the secrets to climbing the design career ladder, and what edge we’ll need to thrive in the captivating design world. When you look at Braun or any industrial product designed by Dieter Rams, whether it’s the Braun T4 Radio designed in 1960 or the T2 Table lighter designed in 1968. Undoubtedly, you’ll fall in love with the form factor and the simplicity. Industrial design has always been fascinating. Chandrashekhar Wyawahare, co-founder of Futuring. Chandrashekhar graduated in architecture with a master’s in industrial design from IDC in IIT Mumbai. Before co-founding Futuring, he worked in Europe with leading design studios. His work in Neumeister Design exposed him to a fine sense of styling and helped him develop a keen eye for perfection. Chandrashekhar has been subsequently responsible for a strikingly wide range of work from appliances to transportation design. He is a keen educator and has been on design juries at many architecture and design schools. Futuring sees Industrial Design as a dynamic, empathetic, and strategic process. Questions Who is an industrial designer? It has a wide canvas, specializing in multiple sub-disciplines. But what is the core of being an industrial designer? Or being a designer for that matter? How has the landscape of industrial design evolved in India? What were the biggest transitions you’ve witnessed, and how did Futuring adapt? Make in India is now a buzzword. Where are you on that? Should it be designed in India or made in India? Are we ready for it? In an era of mass production and globalization, what does it mean to be an "Indian" industrial designer? What Indian ethos do you think we can bring to the products we design or make? By the very definition of industrial products, it’s safe to say that it’s mass produced. Can mass-manufactured products truly be "high quality"? What compromises are typically made, and how can we advocate for better quality standards in Indian design? Consumerism often drives design trends. How do you balance aesthetics, user-centricity, and sustainability, and yet be cost-sensitive for a market like India? You have a keen interest in education and have been on jury panels in top design schools in India. What’s happening in new-age India and how is the talent gearing towards entering the workforce? From skill to gender diversity to leveling up for actual work. How do you spot talent for Futuring? What gives you the confidence to recruit designers? What do you look for in their work/portfolios? You often speak about Industrial design one needs a good tech background, be it engineering or architecture. What does the Industrial designer’s career ladder look like? From a new entrant to say, being a principal designer? What one piece of advice do you get from your mentor that you still practice? What advice to young designers? What according to you is the future of industrial design in India? Perhaps in the world of automation and meta-verse. Reference Reading https://futuring.design/Voices https://onlyonceshop.com/ https://www.punedesignfestival.com/speaker/chandrashekhar-wyawahare/

Tune into this 8th episode of a 10-part series, "Designer’s Digest” with Akanksha Sethi. This series is in partnership with @godrejdesignlab. Designer's Digest series is about Design as a profession, its daily grind, the secrets to climbing the design career ladder, and what edge we’ll need to thrive in the captivating design world. Starting with a few numbers collected from SIAM, (Society of Indian Automobile Manufactures) and the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) Over 4.4 million vehicles were produced in India in 2022-23. We’ve around 10 Big players in the Automobile industry, Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motor India, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors, Honda Cars India, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Renault India, MG Motor India, Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj Auto. India ranks as the fourth-largest passenger vehicle market worldwide. 1.2% of cars sold in India were EVs. However, as per ETAuto, EV sales are rapidly growing, with a 230% increase. The Indian government aims to achieve 30% EV penetration by 2030 through various initiatives and policies. To discuss all this and Automobile Design as a career in India... Akanksha Sethi joins us. Akanksha has been a Colors, Materials, and Finish Design, Group lead at Maruti Suzuki for the past 13 years. She did her Bachelor of Design from the National Institute of Fashion Technology. Before joining Maruti Suzuki, she had worked at Amrapali Jewels and Titian Industries.   Questions Who is an automobile designer? What are the sub-disciplines within it? You deal with Colors, Material, and Finish. Tell us more about it. What do you do when it deals with CMF? How does one grow in a career in automobile design? Can you describe the career ladder for automobile designers in India? What are the typical milestones, changes of responsibilities, and challenges at each stage? What is the difference when they say, “Manufactured in India” versus “Assembled in India”? How and where do designers from India fit in this setup? What goes when collaboration happens - Suzuki + Maruti or Hero and Honda? What are some of the most iconic or impactful car colors or materials and finishes you've been part of in your career? What makes them special? What defines the success of a good color for a car? How do we define a good, reliable, and safe material? What are checks and tests done to test materials? How have the skills required for automobile design changed after liberalization (1990)? Or maybe when Maruti 800 came on the market in 1983? What new skills are becoming increasingly important, especially in the context of electric vehicles and sustainable technologies when we talk about CMF? What are the major trends and challenges that are shaping and will shape the industry in the coming decades when it comes to CMF? In this 10-part series, I have 4 woman designers and you are one of them. As per the D’Source repository, only 2 women designers out of 19 Automotive designers in India. Can you talk a little bit about gender diversity within the automobile design industry? What unique challenges have you faced being a Women Designer in the Automobile / Man’s world? What advice would you like to give young designers entering the Automobile Design world?   Reference reading https://www.dsource.in/resource/history-automotive-design-india/top-automotive-designers-india/akanksha-sethi https://www.dsource.in/resource/history-automotive-design-india/automotive-design-schools-india https://www.dsource.in/resource/history-automotive-design-india/important-automobile-models/cars-designs https://www.dsource.in/sites/default/files/resource/history-automobile-design-india/downloads/file/history_automobile_design_india.pdf https://www.linkedin.com/in/akanksha-sethi-a7549723/?originalSubdomain=in https://www.siam.in/about-us.aspx?mpgid=1&pgidtrail=2 https://www.fada.in/

Tune into this 6th episode of a 10-part series, "Designer’s Digest” with Dhruv Jani. This series is created by Audiogyan in partnership with @godrejdesignlab Designer's Digest series is about Design as a profession, its daily grind, the secrets to climbing the design career ladder, and what edge we’ll need to thrive in the captivating world of design. Dhruv Jani joins us on Audiogyan as we talk about the role of the creator in the world of Game Design. Dhruv Jani is an artist at, and the founder of the independent game studio: Oleomingus. He studies postcolonial writing and interactive fiction and explores the use of video game spaces as possible sites of protest and reparation.  Questions What does a game designer do? What does it mean to be a game designer? How can one become a game designer? What skills are required? Which other professions are required while designing a game? Can you give a quick snapshot of how games came into existence and how they evolve into today’s video games and mobile games? A short history of sorts? What are the broad categories/genres of games and which ones do you deal with? What’s special about your genre? Your games often start with a narrative. What comes first when you think of a game? An event, a discovery of the past or a speculation of the future? An event? Where and how does any of your game start for Oleomingus? What has politics to do with games? Is it because you have to pick a side? Is the game a Western concept for India? India has been a land of compassion, inclusivity, and forgiveness. You call games to be Interactive fiction. Narrative interface design. What can and can not be told using games? Where does the medium flourish and where does it break? Games have certainly evolved and come a long way. Now, I guess it’s the biggest industry on this planet. The games I recently got to know were Werewolves and Mafia and somehow the theme seems to be based on trust. What’s going on? How do you see it impacting the new generation and society at large? Games are highly addictive, why? Which ingredient makes it addictive? Who is supposed to design it? Can you explain with an example of how the process happens? Given the power of games, what’s the biggest responsibility of game designers? Where are we heading as game players and game makers in this world of meta-verse and AI? Reference Reading https://audiogyan.com/2022/05/25/game-design/ https://www.sportskeeda.com/esports/news-the-right-consume-histories-dhruv-jani-studio-oleomingus-talks-creativity-meaning https://indiaifa.org/grants-projects/dhruv-jani.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nash_equilibrium https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner's_dilemma https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafia_(party_game) https://oleomingus.com/about-1 https://www.stirworld.com/think-opinions-gamescapes-indian-video-game-developer-studio-oleomingus-reconfigures-history https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/sep/22/video-games-india-politics-dhruv-jani-sushant-chakraborty-studio-oleomingus#comments https://indiaartfair.in/game-grammar-dhruv-jani https://garage.vice.com/en_us/article/3kxpgw/this-first-person-game-is-a-surreal-meta-fictional-experience-in-colonialism https://www.sleek-mag.com/article/studio-oleomingus-surreal-video-games-marginalised-stories-india-history/ https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/the-indiebeat-how-studio-oleomingus-is-crafting-its-indian-post-modern-fairy-tale/ https://killscreen.com/studio-oleomingus/ https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=list_works&hl=en&hl=en&user=AMZG-C4AAAAJ&sortby=pubdate https://www.ted.com/talks/dhruv_jani_the_interactive_fictions_of_generous_history

Tune into this 5th episode of a 10 Part series, "Designer’s Digest” with Saif Faisal, A new breed of bold Contemporary designer and founder of SFDW This series is created by Audiogyan in partnership with @godrejdesignlab Designer's Digest series is about Design as a profession, it’s daily grind, the secrets to climbing the design career ladder, and what edge we’ll need to thrive in the captivating world of design. Massimo Vignelli’s once said, “If you can design one thing, you can design everything.” Even in our part of the world, somewhere in 15 hundred.. Mirza Khan Abdul Rahim once said, “Ek sadho, sab sadhe”.. Saif completed his training as an Architect from RV School of Architecture in 2010-11, alongside designing and participating in Formula SAE-Racing with the Mechanical engineering students at the college, where he acquired diverse experience in design, manufacturing, and technical know-how. After college, he went on to learn woodworking. These diverse formative explorations gave him a polymathic learning experience. His work draws heavily from his understanding of Anthropology, Processes, and Technology, which is very integral to his creative explorations. The deep appreciation he cultivated of ‘Essentialism’ from racing is revisited in his Design and Architecture. Saif is involved in guest lectures and talks at design and architecture schools. Apart from being an avid motorcyclist and a lover of cafe racers, he is into boxing and pursues his culinary interests rather seriously. Questions You’ve done architecture, lifestyle products, furniture, jewelry, accessories and more. How do you define your work? You also have diverse interests, from motorcycling to boxing and cooking. How do these pursuits influence your creative process? Who according to you is a designer? You talk about “Essentialism” - What is the essential quality to become a designer? What is the difference between Essentialism and Minimalism according to you? Is Essentialism more inclusive than minimalism? Lets take Loup of example. You draw inspiration from sociology, philosophy, and anthropology. How do these disciplines inform your understanding of the human experience, and how does that translate into products you create? Any example of a product you made? If I can take the liberty to say, Art is expression while design is functional, responding to a problem. Where and how do you see art and design lines blurring, given your work deals with higher levels of aesthetics. Why do you call wood to be a humble material? What did you learn in wood work? What made you consider learning that? How can it help any designer interested in making physical products? Do you see geometric forms as a universal language? Do you see that in Indian history or culture? How have you borrowed this universal language and contextualised for India? May be you can explain with the lamps that you have made? Where are you on Massimo Vignelli’s quote, “If you can design one thing, you can design everything.” How comfortable the journey has been to switch domains? What advice would you give anybody who has such wide range of interests? or does one need to master something before traversing? You often talk about Indian design education need to level up. Our work needs to appeal to a global audience. What do you mean exactly? Where are the gaps? What can be done about it? We have often seen us using Jugaad as one of the primary methods of innovation. What is you take on that? What do you wish from the new “Make in India” generation? How can they push the boundaries of design? Reference Reading https://www.saif-faisal.com/ https://www.instagram.com/saiffaisal.designworkshop/ https://www.platform-mag.com/design/saif-faisal.html https://www.linkedin.com/in/saif-faisal-51247315/?originalSubdomain=in

Tune into this 4th episode of a 10 Part series, "Designer’s Digest” with @chitrav89 (Chitra Vishwanath) - Principal Architect and Managing Director of BIOME Environment Solutions (@biomearchitecture) This series is created by Audiogyan in partnership with @godrejdesignlab Designer's Digest series is about Design as a profession, it’s daily grind, the secrets to climbing the design career ladder, and what edge we’ll need to thrive in the captivating world of design.   Chitra Vishwanath is an Indian architect based in Bengaluru who works on themes related to ecology and architecture. She has been running her own architectural firm since 1991, working with other architects on many projects of all sizes. She is currently the Principal Architect and Managing Director of BIOME Environment Solutions. She firmly believes that the true essence of a remarkable firm lies in the gradual fading of its founder's individual prominence. The establishment of a firm is influenced not only by the founder's drive but also by various contextual factors. Chitra cannot be solely identified as Chitra Vishwanath without acknowledging the integral role of Biome. Similarly, Biome's existence in its current capacity is inseparable from the contributions of her colleagues. BIOME has been involved in more than 700 projects encompassing the construction of buildings of all sizes and water harvesting and sanitation structures with specific relevance to the ecology of the sites. With earth as a basic material input in construction, BIOME has designed and built many structures. We’ll be talking about ecological architecture in today’s episode. Questions We often use “architect” as a word who guides, designs, and oversees. Etymologically as well, it’s derived from arkhi-, chief + tekton, builder - chief builder. Who according to you is an architect? What constitutes an ecological architecture? Could you talk about the 4 aspects of architecture from your TEDx talk, resourceful spaces, designing construction systems, water and waste management? Maybe by taking an example of one of the many schools you have built. What is Maximise to minimize? Good design is no design at all, right? How do you strive to create a positive impact while building structures? What are the key principles and values you live by? What should be / can be the index/metric of good ecological architecture? Why? What according to you is the biggest role of architects in India, given the current time? Over the last 31 years, you have grown to 31 member strong team. Seems a conscious choice to stay lean. Why? You have a lot of Junior architects on the team. What are their primary job responsibilities? For Biome, every project is a test bed for developing a collaborative multidisciplinary approach grounded in informed decisions. How does Biome onboard, execute, and deliver any project? Where and how are Junior architects involved? What do you expect from them? What according to you is a good measure of an ecologically sensitive outlook in a student or junior architect entering this field of architecture? What kind of architects do we need for India’s future? What tips/suggestions would you like to give young architects? Reference Reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitra_Vishwanath https://www.instagram.com/chitrav89/?hl=en https://www.biome-solutions.com/about-us/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/chitra-vishwanath-8513593/?originalSubdomain=in https://www.archdaily.com/tag/chitra-vishwanath https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMiekG0IJfM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41tlOqU-6PM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlf3TyKdcAg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EviAtiqoLTE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlwbK-ybQX0 https://dev.earth-auroville.com/chitra-vishwanath-architects/ https://www.e-coexist.com/mailchimp/building-small-chitra-vishwanath.html https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/know-your-architects/a686-chitra-vishwanath-creating-an-ecofriendly-way-of-living/ https://medium.com/@ar.aesha/ar-chitra-vishwanath-and-her-design-philosophy-282b64a99f83 https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/case-studies/a5644-the-paper-workshop-by-chitra-vishwanath-architectural-semantics-with-vernacularism/ https://www.facebook.com/chitra.vishwanath.3/ https://www.instagram.com/biomearchitecture/ https://www.biome-solutions.com/ https://audiogyan.com/2022/01/10/design-of-wells/    

This is the 3rd episode of a 10 Part series, "Designer’s Digest” with Dr. Susmita Mohanty, an Indian spaceship designer and a serial space entrepreneur. This series is created in partnership with Godrej Design Lab - a platform that encourages and advances design excellence and exploration. Godrej Design Lab believes in the power of design to make a meaningful change. I am so happy and proud that Godrej Design Lab is supporting the journey of Audiogyan. Designer's Digest is a series about Design as a profession, it’s daily grind, the secrets to climbing the design career ladder and what edge we’ll need to thrive in the captivating world of design. I want to start with a line by Vincent Van Gogh, “For my part, I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream”. Questions Can we start by, who is a spaceship architect or a designer? Can you also elaborate on the 3 genres of space architects [Voyage d’Esprit, Man-in-a-Can, Trans-Gravity]? Where and how do designers fit in? What does it take to become a spaceship designer or an architect? If you can share your version of a career? What does one do in their early years and then possibilities as they become a veteran like you? Design is broadly about problem solving and we see a lot of lateral entrants. Is it possible in this discipline? You’ve said, traditionally government agencies tend to design in a very engineering centric approach where they don’t invite architects, designers to build stuff. With designers engaging in such space, collaboration with other professionals like physicists, engineers, biologists, seems inevitable. What are the challenges and rewards of such interdisciplinary teamwork? Importance of multidisciplinary. You’ve straddled across design, art, tech, humanities, choreography. What was it like growing in Ahmedabad in 70-80 What are the unique challenges and opportunities in this sector for a designer? You mentioned about designing spaceship interiors for long distance travel, spacesuits to keep away from sharp dust on other planets, especially on the moon. Climate is another important domain to look into. What all sections of the rocket or a spacecraft (For eg: Soyuz, I loved the video) could be given to designers? Where all design interventions can be done? What made you start Earth2Orbit and later Spaceport Sarabhai and what exactly you folks do there? Can you share any specific project or a milestone that made you very hopeful about this it having a huge potential in India? Considering costs, policies and constraints of this highly guarded sector, what makes your hopeful about brewing design talent in India? Can you slightly talk more about your 2017 article “India is sitting on a space goldmine”? You often say, “space is not just about technology. It’s also about business, social impact, geopolitics and more about perspective. Could you please elaborate on it from a designer’s lens? You often encourage entrepreneurs to look earth from 400km above. After working closely with such great organisations like ISRO, NASA, ESA what has been your biggest learning so far. Reference reading https://www.weforum.org/people/susmita-mohanty/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susmita_Mohanty https://www.imd.org/ibyimd/innovation/beyond-earths-boundaries-a-journey-of-innovation-and-leadership/ https://www.stirworld.com/think-columns-soyuz-the-world-s-most-reliable-human-spacecraft http://earth2orbit.com/index.php http://www.themoonwalker.in/write.php https://thebrilliant.com/opinion/why-billionaires-playing-space-ping-pong-leaves-me-cold/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constance_Adams

This is the second episode of a 10 Part series, "Designer’s Digest” with Hardik Pandya, Sr. VP of Design at Unacademy Group. This series is about Design as a profession, it’s daily grind, the secrets to climbing the design career ladder and what edge we’ll need to thrive in the captivating world of design. I have a co-host with me, Shreyas Satish. He is the founder of ownpath.com, ownpath is a platform for designers to upskill, find community, and unlock exciting opportunities, and also helps companies grow their design teams. I had Shreyas as a guest in episode 218 when I did a series “Where are the designers” talking to 12 top influential Design leaders from India. And for today’s episode which is also my domain of designing Digital products, we have a perfect guest and a common friend, Hardik Pandya. He is a Design leader with an innate love for building products with good design. Currently He is a Senior Vice President, Design of The Unacademy Group. Previously a Design Lead at Google Search, G Suite and Google Cloud, Ola and more.   Questions How did you get into Design? You are a lateral entrant? What were early days like? Can you walk us through your journey towards being a lead designer? Were there things that came fairly naturally, like taking ownership and initiative, and were things you had to deliberately learn? In No Career Conversations in Isolation, you write “The way to get to the work you want to be doing in the future is earning the trust of your manager. Are there any stories or examples you can share where earning that trust unlocked the opportunity you were looking for? Now that you are heading teams, how does your typical day look like? Do you happen to work hands-on still? From where and how do you hire? Do you look for talent laterally? How do you spot talent? Junior / nerdy / geeky / high end colleges / pedigree? Is hiring a gamble? What are some traits you look for when you’re hiring a senior designer? How do you actually tell if they possess those traits? What are some common mistakes you see designers make with portfolios? Who have been your best hires and why? Which background did they come from? A lot of hiring conversations tend to be very backward looking i.e the work they’ve done, the situations they’ve been in and so on. But, I believe the real alpha, especially from a company’s point of view is being able to gauge what they can do in the future. What’s your take on this and how do you try to identify potential in designers? What skills do you expect from designers for the future in the world of AI? Reference links https://twitter.com/hvpandya https://www.linkedin.com/in/hardikpandya/?originalSubdomain=in https://medium.com/@hvpandya https://hardik.substack.com/ https://www.ownpath.com/ https://hvpandya.com/ https://www.instagram.com/godrejdesignlab/ https://www.godrejdesignlab.com/ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrrt1Y8BkAyph0bmVRVsRF1UTgsf1Lxo9    

This is the first episode of a 10 Part series, "Designer’s Digest”. This series is about Design as a profession, it’s daily grind, the secrets to climbing the design career ladder and what edge we’ll need to thrive in the captivating world of design. We start with Ayaz Basrai. Ayaz has been on Audiogyan’s 104th Episode where we spoke about “Designing interiors for your city.” He is the founder of The Busride Studio based in Goa and Mumbai along with his brother Zameer. Ayaz Graduated in Industrial Design, specialising in Product Design from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad in 2003. Ayaz studio ‘The Busride’ as an independent Design Studio specialising in the design and creation of environments, ranging from Hospitality, Entertainment venues, Film and Production to Exhibitions and temporary installations, and more. Questions asked in the episode Who according to you is a designer? You have been questioning this a lot. What according to you is a role of a designer when they mature in their practice. Do the lines blur with art and then things become political or social in nature? You have been engaging with very young talent like Prathmesh Jaju and others. Whats the reason for going so wide in our interest areas? How does it enrich your practice? Eliel Saarinen’s famous line, “Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context - a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan." What’s your take on it? Is it a pyramid kind of a thinking? You have been tinkering a lot with rizhomatic thinking? Tell us a little bit about it. Does the other node need to have equally good to understand the larger context context to pass it on? You talk about intergenerational kindness by giving the Oxford examples. What is it and how can that be practised by us who are future ancestors? What is India Futures Project? Why do you engage in speculative fiction from a designer’s lens? Why create these future looking narratives? Are there instances of this done in the past of which we, inadvertently, we are part of? How real these narratives were back then, if any? You have an article about placeless-ness. What provokes you to think of these future spaces while we are still having cows and camels on the road. Would you venture into these 15 minute cities or explore shapes and forms of cities in the meta-verse? On which principles of foundations these exploration happen? We are looking at how AI in the cradle is smiling at us. What kind of skills do Centaur Designers will need to have? How would designers of the future look like? Not just in the software and industrial realm but textile, graphics, interiors and so on… Reference reading https://www.architectandinteriorsindia.com/lists/ayaz-zameer-basrai-co-founders-the-busride-design-studio https://www.instagram.com/thebusride/ https://www.thepracticecept.com/thebusride https://thehardcopy.co/in-conversation-with-ayaz-basrai/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEiJMVjMyrE https://issuu.com/thebusride https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQWAJBpfzp8 https://www.stirworld.com/inspire-people-arthur-mamou-mani-x-ayaz-basrai-cross-border-conversations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMEaLTat3wE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZJ4T50o95E  

Einstein once said “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” He also said, “Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.” Why I am talking about this? In today’s episode, we’ll documenting all about Play and Work. For this, we have Nitesh Mohanty and Sonal Choudhary with us on Audiogyan. Nitesh is a Educator, Photographer, Art Director, Writer, Curator. A JJ and Bombay boy, now in Goa. He did his post-gard from NID, Ahmedabad, specialising in Textile Design. Sonal is a Visual Communication Designer, Writer, Educator. We’ll be discussing about their new venture, or should I call it “school of thought” - Plork. Well, lets find out in this case study. Questions NM & SC: Tell us a little bit about your background. Which school of thought are you coming from? NM & SC: What is Plork? Why are you doing this? Who is it for? SC: Paula Scher said, “Great design is serious, not solemn”. What is your take? NM: What makes you go so broad with poets, chefs and philosophers, while education these days is task / job oriented? NM: What is taste and how do you acquire taste during education? (aesthetic, intellectual) NM: You teach, “Ways of Seeing”. Tell us more about it? NM & SC: How do you define a ‘mature’ designer? NM: What is the role of “play” in corporate structures? When there are clear objectives and deliverables, is play required or possible? SC: What are key big gaps in today’s design or art education? NM: What do you think the future of design education in India? Reference Reading https://www.instagram.com/nimo_obscura/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitesh-mohanty-46562777/?originalSubdomain=in https://www.jioinstitute.edu.in/faculty/mr-nitesh-mohanty https://homegrown.co.in/homegrown-creators/nitesh-mohantys-nowhere-is-a-visual-story-of-resilience-amidst-tragedy-and-despair https://medium.com/@artwintent/the-art-of-visual-storytelling-4b1ad2e159b0 https://studioanugraha.com/Nowhere-Now-here https://www.instagram.com/sonalchoudhury/?hl=en https://www.behance.net/sonalchoudhury1 https://www.instagram.com/plorkschoolofthought/?hl=en

“The characteristics of jazz help. Its sense of improvisation, individualism, sound, and rhythm are all present and important in graphic design, too.” - Niklaus Troxler, who have been improvising with letterforms like Jazz Musicians since 1960s. In my opinion, a Poster is a mix of typeface and graphics communicating something. In here, typeface matters a lot. To discuss this and more, today we have Sarang Kulkarni with us. Sarang is a type designer and co-founder of Ektype. He also has his own agency called as The White Crow where he does branding and typography work. This Audiogyan will be in English and Marathi. Questions What according to you is Type / Akshar? Massimo Vignelli said that he is comfortable with half a dozen typefaces lasting a lifetime. Rest all is visual pollution. What's the need for more typefaces? What triggers a need for new typefaces? Medium, Language, Expression, Enhancement, Technology, Content? Are there ways to systematically study and distinguish between an improvisation of a typeface versus a different typeface? For eg, Mukta and Modak have different anatomy, so we can say that they are 2 different fonts. But can we say that Inter is an improvised version of Helvetica? You deal with a lot of abstract forms as well. At letterbox, for eg: “k” (Marathi) can be identified if one looks at the flow or series of iterations of representing ‘k’. Can a letter form be identified in isolation? What's the extent of improvisation? How abstract one can go and still make it palatable? When can one start improvising on a typeface? When the base font is registered in everyone’s mind. For eg: Can we improvise on a newly launched font set? Does improvisation in a typeface done only as an experiment can transform into the usage of mass communication? What's going on with 365 days of type and more such practices and movements? Are those improvisations? How easy or hard is it today to experiment and improvise on open-source fonts? When does the author know that the improvisation is done? Reference Reading https://www.instagram.com/1sarangkulkarni/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/ektype/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/letterbox.india/?hl=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarang-kulkarni-5898857/ https://www.behance.net/SarangKulkarni https://www.dandad.org/profiles/person/664731/sarang-kulkarni/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXwkZaIRLI4 https://whitecrow.in/ https://twitter.com/sarangkulkarni7 https://www.typoday.in/2014/sarang.html http://luc.devroye.org/fonts-86975.html https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/being-a-mumbai-type-designer-is-about-more-than-great-work-you-gotta-get-the-lingos-and-theres-hundreds-of-them/ https://design.google/library/anek-multiscript https://kyooriusdesign.awardsengine.com/?action=ows:entries.details&e=135402&project_year=2023 https://homegrown.co.in/homegrown-voices/ek-type https://www.adi.org.in/events/adiamd-many-worlds-of-type https://vimeo.com/133792269

Abhinit has been building digital products for past 15 years, he was head of Design at Gojek and scaled the design and research function from 6 designer to 200 plus including research. He is currently on a sabbatical.  Questions You wear multiple hats - designer, programmer and Product. Your twitter bio says, App Maker. Pixel Hinter. Leak Checker. Who do you associate the most with? What does scale mean in the world of tech? What does “designing for scale” enable us to do? Why design for scale? What’s the role of design & research in this? Is process driven culture a recipe for scaling? Doesn’t process hinder innovation and out of box thinking? When lean, one can move fast. When we have legacy how do we change? Apple being an exception, who else has designed for scale? I know you will say, Stripe. Any other brand / product? When you are market leaders, what can make us strive for excellence? We are already at scale. :) What were the biggest challenges and if you were do it all over again, what is one thing you’ll change? We are in a process of improving our design system, which we hope will help us scale. Who should be the key stake holder and why? I know you must have answered this many times, does creativity come in the way when we have design system. For eg: How do we personalise or customise for different segments while maintaining unified language? Reference links https://www.instagram.com/abhinitial/ https://twitter.com/abhinitial?lang=en https://audiogyan.com/2020/04/22/abhinit-tiwari/ https://audiogyan.com/?type=wrtd-series https://www.propertyguru.com.sg/ https://www.propertygurugroup.com/joinus/

Potter Stewart an associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court once said, “Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself.” Censoring artists, intellectuals is not a new thing. Today to discuss more about censorship we have Ajit Rai with us on Audiogyan. We’ll be talking about banning and censorship in films in the Indian context. This episode will be bi-lingual but mostly in Hindi. Listeners have to bare with my Hindi questions but Ajit sir will cover my shortcomings. 🙂 He wrote a best seller book " Hindujas and Bollywood'(English ) that is launched in London by actor Akshay Kumar & "Bollywood ki Buniyaad"(Hindi ) launched in 75 th Cannes Film Festival by Mr Apoorva Chandra Secretary Ministry of I & B Govt of India last year 2022. It is a global journey of about 1200 Hindi films introduced to World by Hinduja Family. He is invited and travelled and reported from more than 50 countries in many prestigious International Film Festivals and Nobel prize ceremony as well. His credentials are as follows  1.Presently working as Advisor and Film Critic Bharat Express National News Channel. 2.He is regularly contributing as Film Critic for Jansatta / The Indian Express group, Navbharat Times/ The Times of India group, Dainik Bhaskar, Prabhat khabar, People Samachar, Jan Sandesh Times and more than 25 digital media outlets. 3. Ajit Rai has been a member of Media Committee International Film Festival of India Goa in 2010 and Selection Jury Member (Preview Committee) in 2014, 2015 & 2017. 4. He is a guest speaker in knowledge Series of NFDC Film Bazar in IFFI Goa many times. 5 .Ajit Rai has been invited by Film & Television Institute of India as Guest of Honour in  2013 & 2015 in Student Film Festival and National Students Film Awards ceremony. 6. He is a Member of Jury in Life After Oil International Film Festival Sardenia Italy.  7. Cannes Film Festival - the most prestigious festival in the world-  granted Ajit Rai the top priority Press Badge considering him as one of the most important film critic of the World  He is covering Cannes Film Festival & many other international film festivals and IFFI Goa since 2004. 8. Ajit Rai is only film critic of India who wrote maximum articles on  International Film Festival of India IFFI Goa around more than 500 from 2004 to till date. 9. He has been Consultant Jagaran Film Festival in 2012, 2013 & 2014 in 16 cities of India by the largest circulated Hindi newspaper of the world- Dainik Jagran. 10. He is Advisor and Member of Jury in Rajasthan International Film Festival Jaipur 11.  (a) He has started Raipur International Film Festival in collaboration with Govt of Chhattisgarh and Directorate of Film Festival DFF Govt of India in 2015.  (b) He has Started Haryana International Film Festival Yamunanagar in 2008 in collaboration with Govt of Haryana. (c) He has started Azamgarh International Film Festival in 2018. (d) He has started Faridabad International Film Festival in 2012. (e). He has started Sardar Patel International Film Festival in Patiala Punjab    12. (a) He has started Indian Film Festival Moscow Russia as founder Director in 2014 (b) Indian Film Festival Uppsala Sweden in 2013 .  (c) He has started  Indian Film Festival Berlin Germany in 2012.  (d) He is Consultant Bollywood Film Festival Oslo Norway since 2013 . 13. He has been invited by President of Iran in 2012 as a special guest in New Horizon Film Festival Tehran . 14. Ajit Rai is one of the leading Film & Theatre Critic & Cultural Journalist of India with wide and vast experience of more than 30  years  in almost all leading National Newspapers, reputed Journals and Electronic media as well on Cinema, Theatre, Literature & Cultural discourses. His about 5000 published articles are pioneer in Film & Cultural journalism. Some of his innovative reports has been debated in Indian Parliament . 15. He has been Editor - Rang Prasang.. an international journal of Cinema & Theatre,  National School Of Drama, Ministry Of Culture, Govt. Of India. 16. He is a Member of Jury Bharat Rang Mahotsav, the largest theatre festival of the 3rd world by National School Of Drama, Ministry of Culture Govt of India. 17. He is a Member of Jury Meta Awards by Mahindra Company for theatre.  18. Founder Editor - Drishyantar, a monthly magazine of Cinema TV Culture & Media by Doordarshan Ministry of I&B Govt of India. 19. Worked as consultant Doordarshan Ministry of I & B Govt of India. 20. Worked with All India Radio, Patna & New Delhi. Ministry of I&B Govt of India. 21. World Record - (a) -Ajit Rai made a world record in film journalism in Cannes Film Festival 2018.  He published 75 articles in various Indian Newspapers in 15 days on Cannes Film Festival This is a world record that one journalist wrote 75 articles about one event. (b) He made a world record in Theatre Criticism in 2010 when his 25 articles published 25 days daily without break during International Theatre Festival by National School of Drama New Delhi. (c). He is covering Cairo International film festival,   EL Gouna Film Festival in Egypt and Red Sea International Film Festival regularly and wrote 25 articles every year. 22. He wrote a book Hindujas and Bollywood in English and Bollywood ki buniyaad in Hindi on contribution of Hinduja Brothers to Indian  Cinema.. It is a global cultural journey of about 1200 Hindi films introduced to World by Hinduja Family. 23. Pioneer in personality journalism in India in 1995 in India Today magazine. 24. He has been invited to deliver lecture on Cinema ,Indian culture, Theatre  & society by United Nation ( UNO) New York, British Parliament, London, President House Tehran Iran, Uppsala University Sweden, Bollywood Festival Oslo, Norway, Indian Film Festival Berlin Germany & Moscow Russia. Dubai UAE ( Indian Embassy, Sardenia Italy and many more. 25. Ajit Rai is one and only who has been  invited in  Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony Oslo Norway in 2014. 26 . He is pioneer of Cinema movement in Educational Institutions of India and abroad and started many Film Festivals & Film Appreciation Courses  in DAV Girls College, Yamunanagar,  Haryana, Kurukshetra University, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab,  Mahatma Gandhi Hindi International University Vardha,  Maharashtra. DAV Centenary College Faridabad , Hariyana etc. 27. Work Experience-  He worked with various newspapers and magazines from 1988 to till date- 1. Dainik Hindustan, Patna & New Delhi ( Hindustan Times group) 2. Navbharat Times, Patna & New Delhi ( Times of India group) 3. Jansatta. New Delhi ( Indian Express group) 4. Dainik Bhaskar, Bhopal 5. Dainik Jagaran, New Delhi 6. Rashtriya Sahara New Delhi 7. Sahara samay New Delhi 8. Swatantra Varta, Hyderabad 9. News Break , Patna 10. Amar Ujala New Delhi 11. Prabhat khabar, Ranchi Jharkhand  12. India Today. New Delhi 13. Outlook, New Delhi 14. Hans New Delhi  15. Aaj ki Jandhara, Raipur Chhattisgarh 16 Jan Sandesh Times. Lucknow . 17. People s Samachar Bhopal Madhya Pradesh. 18. The Sentinal. Guwahati Assam. 28. Educational qualification -  (a) M. A. in Psychology ( 1989), 1st Division,  ( b) M.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication, (2007).  1st Division. Note - Ajit Rai always got 1st Division & 1st Class through out his education ie from Class 1 to 12, B.A. (Hons.) & M.A.    29. Professional qualifications  (a). Diploma in Psycho Analysis,  Educational- vocational Guidance & Counselling , 1st division. 1993, NCERT, New Delhi. (b) . Diploma in Journalism.1 st division( 2006, ) Kurukshetra University. (c).  Diploma in Film Appreciation, 1st division 2003. Film & Television Institute of India FTII Pune.  29. Awards 1. Beat Film Critic National Award, Rajasthan International Film Festival, Jaipur . 2020. 2. Best Film Journalist Award, LIFFT India Film Festival, Lonawala, Mumbai, 2020.  3. Pride of India Award, Khajuraho International Film Festival, 2020. 4. Jaiprakash Narayan International Award for Journalism, Delhi 2020 5.  Nat Samrat Best Theatre Critic Award, Delhi , 2020. 6.  Rang Sameeksha Samman, Ashirvad Rang Mandal, Begusarai, Bihar. 2018 7. . Rang Sameeksha Samman, Abhinaya  Rang Manch, Hisar, Haryana, 2016. 8. . Pride of India Award. 2012 9.  Natya Sameeksha Samman, Manch Rangmanch, Amritsar. Punjab.  2010 10 . Kala Sameeksha Samman, Abhinav Rang Mandal Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. 2008.  11. Best Auther of the book 2022 Award. Rajasthan International Film Festival Jaipur 2023. 30. Published Books 1. Hindujas and Bollywood 2. Bollywood ki Buniyaad 3. Drishyantar 4. Andhere Men Chamakati Awazen 5. Two Decades of Jis Lahore Nai Wekhyan . All published by Vani Prakashan New Delhi.   Questions What is censorship in the context of films? Why do establishments feel the need of banning or censorship? When and why did it start? What’s Hays Code and what were the few important milestones in the evolution of censorship? May be just in the Indian context? Can you tell us if there is any official framework or guidelines for censorship in India? If yes, what are those guidelines? Who made these? When and why were these made? How objective are these? I guess, rules in censorship should be treated like Smrutis. They should change with time. Whats the challenge today? You strongly believe in that nothing should be censored. How do you justify it? Whats the difference between banning and censorship? What are your thoughts on banning? We as creators believe, movies are powerful, it can change narratives - so establishment will always interfere - What can be done as creators and also audience? Many people like Gorge Carlin challenged the establishments and boldly used “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television”. We have many such examples. In my conversation with Varun Grover, even he mentioned that an artist never know the line until he/she crosses it. How can we see a society that allows these line to be crossed. Who can cross these lines? Is this a right question? What according to you is the future of censorship in India till we