Undergoing Graduate Diploma in Creative technologies at Media Design School, Auckland and has done Bachelors in Communication Design. Currently, Pankaj Bhambri specialising in Illustration and Animation from Symbiosis Institute of Design, Pune.
Traditional vs. digital; it’s the debate of the century. According to young illustrator, Pavan Dashrath Rajurkar, both are winners. Believing that both are like sides of the same coin, he tells us why it’s impossible to do without the other.
Drawing is an art which will fade with time if one does not practice it regularly. It’s important to constantly keep in touch with that skill because the mind is directly connected to the hands. Nothing can create something as raw as the hands. Tools are used for getting different outputs while one is drawing, and design software is simply one of those tools. One shouldn’t feel any less if one does not know it.
Digitalisation is the need of today. It can’t be ignored. It has enabled designers to increase output, where they can create multiple options in less time. Everything evolves with time and so has designed. Being a designer twenty years ago would mean facing greater difficulties in finding a platform and exposure as compared to today. In those days the process of artistic growth would have been really slow. We should make the most of the available sources.
It’s what they teach in all schools- research the subject before you romance it. An artwork starts from collecting a brief about it. It gives one the understanding to be able to visualise in context. India’s education doesn’t introduce technology right at the beginning, fearing that students will become dependent on it and won’t realise their own potential. A good example is how mental math is preferred over the use of a calculator in schools even today. Similarly, many designers today need a pencil and paper to sketch rough ideas and brainstorm. It’s a healthy habit. Finally, when you have the basic structure and elements of your design, you can work with technology, imparting flexibility and variation to your design.
Not just Indian, but even international designers are drawn to seek inspirations from our rich history, mythological stories, beautiful architecture and mesmerizing illustration styles. Taking these things as a base, many creative experiments can be undertaken and few have and are taking place. But unfortunately, many talented folks in India fail to receive a good platform for their work. The unfortunate reality is that many artists are lost due to lack of exposure. Hopefully, we will see that change soon.
Pencil or stylus? Paper or touch screen? This is just a start to the long list of questions that are swimming in every designer’s mind today. They say change is the only constant but has digitalisation really taken over the traditional methods? Would there be a time when the pencil will be forgotten forever like writers have forgotten a fountain pen? We discuss the issue with famous Indian designers and try to understand what they think. This issue also has some very talented and unique designer like Sachin Puthran, Raghava KK, Ramanjeet Kaur and Pavan Rajurkar got featured along with much more. Mr. Xerty and Amrei Hofstatter came with unique interpretation in our MadeIn section.
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The Netherlands might be below sea level, but it’s pretty high up when it comes to design. Inspired by the 20th-century movements, the designs of graphic designer and illustrator Lucky Dubz Trifonas, combine future elements to revolutionise the design world today. He offers us a sneak peek into his world of design.
LD: Yes, The human face and body (in combination with typography) is one of the biggest challenges for me to work on. It works for me because it enables me to impart my soul into my design. The face in my work represents the human soul. I try to create the face as though staring you in the eye so that a strong connection can be established with the viewer.
LD: I used to do a lot of graffiti back in the days and the colours I use, especially the complimentary ones, descend from that era. Call it an old habit. It helps me fuse a bit of myself even in my commercial projects where I am always telling the story of the client, or the story I want him to tell. In my free work, for example, Donutboy, I like to visualise social criticism, dark humor, and rebellious yet justified views. But I also like to work with darker colours, depending on what mood I want to communicate.
LD: My designs are inspired by the early 20th-century movements such as Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Bauhaus, futurism, and pop art. As I mentioned above, I used to observe graffiti and street art when I was younger. I always tried not to look very deep at every work as I wanted to avoid possible unconscious rip offs. It’s important to constantly develop and evolve style with every project.
LD: Well, the concept and meaning would remain the same. However, if you remove the colour then you are removing the emotional response from it. Not to say that black and white don’t evoke any emotions. Design in black and white enables one to see the pure form without any colourful tricks or deceptions. I have recently started an illustrated black and white type project called AlphaBetty where I illustrate all 26 letters as representing a girl’s name.
LD: Holland has a very high design standard. Especially when it comes to typography and graphic design. Nowadays, old fashion and the traditional forms (i.e. 20th-century) are being pushed back to make room for modern beautiful forms and shapes. You could say it’s a design revolution that’s taking place due to the multi cultural society and its diversity. Especially in Rotterdam where my studio is based.
LD: I always try to mix my 20th-century inspired designs with future elements to bring an eclectic mix. When creating a design, I always start at the drawing board and sketch for many hours till I find the right shape and form. This is followed by outlining the artwork and scanning it so that I can colour and trace the design on the computer. It’s a good feeling to see a handmade design with a powerful outline, especially with faces and typography.
The colouring of the artwork is the most time consuming and on an average, it takes 2 to 4 days to complete a design. For example, the cover design for this issue took me 4 days. I experimented with syrup on paper to find the right form and shape for the letter ‘g’ and redesigned it in Illustrator. The letter rests on mud and grass, accentuating its shape and representing the floating world. The letter ‘g’, which was coloured using Photoshop and Illustrator, represents the river Ganga, that is a lifeline for millions of Indians who live along its course and depend on it for their daily needs.
A typography special, made up of not only Indian type designers or designers whose first love is type, but also few very talented international designers who open a totally new playground with sharing their insights and inspirations. This issue has exclusive interviews with Lucky Dubz Trifonas from Netherlands, Indian UI & type designer Sabareesh Ravi and Shiva Nallaperumal, who believes, type designers are the material providers to all the creative professionals. Also, includes a special making of Nirlep rebranding done by Elephant Design and an interaction with the ace product designer Aman Sadana.
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A graduate from Willem de Kooning Academy, Lucky Dubz Trifonas is a Rotterdam-based illustrator and graphic designer. Known for visualising concepts into handcrafted characters, human forms and typography, he has worked for international giants like MTV, Nickelodeon, Puma among others.
In this Advanced Photoshop tutorial, Kevin Roodhorst shows you step by step how this Astronaut Photo Manipulation is made. Someone even decided to have this as a huge tattoo on his arm!
Kevin Roodhorst a 26-year-old digital artist/retoucher from Almere, The Netherlands, specialized in high-end creative imaging and editorial/commercial advertising.
• HARDWARE/SOFTWARE USED
– Wacom Intuos
– Eizo 27inch Screen,
– Photoshop CC 2017
• STOCKPHOTO CREDITS
Shutterstock
Mumbai based fashion and lifestyle photographer Vinod Wakkchare assisted Mr. Atul Kasbekar, before deciding to fly solo. He has worked with many famous Indian fashion designers and celebrities.
Illustrator, Pracheta Banerjee, believes that if the fire within keeps burning, one will find their own unique way and style. With that, she stays true to her fondness for the eerie kind of beauty, and finds expression in showcasing deep emotions of characters in dark settings or environments.
Pracheta is obsessed with the eerie side of beauty. For her, it leaves a heavy and mysterious impact, making one curious about the unknown while demanding the most attention. Her works are inspired from Greek Mythology to even basic human emotions, and have a lot of symbols and historic references, or may just be direct. She generally surrounds the character with elements that strongly convey their internal state or sentiment. Colours, in the process, have astrological references. There are certain aspects she highlights most while colouring, such as the eyes – some people’s intentions can be seen very clearly just by looking into their eyes. Likewise, if the lighting is strong, it adds a heavy impact to the entire painting, she feels.
Always exploring ways to convey stories through her works with as fewer boundaries as possible, there are times when she’s just unable to get the work done. That’s when she starts fresh and gets back with a clear vision of what she wants to do. It helps to come back to the drawing board, refreshed and renewed, so as to be able to see things clearly. By exploring and being open to more new ideas, one can truly grow and find more answers in the process. It is important to actually feel or ‘be there’ on the scene, so as to express something.
She paints from memory, which requires a lot of photo studies and understanding of how it works, or from references, depending on the effect to be achieved. One has to take a break from time to time, and plan out a composition and work from memory; by this, the mind keeps on looking for new information. It keeps challenging the mind, and one may patch that up by looking at some references and understanding them. In time, one can mentally ‘see’ i.e. visualise the object or subject in 3D space.
According to Pracheta, there is no right way to depict fantasy paintings effectively, as everybody has their own different style and method, and one may not work out for the other. One has to just keep practising and following their intuition. It is necessary to understand what one is painting, in order to move forward. In fantasy paintings, we usually get to see very heavily rendered works; lots of surrounding elements; colours and what not. The key is to find your own style; to break out from what has already been done. It all comes down to the final execution and what one wants to express.
The season of the festival has started and everyone is preparing to have a unique one this time with less cash and more fun. We interview many creatives who creates promotional or calendar design each year. As most of the thing around us had shifted to digital, even calendar design and the promotion has shifted. But Yorick Pintos, a strategic consultant at studio Kohl suggests that best option would be a mix of both. If you are interested in print design & want to understand the future of the same. So, go ahead and order your latest issue copy!
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Graphic designer, Itu Chaudhuri, lets out his experience and insight in the field of branding. He expresses what goes into creating effective brands, and the various aspects or elements that play a role in the process.
IC. For some brands, the product’s properties are the heart of the brand. For example, we know Mercedes by their cars, which are a model of stability and Germanic engineered perfection; not by their advertising or showrooms or their F1 Cars (which they do very well). For those brands, branding needs to reflect what’s special about the product, but rarely reflects the product itself. The ‘what’s special’ part, in turn, depends on the category. For more functional products, it’s about a clear benefit from using it (e.g. relieving pain).
For less functional brands, the benefit may be more in the mind i.e. how it makes people feel, or its ‘values’ (what it encourages its customers to believe in). This is also true for brands, which we know by their advertising more than by the special qualities of the product (e.g. a mobile service like Vodafone or Airtel). But, rarely does the branding show the product itself. If the product is a packaged product that’s never unpacked (think deodorants, or insect repellents, or a fizzy drink), then the branding and the product are practically fused (even when large advertising budgets support the brands).
IC. Every customer knows that they are being manipulated. So, branding works best when it slips under the radar of the customers or escapes their ‘crap detector’. Yet, if the brand seems to admit this while managing to charm the customers, it works. The audience is then willingly helpless to resist. This means that the branding is, in some sense, invisible when it appears to belong or be inevitable as if there was no other way it could have appeared. This requires honesty on the owner’s part and linking the brand to what is true. Despite this, it’s carefully orchestrated. Simply appearing artless won’t do it. Done right, it can succeed in disarming the customer.
IC. Personality is the key, and thus cannot be overlooked or sidelined at any stage. It’s a mental model of the brand that describes the brand’s character and attitude, more like a representative, and thus implies its appearance.
IC. The point isn’t a balance: it’s more a purposeful imbalance. Different brands need different treatments, so that one may do best in a minimal style, and another with a busy, or even chaotic style. This is a necessary facet that one needs to recognise and remember throughout the process.
IC. Deep understanding of the client’s truth is fundamental and most essential, but making sure that it’s attractive to their customers is of value, at the same time. If you succeed on the first count and fail on the second, you touch no one. The other way around, and the attraction will be skin deep. It very clearly is a case of both or nothing.
This issue, we try to explore different views from many well-known studio owners and senior designers. While Anthony Lopez of Lopez Design shared tips on what a studio looks for in a designer, Mohar Ray from Codesign highlights the key aspects that play a significant role and make the difference in whether you are hired or not as a promising designer. Also, this issue has an insightful article on ‘Branding with reason and love’ from Itu Chaudhuri, founder ICD (Itu Chaudhuri Design) along with Siddhi Ranade, explaining his tools of story telling through his unique style of illustrations. This issue is a must read for a talented graduate to a branding expert. Order you copy and enjoy reading it!
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Here is our 2017 collection of illustrations by Lokesh Karekar, Wallcano, Shreya Gulati and Ranganath Krishnamani, that well describe and represent, thorough current context, the significance of the day India marked its independence after a long freedom struggle.
Celebrate this Independence Day with free, easy to download mobile and desktop wallpapers of
the displayed artwork.
We ought to remember all those souls that readily offered themselves in life and death to the Indian’s freedom movement. Hence all the leading icons of the nation’s freedom, in their iconic poses.
By Lokesh Karekar locopopo.com
Desktop Version: [lana_download id=”22011″]
Mobile Version: [lana_download id=”22018″]
Young India, today, is synonymous of ‘Digital India’, where most things are expressed via hashtags. Thus depicting, hereby, the vibrant, positive and liberating tastes and trends of the nation’s youth, symbolised by one of its most insisted pursuits, gender equality.
By Wallcano wallcano.in
Desktop Version: [lana_download id=”22020″]
Mobile Version: [lana_download id=”22023″]
70 Years of independence, yet the nation’s woman is not free in its true sense, hindered by various social stigma. This illustration serves as a tribute to all the powerful, all-encompassing women empowering themselves and each other.
By Shreya Gulati shreyagulati.in
Desktop Version: [lana_download id=”22026″]
The splendor of the dialogue between the current times and storytelling monuments of the past is bygone with the splendor of the modern digital era, submerged in the glamour of the ‘selfie’—Hemakuta hill, Hampi, of 14th century Vijayanagar empire.
By Ranganath Krishnamani liquidink.design
Desktop Version: [lana_download id=”22024″]
Mobile Version: [lana_download id=”22025″]
Utilising technology through the mediums of light and sound, designer and interactive performance artist, Michael L. Dolto enjoys honing and nurturing individuals’ awareness of their environment. This approach and attitude are what provide him the constant nudge to guide the younger ones.
As a new academic year is about to commence, one is reminded of the expectations one has of the educational experience. All is not rosy, neither all thorny, for that matter; it is mostly a mixed affair—there are “good” and “not-so-good” aspects of any educational institution, Indian or foreign. Students, generally, are quite adept at recognising negatives over the positive. As per Michael Dolto, though, the best bet is to make qualitative judgments while employing parameters such as the follows:
It is useful to have a set of academic goals for oneself. At the same time, the context to be in school should be to get exposed to things you didn’t even know existed. Certainly, you may have ideas as to what is out there, but it is more likely that you will be able to discover fascinating new things through your time spent with faculty. You have to remain open to possibilities and be true to your own interests, and so also consider it fine to shift your goals based on the experiences of your education.
All is not rosy, neither all thorny, for that matter; it is mostly a mixed affair—there are “good” and “not-so-good” aspects of any educational institution, Indian or foreign
Students are often stressed about finding work when they graduate. In the creative industries, there is no formula, per se. The professional market is starting to realise that the world is capable of changing very quickly. One’s marketarketability will increase with the ability to adapt. This ability is developed only through experimentation and taking chances with one’s work. This experience will only make you more confident and able to adapt to any professional opportunity that much quicker.
Every design school should focus on developing an individual’s creative process, not the individual’s product. What makes you valuable in the workplace is your ability to solve problems; to reconcile parameters with resources to make the ends meet. If a faculty gives you a bad critique of your work, reflect on the processes you implored, not the end product.
A creative process should include a sense of detachment. The object is not important; the object is an expression, just as you form your sentences in dialogue. You need to learn how to detach yourself from your work. It is the only way to develop your critical and analytical thinking.
Success in any creative field is a measure of one’s ability to develop analytical and critical thinking. Teachers and peers will help you, but only you can become a best observer of yourself.
An education in design is likely very different than the education you have previously received. The foundation of one’s success in any creative field is a measure of one’s ability to develop analytical and critical thinking. Teachers and peers will help you, but only you can become an observer of yourself.
In evaluating your education, understand that the texture shifts at all academic institutions. Faculty enter and leave on their own trajectories, so the chemistry of faculty can vary tremendously. Some years may be better at a given institution, compared to another. Thus, “good” and “bad” is a relative dialectic, as the teaching methods of one institution will likely vary greatly from another institution at any given time. Not everyone learns in the same way, so the effectiveness of the experience can vary among individual students.
