Cover Design Challenge for Issue 55
In its most recent outing, Creative Gaga reached out to designers across the country, inviting them to become part of a historical Indian print design event. And share their take on an Indian Art style in a contemporary way. The competition was aimed at finding 03 winning designs to create 8,000 unique versions of each, using the innovative technique of HP Indigo printers.
This is a step in the direction of bridging the gap between the current generation of Indian designers and new technologies of printing, thus bringing them closer and making them more accessible to one another than ever before.
To put it simply, imagine one design and unlimited print possibilities with it.
Winning Artwork #01
Padharo Mhare Desh
The Indian Art Style inspired by Rajasthani culture, folks music and more.
With the HP Indigo Creative tools, specifically “Shuffle Colours”, we manipulated the turban design and randomized the colours so that each magazine cover will have a different assortment of colours building the turban.
Winning Artwork #02
MY DESIGN IS PRINTED!
The scenarios are contemporary but the composition, forms and patterns are inspired by various Indian art styles to create a playful experience of the process and chaos an artist goes through.
With the HP Indigo Creative tools, specifically“ Shuffle Colours” and “HP Mosaic”, we set parameters to the design and created 8,000magazine covers that each will get a different portion of the design, while also randomizing the colours in the design to create beautiful,1-of-a-kind, works of art.
Winning Artwork #03
Indian Tiger
Signifying how the tiger is a part of the jungle and vice versa, this being the year of the tiger. My illustration style is inspired by Gond art. Gond paintings are a form of painting from folk and tribal art that is practiced by one of the largest tribes in India with whom it shares its name.
With the HP Indigo Creative tools, specifically “HP Mosaic”, we set parameters to the design and created 8,000 magazine covers that each will get a different portion of the design, but will always look unique and beautiful.
Honourable Mentions
The contest attracted a plethora of high-quality artworks from a range of designers. As only 3winners could be picked considering specific requirements of the HP Indigo AI technology such as the capacity of the artwork to be replicated and zoomed as also their adaptability to changes in pattern and colours, so that they could be printed in a multitude of versions.
Some of these worth mentioning entries are:
01. Manasi Mathur
Combining Rajput miniature paintings with Mughal and Pichhwai elements, this artwork depicts the essence of the multiple lockdown sand curfews that we have all been through since the beginning of the pandemic. Hence this artwork recognises organised chaos by portraying not just one individual’s (un)divided space but all our separate spaces too, each doing their own thing. It is the bigger picture, and the details as well.
02. Uddhav K
The Phad art form reflects India’s glorious culture. It has narrated stories that have travelled through centuries. This artwork is thus a tribute to the age-old tradition of storytelling with motifs of modernity albeit remaining true to the basic principles of the art form.
03. Tanaya Sharma
My artwork is inspired by 'Gond Paintings' of Madhya Pradesh, derived from the word ‘Kond’,meaning “green mountain." The Gond people believe that every element of nature is inhabited by a spirit. Similarly, I have tried to show the spirit in every element of this artwork, recreating the forms of nature, therefore, is done with reverence and worship of their sacred essence. I have taken the inspiration from the painting technique with lines, dots and dashes to enhance the intricate detail that is unique to the Gond Paintings without getting away from my own style. It shows an Indian woman with a bindi that represents her unceasing spirit; swans signify grace and loyalty and fluidity, the way artisans create their masterpieces.
04. Faariha Mastur
The art style that I was inspired by is Kalighat paintings, something I have always been wanting to do. The artwork is my take on The Power puff Girls, which was not only my favourite cartoon growing up but the girls were also an inspiration to me. They were everything I wanted to be as a kid–strong, kind, popular and superhero!
05. Sharmila Selvam
The artwork is inspired by Jaipur paintings and intricate carvings in the architecture of the city. The entire theme is based on pink to replicate the material used in most of Jaipur's structures, having named it "The Pink City."
06. Varsha Sriram
We all live in a world filled with an aura from the living beings around us. The ultimate energy above us looks upon us to create a beautiful tree of a life controlled by the two bodies, namely the earth and the sun. Each contributes to this aura. I have chosen the Kerala mural style, which is a very pure style of Indian art and is rich in heritage.
07. Richa Bhavsar
With time, Creative Gaga’s cover has become a platform that opens a sea of opportunities for the designer/artist in terms of exposure, connections and work opportunities. The artist stake huge pride when they get featured on the cover and it seems as if they have taken over the world as a king/queen. That was the base idea behind my design, where the main character is a queen, showing her Indian roots using the Kalighat painting technique. The lotus cluster is a metaphor for all things beautiful made possible with technology, designed using the Pichwai art technique. Also, to show the digital aspect of this design, I have used relevant design tools and icons in the background.
08. Sandra Johnson
This particular work draws inspiration from the Rajasthani streets of India and the intricate block printing patterns on fabrics. The process of hand block printing on textiles with rich colours was practiced for over 500 years in Rajasthan. The diversity in the colours, patterns, cultures, everything was a fresh experience for me. These patterns and colours never left my mind and I always wanted to create my own masterpiece with the rich memories I had of the Rajasthani Streets.
