This is a concept still and there’s only a working prototype, but a great one at that.  Developed by Toyota, in collaboration Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design, Toyota’s concept cars feature ‘Windows to the World’ that allows interactivity when one is sitting at the back.

This is a window with several touchscreen functionality. It can be used to obtain information about objects outside, such as the distance of a house, or to entertain children with games, design software, digital zoom and so on. Besides giving children the ability to draw on the windows using only their fingers, Windows to the World could also include a pinch-and-zoom feature to enlarge far-away objects, show the distance between the car and various objects, and display the names of things zooming by the window in the tongue of the local residents. They even have plans for the sunroof, saying it could be used to display virtual constellations, complete with detailed information about the stars.

Drawing in motion allows passengers to use their fingers to “draw” on the rear windows. The image traced by your fingers then will move along the window as the image is moving away from the car.

Zooming into captured moments in time allows you to  pinch and zoom-in on outside objects. It’s like zooming-in an image on your iPhone or Android.

Translating the world in a local language gives users the ability to designate names of objects outside the window to be translated into the local language.

Augmented distances will allow the curious-minded to display the distance from the window to an object outside.

Virtual constellations utilize the vehicle’s panoramic roof to display virtual constellations and display information about them.

Watch the video:

And yet another interesting concept.

The next time you go to buy a Cadillac, you may get a chance to experience the new interactive window sticker created by Fusion92.

Using a new touch-sensitive translucent film technology, the design and development team of Fusion92  built a working prototype of an interactive window sticker. At first glance, it looks like any ordinary window sticker displaying price, features, fuel economy and such, but when a customer walks by the car the window comes to life, making the glass a fully interactive touch-screen kiosk. Users can customize all the features of the car, see the updated price, calculate loan payments, watch videos, share the car on Facebook and Twitter and sign up for more information.

Love this exciting phase of digital technology and interaction media that allows us to connect differently and experience another side of the experience.

So next time, you may want to leave the driving to someone else.

The 2 Rupee coin

The latest coins issued by the Government of India have the new symbol of the Rupee.  Overall, I do think the composition of the entire graphic face of the coin is rather uncluttered, simple and pretty effective. The design also showcases the national flower of India- the lotus.

And the new symbol is clear for all to see, thereby popularising it for sure.

Most of the times, we as humans prefer the visual experience. A successful design stems from this basis that ‘form does follow function but is appealing too by its own merit’. Good graphics communicate far more than words can ever, especially if one wants to reach out to a larger and inclusive audience.

The new rupee coin is a good example of this thought process- only where the graphics are concerned on the coin.

Sometimes though, the form also ensures or indicates the function. And good design means looking at the entire picture and then finding solutions. Here the new range of coins has failed. The size of the coin has been made a size smaller… the new 2 rupees coin is of the size the earlier 1 rupee coin was, which in turn looks like the earlier 50p coin.

Not just confusing, but this is a visual disadvantage that has been created. People are used to a certain size now, and associate that size with the amount of money given out.  And chances are that people are going to miss some more money than intended. Which is not a small or trivial issue for those who have to literally save for a tomorrow.

I feel the new coins should have remained the same size as the earlier ones or should have got a different colour- like the gold and steel finish that the 10rupees coins have been given. Then the size would not have been such an issue, as people would easily bracket these coins in the ‘new’ segment and also remain aware of the size.

Size does matter and how… more importantly, design matters.

Older version of the 10 rupee coin

10 rupee coin with new symbol

One such course that I am currently doing is a four-day workshop at the Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth (TMV) . Conducted and organised by Manjiri Bhalerao and Saili Palande-Datar for TMV and  Samvidya Institute of Cultural studies, this short exercise is being carried over two weekends, for the entire day. Called ‘Olakh Pune ani Parisarachi’ , this intense course is on Pune and its Environs, and tries to reveal different facets of Pune and its Environs, such as Geograpy, Biodiversity, Archaeology, Ancient and Medieval History, Traditions of Art; Architecture and Sanskrit Studies, Traditions of  Literature; Music; Theatre; Dance and Films, Pune in 19th Century, Independence Movement, Post Independence Pune, etc.  Many eminent experts from various fields have been brought together to lecture at this course.

Rangoli pic courtesy Manjiri & Saili

I have completed the first weekend and although have read and known about many of the aspects talked here, I have got a new insight and discovered many other facts unknown to me before. And it is a beautiful process this, to be able to keep learning and relearning. In the next post, I will share with you some of the interesting points I learnt.

I look at the history of thousands of years and I see the need of preservation and conservation of the tangible (built) and the untangible (natural, cultural to others) aspects of heritage, and at the same time I know that in 50 years into the future, what will be termed as heritage will also be the legacy we leave behind- based on our actions now.  Are we prepared for that? Or will we wait for time to tell?

new logo

Over the past few weeks, a lot has been talked about the latest winning design of the I-mark on online groups and social networks. In short: The earlier design that was chosen by the Indian Design Council (IDC) was rejected by designers at large. But, coincidentally the new logo is not very different from the older version. Designers again have raised their voices against it. And the IDC has put its foot down saying this is what it is.

The IDC plans to confer the marking on certain products, services, objects and works that conform to the process and standards set by it to ‘define good in the concept of good design’. So, when there is a debate on whether the design of the mark itself is ‘good’ or not, it makes one wonder on the processes and standards thus defined to elevate good design. Something the IDC should consider.

Also, look at it from a global perspective. An I-mark is officially launched globally at the inauguration of the Japanese Good Design Exhibition at the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), in March 2011, and is raved about by the jury and IDC members. YET, back home, another competition is set up because of dissent from the design community in India. And the eventual result is not very different from the earlier version, creating more angst amongst the designers, who have been openly critical about the design and the jury.

Whether the criticism is right or not is not the question, nor is the process of selection the important factor here. What is important is that the image of India and Indian designers gets across as a very confused or controversial entity thanks to this back-n-forth movement. And do we need this bad publicity?

The second point to ponder upon is ‘Why is there a dissent?’.  It’s not that the design community has anything against competitions or people winning those competitions. Nor is there any disrespect to the idea of the I-mark and the IDC members. Yet the furore. Why?

Perhaps the designers could have been more participative in the competition, but then why did they not? There were only 200 entries received.  Was there was no proper communication and outreach? The amount of comments after the launch of the I-mark is a good indicator of the interest the designers have in this competition.  Therefore, the lack of participation needs to be explored by the IDC.

Amongst the shortlisted 13, the winning design is the best, no doubt of it. But this only when you compare the shortlisted entries. 

The IDC could have worked along side a body like ADI, which represents designers from India and put together the competition for the I-mark – this would have surely gotten in more entries, and a good representation from the design industry. And also less criticism. More importantly, this would have come across as an inclusive exercise that every designer would have wanted to be part of and have pride in working for.  After all, an I-mark is not something that can come top down, but has to come from within the design community to succeed.

And if the designers seem to have a problem with the I-mark design and the competition, then perhaps it is because of an underlying current of non-transparency, exclusiveness and no real connect between the IDC and the designers- a fact that the IDC should realise and act towards, especially if it wants this mark be treated and accepted as the stamp of good design.

- Darpana Athale.

ADI_Pune Chapter is launched.

Varied panelists, 60+ attendees and a very participative discussion.

The celebrations of World Industrial Designers Day in Pune and the launch of the Pune chapter of  the Association of Designers of India (ADI) , was followed by a serious discussion on how design can and should change, add value and be integral to a city. Designers, architects, urban planners, people heading NGOs all stepped up to give their views on the topic ‘Design Challenges in Indian Cities’.

On the panel were renowned Architect & Designer Shrikant Nivasarkar, who was chairing the discussion, Textile designer Chandrashekar Bheda, who had from Delhi to be part of this session; Architect and industrial designer Anand Belhe; Janwaani Director Kishori Gadre, Industrial Designer Pankaj Sapkal and Architect Shirish Kembhavi. Their discussions were further given another perspective by Industrial designer Satish Gokhale; and Satish Khot, President-NSCC, Pune.  Designer Nachiket Thakur was co-ordinating the entire session.

The panelists

IIID_Pune Regional Chapter supported the event, because of which there were many architects and interior designers present in the audience leading to different viewpoints from fields apart from Industrial Design.

Viewpoints of the Panelists:
Shrikant Nivasarkar:

• It is important to form a collaborative team and take the design activities further.
• Design, planning, interventions….all of this or rather design should come from within if we want to do something for the city- a sense of participation and ownership is required.
• When we talk of ‘creating an image of a city’… globalisation will bring dynamic changes in emerging cities, is design or are designers ready for these changes?
• Quoting Kumar Vyas, “Chandigarh and NID were good initiatives and great intentions, but went on different tracks- they never came together”.  How do we safeguard or work towards sustaining great initiatives?
• India’ strength lies in its diversity. How do we maintain that diversity/individuality?
• Context to People and Context of Environment- both are key issues for designers.

Kishori Gadre:

• Design interventions are needed for different projects and places within the social fabric of the city. And these interventions are required right from the household level to that of the urban scale.
• Case study – Garbage disposal, zero garbage zones which required industrial design help, provided by Onio Design.
• In cities, the ‘pain’ is divided into large numbers and therefore no one knows what they want.
• Designers need to come forward and work on different issues.

Shirish Kembhavi:

• There is ‘design’ at every step in an urban environment or space, but does it really contribute?
• A space can be turned into a place only thru design interventions.
• There is a need to demonstrate a ‘design value’.
• Housing is very important…can we create a house that costs under a lakh of rupees?

Pankaj Sapkal:

• Awareness needs to be created foremost.
• Some systems cannot be changed easily- change needs to start at individual levels.
• A food and water crisis is being predicted and is imminent and that we need to prepare for it right now, at the individual level.

Chandrashekhar Bheda:

• Regional identity is being forgotten.
• People are working in isolation, macro level thinking and working needs to be done.
• Newer idioms can be formed through collaborative efforts.
• We are in a hurry to become ‘global’,  but we are forgetting to be local or regional.

Anand Belhe:

• What makes a city?
• Mixed usage of city areas/Migration/Systems/Planning
• Adaptability/ Flexibility to change
• Human scale- is it comfortable?
• No planned approch – all individuals are looking at their own work.
• Permeability within a city?
• Is the city for cars or for people?
• Carbon foot prints? -Ac environments everywhere, causing more damage- and this is only because of architects.
• There is a disparity between the rich and the poor.
• Growing local food is a necessity. – Half of the food going to Mumbai is wasted. Why? Is it bad transportation or packaging?
• How is the movement in a city?
• Can we standardise certain elements to improve productivity and economic conditions? China is a good example of standardisation.
• Design and architecture are basically very similar, with same principles.

Expert comments:
Satish Gokhale:

• Sometimes design may work successfully as a stand-alone product, but might fail when taken in consideration with a larger context.
• We need to create products keeping in mind the larger picture and who/what/how it affects our immediate environment.

Satish Khot:

• It is important to create awareness of design at the general public level.
• Can we create something aesthetic that allows every homemaker to create a zero-garbage disposal system at home itself? Perhaps a planter which can also recycle all the waste into manure.

• This is a good initiative, and perhaps ADI can be a body that solves issues at the common man’s level.
• Why can’t designers be on the administrative levels in a city? When we can have city engineers, why not a city architect or designer?
• There is a lot of work that is being done at an individual level, which needs to be acknowledged, learnt from and also shared.
• Issues like garbage disposal do not always require Industrial design. If we can come out with solutions wherein the garbage does not leave the society but gets converted into useful manure, then the process of having these garbage bags collected to bringing them into a truck and then offloading can be deleted.
• An identity of a city can be created through simple means also- eg: Jodhpur, with an all-white scheme for its housing.
• Need to educate people on design.
• It is time that design is not looked as something that needs to come as an afterthought or at the end of a product cycle or for finding a solution to a single problem.  Design needs to come at the beginning, especially for social and city-level projects.
• There is a strong builder lobby in Pune- they need to come for such forums and together proposals should be created for the city. Ditto for administrative personnel.
• Need to increase public utility services and come together to work on finding solutions for the city.
• Case studies need to be created that demonstrate design values, which could be showcased to create awareness. Start small so we can learn from the experience.

One of the highlights of this Panel discussion was the fact that Shrikant Nivasarkar, who is also the President of the Pune Construction Engineering Research Foundation (PCERF) has offered a space for design and good case studies, in the interest of the city, to be showcased during the CONSTRO exhibition in January 2012, in Pune.

The audience and the panelists took back a lot from this event- great insights, motivation to think, to do and make it happen, understanding the need for collaboration and identifying areas to work in… apart from an interesting bookmark in stainless steel from the ‘oneliner’ range by Sarvasva Designs, books from CMYK and an event sponsored by LUXUS.
Compiled and written by Darpana Athale, Sarvasva Designs.

On the occasion of the World Industrial Design Day (WID) on 29th June 2011, the Association of Designers of India (ADI) will be launching their first chapter in Pune.

The event will also see a panel discussion on ‘Design Challenges in Indian Cities’, an initiative that will call upon solutions for some key questions. Such as:

1. What role can industrial designers play in improving Indian cities ?
2. Are there any avenues in your opinion where Industrial Design skills will play a critical role in defining better living in cities ?

The panel discussion will conclude by short-listing design challenges.

And the evening will be closed with the screening of ‘Objectified’, a documentary film by Gary Hustwit; about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them.

So what happens to the short-listed design challenges?

These would then be proposed for further resolution, within a defined time frame. Professionals and students from the design community would then be asked to participate (even compete) for coming up with constructive solutions meeting these challenges. The best of the solutions identified out of this program would be recognized as winners and would be taken up for implementation (the competition details would be worked out once the key challenges are agreed on).

Small steps towards great initiatives….

Simplify through design is Sarvasva’s byline. When we are designing a product or a system or even a process, the aim is always to simplify the end result for it to be understood, and to make it interactive/communicative – basically to connect. We look at complex ideas and break it down to something that is easier to comprehend.

In fact most of the great designs of the world have always been simple, or at least seem simple at first appearance.

Then, do we designers live as simply as we design or think? So often, in relationships, in public and social life, we as humans within a society tend to do just the opposite- make a simple aspect into a complex web of ideas and thoughts. Compounded further by our feelings. And most often than not, this only adds to complex issues, competitiveness, negativity.

Our professional and personal lives are not really mirror images of each other. Is it not time to de-stress ourselves and go for simplification?

- Darpana Athale.

So we have decided to be part of the WordPress PostAWeek challenge all through 2011.

Which might be tough but certainly not impossible. It might be also be fun, inspiring, awesome and wonderful. Therefore I’m promising to make use of The DailyPost, and the community of other bloggers with similiar goals, to help me along the way, including asking for help when I need it and encouraging others when I can.

Would love the encouragement from you all, through comments and suggestions for topics and ideas.

Warmly,
Darpana

What is the ADI?
ADI is the first official body for all Indian origin professional designers and related people, educators and the Industry. ADI is a group is for all Indian design professionals who desire a cohesive effort at elevating the standards of design practice in India, who are keen on promoting Indian design practice and who are interested in networking, learning and sharing with other design related professionals and industry.

How does it work?
ADI is committed to promoting best practices in the profession of design in India by strengthening and promoting the capabilities of the Indian design profession, as well as amplifying and presenting a unified voice to influence public policy, shape the industry and benefit the people at large.

The ADI is managed by the National Executive Committee (NEC) who are elected biennially by members. The National Executive Committee is responsible for running ADI, creating regional chapters and elected local Managing Committees, formulating policies and initiating projects to promote design and the interests of its members.

Benefits to Members:
The ADI raises the profile of design and of its practitioners – our members. We are creating a platform and building knowledge that help employers & clients of design business acknowledge the value that your design adds. And when we do that, we add value to your business and career.

Membership in the ADI means that you see the value of a pluralistic design industry and confirms your status as a qualified, credible and ethical practicing professional.

As a member, you will gain access to an extensive network of designers both locally and internationally. Valuable insights from experienced practitioners on design issues, professional practices and management of business & career opportunities can broaden your design thinking.

No matter where you are in your career–a design student, recent graduate, educator, manager or seasoned professional–there’s an ADI membership level for you.

Join ADI to take advantage of exclusive member benefits from India’s only active professional body for Designers.

DO JOIN! To know more and avail of the membership, go the ADI website: http://adi.org.in/

I actually doubt how many Indians really know they owe their childhood to this man. And how many designers who are now into animation and graphics ever connected the dots to the one of the oldest comic books from this country. These comics and their stories allowed generations to imagine Indian mythology and their characters, a feat still to be surpassed by any animator or TV serial or movie.

So this is not just a loss of a visualiser or an entrepreneur. This is a loss of an icon who’s art was storytelling. An icon of innovation, and icon of design. Uncle Pai was someone who put India on to the global cultural map through his comics, way before the fads or fascination with India began in the West. These comics also never let us forget India while we went exploring Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree…

Some interesting facts about this journey of ACK and Tinkle (courtesy Wikipedia):
1. Amar Chitra Katha is one of India’s largest selling comic book series, with more than 90 million copies sold in 20 Indian languages.
2. Founded in 1967 by Anant Pai, the imprint has more than 400 titles that retell stories from the great Indian epics, mythology, history, folklore, and fables in a comic book format.
3. ACK was an attempt to teach Indian children about their cultural heritage. Pai was shocked that Indian students could answer questions on Greek and Roman mythology, but were ignorant of their own history, mythology and folklore. It so happened that a quiz contest aired on Doordarshan in February 1967, in which participants could easily answer questions pertaining to Greek mythology, but were unable to reply to the question “In the Ramayana, who was Rama’s mother?”
4.The original printings of Amar Chitra were not in full colour—because of budgetary constraints, the panels were printed using yellow, blue and green. Subsequent issues, however, changed to full colour.
5. There are special editions of the epics like the Mahabharata which is available in a 3 volume 1300+ pages set.The illustrations which seem to be quite Raja Ravi Varma’s style have only added to the overall appeal.
6. At the height of its popularity, in the mid-eighties, it had been translated into Bengali, Marathi, Assamese, Gujarati, Punjabi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Sanskrit and Urdu and selling half a million copies a month. Some titles were also translated into French, Spanish, German, Swahili, Fijian, Indonesian, and Serbo-Croat. This success inspired other publishing houses who launched their own series on their own themes: Dreamland Publications and Diamond Comics at New Delhi, and Jaico Publishing House at Mumbai.
7. For most, Indian history, a jumble of names and dates, came alive as stories. The detailed research of architecture, costumes, regional flavours and facts ensured that the comics were widely accepted into the mainstream, both parents and teachers using them as educational aids.
8. Tinkle was India’s first comic book for children! Characters like Suppandi, Shikhari Shambhu and Kaalia are household names…
9. To an extent, these books, with their homogenized and unbiased character descriptions went a long way in promoting national integration and increasing inter-provincial awareness throughout the country.

This last point itself talks of how simple graphics can bind a nation.

The comic book history of India dates back to the early 1900s. Most of these were comic strips. One of earliest attempts is by comic magazine Chandamama, which has been published in more than 5 languages since 1947. It developed from the adaptations of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata in the 1960s, to educational comics for children, caricatures in print media, and adaptations of American superheroes. What with stories from the Puranas, Indian Mythology like Ramayana, Popular Folk tales like King Vikramaditya and the Vetal, etc Chandamama is in a class of its own. Their illustrations and artwork were totally different and very interesting to see.

Indrajal Comics was a series launched by the publisher of The Times of India, Bennet, Coleman & Co in March 1964. The first 32 issues contained Lee Falk’s The Phantom stories, but thereafter, the title alternated between various King Features characters, including Lee Falk’s Mandrake, Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon, Rip Kirby and Phil Corrigan, Roy Crane’s Buz Sawyer, Allen Saunders’ Mike Nomad and Kerry Drake and Steve Dowling’s Garth. Later it also published Bahadur, an Indian comic hero created by Aabid Surti.

The cover artwork for the first 50 or so issues of Indrajal Comics was done by B.Govind, with the back cover featuring a pin-up poster. Govind’s painted covers are highly regarded amongst Indian Phantom fans, and are on par with those of George Wilson for the Gold Key series and the Avon novels from the USA. He was the creator of India’s superhero Bahadur.

[Govind Brahmania is no more among us. He passed away on 9th December, 2009. It is more sad because not even a single newspaper published a single news about this great creator. Not even TOI , the publication group for whom he worked for years.]

Pran Kumar Sharma created numerous strips, like Shrimatiji, Pinki, Billoo and the popular Chacha Chaudhary in the 1970s.

In the 1980s, Target, a children and youth magazine published two page comics. Detective Moochwala by Ajit Ninan and Gardhab Das, the singing donkey, by Neelabh & Jayanto, were its most popular characters.

Target magazine was an innovator as its artwork was original and of a high quality for its time. Manjula Padmanabhan, one of the few Indian female comic authors, did illustrations for Target. She also created a female comic character called Suki which was serialized in Sunday Observer in the 1980s.

Another notable Indian comic publishing house is Raj Comics, home of characters such as Nagraj, (a superhero who has subsequently made the transition to television), Doga, Super Commando Dhruva, Parmanu and various others. In Tamil Nadu, Alagar comics is the most famous one. Its available in both English and Tamil.

The Modern ventures and Graphic Novels:
In 2006, a partnership between Richard Branson’s Virgin group, and India’s Gotham Comics, led to a new company, Virgin Comics, geared towards creating new lines of comics rooted in Indian mythology and Indian history. The first series of comics were published in 2006, to mixed critical reviews. The main icon of Virgin Comics was the superhero Devi, but other series included a fantasy adaptation of the ancient Ramayana epic, a series based on the life of a supernaturally adept Sadhu.

Fluid Friction Comics are an International comics company with an Indian partner who have taken Indian mythology as the inspiration for their comic series. Their premier series DevaShard is an embellishment on the life of Karna and their future titles will be based around other integral characters from the Mahabharata. All stories are based in a fictional world based on a mythological idea of the Earth 7,000 years ago named Bhumi. The artwork in the comics has been produced by a truly international team featuring artists from both the Eastern & Western hemispheres. DevaShard launched for the first time in India just before Diwali in October 2008.

Illustrated Orchids is a comic book company that is operated by the Indian Singaporean diaspora. The company has creative studios in India, and is led by creative director Sudhir Sehgal.

In 2009, an ambitious new company entered the graphic novel market. Based in New Delhi, India, Campfire Graphic Novels has a distribution network with several major publishing houses around the world.

Although the idea of comic books are being replaced by graphic novels, the fact of the matter is that what people like Uncle Pai and others of his time started then in order to promote the ‘Indianess’, has now become an USP for most publishing houses. People want to read about India and comics from India. What better legacy could these stalwarts leave behind…

ps: India unfortunately never duly acknowledged people like Uncle Pai; and it will be a shame if we let others who have contributed to building our culture through comics pass by us unsung.
I think we should put together all these graphic artists’ works in a museum for teaching all new budding designers.

pps: I have been contemplating to start a comic library for the past 2-3 years, never got to doing it. But soon… will update as and when that happens.