Spandan

End of february 2010, 

my school, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya,

hosted its annual Alumni dinner.

Now, ever since I "pass"ed out of there in 2002, 

I'd never gone back...

So I decided not only would I attend it finally,

but also contribute as much as I can,

all in the spirit of giving back to the community.

Thus came along an entire identity package. 

Someone came up with the name 

'Spandan',

and I got rolling.

I took off from the basic meaning of the term itself.

"a vibration of the collective energy"

and came up with typefaces for the same 

in both hindi and english,

keeping in line with the tradition of the school.

The building of the network itself, 

saw the hard work and a collective contribution of many

other members of the alumni from various batches.

Next came the Alumni Network logo.

Basic premise was to work with

the 'chakra' that we all associate with the vidyalaya :

 Thus, building a human network 

around the structure 

such that its still recognizable as the chakra.

The vibrant colors not only represent the unity in diversity

but also bring forth the colors of 'holi'

that was to be played at the venue...

(since it was around the same time, 

and was to be celebrated before the dinner among the alumnis as well)

 Once this was adopted as the alumni network logo,

invites were created for the faculty, staff and the students.

Posters were created to be put up at various venues

across Delhi.

The look took off from the logo and was built upon.

Clicked in front of the school, 

and you can see our beloved 'chakra'

in the background.

Clicked in Defence Colony market.

Sadly the poster had been put upside down! 

It was also advertised in the Newspaper.

And was printed in The Times of India

Car stickers were created to be handed out to 

the attending alumnus.

(Though I was late, and never got one for my own self!)

It was also used as a backdrop for the projector

while the choir sang old vidyalaya songs 

and before a small presentation.

The logo can be seen online at the school alumni page at :

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/SPV-Alumni-Network/268141093144?ref=ts

or at :

http://spvalumni.ning.com/

(but only if you are a member)

Lets Go Higher, Touch the Sky with Glory!

I was recently approached for a mural 

by one of the Indian Air Force Base.

It was meant for a bar at the golf Course,

and the dimensions of the wall were 8X18 ft.

The aim was to create a space that not only celebrated

the valor of the handsome men at the IAF, 

but also built an environment 

where they could sit back and enjoy post a hard day's work.

I decided to go with a Marvel Comic like feel to the entire thing. 

The pilot standing tall, larger than life, like a real hero

and the wall behind him coming apart, 

giving way to some vintage air crafts 

that seemed to flow right in!

"Lets go Higher" was meant as a pun

and merged with the motto of the IAF,

"Touch the sky with Glory"

The first sketch on which the mural was fashioned after.

Changes were made to this.

Since the dimensions of the wall made it out to be

more rectangular than square,

a nice stretch of the lush green golf course in the background was added

such that the outdoors felt like a part of the indoors. 

The vintage craft was replaced with an MI35

to make it more realistic for today's times. 

The pilot was put in proper uniform and handed a beer 

to make the symbology of being in a 'bar' stronger.

The Poster on the wall that reads 

"Do Not Drink & Fly"

was meant to be an actually framed and placed element

to add an even more realistic touch.

Arjuna!

yatkaroshhi yadashnaasi yajjuhoshhi dadaasi yath |
yattapasyasi kaunteya tatkurushhva madarpanamh ||

Translated into :

Arjuna, 

whatever you do,

whatever you eat,

whatever you offer (in sacrifice),

whatever you give away,

whatever you do by way of penance,

offer it all to me.

Now, I know, the me is for Krishna or God per say. 

But let's say arjun, offer it all to ME!! 

Tools Used : Acrylics, Water Paints, Collage, Markers, Rotrings

Gifted to a dear friend, on his going away party back in 2009.

Of Recycled Window Panes

I believe that good interiors 

do not require a big budget. 

What they require is an intent.

That of wanting to put together,

a home that welcomes you.

One that is bright and warm.

One that has a personal touch and feels cozy.

Or singularly, one that makes you feel comfortable.

I recently had the opportunity to put together

a cupboard made out of old window panes.

Each pane was slightly different in size

and had glass.

But since it was meant for storage purposes,

we decided to cover the glass with something

that not only hid the many blankets,

and sheets and countless pillows from a prying eye,

but also gave it an identity of its own.

A summer's yellow,

spread softly on a sunday classified.

An indian eye lined with kohl,

bleeds the black and comes alive.

Tools used : Merkers, Rotrings, Acrylics, Photo Inks, News print

Just to show the scale of a single panel

Bewade on the Rocks

Today's post is a whole lot different 

from all the ones shared thus far.

You have to hear it to believe it!

You can find it on the side bar

under the same sub head.

I bring to you

BEWADE ON THE ROCKS
or right here
http://www.reverbnation.com/bewadeontherocks

tully night wanderers. 

enthusiasts who like to bask in the glory of of their own groupiness. 

nutcases with hawjikapawji moments. 

entertaining vocal and instrumental aspirants who aim to freak out and enjoy life. 

we draw from personal experiences and if you like us,

we can turn into origami frogs,

and fit right into your pockets. 

come kiss us wont you!! 

Album Cover Artwork created by me of course!

Tools used : A humble pencil

Its taken from a larger scheme of things 

created back in 2008

 Tools Used : Pencil, Colored pencils, Corel, Photoshop

Rain! Rain! Come Again!!

And so the past 2 days, have finally brought some rain to hot and humid Delhi.

Pouring down the passing clouds
you fell upon the rooftops of this world.
Then you ran in every direction
and escaped through the drain spout . . .

You marched down the ridges

neatly down the corrugated tin roof.

Falling free atlast

but first in tandem...

Focused at first 

and then all blurry.

Together, like little children jumping into a puddle.

Marching. Falling. Flying.

I caught you 

on the cushion of my tongue.

You fell into a deep slumber
in the arms of the Beloved.

Dated : ‎20 ‎July ‎2010, ‏‎13:17, The little rustic terrace in front of the studio

Methodology part III

And so here I am, just as I promised.

The day has been satisfactorily eventful to say the least!

And keeping up with my promise, here is the third and the final part of the series.

Ok ok I won't talk as much, and post first!

The final look, keeping in mind all the prior concerns

of making it look apt and youthful at the same time,

and of finding a mascot that would represent the brand. 

You can see the final adaptations below :

So what do y'all think?

Excuse me please while I kiss the sky

Hey everyone, sorry for not posting these past couple of days,

but believe me I have tonnes to share and only no time :(

Was down with flu and 

today have got a very interesting and exciting new project!

All thanks to one of my bestest buddies Andy!

Its all illustrations of animals is all I can reveal at the moment.

But will be able to share something more substantial in a couple days.

I know the third part to my methodology is still pending,

and thanks to the ever so lovely paisley people, 

its good to know that its awaited. 

So I promise not to keep you waiting for too long.

And please do watch this space tomorrow for exactly that and lil bit more!

Methodology part II

The aim was to create a mascot of sorts that could lend a personality to the brand.

Mascots are defined as a term for any person, 

animal, or object thought to bring luck

or act as fictional spokespeople for the goods being delivered.

I personally feel, they are a boost to your visual identity,
they add a human touch and let you play,

they add fun to something as boring as a serious adult life.
I know that they work better with consumer goods,
where there is something more tangible involved as opposed to a service,
but a little bit of entertainment can go a long way in being memorable for your customers.

Thus, since the firm is made of relatively young people,

it was decided the characterization too had to be in line with that.

Hence a little playfulness was incorporated 

via this next option :

Option 2, Tools Used : Corel, Phototshop

Methodology part I

People often wonder aloud,

"What if we don't like what you deliver to us?"

And even at the cost of sounding redundant, 

we repeat "Design is a process".

This post is specifically put together to explain both.

When we take on a project,

we share this process with our clients. 

We share the thought process and often present options. 

We eliminate the doubt altogether and 

the following would give you a peep into our methodology. 

I will upload the various options put together over the next few days,

for the identity related work done for Retail Advisor.

From initial thought processes,

to preliminary sketches,

to a refined output, 

along with the application.

3 options were presented, together, for selection :

Option 1, Tools Used : Corel, Phototshop

Of ol Cars and New in Identity

Have had a really nice day so far.

Drove a car in traffic for the very first time.

Ever!

An old rusty khatara 800

with a chassis that lets you see the road below.

Wipers don't function

and neither does the horn sometimes when it must!

But I'm a li'l ol' school about these things.

I want to restore a contessa.

Get a classic vintage enfield or perhaps even a yezdi.

This reminded me of an old caricature, 

perhaps the first I ever did, of a very dear friend, 

back when he sold his first beloved car,

apparently also a Maruti 800. 

Today I understand the sentiments in true spirit!

Anyhow, today its all about identity 

and will feature some odd projects that we've been up to so far.

Usually all successful businesses are made up of three strands :

Skill

Financial know how

and their Ability to sell or seduce.

Today we mostly take a product's functional characteristics for granted

and while brands are still about image, its no longer just their image, 

but also our own.

Branding by definition enables us to define ourselves

in terms of a shorthand that which  is immediately comprehensible 

to the world around us.

And talking of a logo specifically,

is like focusing on the tip of the berg. 

It should say all that it represents,

in ways that make it distinctly recognizable,

simple enough to be comprehensible,

and should symbolically represent some sort of an ideology.

That being said,

The first of the lot, belongs to a print set up that got inspired by our very name

yes, d4design. 

Except that its very cleverly christened 

'P4Print'

Shows the Business Card and the letterhead design.

The name itself is chosen very aptly and that is highlighted by the 

key 'P' from a keyboard. 

the 4 CMYK dots that overlap with the 'i' in 'print', 

further hint at the fact that its all about printing.

The typography is self developed and the entire look of it being formed out of a cord 

adds humor to a rather serious business. 

This being said, I would like to just remind everyone that all work on this blog is a

copyright of d4design and its respective clients and

copy of any sort would not be tolerated.

A Few of My Favorite People!

Sorry haven't been able to write in for a couple days,

We're finally furnishing our studio in Hauz Khas!

Thanks to lovely Harshita and adorable Meera, found some good cupboards

and quite a good deal with the banjaras on MG Road.

Will upload pics soon.

As soon as we find the time to play around with them!

Till then, had the opportunity to do a couple more caricatures for some of my favorite people.

First was parent's 31st anniversary on the 4th.

They celebrated by the ganges in Haridwar.

Tools used : Pencil, Photo Inks, Markers

Will click a photograph of them holding this once its framed so you all can compare!

Also had the chance to attend the First Baby Shower of the coolest-mommy-to-be!

Darling, I had an amazing time and we all here sincerely hope

all the very very best for you and the baby!

Tools used : Tea and photo ink stains, Pencil, Rotring ink

Before You Center That clay

I am a potter

This statement is meant more for me than for anyone else reading it.

I haven't potted in a long time now, and hence the need to remind myself what I need to get back to.

I have a wheel, kept right outside my studio,

on a little terrace with plants all around and a precious blue hammock.

An acquisition from the Gokarna trip. 

Its newer than the wheel and yet has been used much more.

Sadly.

So what I'm going to post today is to inspire myself to get back to what I love,

and perhaps inspire others in the process

The journey ended or rather started with me arriving unannounced at Mini and Mary's beautiful home in Andretta. I had met them a week before in Delhi and it had worked out just as had been planned. I was packed and ready to move in to learn pottery! The thought had suddenly come to me as I was looking to study further and had been accepted in couple universities in the UK. But I believe this one compulsive step changed the course of my life in an instant.

The mosaic on the outside said, come hither (well not physically). And I felt at home instantly. After a lunch of daal chawal and dumping my luggage in a small small room, with a paddy field right outside the one window, I bid farewell to dad and uncle. The quest had really gotten me far this time.

Spent the night before in Pragpur, India's first heritage village. And it made me see what the coexistence of choices could make a town to look like. 

On one hand there were quaint little houses made of mud bricks and thatched roofs, which I later saw in abundance in Andretta; while on the other were gaudily painted palatial look alikes downsized of course to fit into crummiest of places. 

You can't really force choices onto people. Neither can you make Pragpur look like Prague. But then what must one do to ensure that it does indeed look like what it should? India's first heritage village, I'm not too sold!

 

 

Coming back to Andretta, at the pottery, met two very good potters. Milap, a humble sharer and Jugal, the effervescent Experimenter. And under the guided hands of Mini, I touched the first lump of clay on a wheel! 

 Which of course came after kneading and prepping the clay a dozen times to ensure no bubbles remained in there. One thing is for certain, I would leave this place with toned arms! 

First lot was bloody frustrating. Kicking the wheel, along with attempting to center was not working at all. I always thought I was good at centering things and finding that balance. But none of it was showing. First attempts at visually centering the clay didn't pay off. 

But then after a magical lunch, I just sat there, feeling it in my hands. Closed my eyes and felt an effortless centering. An innate oneness with the self. I was close and it was just the first day! I was elated!

Its a little surprising to see that something so little, almost non-consequential can actually assert itself on you and mold your further actions. Pottery is a craft that tests you and tests you some more till you decide to take control and become one with yourself and the clay. Its much like raising a child perhaps, where you are partly responsible for all that you put in and yet stand helpless as the child is bound to have a mind of its own. As Sardar Gurcharan very aptly put it,

"Center your mind

Before you center your clay"

First set of cylinders that I ever pulled

And the first batch of cups!

And the final first fired batch of beer mugs on request, inspired from Guinness,

delivered to a very happy home indeed

On a Lazy Sunday

Sometimes you can think that you know a city inside out,

and yet be surprised when you stumble upon something you least expected somewhere.

I have lived in this city for about 20 years, 

and what I had the chance to stumble upon a lazy lazy sunday yesterday, blew me away completely.

The day started with the rain, and thank god it has been around ever since! 

The monsoons are here! Yay!

After a hearty breakfast of anda bhurji and tawa bread, 

coupled with a night of micmacs and sitting out on a windy rain soaked terrace, 

we finally made haste in our search for some cheap second hand furniture.

Our destination : A quaint lil farmhouse on Chhatarpur Mandir Road.

The chowkidar at the gate waved us in and we had no idea what lay in store for us 

down the narrow ashok lined lane.

What greeted us were enormous sheds after shed dotted with cupboards in distressed greens, serene blues, subdued pinks; rotund black vessels; ash trays crafted out of thick traditional bangles and anklets (the kinds that perhaps my grandmother wore as a young village belle); old kolkata styled ornate beds with cupids adorning the headboard, such cliched honeymoon reminders that perhaps stepped out of a Rituparno Ghosh movie; really old mirrors; kitschy jesus statues with broken arms; hand painted tibetan trunks; assortment of chairs of every kind; the most beautiful bird cage; huge kerala masaage tables crafted out of a single piece of wood and so so much more than words can do justice. 

The place was huge! No wonder we regressed so many times from our search for a simple table

and just dreamt of what ifs! 

And then it started pouring. 

The corrugated tin roof had water flowing down its channels in neat rows.

Straight and focused at first and then all blurry with the wind. Together in unison. 

Marching. Falling. Flying.

All three of us just sat there in silence. Awed. 

Just in that moment and yet not quite there.

Together yet disjointed. 

Sitting on a couch without the upholstery, as if it had been laid out just for us.

Sadly the price didnt really work out and though we came back empty handed... all I have to say is this:

Certain moments can just stay with you.

Their occurrence as random as their memory, 

Tucked away and stored to raise their head on a hot humid summer afternoon all of a sudden.

Sometimes you can think that you know yourself inside out,

and yet be surprised when you stumble upon something you least expected somewhere

and be changed in ways you can't yet fathom.

The Garden on My Wall

Storm clouds in tea cups

Inks from delhi blue pots

Blood red roses from a discarded tile

Little kingdoms of gum drops

I have a garden on my wall

A secret kingdom of my own

Bees visit it quite often

And I go fishing in it all alone

Created using discarded tiles, broken cups, vases, plates and pretty much anything, so in a way a wall of free tiles!

Cut them and mosaic-d them by myself. 

It fools bees too!

Driving down the 'Garden of Love'

Since we are on this topic of weddings and especially Indian ones at that, 

I can't help but wonder what good wedding gifts there could be.

I raise this topic since frankly I haven't attended weddings and

if I were to, I would rather like to be remembered as a "Cool" gift giver. 

Childhood issues or just a believer of give-what-you-would-like-to-receive, I frankly have no clue.

So when in doubt, I turn to what I would like to receive the most... 

something personalized or better still crafted by the giver!

So this below was my gift to my sister among other things (a coffee table kamasutra at that!)...

For her to take along and put up in her new house in Muscat and remember me...

 Tools used : Pencil, water color paper, tea, water color and acrylics, rotring, marker

Also a photograph of the lovely couple along with, it doesn't really match at the moment perhaps but was fun nonetheless! :)

You can enlarge and actually read the squiggles, which spell out all the funny vows they ought to have made to each other in my opinion! :)

The minute  I heard my first love story,

I started looking for you,

Not knowing how blind that was.

Lovers don't finally meet somewhere.

They're in each other all along.

- Rumi

I had the opportunity to design a wedding card recently. Those of you who know me would understand how difficult it really would have been, given my fear of anything wedding-y. 

But since it was my own sister's wedding, it was hard to get out of. 

The quest was not to go ahead with run of the mill glittery shiny bright nonsensical ones available off the shelf. Hence the need to weave a story. 

Thus the overall theme was of 'Garden of Love'.

All the mayhem started because of this really :

 Back and front

Offset printed with screen accents

Various inserts for the events

All hand illustrated

From sketch to color. 

Decided to go with the uncolored figures as they seemed more earthy. 

Medium - Pencils, rotring, photo inks, tea

The card was delivered with a special square box with badaams mishri

The entire styling was to incorporate colors that were muted yet rich. 

And all the props, be it this dabba or the wedding decor or the kalamkaari inspired illustrations on the card, were used to enhance the experience of an Indian wedding specifically. 

I would elaborate on this more when I actually get around to putting up the decor pictures which are being processed at the moment.

Inside of the card with a  flap holding the inserts in place.

Details of the flap can be seen in the bottom image along with the printed effects of screen overlay.

I actually ended up enjoying quite a bit and got to experiment on the printings table as well. 

So would just like to say, that if any bride to be is going through this and wishes to have something unique that sets apart her day from the rest, feel free to reach me at d4design@in.com