Meet India's new age designers

Most of us recognise good design when we encounter it, but rarely do we comprehend what 'design' really is. The term 'design' is commonly understood as that one element that will 'break through the clutter' and hook the customer's attention. Little do we realise that design is far more intrinsic to the nature of the product or the service itself. Or as Apple co-founder Steve Jobs once said: "Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works."
The quest to identify those who will carry forward the mantle of design led us to renowned interior and furniture designer Pinakin Patel, who is zen-like in his acceptance of the "truth" and child-like in his curiosity to learn digital art and to construct kali-daar lehengas.
"You have to be true to yourself. But design should not be self-indulgent or irresponsible," says Pinakin. "Not only do we have to be able to adjust to other humans on the planet but also to other species because we have the faculty of intellect."
The National Institute of Design, a stellar and steady alma mater to multitudes of India's creative professionals, and Kyoorius magazine editor Amishi Parekh were the other partners in this pursuit.

Fashion: Payal Khandwala
Recommended by: Pinakin Patel
Pinakin says a good designer has to be an aesthetic person and someone with deep-rooted integrity. Whether they are unstructured, square kaftans or double-layered clothes, Payal has good perspective, technique and an eye for detail, says Pinakin, who admits to being the artist-turned fashion designer's initial critic. If her clothes appear simple, it is because she chooses not to complicate her garments. She is equally equipped to deliver complex clothes and be effective, says Pinakin.
"Payal is well-settled and entrenched within herself," says Pinakin. "She is not choosing between her two passions — painting or design. She can easily flirt between the disciplines whenever she wants to without doing any damage to either of the forms because she has found her equation within herself. Her paintings are as good as her clothes are."

Furniture: Lekha Washington
Recommended by: Pinakin Patel
Lekha's products have visual identity, says Pinakin. Considering that the human form has remained unchanged for thousands of years, it is indeed a tall order to expect any real innovation in furniture. But Lekha's pieces (or product art, as she prefers to call them) create delight.
"Her designs are very effective and can be crafted in any workshop in any city. She uses metal frames and simple, stretch fabric. And yet the combination of this simple frame and fabric is absolutely delightful," says Pinakin. "Sitting in her chair, you experience a new kind of a body language. You can hang her chair on the wall, and you don't know whether it is a frightfully unaffordable Anish Kapoor, or a Raza 'bindu' or a chair to sit on and feel superb about. She has a core understanding of the body language and her furniture produces wonders once placed. It is all so intuitively done."

Interaction design: Syed Fawaz Ahmed and Nikhil Joshi of Digital Jalebi
Recommended by: National Institute of Design
If you think terms like augmented reality, motion sensors and interactive canvas and multi-touch points are far from design, thing again. Digital Jalebi, a two-year-old start-up founded by former NID students Nikhil and Syed, has been dishing out some rather creative projects. Among their projects that have been experienced with much joy and enthusiasm are interactive video canvases for Taj Vivanta and Toyota, gesture recognition projects for Asian Paints and Park Avenue and a recent augmented reality ramp for Jabong at this year's edition of Lakme Fashion Week. "We focus on understanding what the client wants to achieve, and the space available before we start our projects," says 30-year-old Sayed.
Their most challenging project, one which always elicits wonder and awe among users, is the sound installation, Jaltarang, at the Mumbai airport's T2. "We had a vague brief and just four months to complete the installation, but we had little idea of how to interact with water," says 26-year-old Nikhil. "After visiting the site and studying the scope of the project, we knew that depth cameras would work."

Textile designer: Tanvi Kareer
Recommended by: National Institute of Design
Trained in several varieties of Indian techniques to fashion fabrics, the Ahmedabad resident is passionate about weaving, especially Ikats. "There's something about creating the fabric with your own hands. A lot of people, when they buy clothes, don't realise what goes into the making of a fabric."
Having experimented with a wide variety of techniques, such as weaves, wovens, prints, textures, embroidery and even incorporating plastic waste in fabric, Tanvi found her confidence after a stint at Ethicus, a farm-to-fashion organic cotton retailer from Tamil Nadu. The 23-year-old recently started working for the Ahmedabad-based textile firm Bandhej as a designer. She aims to find a balance between contemporary design aesthetics and traditional arts.

Illustrator: Kalyani Ganapathy
Recommended by: Amishi Parekh, Kyoorius magazine
Six years ago, Kalyani gave up a design job at a Bangalore-based agency to start working independently. Only, she had no project in hand and had no idea where her next pay cheque would come from. Circa 2014 and sitting in the cool climes of Kotagiri, in the Nilgiri mountains, this graphic designer and illustrator already has an interesting body of work under her belt: book jackets (Geography of Tongues, Grey Hornbills at Dusk, The King's Harvest), book illustrations, editorial illustrations, posters and brand identity.
"I choose work that excites me. Am open to anything that has to do with writing and travel," says the 30-year-old, who is now working on her own illustrated book of poems.