At Ishan Khosla Design, we find the ordinary, the discarded and the unusual exciting and inspiring.
We are avid collectors and documentarians of culture and try to bring in the craziness and lateral
thinking from our collections into our design practice. This makes our work experimental, unexpected
and yet professional.
Ishan Khosla Design is a graphic design firm based in New Delhi, India. It was founded by Ishan
Khosla who has worked in the US for several years and holds an MFA in Design from the School of
Visual Arts, New York. We are a three year old boutique design firm specializing in Brand Identity
Design, Website Design, Print Collateral Design including: Books, Catalogs, Brochures, Posters
and Invites; Installation and Environmental Design. We also pride ourselves in working in new
areas of interest such as fashion, furniture and rugs — that are beyond our comfort zone and core
competency. We like projects that are conceptual and relate to the culture of India — where the
design is meaningful and has a story.
Our continued interest in creating distinct, personal and ‘handmade’ work for our clients
integrates with the idea of collaborating with other creative people. We aren’t just graphic designers
anymore but ‘inter-disciplinarians’ — and have worked with hoarding painters, henna artists, Kaavad
craftsmen, calligraphers and fashion and product designers to create work that is conceptual, fresh
and yet meaningful.
Our work has been published in Taschen’s Asian Graphics Now, Logo Lounge 6, Master
Library Series and Graphis and has been shown at the Venice Biennale and the Alliance Francaise.
Ishan is also a finalist of the British Council Young Creative Entrepreneur Award.
CLIENTS:
Clients seeking design services should get in touch with us at contact@ishankhosla.com or
call us at +91-11-32927419. 19, Hauz Khas Village, Mezzanine, New Delhi.
EMPLOYMENT:
Prospective employees should email their resume and portfolio to contact@ishankhosla.com
We do not accept phone calls from prospective employees and interns. Due to a large volume
of emails we may not be able to respond to your email, but res assured, we do read all our emails.
WHAT'S NEW
FRESH! SANGAM (a gift made for Sangam: the Australia India Design Platform event in New Delhi) For Sangam, Delhi, we created a pattachitra scroll with Bijay Kumar in Raghurajpur, Odisha. The concept
was to combine Indian and Australian visual languages. The Sangam lettering seen here is based on aboriginal
art — which is full of concentric forms and forms that are very flowing. There is also a narrative we created
through the pattachitra circles (not seen in this image) that tells the story of an Australian designer meeting an
Indian artisan and how they work together.
FRESH! REPORT ON ADB's 25th ANNIVERSARY IN INDIA. Client: PriceWaterHouse Coopers (Editorial Design)
We recently finished designing a brochure celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Asian Development Bank. The brochure was released by Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee on
October 17, 2011.
The cover painting, done by renowned Gond artist, Bhajju Shyam, is based on the concept of the Tree of Life. We decided to work with Gond artists because their
work is rooted in nature and also because
they come from far flung villages in Madhya Pradesh. Thus, the cover is a metaphor for sustainable and inclusive growth that is a hallmark
of the way ADB has worked on development projects throughout India in the past quarter century.
The Tree of Life shows how starting with a source or capital (represented by the animals) enables you to create various infrastructure (represented by the branches) that ultimately
impacts the lives of various sections of society (represented by the people at the furthest tips of the branches).
The 5 animals represent the ADB's investment in the 5 sectors — Cow
for Agriculture; Tiger for Energy; Horse for Urban; Elephant for Transport and Bull for Finance.
The 5 main branches of the tree represent the 5 sectors ofdevelopment focus for ADB.
Thus the Agriculture sector is made up of canals and fields; Energy is made up of wires; Urban is made up of pipes; Transport is made up of roads and Finance is made up of coins.
As one goes higher up the tree — a metaphor for going further in time — one notices the impact of the infrastructure on the common person — the project bears fruit. Thus the branch
of Agriculture has farmers tilling the land; the Energy branch has power cables; Urban has a metro train and skyscrapers; Transport has highway traffic and Finance depicts banks
enabling small entrepreneurs to succeed.
Note: Scroll right to see the section dividers used in the book, also Gond paintings. Art by Bhajju Shyam (Cover, 1 and 3) and Kala Devi (2, 4 and 5) respectively Concept: IKD
FRESH! SANGAM (naming and visual identity for The Austrialia India Design Platform) Sangam means confluence and although it typically refers to the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers in Allahabad; it has a broader connotation that is
apt in this case — the confluence of craft and design and of Australia and India. We decided that the visual manifestation of the word mark itself should exemplify
its meaning and so we came up with the idea of designing the mark and then working with an artisan to physically make the mark we had envisioned on the
computer. This then would epitomize the meaning of confluence. We worked with Sanju-ben (via Kala Raksha), who belongs to the Dhebaria Rabari tribe.
Seen here is the computer generated version we did in Delhi, and the handmade version that Sajnu-ben made in Kachchh. We gave her the freedom to interpret and
alter the designs between and within the letters but keeping the letters as similar as possible. See the making of Sangam >
FRESH! CRICKET IS A RELIGION (Installation for Nike at Olive, Delhi)
We were one of 5 designers asked by Nike to create an installation to celebrate the 3 world cup victories of India.
Cricket is more than a sport in India — it is a religion. It is the only force that transcends religion, caste, politics, language,
gender and economic status in India. Cricket is, of course, about the players and the game itself; but in India it is about the
fans, of which there are millions in every corner of the country. For our installation, we have taken inspiration from the myriad
fans of India and their emotions during the course of a game. On one side of the bats, the fans are in a tense mood, during
a critical stage of the game. And on the other side, from where one strikes the ball from, we have fans in an excited mood as
India has just won another world cup. Three fans hold replicas of the 3 world cups India has won to date. We used 11 bats
to represent the 11 players of the team and have used the same mechanism used in mechanical scoreboards and advertising
in cricket fields. The viewer can change turn all the bats and view the 'before' and 'after' and relive the emotions of a real life
cricket game in India.
FRESH! URBAN STUDIO (Advertising for Le Mill)
Le Mill is a new concept store opened in Mumbai in April 2011. The store is located in
an old rice mill. Le Mill prides itself in Indian products that are universal, chic and for
a sophisticated audience that expects a certain kind of product whether it is in Paris
or Mumbai. Urban Studio is a 4 day event launching in December that help bring the
maker closer to the purchaser and vice-versa.
TEN SAGES (Logo Design)
To be featured in Logo Lounge 7. Logo Lounge is a leading and respected world-wide
database of the best logos of the world. The best of the best logos are published each year in
the Logo Lounge Book.
Arastan (Brand Identity Design)
The identity needs to reflect this aura of belonging to the past. The colors need to be based on
the various hues of blue used especially in the desert cultures of Persia and Uzbekistan.
The overall feel must be geometric and yet have a feminine and warm feel.
ELA (Van Dyke Prints) These Van Dyke prints were made from photographs gives by Creative Impex
for
Ela. I learnt Van Dyke printing while at the School of Visual Arts in New York.
It is a 19th century printing method that works without the use of negatives.
The paper (usually a watercolor paper) is treated with light sensitive chemicals
in absolute darkness.
An object or a translucent image is then placed on it and
"contact printed" by exposing to sunlight. The exposure duration depends on the
intensity of the light and the density of the print.
The Fading Flower Markets Of Delhi (Client: Arch-I and Dutch DFA for Delhi 2050)
Delhi is undergoing a massive change. We are in the midst of a kind of progress that can undermine
the very fabric of the city. One of the recent examples of this "gentrification" is the removal of the
age-old flower markets of Delhi. There are three such markets, one in the south in Mehrauli, one
in Old Delhi's Fatehpuri and the largest flower market in Asia, near Connaught Place all have
received eviction notifications from the Delhi government who want to move them to a cold
storage in Ghazipur.
As part of the dialogue of Delhi 2050, we created silk garlands that depict images from these very
flower markets in a celebratory manner — a last "hurrah" if you will. You can wear these garlands
as a
scarf as well in many different permutations and combinations to suit your style.
Left to Right: Photographs of the various Delhi flower markets; the designs created
from these photographs and the guests at the Delhi 2050 event in the Netherlands Embassy wearing
the silk scarves.
The Circle of Making by Tarshito (Clients: Venice Biennale, Italian Cultural Center)
This 5 minute film captures the essence of this conceptual artist who is very inspired by the
spirituality of every day life in India. His work combines the sacred and the profance and
often uses symbols and objects such as bells that are charged with meaning and symbolism.
For instance, he is seen being inspired by the temple bells in India and how that translates
into his artworks that he creates back in Italy.
Right: The video being showcased at the
MMXI Venice Biennale.
Concept, Cinematography, Editing and Direction.
FRESH! SIGNS OF INDIA (stenciled wall signage at the IKD studio)
Anyone who has been in India for even a small length of time would have seen some of the
crazy and eccentric signs one sees on walls and in various establishments such as: "Best Quality",
"No Outside Food", "For Export Only", "Stick No Bills" etc.
FRESH! PHILIPPE STARK (Concept for Packaging for 'Juicer') Stark's Juicer is world famous for its simplicity and beauty.The packaging shown above uses
the concept of the orange skin to clad the box that contains the juicer. On opening the packaging,
you see the juicer held in place by a 'pulp' sponge. The metaphor is complete.
DESIGN SCHOOL INDIA (DESI) (BRAND IDENTITY)
The 'desi' wordmark is used as a 'vessel' for various Indian symbols such as patterns,
vernacular imagery and type — symbolic for all the various disciplines of design. **Featured in Asian Graphics Now! by Taschen Books
FRESH! THE EMPEROR'S WRITINGS (Book Cover Design) Calligraphy by Ashraf Ansari
This book, which is a historic fiction, chronicles the writings of Emperor
Akbar to his son, Jehangir. Historically, Akbar is thought to be illiterate
and there are no records of letters actually written in his hand. Since
the art of writing is so important to the book, we decided to calligraph
Akbar's entire name including his title, into a profile that is quintessentially Akbar.
FRESH! IKD Business Cards
Six designs with fronts and backs shown. Various images from small towns
in India used. The images on front and back are arranged according to similarities
in image contrast and arrangement.
FRESH! THE LOTUS QUEEN (Book Cover Design)
Illustration by Kaavad artist, Dwarka Prasad
"The cover of The Lotus Queen was designed by Ishan Khosla Design who did a fantastic job by using the traditional form of artwork
from Chittor, called Kaavad to create the scene of Padmini's Jauhar. Ishan is an extremely motivated and passionate individual and
really brought his unique vision and ideas to the project. He undertook his own initiative to research and develop the concept; seeking
to truly differentiate the cover from what is in the market today. Highly recommend Ishan and look forward to working with him in the
near future again." Rikin Khamar, Author
The kavad is an artform native to the Chittor district of Rajasthan (left). The kavad is a miniature version of a shrine and is used to tell
many mythological stories, which, traditionally were mainly the Mahabharat and the Ramayan. Today, the kavad has morphed into
a modern story-telling device and there are numerous kinds of kavads used today whether for school children or adults. You can view images that show the process here >
ELA (Brand Identity Design) Ela is a high-fashion brand that produces garments for women solely out of organic cotton. The clothes are
meant to be both stylish and comfortable and they hark back to an era where sustainability was part of daily life.
The mark that we created was to reflect a sense of nostaligia, organicness, feminity and of being rooted in craft.
The resulting grid has been developed using circles, which indeed adds to the rounded and feminine aspect of the
brand. There is a sense of incompleteness to the mark which adds to its sophisticated playfulness. The mark can
be used in many ways, the grid can be printed and the filled circles can be embroidered either color on color or with
contrasting colors as see here.
Right: Brainstorming session we had with our clients.
LOVE IN A HEADSCARF (Book Cover Design)
SKIN INK (Book Cover)
HEROGIRI (Book Cover)
HOSHRUBA VOLUME 2: The Prisoner of Batin (Book Cover)
TRUESO: An exclusive store selling high-end Jewellery and Silver Artifacts, based in NOIDA, Mumbai and Varanasi (Website Design)
Development & Execution: NeuroSys.biz (Arjun Dhar)
DOCKMASTER'S HOUSE (Identity Design and Collateral for a posh London Restaurant)
Dockmaster's House is a listed building in London's Canary Wharf district, which has been
converted to an Indian restaurant. The final mark (above) is inspired by the compass rose and the
Ashoka
chakkra (of the Indian flag). The various brand collaterals (below) such as the letterhead,
business cards, bar menu, complimentary slip and e-newsletter and are shown below.
The final few marks look at combining the compass rose with the chakkra (of the Indian flag).
ALFRED HITCHOCK Book Covers (Concepts for Westland Books)
For this re-issue of stories from Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, we decided to use the very recognizable silhoutte of Hitchcock, but relate the
actual form of his outline to elements from crime scenes, such as blood stains, plastic bags (suffocation), cloth (for tieing someone) and arson. **Featured in Asian Graphics Now! by Taschen Books (2010)
BAULSCAPE (Book Cover and Type Illustration/Calligraphy)
Bauls are mystics from Bengal who reach a state of trans through music. They
are nomads and their beliefs transcend religious barriers of Hinduism and Islam.
The word "Baul" is sanskrit for the wind. The title is inspired from this connection
as well as the music that they create wherever they go. **Featured in Asian Graphics Now! by Taschen Books (2010)
POSTCARD PROJECT II
In this self-initiated project, I mailed my girlfriend postcards on a regular basis. These postcards travelled from New York to Jaipur, India. The idea here is to use visual communication to touch someone's heart. And to also
learn to create something beautiful that you give away—literally, since many of the postcards got lost along the way.
POSTCARD PROJECT
In this self-initiated project, I mailed myself a postcard a day for about 9 months. I had a few constraints for the project—the postcards could not be bought, they had to be mailed everyday and always list my
address and the date. I don't claim these works to be solely mine. Someone designed the original postcard and the postal service also contributed with their stamps and other markings.
