The election of Prof Pradyumna Vyas as President-elect of the newly constituted board of the World Design Organisation (WDO) is a historic moment for Indian Design. Winning along with him as a member of the Board is the designer from Bangalore, Sonia Manchanda. Both are deserving candidates. Candidates, who spend considerable time in influencing international bodies. This brings design in India to the centre stage of the world design phenomenon. India is slowly but surely coming on its own after years of following western concepts of what design is all about.
Pradyumna with his years of experience as a designer and then as the Director of the famed National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad has been seen to influence policies while heading different design committees in the CII (Confederation of Indian Industries). He has been promoting the use of Design amongst Indian industries thereby getting more opportunities for the designers his institute trained them for. His passion for international design grew as he fanned out to participating and judging international design competitions, world over. His education experience as NID’s Director makes him an ideal choice for the role.
Sonia is a designer from Bangalore heads SPREAD, a design firm with a difference. While working on commercial graphic design work, her team also spent considerable time in promoting design amongst the influencers and decision makers. A assiduous foot soldier, she is the face of new design professional in India : ready and raring to go.
Pradyumna Vyas and for that matter, Sonia Manchanda as well, are representatives of the new emergent India. The one that demands its seat at the table, so as to influence policies and influence agendas of different governments. The India that brings a lot of professionalism to their work. The India that demands good design . The India that goes beyond the brief when it comes to making things better.
They have task set for themselves. To be able to use their positions to bring Indian design to the global fore. Showcase India’s design work in developing crafts, not just manufacturing industries, as our strength. To promote use of design amongst social milieu and beyond businesses. To make projects be planet-centric, not just people-centric. To project quality education of designers, and not quantity. To bring the world to our doorsteps and to get foot-at-the door of the world’s design bodies. To do all these we need to meet and impress upon the world as to what we are capable of.
Indian designers have to work along with Pradyumna and Sonia to see them succeed in bringing Indian design to the world stage and bring the world to our table. ADI, the apex body of design professionals that I head as President, is committing to work with both of them to build the Indian design ecosystem.. To be able to suggest alternative design idioms, to influence industries for good sustainable practices and products, to give design education a boost it deserves and to usher in a welcome change to the society at large.
WDO is invited to join the celebration of Design in India. Let the festivities begin!
Design thoughts 