Today, many parts of the world are witnessing a dangerous swing towards near-fascist policies and ideologies. Xenophobia, racism, and other forms of discriminatory behaviour are crawling out of the woodwork, emboldened by those in power. India is one such afflicted nation. In a much more literal way, it is also highly afflicted by the global pandemic; in ways made particularly tragic by its corrupt, inept government. Graphic design, as service industry, is tasked with creating vehicles for others messages. However, the medium and manner of delivery has a profound impact on the message itself. It has never felt as urgent and necessary for design to play an active and vocal role in amplifying important messages than it does right now. Thus, in my solo practice, I have taken up design projects—both commissioned and self-initiated—that respond to this state of affairs. If given the opportunity, I’d like to present three in particular. Awaaz, a design for an exhibition and publication about resisting rising fascism; ‘a post-COVID India’ design for a book aiming to reform the laws of the country in light of the pandemic; and ‘Lockdown Brain,’ a project marrying poetry, typography, and graphic design to lament the stir-crazy state brought about by a national lockdown.
Responding To The Times We Live In
