The annual Ahmedabad Design Week 4.0 (ADW) got underway in Ahmedabad on the main campus of Karnavati University, with design aficionados from all over the world advocating that a human-centered approach was the way of the future of design.
Ahmedabad: Design enthusiasts from all over the world advocated that a human-centered approach was the way of the future of design as the annual Ahmedabad Design Week 4.0 (ADW) got under way in Ahmedabad on the expansive campus of Karnavati University. ADW 4.0 is a design conclave put on by Karnavati University and hosted by Unitedworld Institute of Design. It brings together well-known designers from across the world (UID). On Friday morning, the three-day event's opening ceremony was held. The state-owned, private Karnavati University is committed to teaching quality and interdisciplinary learning.
The theme for this year's edition is "Technologically Revolutionising Across Paradigms" (TRAP). The term "TRAP" refers to the idea that technology and society are now interconnected. Without the support and integration of technology, innovations in all fields are impossible, and design is no exception.
The event was inaugurated by Mr. Ketan Mehta, founder and chairman of Cosmos Maya, in the presence of Mr. David Kusuma, president of the World Design Organization, Mr. Masahiro Hara, inventor of the QR Code, Mr. Pradyumna Vyas, member of the board of directors of the World Design Organization, Mr. Daniel Boey, fashion director and creative curator of Daniel Boey Pte. Ltd., and Dr. Greg Autry.
During the inaugural address, Mr Ketan Mehta, highlighted, “Design is a conscious creative intervention for building a better life. We are humans, because we are designers, we constantly interact with and intervene into the world. Over the last many decades, world has gone through multiple tech revolutions transitioning from the mechanical age to the electronic age to digital age.”
“Design and technology go hand in hand. While technology is dazzling and empowering, it is overwhelming and challenging – all at the same time. In the fast changing world, it is important to see how one can use design,” Mr Mehta added on.
Providing insights about his research on the QR Code, Mr Masahiro Hara, Inventor of QR Code, said “The QR code design took some 104 years to form. Designing efforts over the years have led us to design the QR Code in a way that it is used with utmost convenience. We are working on the design for a new QR Code soon.”
Mr Daniel Boey highlighted how the digital platforms have changed the course of the world. “We have seen major changes taking place in the fashion industry too,” he said. Echoing a similar view, Mr Tovi Sorga, said, “As the digital platform brings rapid changes in our lives, it is important to strike a balance and make things more human.”
Emphasising on the future of design, Mr David Kusuma said “The theme of ADW 4.0 is highly relevant as design will play a critical role in shaping the digital revolution. India has seen a rise of digital technology at a massive scale, making design inevitable. In fact, the government has recognised the importance of design and accordingly implemented initiatives to support the industry.”
Mr Kasuma also hailed ADW as an initiative. “It plays a role in design education, entrepreneurship, encouraging a design-driven culture. Design for the better world should be the motto of the future, to use design as a fundamental tool to build an inclusive, sustainable and resilient world. The heritage city of Ahmedabad is the perfect place to organise ADW and the city is poised to be the Design Capital of the world,” Mr Kasuma continued.
Mr Pradyumna Vyas, also pointed out the role of design. “Today’s world is volatile and complex and therefore, the design approach needs to undergo a change. With the advent of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Big data, it is important to understand how to use them to solve the crucial 21st century problems the world faces today. Emerging technology is enabling us to combine these emerging technologies with a new aspect of entrepreneurship and social sciences. However, it is important that the design be ethical, factoring in several environmental, economic challenges the world faces today,” Mr Vyas emphasised.
During his welcome address, Shri Ritesh Hada, president, Karnavati University, mentioned, “Education industry has been undergoing reforms from time to time. Design and Technology, which were once never thought of as mainstays of education have now assumed a key role in the paradigm shift the world is undergoing. The idea behind the Ahmedabad Design Week is to create a platform that can help integrate design with national interest.”
ADW was originally founded with the philosophy of offering a dynamic and gyrating platform for creative enthusiasts to showcase and express their ideas and concepts before a community of designers, academicians, innovators, global advocates, industry captains, and professionals from the world of design and other creative domains. ADW was first launched as India Design Confluence (IDC) in 2018 and later rebranded.
The festival features a number of lecture sessions and artisan workshops, including ones on, among others, leather puppetry, brass cut, blue pottery, and namda.
During a session on design value proposition, Mr Samir Chabukswar, Founder & CEO, YUJ Designs, remarked, “Some 10-12 years ago, India barely had a market for design entrepreneurs. There was no demand and at the same time, there was a serious dearth of talent, despite several universities offering design education as a huge gap existed between the curriculum and actual design practice. Even though things have changed over the years, awareness and understanding about design is still low. This is because people who invest in design fail to understand the difference design can make. Design is interdisciplinary in itself now and therefore, amidst all the challenges a designer needs to broaden one’s views.”
The first day of ADW 4.0 also featured a panel discussion on cultural borrowing—appreciation and appropriation. Cultural appropriation was discussed by experts like Mr. Daniel Boye, Mr. Tovi Sorga, and Ms. Shruti Kamath, co-founder and creative director of Athlos activewear, who also underlined the importance of social media.
“In the world of fashion, we see many incidents of cultural appropriation time and again. In times of globalisation, we often borrow styles and techniques from around the world. But respecting and acknowledging efforts of where it originated is important. For instance, several leading brands tend to copy indigenous crafts without giving them due credit. In another example, the Paisley Prints which are from India were widely appropriated by designers and named after a Scottish village. Besides growing awareness, social media is also emerging as a powerful tool, as it enables craftsmen, small brands, young designers in calling out these incidents,” mentioned Boye.
Mr Suraja Kishore, Chief Executive Officer, BBDO India spoke on stories and design for a better world. “Stories can move people to think better and make this world a better place,” he added during his address, highlighting the importance of stories in design.
The co-founder and chief design officer of Stealth Health-tech, Ms. Honey Bajaj, underlined the importance of designers becoming entrepreneurs and recounted her own transition from designer to business owner.
*Image Source: Indian Express