Designing change

Creativity is the cornerstone of marketing; very few people would disagree with this statement. Though most people associate creativity with advertising, today, brands such as Apple, Nike, Samsung are looking at creativity from the point of view of design. Design encompasses everything that comes within the purview of customer experience and this is why brands are investing heavily in design to create long-term value. Design is what helps them not only stand out but stand strong in rough economic times. 

The increased focus on design is not a trend, not just another passing fad. In India, too, brands and business from the biggest to the most-loved are working with designers to set themselves apart. Though the value created by design is often invisible, it is an accurate differentiator. A brand today is defined by its user experience and user interface — both of which require high levels of strategic design function. But for a long time, design has remained a skill we imported from the West while delegating the execution and smaller projects to local talent. 

I have worked with great advertising agencies over the years but have not found conceptually strong strategic design partners. This does not mean they don’t exist. Sometimes they exist separately as design and strategy — they just don’t seem to walk the same side of the pavement in India. Or, maybe they exist but we don’t know where to go or have the time to go looking for them.

I’ve personally used earlier editions of the Kyoorius Showcase Book in my company to create awareness about building creative output. The one major addition in the recent edition is the online platform that has been intelligently integrated into the book. With the use of QR codes, Kyoorius references each studio back to an online version of the book. This allows companies such as ours to share details and research and reach out to the right design partners.

Founded by Rajesh Kejriwal, Kyoorius is a unique platform that enables designers and connects them with the buyers of design. Apart from organising initiatives like the Kyoorius DesignYatra, Kejriwal also publishes a magazine that covers a gamut of topics from the design, marketing and communication industry. 

The book comprises a collection of over 180 specialist design studios in India, covering the most essential and everyday used design categories such as digital, identity and branding, packaging, product design, retail, etc. The book has been packaged as a box set with two parts that divide studios according to regions: north and south, east and west. It also includes an index booklet that lists design studios by industry and city, making finding the best creative minds very easy.

The book is simple but elegant in design and the hero that stands out is the featured work. It is wonderfully simple to navigate, with a page being dedicated to each design studio listing their key contact details, an overview and examples of their work. I found some refreshing and vibrant new work and was really pleased to see the number of new and young studios whose work is truly remarkable.

With marketers realising the role strategic design plays in creating a winning brand, the Kyoorius Showcase Book is a must-use tool for India’s top marketing minds.