In the beginning was Ayurveda. Then came Baba Ramdev, and all Things were made by him. And begat he a shampoo-to-noodles empire, and all around him were vanquished. Patanjali Ayurveda (Rs 4000+ crore) is FMCG’s most salient brand, and the most analysed. A spectrum of theories tracks its rocket-like rise—a branded-house architecture, its distribution model,… Continue reading Bad Design, my Goodness!
Author: admin
Surfacing the issues: an interview by Adam Kallish
Adam Kallish of the TropeCollaborative interviewed Itu on the impact of rebranding, his love for typography and the future of design in India.
Requiem for the Music Store
First, the news. On a sad day for music lovers, especially those of the classical kind, the iconic music store Rhythm House, at Kalaghoda in Mumbai, shut down its online ordering service citing “obvious reasons”, in a message on its website on Valentine’s day. The physical shop shut down two months ago. That’s the end of countless hours spent there by rasiks (aficionados) in listening booths (what are those, you ask?) browsing the aisles, buying even; or c…
Physique Part 2: Is Your Brand Physique a Constraint or an Asset?
For many product categories, a brand’s products leave a deep, indelible imprint on the mind. I call it ‘physique’, drawing upon similar usage in the literature . It is a powerful stamp, often a defining one for some brands, more so than its logo or name. Its power comes from our automatic, helpless response to it, which precedes any formal or rational thinking. The idea is introduced more fully in my previous post . Since physique is defining for some brands, it can be…
Design and its importance in Indian commerce
Divya M Chandramouli of Smart CEO interviewed Itu on what design thinking is and what the next big thing in design is going to be. Design consultant, Itu Chaudhuri, says good design furthers an objective or addresses an existing problem by providing a solution. Itu Chaudhuri, of Itu Chaudhuri Design, studied architecture and switched to… Continue reading Design and its importance in Indian commerce
Physique Part 1: I Like Your Body: The Grip of Physique
First, the news. When Tech Mahindra, Indian conglomerate Mahindra’s engineering and technology arm, bought a controlling stake in the Italian auto design company Pininfarina it was, said chairman Anand Mahindra, meant to address “the increasing design sensibilities of today’s consumers,” for whom “product design will greatly influence customer choice”. Pininfarina already works with Mahindra on… Continue reading Physique Part 1: I Like Your Body: The Grip of Physique
Physique Part 3: Three Escapes from the Grip of Physique
Physique is ‘the mental imprint of a brand’s physical image, as a sensory perception”. Its power comes from its automatic nature, which escapes formal or rational thinking. It’s related to the primacy effect, psycho-speak for the power of first impressions. Once imprinted, it decides whether we ‘accept’ products that don’t fit the ‘physiqual’ mould. If… Continue reading Physique Part 3: Three Escapes from the Grip of Physique
a talk at IIT Powai on future of typography
Itu speaks at TypoDay (2015), IIT Powai, about his love for letters. The video talks about his tryst with typography, some of his type projects over the years and a few ideas on the future of this art.
Twitter is not the X you can dump—why brand twitter continues to fly
A design studio’s delayed rant on the Twitter DP change, largely confused as a rebranding to X.
Name calling
Here is a consideration of INDIA, the acronym chosen by the opposition alliance, considered purely as a name and a strategic idea. It’s from the perspective of our work in naming. We name entities (products, companies, brands) that are being born, and often rename others that are changing course. Maybe the INDIA alliance is a… Continue reading Name calling