In conversation with Sanjay Reddy and Faiza Quidwai
In conversation with Sanjay Reddy and Faiza Quidwai
What is Indian Design Society is all about?
Indian Design Society is a non – profit design community in India. It caters to the motive of Informing, educating and inspiring a community of creative thinkers who get together and celebrate the creative communication and enhance the standards of excellence of design and craft industry around the world.
How did you come up with this idea?
The initiative began in February 2020 by a group of young designers. The idea of beginning this sparked when these designers gazed the diminishing vision of design and craft sector in India. Design is not a constraint to fashion. We can see design in varied domains like art, architecture, transportation, technological design and what not? Design plays a medium to communicate the functionality and aesthetics. the more it evolves with diverse creations , it becomes approachable and user friendly. Design is where tradition and culture is been revived. As the age old sayings goes of our ancestors, it makes sense when it is brought back to life in the form of design. The world now revolves around design and it defines the future. This reason in particular is what made the society reachable for all creative thinkers.
When you work with craftsmen, how do you connect them to people? Do you have any campaign or something like that?
Yes, we do have a campaign by the name of creative welfare. It is an initiative by our organization Indian Design Society. The campaign particularly focuses on Lacquer toy artisans. We need to bring betterment to the artisans and resolve their problems especially during the perplexing times of pandemic. artisans play a primary source for all the exquisite creations in the design stream. even before the pandemic there was a section of society where they have been really suppressed. I am from NIFT and we have been to these cluster initiatives of lacquer toy and we have seen the conditions under which the artisans work. To do something for them and to uplift them. It is important to create awareness among the roots of their creation and relish its exclusivity. The campaign also gains its name as it sensitizes the state of existence of artisans like their need of an hour, and to emphasize how the Indian culture and tradition needs attention for uplifting the hands of the craftsmen.
The campaign comes out with creative strategies to help the artisans through social media, crowdfunding, direct contact marketing, and donation process with different ranges. This is how we designers try collaborating with NGOs like ( Hastaya Vikas Yevam Sahayata Samooh). Illustrators and also one hand made company called Gifting Happiness. The collaboration of these three will be empathetic to the artisans to protect them and preserve their creativity.
How do you support yourself as a society financially?
We at Indian design society have donation process. We have a set of three ranges.
1st range starts from 1rs- 1000rs
2nd range starts from 1000rs – 5000 one will receive an illustration and a handmade product from the Indian Design Society.
3rd range 5000 and above- The donor will receive a handcrafted lacquerwear product.
Customized Illustration
Handcrafted Product
Its interesting and the first range works like a normal donation. The donor will receive a thank you e- note along with a donation certificate and receipt. In the range two, the donor has two options , he / she can donate the amount between the fixed ranges or he/ she can get a customized illustration which will be sent on their mails as well. With the product of illustration with Gifting Happiness, it will be delivered to their addresses. Lastly in the range three, the donor will have two options. He/ she can either donate the amount between the range without any product. In return the donor can receive a craft product from the NGO which will be delivered directly to their addresses. So, This is how we were been planning the processes
As to conclude we are also working together with MILAAP as a funding platform. We also wish that people would plan with this community grow this craft world. Craftsmanship gains its power to hold on the roots of our Indian culture. India as a unique country sounds incredible with these elements of artistry. The more people get along , we can protect the craft and its richness.
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