Ishan Khosla

Associate Professor

Total years in experience: 18 years

Papers published in journals

  • Skin to Screen: Transforming the indelible markings of godna into a digital typeface, CIHA

Papers presented in conferences:

  • After Life: lessons on product longevity from the informal economy at the International Upcycling Symposium 2020: Research and Practice. De Montfort University, Leicester, UK. 09/2020
  • Panel discussion on The Object, in the age of reuse by Tiipoi at Delfina Foundation, London Design Festival. 09/19
  • Paper, Comité International d’Histoire de l’Art (CIHA), Skin to Screen: Transforming the indelible markings of godna into a digital typeface. 08/19
  • The Typecraft Initiative. Pune Design Festival. 01/20
  • Paper selected for the Making Futures conference, Plymouth College of Art. 09/19
  • The Relevance of Craft in Today’s World, at M.S. University, Baroda as part of the Narrative Design in Craft conference. 02/17
  • From Skin to Screen: a look at the Godna tattoo Typeface, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Japan. 10/16
  • The Everyday in Design. CEPT, Ahmedabad. 09/16
  • UX India, Bangalore. 10/17
  • Typo Berlin (The Typecraft Initiative) 2017. 05/17
  • Work in Progress for Better Tomorrow as part of the Porosity Kabari event, Studio X, Mumbai. 02/16
  • The Japan Foundation on Connections between Design and Traditional Culture. 12/13
  • The 7th Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale, Korea. 10/13
  • Speaker: Roots, Identity, Modernity, on tradition and the contemporary in the Asian context. 07/13
  • Culture, Craft and Society in the Context of Indian Design, Kona Design Pop-up, New Delhi. 01/13
  • Semi-Permanent (NZ): Value of Design from Different Cultures, Wellington. 11/12
  • Participated in a design hypothetical at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. 11/12
  • The Influencer Conference. Panel discussion: Whether India needs a Design Identity, Mumbai. 10/12
  • Design x Design, Alliance FranÇaise, New Delhi. 09/12
  • TypoDay, IDC, IIT, Mumbai, 03/12

Academic Background

  • Degree Programs:

  • BS Computer Science, University of Washington, Seattle, USA. 06/00

  • MFA Design, School of Visual Arts, New York City, USA. 05/05

Short Programs:

  • Summer Program on Typography and Design: Hoschule für Gestaltung und Kunst, Basel, Switzerland. 06/16

  • BFA Program in Visual Communication: The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA. 2002–03

Career Graph:

  • Ishan Khosla Design LLP (Founder-Director, Partner): 03/08–Present
  • The Typecraft Initiative (Founder-Director, Partner): 08/12–Present

2005–2008:

  • Art Director, And Partners, New York City
  • Senior Designer, Decker Design, New York City
  • Designer, Studio Blue, Chicago

2000–2001:

  • Designer, Resonance, New Delhi.

2001–2002:

  • Freelance designer.

2000–2001

Internships:

  • Noon (San Francisco), 2003
  • Farrar, Strous & Giroux (New York), 2003
  • Cabinet Magazine (Brooklyn), 2004

Honours and Achievements:

  • MUSEUM COLLECTIONS:

  • “Kutch Toran” with over 12 crafts and as many communities collected by Living and Learning Design Centre (LLDC), Kutch. 01/19

  • Work submitted for Serendipity Arts Festival collected by the Munjal Foundation. 12/18.

  • Tal patra chittra (palm leaf craft) for Sangam, collect by The Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia. 11/11

  • Typecraft Initiative (Chittara and Godna): collected by the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan. 02/17

  • Pardesi: the turban untied, artwork, permanent collection, Devi Art Foundation.

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

  • In-Book Winner, Kyoorius Design Awards, Book

  • Cover, Bhaunri, 09/19 and Branding Diversity:

  • Kutch. 10/18

  • Winner, D&AD Kyoorius Design Awards, Book

  • Design for Eye Spy Indian Art. 09/16

  • Winner, Book of the Year, Publishing Next. 09/16

  • Included in Elle Decor’s Fresh Faces: Top 15 young

  • Indian designers to know right now. 03/16

  • NYPD Roadblock Bench, shortlisted by the

  • Godrej Design Lab. 12/14

  • The Asia-Pacific Design Awards (APD). 2013, 2014

  • Finalist, for the D&AD Kyoorius Design Awards:

  • Design for Identity (Oz Fest) and Design Craft

  • (Chittara Typecraft). 08/13

  • Part of the Indian delegation invited to Japan,

  • for the three week long, Asian Curator’s

  • Program [ Japan Foundation]. 9/13

  • Invited to the Netherlands in 10/10 and 05/11,

  • by the Dutch DFA to foster greater design

  • collaborations between the two countries.

  • Finalist, Young Creative Entrepreneur (YCE)

  • Award. (British Council). 2010

  • Graphis, New Talent Design Award Annual, New York. 06

  • ::Output Foundation Design Award. Germany. 06

  • Worldstudio Foundation Scholarship, New York.

  • 07/04 Placed 2nd and 3rd, in 2003 and 2004, International Photo Awards

Research:

Interests: Indian vernacular design, culture and objects, crafts, type design, jugaad and street furniture, behaviors in the informal economy

Books Published:

Books with my work:

  • Bi–scriptual, Multi-script typography. 2018

  • Year Book of Type 3. 2018

  • Tokyo Type Director’s Club Annual. Vol 26. 2015

  • India: Contemporary Design (V&A), London. 2014

  • Typographic Universe by Steve Heller/Gail Anderson. 2014

  • Found Type, by Steve Heller/Gail Anderson. 2013

  • New Graphic Design: the 100 best contemporary graphic designers. 04/13

  • Here, There, Everywhere by Droog, Amsterdam. 2014

  • One by One, by Hesign, Berlin, Beijing. 10/12

  • Stop, Think, Go, Do by Steve Heller/Mirko Illic. 2012

  • Asian Graphics Now! Taschen. 2010

  • Shapes and Symbols, Rockport Publishers. 2010

  • Logo Lounge 6, Rockport Publishers. 2010

Writing Published:

  • Unconscious Design: A Look at the Design of Everyday India. Verve Magazine. 05/17
  • Design Pataka: the Explosion of Design in India, 2010–16. A report commissioned by the Government of the Netherlands and Dutch Culture. 12/16
  • The Kaavad: from devotion to decoration, Garland online magazine. 12/16
  • Kutch: a visual identity for a radiant people
  • A Future for Design: Improvisation through the Informal Economy; Take on Art (Design Issue). 01/12
  • A Partnership of Contrasts, Dutch DFA Annual Report, Page 62–64. 01/10