MAM
Indian design should have its own identity: Michael Johnson at KDY 2016
JAIPUR: After building a functional formula or template, creative minds often challenge themselves by breaking out of the same mould. Michael Johnson, who set up the London-based design consultancy Johnson Banks, is a follower of this school of thought, because ‘why not?’
After giving a good 10 years to designing for big name brands, Johnson had taken on the lack of proper branding in non-for-profit sector, and asked himself if design solutions can actually make a tangible difference in the field.
Addressing a room full of graphic designers, artistes and branding professions at day one of Kyoorius Design Yatra 2016, Johnson asked if designs can really make a difference or it is a self satisfying and misplaced expectation.
Johnson then went on to answer the question with a glimpse of his team’s works since they started off.
The problem, Johnson said, lay in how graphic designers and advertising agencies handle non-for-profit work. “They treat it the same way old Catholic churches would treat indulgences: a little act of good will for their smooth sailing to heaven, or to pacify their conscience. They don’t do it to actually make it work.”
After familiarising the audience with the idea of design solutions for non-for-profit organisations that actually helped them raise significant funds, Johnson titillated them with the idea of open source rebranding – to the point of sharing their design’s first draft in a public domain to be criticised by the world at large.
For those who don’t know Johnson and his team at Johnson Banks has been invading many trade publishers’ headlines for its partnership with Mozilla to rebrand the company’s identity on a public domain.
Later, speaking to indiantelevision.com, Johnson shared he had great expectation from the Indian design community to carve a unique identity; and a part of it brings him back to Kyoorius Design Yatra.
Having participated in Kyoorius Designyatra first in its 9th edition, Johnson feels it has grown a great deal over the years “A proper design conference was very much a new concept in India back then. It was more of ‘famous designers presenting their works and the Indian counter parts lauding. It was obviously very appreciated but there was very little interaction, and engagement from the audience. And here we are, almost 10 years later and the property has grown so much. It has a clear theme that resonates very well with me. Instead of ‘here’s what I do’ presentation, speakers can talk about why they do what they do,” Johnson shared, adding that from his last year’s experience as a judge of Kyoorius Design Awards 2015, he could gauge that the design industry is being seriously taken in the country.
But it’s not quite there yet, Johnson admitted.
“It’s hard to track Indian designs in other markets. You hear big names from India in thr advertising circle but it gets a little tricky from design perspective,” he said.
“I have often questioned why Indian design should be reflective of western works. Why can’t they do their own unique branding when India has such a vibrant culture to draw inspiration from? There is no need to copy the trends that the UK and the USA have been doing for the past 50 years,” he simply stated. Giving Indian designers the benefit of doubt he added that it could be the result of western works dominating the design industry for years and becoming a benchmark for the young Indian professionals joining in now.
“I strongly believe that Indian design should have its own identity, much like the Japanese who have made a staunch distinction in their work that is world apart. I have started to see someone of that since the last time I was here, thus looking forward to the winning entries of this year’s Kyoorius Design Awards,” Johnson added in parted.
MAM
Birla Opus unveils IPL campaign with 10 cricketers
3 films in 4 languages showcase 16-year warranty and 99 plus stain protection as stars echo “Main Bhi…”
MUMBAI: Birla Opus has just painted the perfect IPL boundary and this time the whole team is on the same canvas. The forward-looking paint brand has launched a high-impact, multi-language campaign for IPL 2026 that cleverly taps into India’s cricket fever. In a first-of-its-kind execution, it brings together 10 prominent IPL cricketers across three films in four languages, turning everyday tournament rituals into relatable moments that celebrate belief and optimism.
The cricketers Shivam Dube, Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, Rajat Patidar, Washington Sundar, Nitesh Kumar Reddy, Ashutosh Sharma, Dhruv Jurel, Avesh Khan and Nehal Wadhera feature in light-hearted stories built around net practice, photoshoots and travel. Each film playfully captures a moment of scepticism about paint performance, followed by a collective, unscripted “Main Bhi…” from the players, hands raised in agreement. The narrative seamlessly highlights Birla Opus’s key innovations: 16-year warranty for exterior emulsion paints, scratch-resistant wood paints, and 99 plus stain protection for interior paints.
Birla Opus Paints head of marketing Inderpreet Singh said the campaign reflects the passion of cricket fans across regions and languages. “IPL is one of India’s biggest cultural unifiers. This year we wanted to bring our best-in-class features to life in a contextually relevant manner,” he noted.
Leo South Asia, chief creative officer, Sachin Kamble added, “‘Main Bhi’ is a simple but powerful expression of belief. By bringing together some of the biggest voices from this year’s IPL, we have turned an individual endorsement into a collective voice of validation.”
With its fresh, engaging storytelling and star power, Birla Opus has turned a paint campaign into a nationwide conversation. As the IPL season heats up, the brand is proving that the best way to stand out is to paint a picture everyone can relate to, one where trust, performance and a shared “Main Bhi…” moment come together in perfect harmony.
