Brands
Understanding the design industry in India
MUMBAI: Often, brands have less than a second to make a first impression. Even the best campaign will only get noticed if it’s able to stand out in the first few seconds. A good design helps a brand differentiate itself from all the noise of competing messages.
Design can make or break a brand’s strategy. Clients often expect design teams to be able to interpret their brand’s strategy but don’t really believe that designs are capable of creating a staggering effect. Maybe that’s why they hold back from investing on a great design team.
Design is to business what evolution is to nature: it helps companies to change and survive. With digital revolution, shorter attention span of the audience and shortening life cycles, brands need to break through with increased dimension and vitality.
However, technology, consulting and financial companies are taking note of design and acquiring design agencies at an unprecedented rate. Albeit design being huge in the western world, it has only started to catch up in the world’s fastest growing economy, India. Back here, clients are now opening up to have a conversation about design, its importance for the brand and how it can help them in connecting with Gen Z. One such design and digital agency in India that’s helping shape up the design industry is, The Minimalist. Founded in 2015 and run by two alumni from IIT Bombay, the agency has worked for Coca-Cola, Minute Maid drink, Flyrobe, ICICI, Airtel, Xiaomi among others.
Contrary to how most business for advertising or media agencies comes from retainer clients, design agencies can only work on project basis. Once the agency has created a design for a brand, it tends to work/maintain it in-house thereafter.
But what are the key things to look at while rebranding or creating a design across all mediums – UI/UX, web interfaces, products, etc.? The Minimalist co-founder Chirag Gander lists down his key pointers:
• Brands need to have design guidelines as per recent trend. They have to keep up with the changing trend.
• The logo/design should be scalable. The design and logo should be made in such a way that it fits into a mobile screen as well as a desktop screen without pixelating or give different user experience.
• Identity should appeal to target audience. The revamped brand identity should resonate with the brand’s core target audience.
• Brands should be very consistent. They need to regularly monitor the design and change it if and when required.
Gander says, “It was difficult earlier but clients have now started to appreciate design. Though design was considered a first world thing, its everywhere you see now.”
Brands should not underestimate the value of a good design for their business and promotion as good design is not optional but critical for success. Whether a viewer is looking at a brochure, website, graphic or the full brand identity, if the design is not professional, a brand may loose the reputation that it has worked so hard to build.
Brands
Hyundai and TVS Motor partner to develop electric three wheelers
Joint development pact targets last mile mobility with localisation push
MUMBAI: Three wheels, one big ambition and a charge towards the future. Hyundai Motor Company and TVS Motor Company have signed a joint development agreement to co-create electric three-wheelers (E3Ws), aiming to crack India’s complex last-mile mobility puzzle. The collaboration moves beyond concept talk into execution mode, building on the E3W prototype first showcased at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025. The goal now is clear, design, develop and commercialise a purpose-built vehicle tailored to Indian roads, riders and realities.
Under the agreement, Hyundai will lead design and co-development, bringing its global R&D muscle and human-centric engineering approach to the table. TVS Motor, meanwhile, will anchor the product on its electric platform, leveraging deep three-wheeler expertise and local market insight. It will also handle manufacturing and sales in India, with an eye on exports down the line.
The timing is strategic. India remains the world’s largest three-wheeler market, where affordability, durability and adaptability often outweigh sheer innovation. The upcoming E3W aims to strike that balance combining advanced technology with practical features such as adaptive ground clearance for monsoon-hit roads, improved thermal management for tropical climates, and flexible interiors suited for passengers, cargo or emergency use.
A key pillar of the partnership is localisation. Major components will be sourced and manufactured within India, a move expected to strengthen the domestic supply chain, create jobs, lower costs and improve after-sales support.
The shift from prototype to production will involve rigorous testing, certification and refinement to meet regulatory standards and consumer expectations. Dedicated cross-functional teams from both companies are already in place to accelerate timelines.
At a broader level, the tie-up reflects a growing trend in mobility, global players partnering with local specialists to navigate emerging markets. For Hyundai and TVS, the bet is that combining scale with street-level insight could unlock a new chapter in sustainable urban transport, one that runs not just on electricity, but on relevance.
