MAM
Kahani Designworks and Ek Type win Black Elephants
JAIPUR: The three day creative extravaganza of design and visual communication, Kyoorius Designyatra, reached its crescendo with the Kyoorius Design Awards 2016. On its 11th edition, a total of 22 Blue Elephants were awarded to those who have done remarkable work in the field, out of which Ogilvy & Mather took home four, followed close at heel by Open Strategy & Design with three Blue Elephants to their name.
Two Black Elephants (equivalent of a grand prix) were also won.
Kahani Designworks took home a Black Elephant, on top of their Blue Elephant, in the Design For Space category for ‘The State of Architecture’ which was done for Urban Design Research institute. The second winner of the prestigious Black Elephant was Ek Type in the Deign Craft category for their work titled ‘Baloo,’ which was done for Open Source through Google Fonts. This year Kyoorius Design Awards had received a total of 468 entries out of which 43 were the In-Book winners.
Five Blue elephants were won in the Branding & Identity category, with O&M and NH1 Designing claiming two each and BLOK winning one. Design for Packaging category saw two winners – Open Strategy & Design and Fitch — for their consumer packaging designs.
Four Blue Elephants were awarded in the Design for Communication category with winners including Ogilvy & Mather, Publicis Communication, Famous Innovations and Open Strategy and Design.
Design for Spaces saw four Blue and one Black Elephant, while three Blue Elephants and one Black Elephant were awarded in the Design Craft category. Open Strategy and Design and Dynamite Design each won one Blue Elephant in the writing for design category. Design for Good and Design for Book each had one Blue Elephant.
Kyoorius also awarded some of the future creative stars with the Kyoorius Young BloodAwards, which 353 entries with 14 Red Elephants being rewarded and 27 In-Book winners. “This year at Kyoorius Designyatra we aimed to bring together a group of divergent thinkers to encourage interactions and creativity. We hope people will go back inspired and with a new passion and vigour towards why they are a part of this ever-growing industry,” said Kyoorius CEO Rajesh Kejriwal , who organises this non-for-profit initiative with D&AD.
The awards were a culmination of the event on creativity and design that sparked fresh and new ideas among the attendees. The final day of Kyoorius Designyatra 2016 had an incredible speaker line-up that included Jon Marshall, Co-Founder & Creative Director, MAP, Singgih Kartono, Founder & Designer, Magno Design, Alex Daly, Founder, Vann Alexandra, Ronald van Schaik, Founder, Kaliber Interactive, Ayappa KM, Co-Founder, Early Man Film, Tap Kruavanichkit, Creative Director, Farmgroup, Ruchita Madhok, Principal, Kahani Designworks, Sameer Kulavoor, Founder, Bombay Duck Design and Sarang Kulkarni, Founder WhiteCrow. The speaker sessions ended with an interactive discussion with the legendary Michael Wolff, Founder, Michael Wolff & Co.
Designyatra is presented by Zee, and powered by The Patrika Group and has various partners such as Absolut, Zindagi, Colorplan, Nicobar, myPaperclip and many more.
Kyoorius Design Awards 2016 Winners List :
Kyoorius Young Blood Awards Winners List :
Brands
IndiGo names William Walsh CEO
Former IATA chief to take charge in August after Elbers exit, Bhatia steers interim
India’s biggest airline has moved fast and gone global. InterGlobe Aviation, which operates IndiGo, has tapped aviation heavyweight William Walsh as chief executive officer, subject to regulatory approvals, marking a sharp pivot as the carrier eyes its next burst of expansion.
Walsh, currently director general at the International Air Transport Association, will step down on July 31, 2026, and is expected to take charge by August 3. The appointment comes barely three weeks after Pieter Elbers exited the corner office, with Rahul Bhatia holding the fort in the interim.
The choice signals intent. Walsh brings decades of cockpit-to-boardroom experience, having led British Airways and later International Airlines Group, the parent of Aer Lingus, Iberia and Vueling. His tenure across carriers has been defined by hard resets, restructurings and cross-border consolidation—skills IndiGo may need as competition intensifies and scale becomes decisive.
Vikram Singh Mehta, chairman and non-executive independent director of IndiGo, said Walsh’s experience in managing large-scale airline operations and navigating complex market dynamics makes him well-suited to lead IndiGo in an increasingly competitive global aviation environment, adding that the appointment marks a new chapter as the airline scales in one of the world’s fastest-growing markets.
Rahul Bhatia said Walsh’s global perspective, operational expertise and customer-focused approach would be critical as IndiGo enters its next phase of expansion.
Walsh, widely regarded as one of the industry’s most influential figures, will oversee overall management and strategic direction, with a mandate spanning operational performance, network expansion, commercial strategy and customer experience. He is expected to work closely with the board and leadership team to sharpen IndiGo’s growth trajectory.
Walsh said IndiGo has a strong foundation and is well-positioned to capitalise on the evolving aviation landscape, adding that he looks forward to fostering a culture of excellence, innovation and sustainable value creation across the organisation.
A new captain, a bigger runway—and a market that rewards scale. IndiGo is lining up for its next take-off.
