Brands
OPPO India launches imagine IF Photography Awards 2024
Mumbai: OPPO India has announced the imagine IF Photography Awards in the country. The initiative—with renowned director & screenwriter, SS Rajamouli as its Indian ambassador—is designed to spark creativity in mobile photography. OPPO launched the imagine IF Photography Awards globally in 2023. The inaugural edition of the Awards witnessed over 7,00,000 entries from 51 countries. This is the second year for imagine IF, and its first foray into India.
“As an artist, I’ve always believed in pushing the boundaries of creativity, exploring uncharted territories, and inspiring others to do the same,” S S Rajamouli said. “The OPPO imagine IF India Photography Awards 2024 represents a bold step towards celebrating innovation and imagination in mobile photography, and I am thrilled to be a part of this initiative. Let’s capture the extraordinary, let’s imagine the impossible, and let’s create a legacy of inspiration for generations to come.”
The competition, open to all Indian citizens over 18 years, features nine entry categories— landscape, portrait, colours, unfading moment, fashion, snapshot, light, travel, and collection — and will be judged by a panel of expert photographers: Celebrity Wedding and Portrait photographer and OPPO Imaging Expert Joseph Radhik, wildlife photographer Arzoo Khurana, fashion photographer Arjun Mark, and other global juries.
OPPO India head of digital marketing Sushant Vashistha said, “OPPO India is proud to bring the Imagine IF Photography Awards to the country, providing a platform to showcase the incredible talent of Indian photographers. As the sole smartphone brand featured in Paris Photo 2023, OPPO showcased a collection of outstanding images, including those by renowned photographers and winning entries from the 2023 OPPO Imagine IF Photography Awards. This year, we can’t wait to see some incredible photographs from India being showcased on the global stage.”
Participants can share their smartphone photographs for ‘Round 1’ until 15 June 2024 (Midnight IST). From these, 50 winners—announced in the last week of June—will proceed to Round two. This second phase will commence in early July, and the final six winners will be announced on 25 July 2024
From the top winners, the Gold winner will be awarded a cash prize of Rs 5,00,000, two Silver winners will win Rs 2,00,000, three Bronze winners will win Rs 1,00,000. All five winners will get the opportunity to attend the Paris Show and the latest OPPO phone, besides getting an opportunity to collaborate with OPPO India for the photography led projects.
For more information, please visit the official event website at https://imagine-if.oppo.com/in/?dataTab=theme. OPPO India welcomes all mobile photographers to join this exciting opportunity to explore their artistic expression and bring their creativity to life.
The awards were announced on the sidelines of the OPPO Ambassador Conclave in Mumbai that commenced with the unveiling of the OPPO Find X7 Ultra, the world’s first quad main camera with HyperTone Image Engine. Renowned industry leaders, influencers, and OPPO Ambassadors, including Dharma Cornerstone COO Rajeev Masand; director Anubhav Sinha; DOP Sudeep Chatterjee, PHD Media India CEO Monaz Todywalla; and Famous COO Raj Kamble, led discussions on the evolution of smartphone photography, AI advancements, and the rise of content creators.
Brands
Godrej clarifies ‘GI’ identifier after logo similarity debate
Says GI is not a logo, will not replace Godrej signature across products.
MUMBAI: In a branding storm where shapes did the talking, Godrej is now spelling things out. Godrej Industries Group (GIG) has issued a clarification on its newly introduced ‘GI’ identifier, addressing questions around its purpose and design following a wave of online criticism. At the centre of the debate were two concerns: whether the new mark replaces the long-standing Godrej logo, and whether its geometric design mirrors other corporate identities.
The company has drawn a clear line. The Godrej signature logo, it said, remains unchanged and continues to be the sole logo across all consumer-facing products and services. The ‘GI’ mark, by contrast, is not a logo but a corporate group identifier intended for use alongside the Godrej signature or company name, and aimed at stakeholders such as investors, media and talent rather than consumers.
The need for such a distinction stems from the 2024 restructuring of the broader Godrej Group into two separate business entities. With both continuing to operate under the same Godrej name and signature, the identifier is positioned as a way to differentiate the Godrej Industries Group at a corporate level.
The rollout, however, triggered a broader conversation on design originality. Critics pointed to similarities between the GI mark’s geometric composition and logos used by companies globally, raising questions about distinctiveness.
Responding to this, GIG said its intellectual property and legal review found that such overlaps are common in minimalist, geometry-led design systems. Basic forms such as circles and rectangles appear across dozens of brand identities worldwide, the company noted.
It added that the identifier emerged from an extensive design process and was chosen for its simplicity, allowing it to sit alongside the Godrej signature without competing visually. While acknowledging that elemental shapes may appear less distinctive in isolation, the group emphasised that the mark is part of a broader identity system that includes a custom typeface, sonic branding and other proprietary elements.
Following legal and ethical assessments, the company said it found no impediment to using the identifier, reiterating that the GI mark is a corporate tool not a consumer-facing symbol.
In short, the logo isn’t changing but the conversation around it certainly has.
