Digital Agencies
Star India defines the future of digital media consumption at the Kyoorius Student Awards
MUMBAI: The only awards for India’s student community returns with10 new briefs set out by some of India’s biggest brands. Kyoorius, a not-for-profit initiative by Transasia Fine Papers, in association D&AD has announced the launch of the second edition of the Kyoorius Student Awards.
Kyoorius has created India’s only awards programme dedicated to the next creative superheros of India. In a format that’s never been seen before, real clients have set out briefs for students. Partnering with some of India’s biggest brands and creative business — briefs have been set out for specialist categories — Identity, Typography, Illustration, Packaging Design, Motion Design, Graphic Design, Product Design, Digital Design, & two Open Briefs.
Star India has partnered with Kyoorius to create a brief for the digital design category asking students to define the way India will watch TV on the go. Gone are the days where media and content is consumed on a single screen shared by the family; on demand and personal is the need of the hour. And this is an emerging trend that is especially prevalent with the youth.
Students will work on challenges such as the approach of how a user will navigate the site, the filtering of content and the UX, and the behaviour of this experience across devices such as laptops, tablets and smartphones.
All entires in response to Star India’s digital design brief and indeed all entries at the Kyoorius Student Awards will be judged by an international jury that will be flown down to India for the jury session to be held on ground and will be managed by D&AD
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Students are encouraged to work on and submit their entries over a two month period, the entry deadline being — 19th of May 2014. Priced at just Rs. 500 per entry, Kyoorius and D&AD stay committed to their not-for-profit causes and to help develop, recognise and reward the young creative talent across India. Winners of the awards stand to
win the Red Elephant Trophy, a cash prize of Rs. 50,000/- and a student pass for Kyoorius Designyatra 2015 alongside being featured in the Kyoorius Awards Annual.
Gayatri Yadav, EVP, Marketing & Communications at Star India said “We believe that innovation is at the forefront of growing the media industry. And the students are its creative torch bearers. Encouraging and engaging such talent is part of Star’s culture and this platform plays a significant role in preparing them for the industry. With the Kyoorius Student Awards, Star wishes to celebrate this juncture of art & commerce that will define the future.”
Rajesh Kejriwal, Founder CEO of Kyoorius commented, “Design is most effective when it works. And Star is a great example of great design working hard for a great brand. The Kyoorius Student Awards are a great opportunity for younger creative minds to showcase their talent all while getting involved with creating real world solutions for real brands — brands that they can relate to.”
BENGALURU: For years, creative teams have learned to live with ambiguity. Vague comments, last-minute changes, feedback that arrives without context, clarity, or conviction. It became part of the job – something teams worked around rather than getting it solved.
But as we head into 2026, that tolerance is wearing thin.
Creative work today moves faster, scales wider, and involves more stakeholders than before. Teams are producing more content across more formats, often with distributed collaborators and tighter timelines. In this environment, guesswork is no longer a harmless inconvenience. It’s a cost – to time, to budgets, and to creative mindspace.
The real problem isn’t feedback, it’s how it’s given
Most creative professionals you see today will tell you they’re not against feedback. In fact, they rely on it. Good feedback sharpens ideas, strengthens execution, and pushes work forward. The problem is ‘unclear’ feedback. When someone says “this doesn’t feel right” without context, they aren’t just revising – they’re basically decoding. They’re guessing what the problem might be, trying different directions, and burning time in the process. Multiply that by a few stakeholders and a few rounds, and suddenly days disappear.
In 2026, when teams are expected to deliver faster without compromising quality, interpretation is a luxury most can’t afford.
Scale has changed rverything
Creative projects used to be smaller and simpler. A designer, a manager, maybe one client contact. Feedback loops were short, even if they weren’t perfect.
Today, the same project might involve internal marketing teams, agencies, freelancers, brand reviewers, and regional teams. Everyone has a say. Everyone leaves comments. And often, those comments don’t agree. More people reviewing work means alignment matters more than ever. Clear feedback isn’t just about being nice to creative teams, it’s about keeping projects moving when complexity increases.
Guesswork quietly wears teams down
One of the less talked-about impacts of unclear feedback is what it does to people.
When feedback is vague or contradictory, creatives second-guess their decisions. They hesitate. They overwork. They keep extra time buffers “just in case.” Over time, confidence drops. Ownership fades. Work becomes safer, not stronger. Creative energy gets spent on managing uncertainty instead of pushing ideas forward. And in an industry already grappling with burnout, unclear feedback adds unnecessary mental load.
Actionable feedback is a shared skill
Clear feedback doesn’t mean controlling creative decisions or dictating every detail. It means being specific enough that someone knows what to do next.
Actionable feedback answers three basic questions:
What exactly needs attention?
Why does it matter?
What outcome are we aiming for?
This applies whether you’re reviewing a video frame, a design layout, or a copy draft. The clearer the feedback, the fewer follow-ups it creates. In 2026, teams that treat feedback as a skill and not an afterthought, will move faster with less friction.
Tools shape behaviour (whether we admit it or not)
The way feedback is delivered is often dictated by the tools teams use. Comments buried in long email threads, messages split across chat apps, or notes detached from the actual work all contribute to confusion.
When feedback lives outside the work, context often gets lost. When it’s disconnected from versions and timelines, decisions get questioned. When it’s scattered, accountability disappears. More teams are starting to realise that feedback problems aren’t just communication issues, they’re workflow issues. How work moves between people matters just as much as the work itself.
From Opinions To Alignment
One of the biggest shifts happening in creative teams is a move away from purely opinion-driven feedback. Instead of “I like this” or “I don’t,” teams are asking better questions:
● Does this meet the brief?
● Does this solve the problem?
● Does this align with the goal?
This change reduces unnecessary back-and-forth and helps feedback feel less personal and more productive. It also makes decisions easier to explain and defend. As creative work becomes more strategic, feedback has to support that shift.
2026 Is About Fewer Loops, Not Faster Loops
There’s a misconception that speed means moving through feedback cycles faster. In reality, the most creative teams aren’t just accelerating loops, they’re reducing them. Clear, actionable feedback upfront leads to fewer revisions later. Clear approval stages prevent last-minute surprises. Clear decisions stop work from circling endlessly.
In 2026, efficiency won’t come from working harder or longer. It will come from designing workflows that respect creative time and attention.
Ending guesswork is a mindset change
Ultimately, ending creative guesswork isn’t just about better tools or processes. It’s about mindset. It’s about recognising that clarity is an act of respect – for the work, for the people doing it, for the time invested and for the mindspace used. It’s about moving from “figure it out” to “here’s what we’re aiming for.”
Creative teams that embrace this shift will find themselves not only delivering faster, but also enjoying the process more. And in an industry built on imagination, that might be the most valuable outcome of all.
