Project Title: Understanding the grids in graphic design and exploring the intersystemic exchange of grids for innovation

Supervisor: Prof Shilpa Ranade

In India, there are two knowledge streams of graphic design exist simultaneously- Traditional visual arts and Modern graphic design. But any systematic approach for knowledge exchange among them is missing. Due to globalization, there is a socio-cultural parallax between modern graphic style and local graphic sense. Also, new technology has opened innovative possibilities and the designer is required to use tools, methods and techniques in drastically different design scenarios. There is a need to provide a platform to bridge the knowledge across time-space-application.

This research is rooted in the area of visual design/ graphic design. For this thesis, the focus is limited to grids in graphic design. The objective of this research is to understand grids in the system of graphic design and propose a method by which a grid from system can be borrowed and adapted in system N for innovation.

In the broader sense, this research is following Design Research Methodology by Blessing & Chakrabarti. The soft systems approach is used to create conceptual models of design activity. The FBS framework for cross domain knowledge transfer using analogy based design, proposed by Qian & Gero, is employed to develop a method to compare grids across different systems.

The main steps of this research are:
- Grids in graphic design are studied through related design literature and design research   literature.
- A survey in conducted involving designers and data is analyzed to check the understanding   of grids among the design community.
- A conceptual model of grid for graphic design is created and the definition of grid is   developed.
- Various syntactic and semantic variables of grid are defined and validated.
- System model for contemporary graphic design practice is developed.
- A model for intrasystemic exchange of grids based on FBS framework is proposed.
- This new model is evaluated for exchange between system of image making and system of   type design. As a result series of Devanagari type faces are created.

List of publications: (Published)
- 'Reaching Out in the Mind's Space', in Gero, J.S. and Goel, A.K. (ed.) Design Computing and Cognition '08, Netherlands: Springer, 321-340.
Author - Athavankar, U., Bokil, P., Guruprasad, K., Patsute, R. and Sharma, S. (2008)

- 'Diagonal grid in graphic design', IASDR conference electronic proceedings, Seoul, 3263-3272.
Author - Bokil, P. and Ranade, S. (2009)

- 'Image making of the letterforms', International Conference on Research into Design'11, Singapore: Research Publishing, 826-833.
Author - Bokil, P. and Ranade, S. (2011)

List of publications: (Accepted)
- 'Across the time and space: Application of Systems Thinking to bridge the past and the future of design practices', Design principles and practices.
Author - Bokil, P. and Ranade, S. (2012)

- 'Function-Behaviour-Structure Representation of the Grids in Graphic Design', in Gero, J.S. (ed.) Design Computing and Cognition '12, Netherlands: Springer.
Author - Bokil, P., Ranade, S. (2012)

Magazine Article:
- 'Functions of Grid, a key for flexibility in framework', in Poovaiah, R. (ed.) Design thoughts, Mumbai: IDC IIT Bombay, 42-48.
Author - Bokil, P. (2009)

Podium Presentation at International conference:
- "The Word, a story of the Letterforms", ATypI conference 2010, 8-12th September, 2010,    Dublin, Ireland
- "Making Grids Flexible", Typography Day conference 2012, 1-3rd March, 2012, Mumbai, India

Poster Presentation at International conference:
- 'A key to flexible layouts in graphic design', Fifth International Conference on Design Computing and Cognition 2012, 7-9th June, 2012, College Station, USA
Author - Bokil, P., Ranade, S. (2012)

Contact details:
Industrial Design Centre,
IIT Bombay ,
Powai, Mumbai 400076

Telephone:
091-022-25767812

E-mail:prasad_idc[at]iitb.ac.in
         prasad.bokil[at]gmail.com

Address:
Hostel. 12, Room no: A-313