Jharokha, Dastak, unConference – Building and Shaping Parag Events
Windows into the world of eminent Hindi poets.
Knocks on Doors announcing new illustrators on the block.
And a ‘books and Ladders’ inspired children’s library (no snakes).
Though the many building references are all but a co-incidence, here are three event looks we are very proud to share. With varied styles and renditions we tried to bring new ideas and looks to each of Parag’s flagship events.
We are proud to be associated with the great work Parag is doing in the children’s literature space. Since 2013, we have been working with Parag on projects of varying sizes and scope. The ones featured on this website are – rebrand of Parag, an award that honours excellence in children’s literature in India, an app for children’s books, and a diary.
Jharokha – We Used Clay for P̶o̶t̶t̶e̶r̶y̶ Poetry
‘Jharokha: Phool Phool Bachpan, Shaakh-shaakh Jeevan’, a poetry event by Parag held in Jaipur in February 2020, was an evening of reading and discussion by eminent poets on ‘what is poetry’ and its significance in childhood, through life and time.
Something akin to how poetry tugs at us, filling us with the sense of wonder, we wanted the design for this event to reflect the same. We wanted people looking at the poster to see it from a place of familiarity but also wonder — how and why — it looks so different. So with that aim we took a short break from the traditional illustrations, hand-done or digital, and picked up some clay.
Poster
The idea was derived primarily from the event name to create a composite of its three elements: jharokha (window/ balcony), shaakh (branches) and phool (flowers). A variety of flowers are born and bloom while travelling upwards and it all happens within the confines of the ornamental arches reminiscent of Rajasthani architecture.
We used a simpler jharokha motif for the social media announcements and played with variations in flower type and their complementary background colours.
Yes the venue was Jawahar Kala Kendra, but Hawa Mahal is only 7kms away, or right behind the poets!
Dastak – An Art Exhibition
Riyaaz Academy for Illustrators, a platform for budding artists and young illustrators, was set up by Parag and Eklavya in 2015. In September 2019, they decided to organise an art exhibition titled ‘Dastak’ (knock) showcasing the works of their students from the past three years. We illustrated a scene that was then used in all promotional materials.
बनी बनाई कला की दुनिया में रियाज़ एक आवाज़ दे रहा है। एक दस्तक। कि भाई हम भी हैं। और आपसे मिलना चाहते हैं। आपके पड़ोस में ही हैं।
Taking a cue from this thought behind the event name, the illustration literally shows an ongoing exhibition where the panels, imagined as doors, are all connected and laid out in an accordion style. Some of these panels have open doors, which depict the various opportunities that will open up for the participating artists and at the same time, open a passage to a whole different world for the viewers of this exhibition.
unConference – A Platform for Children’s Library Discourse in India Takes Shape
With the twin aims to start a dialogue around children’s library scene in India and to nurture capacities of librarians in the country, Parag organised the first edition of an annual Children’s Library Unconference in March 2017. We were tasked to design the look for this one-day event which was conceived as an informal space where library educators and others engaged with children’s literature get to meet, exchange ideas, talk about the best practices and challenges.
Snakes and Ladders, a game that has roots in an ancient Indian board game, set the concept for the first look from where it evolved to the final design shown here. Made of books arranged in the same grid as in the game and interspersed with ladders of different types, the visual shows children interacting with ladders and books, being looked over by a few adults who are the librarians and educators. Rather than stick to just one kind of a ladder we infused the illustration with a variety of fun ways to climb to the next level, which is a symbol of what a good library space should be: growth through reading, never boring and forever paving the way to adventure. On the other hand, some ladders which are somewhat tricky to climb are representative of the challenges currently facing the library space in India. A partially empty canvas at the top implies a growing space, a game that’s still being laid out and the rules of which are still being written. The grid of pencil-drawn book covers in grayscale is used as a backdrop in stark contrast to group of children in various stages of reading and discovery.
At the event
A range of collaterals were designed for the event like stage backdrop, lectern cover, programme schedule and nametags.
A simplified and vectorised version of the artwork was screen printed on tote bags to hold the participant kit inside. This bag went on to be used for other Parag courses as well.
