Typography is the art of written communication. It is an art that makes language visible. Rules are to be known, understood, interpreted then broken and the new ones should be made.
These words resonate with most Designers all over India and are spoken by the most celebrated mentor Professor Mahendra Patel who is a pioneering typographer, a designer of maps and fonts who is also on the board of studies for JagranSchool of Visual Arts and Design and has mentored and taught leading designers for the past 55 years.
Prof. Mahendra Patel is the recipient of the very prestigious 18thGutenberg Award for his contribution to Typography in 2010. He was honored with the Design Grandmaster Award during the ICOGRADA Design Week in India in 2007.
Jagran Lakecity University’s Faculty of Journalism and Creative Studies organised an interesting and inspiring session with Professor Patel which was attended by alumni, Design Educators and students pan India. Prof. Mahendra Patel shared his priceless design journey and focused on the relevance of typography and graphic design today. The 1.5 hr Zoom event was widely interactive and was learning delight for the attendees.
Prof. Mahendra Patel spoke about how he started his career in Art, Design, Typography and spoke about his influences Hoffman and Adiren Frutiger. He talked about the making of a typeface right from the beginning skeleton to final letterform. He introduced the basic elements of letter design and vernacular explorations, followed by the project showcase done by him with different students from world famous universities.
He shared his approaches for imparting knowledge to his students which inspired and motivated the audiences. In the interactive discussion with the students he emphasised upon the importance of patience and various creative approaches used while making any design.
At the end of the session Prof. Mahendra Patel addressed some questions posed by the alumni and students of The Faculty of Journalism and Creative Studies along with an insightful discussion with the Design Educators in Bhopal, highlighting the different dimensions of teaching typography.
Professor Patel used the analogy of cooking a perfect biryani which takes consistent effort, time, the right ingredients, patience at every stage and related it to creating a perfect design. He quoted that “To enjoy perfect taste you must work hard.”
We are grateful to Prof. Mahendra Patel for this amazing session and for his guidance to our students and the design educators of today.
Jagran Lakecity University’s Faculty of Journalism and Creative Studies has 3 schools under it purview:
- Jagran School of Journalism and Communications
- Jagran School of Visual Arts and Design
- Jagran Wizcraft MIME School of Entertainment and Events
We continuously aim to bring the best experts from the Industry for our students and hold several workshops.
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| Faculty of Journalism and Creative Studies, JLU |
