DeSH Lab
DeSH Lab
Design Studies/History Lab
Design Studies/History Lab
Department of Design
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
Department of Design
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
Embedded Files
Vacancy: Research Intern (Urban & Participatory Design)
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
31 March 2025
SiDE Symposium TU Delft
What Was Sustainability? The Past, Present, and Future of Sustainability in Design and its Education
Saurabh spent a brilliant week at TU Delft, where Sam Franklin and he hosted the SiDE Symposium — “What Was Sustainability? The Past, Present, and Future of Sustainability in Design and its Education.” A gathering of minds and hearts, where keynotes, speakers, and an engaging audience, offline and online, traced the journey and practice of sustainability within the landscape of Design education.
It was possible due the funding from the MFIRP collaboration programme between the two institutes Delft University of Technology and Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (RnD IIT Delhi)
31 March 2025
SiDE Symposium TU Delft
What Was Sustainability?
The Past, Present, and Future of Sustainability in Design and its Education
The symposium, “What Was Sustainability?: The Past, Present, and Future of Sustainability in Design and its Education,” March 26-27, 2025 at the Delft University of Technology, will bring together educators and researchers to explore sustainability, as a concept and set of practices, in design and design education. The symposium will focus in part on the experience of TU Delft, with the goal of contextualizing that within larger narratives of Dutch, European, and global design education, as well as of sustainability beyond design. This is a collaboration with IIT Delhi and a counterpart to the SiDE Symposium there in January.
We covered the following topics:
The history of particular programs or courses on design for sustainability/sustainable design.
The intellectual history of sustainability or sustainable design.
Critical discourse analysis of “sustainability,” particularly around design.
Histories of other relevant areas of design and design education, such as social responsibility.
Comparative studies of sustainability in industrial design, communication design, architecture and urbanism, crafts and fashion design, etc.
Critiques of sustainability in design or design education, e.g. as it relates to capitalism and growth economics.
12 February 2025
Saurabh hosted an inspiring conversation with Cameron Adams co-founder of Canva through Dean Outreach's Office at IIT Delhi. One really meaningful advice from him “finish the project!”.
6 February 2025
Himani Kanojia presented her Comprehensive presentation, "Participatory Frameworks for Children in Climate Literacy and Urban Planning Advocacy: Towards Climate-Resilient and Inclusive Cities in the Majority World", a critical milestone in her PhD journey.
31 January 2025
Rana Shinde presented his Comprehensive presentation, "Trans(type)literation: A Design Methodology for Visual Transliteration of Typefaces", a critical milestone in his PhD journey.29 January 2025
SiDE Symposium IIT Delhi
Sustainability in Design Education
Last week we hosted the SiDE Symposium (Sustainability in Design Education) at IIT Delhi, along with my Delft University of Technology colleague Dr Sam Franklin, and with an immense hardwork of the organising team Rana Himani Garima Sabahat Aamir Arnav Sachii Haribika, Sreeja and Ashish.
We would like to thank all those who submitted their papers and posters, our sponsors IRD Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, our reviewers, keynote speakers, session chairs, and the audience who elevated the discussion around #sustainability in Design Education.
17 January 2025
Saurabh Tewari visited HIVE Lab at IIT Kanpur, hosted by Prof Gowdham Prabhakar. See the exciting work by the group here. https://home.iitk.ac.in/~gowdhampg/8-10 January 2025
Present and associated members of the DeSH lab community with friends at the ICoRD'25, International Conference on Research into Design hosted by the Department of Design, IIT Hyderabad.
10 January 2025
Saurabh Tewari chaired a vivid session at ICoRD'25 focussing on the Design Research in heritage and culture.
10 January 2025
Parikshit Dutta, former MDes student of Saurabh Tewari, presented "From Calligraphy to Digital Typeface: Designing an Assamese Display Typeface based on a Mediaeval Assamese Script" at the ICoRD Conference, organized by the Department of Design, IIT Hyderabad, and the Department of Design and Manufacturing (DM), Indian Institute of Science. This paper was a part of his work at the MDes program at the Department of Design, School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal, under the supervision of Dr. Saurabh Tewari.
9 January 2025
Himani Kanojia presented “𝗘𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮,” co-authored with Prof. Saurabh Tewari, was presented at the prestigious International Conference on Research into Design hosted by the Department of Design, IIT Hyderabad.
9 January 2025
Rana Shinde presented his research at ICoRD'25 with two studies:🔹 "Typefacing the Visual Culture: Developing a Versatile Digital Devanagari Typeface" (Paper ID: 998) – co-authored with Prof. Saurabh Tewari and Aman Rupesh Xaxa🔹 "Exploring Typographic Landscapes in Delhi: How Typography Shapes the Urban Environment" (Paper ID: 542) – co-authored with Prof. Saurabh Tewari
1 January 2025
Sabahat Ali Khan joins us at the DeSH Lab as the UQ-IITD Doctoral Scholar.
We invite design educators, researchers, and practitioners to contribute accounts on
- How has sustainability emerged as a central theme in Design Education?
- How is sustainability explored at various levels and stages of a Design process in Design Education?
- How can sustainability be integrated into Visioning in Design Education?
14 December 2024
Himani's paper was nominated for 🏆𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝—an acknowledgement of the growing importance of including children’s perspectives in urban planning and sustainability discussions. This research is part of my ongoing PhD work, which focuses on empowering children through participatory frameworks to reimagine sustainable and inclusive urban environments
13 December 2024
Himani presented, "𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚: 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝," co-authored with 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. Saurabh Tewari, at the 16𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐦 𝐨𝐧 𝐔𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦 (𝐈𝐅𝐨𝐔): 𝐔𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢-𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. The conference, held from 12–14 December 2024, was a truly global event, hosted across six cities by The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Delft University of Technology, 𝐄𝐏𝐅𝐋 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞, 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐰𝐚𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐢, 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐬 𝐀𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝.Prof Emilio Garcia's visit to IIT Delhi
Prof Emilio Garcia's visit to IIT Delhi
05 December 2024
Workshop 2 on the use of Sustainability and Resilience in Design3 December 2024
Meeting with colleagues29 November 2024
Workshop 1 on Researching with Resilience Thinking
28 November 2024
Site Visit hosted by Architect Ayodh Kamath at his home in Anagpur, Fardiabad.28 November 2024
Guest Lecture
26 November 2024
Site Visit to Bhalswa landfill.
9 November 2024
Saurabh Tewari, Research Scholars Rana Shinde and Srutinwita Roy attended and presented at the Visual Discourse and IndiaHCI 2024 Conferences at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.
7 November 2024
Research Scholar Rana Shinde presented his research at the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) conference at IDC, IIT Bombay. His paper, "Transliterated Logos: Analysing the Impact of Script and Cultural Context on Brand Recognition," was showcased in poster and demo presentations.
6 November 2024
Research Scholar Srutinwita Roy presented, "A workshop approach to understand the importance of visual narratives through storyboarding across multi-disciplinary students" at Visual Discourse 2024, International Conference on Research into Design of Visual Narratives. It was held on 6, 7 & 8th November, 2024 at IDC School of Design, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
The submission process involves an abstract (400-500 words), followed by a full paper for selected entries. Abstracts are due by November 21, 2024, and should address the motivations, methodologies, and contributions of the research within the conference’s central theme.
Join us in New Delhi for this critical exploration of design’s cultural dimensions. The submission portal opens on September 30, 2024.
More on Web: www.icdhs14.org | Instagram: @icdhs14 | X: @ICDHS14
Call for Papers
Call for Papers
ICDHS14 New Delhi, the 14th International Conference on Design History and Design Studies, invites scholars and practitioners from around the world to join an exciting conversation on the diverse narratives that shape design cultures. This edition’s central theme, Cultures of Design, will delve into the elaborations on positions, projects and pedagogies, around the cultural aspects of design around the following themes:
Visual Cultures of Design
Typographic Cultures of Design
Traditional Cultures of Design
Counter Cultures of Design
Sustainable Cultures of Design
Systemic Cultures of Design.
An Open Track is also available for submissions that do not fit neatly into these categories, encouraging a broader engagement with design’s cultural context.
15 Sep 2024
Saurabh Tewari visits Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur to conduct a module on Design History with the first year Master of Design batch 2024-26 students.
UQ-IITD PhD Position
UQ-IITD PhD Position
We have an Open PhD Position in UQ-IITD Research Academy for Indian, Australian and International Students for our Collaborative Project "Historical Context, Contemporary Practices, and Future Frameworks for Institutional Campus Design: A Comparative Study with Indian and Australian Technical Institutes on Liveability, Sustainability, and Imageability".
Saurabh Tewari
Supervisor from Indian Institute of Technology, DelhiManu P. Sobti and Frederico Fialho Teixeira
Supervisors from The University of Queensland, Brisbane
See the Project Call here https://uqiitd.org/projects/historical-context-contemporary-practices-and-future-frameworks-for-institutional-campus-design-a-comparative-study-with-indian-and-australian-technical-institutes-on-liveability-sustainability-a/
We are looking for a Designer/Architect/Planner (with extended specialisation in Urban Design / Sustainability / Landscape / Theory & Criticism / Technology) who can: Read and Prepare Conceptual and Technical Drawings; Generate AI-supported Qualitative/Quantitative Mappings; Collate information; Undertake Field Research; Demonstrate Building Information Modelling (BIM) Modelling Expertise
Saurabh Tewari
Supervisor from Indian Institute of Technology, DelhiManu P. Sobti and Frederico Fialho Teixeira
Supervisors from The University of Queensland, Brisbane
See the Project Call here https://uqiitd.org/projects/historical-context-contemporary-practices-and-future-frameworks-for-institutional-campus-design-a-comparative-study-with-indian-and-australian-technical-institutes-on-liveability-sustainability-a/
We are looking for a Designer/Architect/Planner (with extended specialisation in Urban Design / Sustainability / Landscape / Theory & Criticism / Technology) who can: Read and Prepare Conceptual and Technical Drawings; Generate AI-supported Qualitative/Quantitative Mappings; Collate information; Undertake Field Research; Demonstrate Building Information Modelling (BIM) Modelling Expertise
29 Aug 2024
Research Scholar Rana Shinde presented paper "Design Treasures of the Mughal Empire: Exploring the Intersection of Typography and Architecture in the Mughal Era" coauthored with Saurabh Tewari at the 8th International Conference on Advanced Production and Industrial Engineering (ICAPIE - 2024).
28 Aug 2024
Himani Kanojia received the Best Paper Award for her paper "Children’s Urban Visions: Pedagogical Approaches to Sustainable Urban Planning". The paper is based on "My City, My Environment: Drawing What I See," with 72 fifth-grade students in Delhi. Their drawings revealed their understanding of urban planning challenges and the impact of inadequate policies on sustainability and inclusivity.
28 Aug 2024
Research Scholar Himani Kanojia presented paper "Children’s Urban Visions: Pedagogical Approaches to Sustainable Urban Planning" coauthored with Prof Saurabh Tewari at the 8th International Conference on Advanced Production and Industrial Engineering (ICAPIE - 2024).
10 Aug 2024
Research Scholar Himani Kanojia presented her poster at IIT Bombay's PDC Place India 2024 coauthored with Saurabh Tewari
9 Aug 2024
Research Scholar Himani Kanojia with Prof Saurabh Tewari and Rana Shinde conducted a participatory co-design workshop titled "Re-imagining Everyday Products Together" focussed on integrating sustainability in product design.
2 Aug 2024
Started with a new module on Communication Design with the MDes Batch 2024-26
31 July 2024
Research Interns Mayur, Sidhika, Saniya and Neha complete their internships at DeSH Lab
27 July 2024
We conducted a Design Workshop at Kendriya Vidyalaya, JNU-IIT Branch, New Delhi
IIT Delhi-TU Delft Collaborative Research Seed Funding
IIT Delhi-TU Delft Collaborative Research Seed Funding
4 June 2024
Excited to announce the award of the IITD-TUD Collaborative Research Seed Funding. This project with Prof Sam Franklin at IDE TU Delft, Sustainability in Design Education: Comparative Design Studies at IIT Delhi & TU Delft, delves into the historical evolution and approaches to sustainable design education at both institutions, examining their pedagogies, identifying commonalities and differences, and recommending enhancements for sustainability in design and technology education. This cross-cultural research aims to foster collaboration and provide valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and practitioners globally.
https://www.tudelft.nl/en/2024/brazil-china-india-collaborations/2024-grantees-introduction
3 June 2024
Welcoming the Summer Interns at DeSH Lab today with Rana Shinde Himani Kanojia www.deshlab.in hashtag#iitdelhi
17 May 2024
Rana Shinde and Saurabh Tewari presented, “Across Time and Space: Evolution of Typography at Delhi’s Historic Architectural Monuments”, at Cumulus Association's P/references of Design at the Maholy-Nage University of Art and Design at Budapest.Unfortunately, we couldn’t go to Budapest to be part of this event physically. However the hybrid mode has allowed us to present from New Delhi. We hope to share the paper when the organisers publish it.
27 April 2024
Himani conducts My City, My Environment: Drawing What I See workshop for school children at Kendriya Vidyalaya, IIT Delhi
19 April 2024
BDes 2nd Year students presents their proposal for #BetterBhalaswa
27 March 2024
Rana presented Crafting Indic Letterforms for the Grounded Digital Turn at Digital Pedagogies in Design Education: International Research Symposium at SID, RV University
21 March 2024
Rana, Himani and Srutinwita attended SERB Kaaaryashala at IIT Kanpur, "Human-Centred Design for Engineers", held from March 15 to March 21, 2024.
18 February 2024
Gunraagh hosted Himani, Rana, and Saurabh for an extremely different side of our modern and urban life: the landfill (at Bhalaswa, North Delhi). The experience was initially uncomfortable, but gradually, we started accepting and appreciating the life and community there.
11 February 2024
Thanks a lot for visiting us, Praveen Nahar and Deepak John Mathew Prof Praveen Nahar is the first batch MDes (1994-96) from IIT Delhi and is now the Director of NID at Ahmedabad. Prof Deepak John Mathew, who taught Photography Design at NID Ahmedabad, is a Professor and also the founder-head of the Department of Design at IIT Hyderabad.
10 February 2024
Saurabh presented From Problem-solving to finding the Meaning: Communication Turn in Indian Design Education, at the Futuring Design Education Conference, IIT DelhiPage updated
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