Visual Stories That Inspire Change

Table of contents

• Crafting Impactful Animation & Graphic Design Solutions
• Excellence in Animation and Visual Storytelling
• Redefining Design with Impactful Visuals and Interactive Engagements
• Environmental Focus and Social Impact
• International Relations and Brand Identity

Crafting Impactful Animation & Graphic Design Solutions

From award-winning animations to groundbreaking design solutions, Communication Design students have built an impressive legacy in just ten years. Their work spans multiple disciplines and addresses both creative and social challenges.

Excellence in Animation and Visual Storytelling

In 2023, Sreeram Jayaram (Batch 2019-23) won the Animation Xpress ANN Award for Best Student Film with "The Day My Dad Arrives." His hand-drawn animation portrayed the emotional story of a young boy awaiting his father's return from working abroad. Under the guidance of Professor Shaaz Ahmed (Associate Professor, Communication Design), Sreeram developed a compelling narrative that showcases the programme's USP in combining technical skills with meaningful storytelling.

That same year, another student—Tarika Jain's "Suni Sunai" earned a nomination for Best Animated Short Film at the renowned 24FPS International Animation Awards, adding to the department's growing reputation in animation.

Redefining Design with Impactful Visuals and Interactive Engagements

During the pandemic, Communication Design student Arjun Yadav (2018–2022) created an impactful visual identity for COVID-19 that won IIT-Bombay's D'Source Corona Design Challenge in 2020. His work focused on developing a clear, versatile identity system to communicate essential health information across diverse media platforms.

As part of the Science Gallery Bengaluru’s Xperimenter Programme, Arjun made a significant contribution with his web game, In Between Life & Death. This game, developed for the PSYCHE exhibition in April 2022, translated a theory of human needs into systems of logic, applying them to a digital format. He also led community play sessions on Discord and hosted workshops titled Breaking Down The Making to share his creative process. His participation exemplifies how Communication Design students are engaging with cutting-edge platforms to merge creative expression with meaningful public engagement.

Environmental Focus and Social Impact

Students of the 2024 Cohort brought light to environmental issues through their design proposals. Vanshika Yogendra (Batch 2020-24) won the IIT Bombay Design Challenge with her typographic project on Yamuna River pollution. Mentored by Assistant Professor Devan Das, her project highlights pollution from the 1960s to the present, integrating pH levels as symbols of toxicity.

Harshul Grover (Batch 2020-24) earned recognition in the D'source DIC-BHU Design Challenge for his sustainable cities initiative. His innovative design transformed a promotional brochure into a reusable paper bag, addressing plastic waste through practical solutions.

Gaanya Singh also won the D'source DIC-BHU Design Challenge, creating a typeface inspired by whale tails to highlight marine conservation. Her comprehensive project included posters, a book and video documentation of her design process.

International Relations and Brand Identity

What began as a vision for transformative visual communication has been shaped and amplified by students of IIAD who consistently push creative boundaries. Communication Design student Amartya Chakraborty's branding proposal for the Raisina Dialogue 2024 is a testament to this notion.

In collaboration with Communication Design faculty members Shaaz Ahmed (Associate Professor) and Devan Das (Assistant Professor), Chakraborty developed a visual system using mandala-inspired patterns that reflected the conference theme 'Chaturanga: Conquest, Conflict, Contest, Cooperate and Create.' His design used concentric triangles to represent the dynamic interplay between conflict and harmony in international relations, offering a thoughtful visual framework for discussions between global leaders and policymakers. These milestones set a strong foundation for future innovation in communication design, positioning IIAD as a leading force in design education.