“When the objects we use every day and the surroundings we live in have become in themselves a work of art, then we shall be able to say that we have achieved a balanced life.”

― Bruno Munari, Design as Art

The modern world has a design problem. It lacks details. While Minimalism certainly has its own appeal and use, the over-adoption of one-size-fits-all, less-is-more, small-m minimalism in contemporary design has robbed the modern world of its identity and character, creating false binaries between works of art and everyday objects. Think of the wrought-iron railings in the colonial-era buildings of Kolkata and Mumbai, for example, and then think of the stainless steel and tempered glass barriers used in shopping malls and modern apartment buildings. They lack details, identity, character, culture; they simply exist.

The Italian artist, designer, and author Bruno Munari called this the “golden telephone phenomenon” in his landmark 2008 book ‘Design As Art’. He took the ordinary vase as an example and pointed out how it used to be a utilitarian object in antiquity — most likely for storing cooking oil. But "It was made by a designer of those times," he wrote, "when art and life went hand in hand, and there was no such thing as a work of art to look at and just any old thing to use".

"When a lot of money comes along before culture arrives, we get the phenomenon of the gold telephone," Munari explained. "And when I say culture I don’t mean academic knowledge, I mean information: information about what is happening in the world; about the things that make life interesting”.

This lack of context — of awareness and understanding of what's happening in the world — is what leads to bad design. This is particularly prevalent in India with its wealth inequality and lack of 'culture' the way Munari meant it. Fortunately, a new generation of homegrown designers and design studios are changing that. The Space at 9/2 — a multidisciplinary design studio based in Kolkata and Mumbai — is one of them.

Founded by Anahita Kayan in 2015, the studio works across both print and digital media in the realms of user interface and experience, photography, strategy and visual communication, branding and visual identity, as well as exhibitions and experiences. In the nine years since its inception, the studio has worked an impressive list of clients and collaborators like Savoir Faire, Silq, Obeetee, and Kolkata Arts Lane Festival among others.

The Space At 9/2's manifesto sums up their thought-provoking, non-conformist approach to design as, "Sound idea, grounding concept, and relevant context — all realized through meaningful design across all mediums." Be it their website for artist Ruchika Grover, branding for Makaibari, packaging for Verb, or branding and visual identity design for the luxury retail space Bombaim, the studio's keen understanding of context is what sets them apart.

Learn more about The Space At 9/2 here.

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