Theatre Alive!

In Bangalore, the name 'Ranga Shankara' is synonymous with theatre and the performing arts. The most affordable theatre space in India today, Ranga Shankara is dedicated to showcasing theatrical performances from India and abroad, to producing and commissioning new and innovative theatre forms and productions, and facilitating outreach programmes to build audiences for theatre and to impart theatre skills. So when they asked us to work on their 2010 theatre festival, we were really excited. The festival starts on the 22nd of October and ends on the 1st of November. This year, the theme is 'Folk and Classical Theatre' with the tag line 'Theatre alive!'. 

 

Arundhati Nag, renowned theatre personality and National award winner and also one of the people that heads Ranga Shankara, asked us to create something memorable and unforgettable for this year's theatre festival. So, under Sonia's guidance, and with help from the Ranga Shankara team, the team at Idiom created some unforgettable characters for each form of theatre that will be featured in this year's theatre festival. 

The Press conference announcing the Theatre festival was held on the 7th of October. Everyone loved our beloved characters. We were told that nearly every one wanted to take photographs with them. The following day, we brought the characters back home to Idiom, to shoot a few commercials and the masks had the same effect. Everyone in the office was busy taking photographs with these masks.

We kick off our events on the 12th of September and we're also planning to have a banner painting event in Cubbon park, Bangalore on the 16th. We're looking forward to this Theatre festival as this was one of the most fun projects that we have ever worked on. So, we hope to see you at Ranga Shankara between the 22nd and the 1st. Keep  watching this space for more on the Theatre festival and there will be an article soon on the different Characters that we have created. Lets all make a joint effort and help Ranga Shankara and Idiom bring Theatre Alive!


-Posted By Rahul

The Commonwealth Express

 

The Commonwealth Express, featuring rare CWG memorabilia, arrived at Bangalore on Thursday 2nd of September, 2010 to give Bangaloreans a glimpse of the history of the games.
Five coaches of the Special Exhibition train on Sports and Information Technology are devoted to the Commonwealth Games. The train was stationed at Cantonment, the second major railway station in Bangalore, till Friday 3rd September 2010.

The special train, comprising of 11 coaches, has been journeying throughout India from June 24 to promote the Games (Oct 3-14) which will be held in New Delhi.
The Commonwealth Express is being run jointly by the Ministry of Railways (through its Railway Sports Promotion Board) and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

Idiom captured glimpses of the train which showcased - History of the Games, Commonwealth Nations and the Mascot of New Delhi Games ‘Shera’; Queen’s Baton Relay and interesting facts about the Games; Details of venues and the Games; Display of sporting events and calendar of sporting events; Portraits and action photographs of Indian sports legends and Railways’ role in nurturing budding Indian sportsmen, star railway sportspersons and display of trophies bagged by Indian Railways.

In case you still didn’t know, Idiom has and is designing the look of the games as well as the logo

-Posted by Mallik

Introducing SPREAD

Conception:

 IDIOM is humbly today India’s largest multidisciplinary design firm in the country, In the last few years design professionals at IDIOM Design and Consulting, Bangalore have been using design thinking as a key strategic tool to help in the disproportionate growth of some of the most desired business houses in India. At Idiom we believe that this process could be used to create the same results of inclusive growth for the nation and beyond. Idiom has, in a short span of time, moved from the business of design to the design of business. Creating ideas for India that are taken from mind to market with skill, speed and imagination. Idiom is ‘more’ than a design firm. Design education does not address this need that we see in the market.
SPREAD was hence born as the design outreach program of IDIOM. Since its induction three years ago SPREAD has successfully worked with various institutions and business houses conducting workshops, seminar programs and lectures to make design a weapon to transform and grow our economy and to better plan our lives and environment.  Spread makes design thinking, tools and processes accessible to design and business students, practitioners and even school children.

Need:

As India strives to be the epicenter of the new creative economy. We at SPREAD realize two immediate challenges the nation faces for the desired growth.
India has a severe shortage of Design professionals when compared to countries like the USA or Japan and our education system has been structured to nurture production economy rather than creative economy.
Our aim at SPREAD is to create future thought leaders whose designs would tangibly transform businesses and life. We at SPREAD aim to ignite this thinking process to a wide range of audience from corporate / entrepreneurs / business houses / governance to school children to youth in colleges practicing different streams of specialization Young. We aim to make India’s creative future ready.
What we offer:
 Design education (Design thinking and Design doing):
Design as we see it, has two parts to it-process and skill. The process can be easily taught and applied to a wide variety of problem solving exercise. The process or design thinking as it is better known today is a way of seeing , observing , questioning and foreseeing a problem / demand to get a holistic solution.
Spread also plans to impart soft skill courses for the non designers.

Design research and consulting:

The design and ethnography researchers at SPREAD are constantly caning the market and society for viable insights and ideas that could lead to a sustainable growth opportunity.
Journey so far:
 In acknowledgement to our work in India, team from Idiom was invited to Parsons and Stanford D School in New York in the month of March this year to better understand the true potential of economic growth in India with design as the key driver. The visit resulted in  NODES (A network for design education) was set up as a platform to promote Design and Design thinking, collaboration between SPREAD (Idiom) and Design Knowledge Network (Parsons).   

Next step:

 NODES (Spread/ Idiom and Design knowledge network / Parsons new school of design, NY) will be jointly conducting the first series of workshops from 3rd to 10th of June 2010. Dr. Carlos Teixeira from Parsons will be leading this workshop.


  
Moving forward:

Design is not for the elite; it is for all and can be practiced by all for a truly conscious growth. Hence we must SPREAD Design.
We will be targeting education, consulting services and vocational training for schooling and graduate students, non designers, corporate, social entrepreneurs, governance, small and MSES.
We will also be looking to attract like-minded people, passionate about inclusive and conscious growth as partners and research sponsors on the NODES platform.

Key People:

Carlos Teixeira, Ph.D.

 Carlos Teixeira is an Assistant Professor and Director of Academic Affairs at the School of Design Strategies, at Parsons The New School for Design. He has a PhD in Design from the Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology, USA. His teaching centers on the application of design practices for innovation. He also leads a research lab on Design Knowledge Networks. As a practitioner, he has professional experience as a communication designer and strategic design consultant in the United States and Brazil.

Sonia Manchanda

Sonia is Founder and Principal Designer at Idiom Design and Consulting. She believes that design is and can be a potent tool for creating and recreating the world we live in and design is as much relevant to life, as it is to business. She has led teams and worked on large scale projects that are cultural in nature, created public movements, working with city stakeholders, created the thinking, culture and visual identities for some of India's largest and most recognizable retail brands, besides some truly Indian and successful corporate brands. Spread is an initiative that she launched along with Idiom cofounders, to find innovative ways to spread design as a way of thinking and doing things. She is a product of the premium school of design ,  National institute of Design , Ahmadabad and is in the program committee of EPIC an ethnographic conference to be held at Japan.

Nimesh Pilla

Nimesh Pilla is the Leader Learning at SPREAD Design and a consultant on design strategies to Idiom Design and consulting, Bangalore. He has masters in Design strategies from Politechnico Di Milano , Milan and specializes in design innovation and management linked to new product service systems. He is a visiting faculty to School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi where he had done his graduation as an architect. He has worked as an architect and design strategist in India and Italy.

Celebrating the end of Recession

2010 began on a good note for many. Milestones and events have already made 2010 a memorable year. Apple launched its new product the I-pad, we witnessed the longest ever annular solar eclipse of the 3rd millennium and most importantly, the long painful economic recession that started in 2007, finally came to an end. Companies across the globe have started hiring again, people are making more money and everyone is happy that the global economy appears to be stabilizing once again

We at Idiom know that all work and no fun make jack a dull boy. We believe in keeping our employees happy. Idiom wanted to celebrate the end of the recession, so what better way to do that than to have a PARTY!!! So, on the 6th of February, We had a party to celebrate the end of a long and painful economic recession. Since we have a huge Backyard, we decided to have the party there. It was a fun Saturday evening and we partied late into the night (12 am, late, considering the 11.30 pm deadline in Bangalore). The party was called the ‘End of Recession’ party. We had Biryani, Beer and killer music. We danced, drank, ate and had a great time. The party was a great team-building activity. Everyone came and some even brought guests along. It was a great platform for people to get to know each other. The End of recession was great, the party was even better.

Great venue + People with a buzz + Booze + Biriyani + Music = Refreshed Idiom + Well begun 2010

Posted by Rahul

Bridging The Gap Between Bazaars and Supermarkets

The Big Bazaar Family Center, Malleshwaram

An Introduction to Big Bazaar:

    The concept of shopping at a supermarket is relatively new in India. Until a few years back, there weren't any Supermarket Chains in the country. So, when the Future group brought forth the concept of Big Bazaar, they took India by storm. Big Bazaar is now a chain of hypermarkets with more than 100 stores across India. It is a subsidiary of the Future group. It is a unique hybrid, modeled by combining the conventional international supermarket with the traditional Indian bazaar concept. It is the Brainchild of  Idiom Design and Consulting and the Future Group . Idiom has been involved with the Future group in the conceptualization of Big Bazaar right from its inception. As you know, the Big bazaar franchise has been tremendously successful. Big Bazaar has brought the concept of 'Hypermarket' stores to India. Right from the concept, to the design of this project, both parties have worked collaboratively to create something new and unique to the other Big Bazaar Centers.

The Family Center Concept:

 The core thought was to create a Big Bazaar that plays a much larger role in people's lives, more than just transactional shopping. It should be a 'must-visit' destination for a larger group of people. The rationale was to create a destination that celebrates togetherness and joy while offering the virtues of saving thereby maximizing the value of every Rupee/ moment spent here. To make the place a pivotal point for the Indian family, more ' Theatre/ Discovery' was added so that families felt the need to spend more time here and enjoy every moment that they spend at the BBFC. The idea was to create a shopping experience that was interactive with the customer, a 'Destination Store' , a place where people could go not only to shop, but also to spend their entire day there.

Designing for the local community:

  The aim was to design a space that the people of the community could connect to. Our market research showed that Malleshwaram was predominantly a Family community. The people living in this area are very conservative and traditional. All these elements had to be taken into consideration while the design was being planned. Therefore, the space and graphic designs were all themed around this concept.

   Live sections, rice and banana mandis, sampling and tasting, fresh flowers, lots of areas to snack, recreational areas (Ice-hockey, foos-ball and pool tables), a salon for men and women etc were all embedded into the design. There are demo zones called the 'Try- Me' zones where the customer can sample sweets, papads etc which are heated or cooked right in front of them. There is a grinding area where you can get your rice or wheat ground immediately after purchase, free of cost. There is also a customer advisory board consisting of a few eminent customers from the Malleshwaram locality, so they could connect with Big Bazaar directly. Our market research revealed that Malleshwaram consisted of various communities and each with different food habits. To strike a connection with these communities and to give a taste of modern retail, it was imperative to include something for every community (ex: a pudi and powder section for the Tamil, Telugu and Kannada communities). Since it is a family center, there was something included for every member of the family. All age groups were also taken into consideration. There is a cafe, a recreational area and loads of food stalls where the youth can relax and spend their time. There are also benches on all floors so that the tired and the elderly can rest when they feel like sitting down.

Navigation was made easy by placing signage at every strategic point and displaying what each section housed with descriptive text and images. People seemed happy that their shopping experience was made easier (by housing various products under one roof). They were happy that now they could get whatever they wanted, from flowers to jeans, from pastas to murukkus, all under one roof. The concept of a family center was well appreciated by the customers. The Family Center houses a lot of ethnic merchandise to cater to the needs of the community.

 Our team took into consideration and included the following features into our design:

Designing the Space:

•  Facade: A landmark space, a grand entrance, with temple like cues that make the store visible and prominent from a distance
• Stambha: A large structure which becomes the signature element of every Family Center
• Ample aisle space
• Seating arrangements for the elderly
• Big lifts to accommodate a larger number of people
• Partnering with local vendors (ex: Bhagyalaxmi Gulkand, Gayathri Coffee etc) to bring the local flavor of the catchment
• Separate floors for men, women and children fashion, giving more space to show case the depth and width of the products
• Since the catchment houses a more conservative section of society, and keeping the idea of making the BBFC a landmark, community center, we tried to embed Templesque designs 

 Designing the Graphics:

• The theme 'Family spirit' was reflected by the graphics on the facade and the internal communication
• The communication and visual vocabulary captured the heterogeneity from community to locality to celebration, gifting, saving, merchandise etc
• Bold and bright colors that serve the purpose of clear visibility and easy navigation for customers around the store

Value Shopping for Local Communities:

 The Family Center houses loads of products and brands, all under one roof. These products are very aptly prices. For instance, a customer can choose from close to 50 varieties of rice, neatly arranged and packaged, and end up paying less than what they would pay outside. The 'Local connect factor' was well received by everyone. For example. the banana mandi stall is actually run by a local vendor who is well known in Malleshwaram. He sells his fruits for Rs. 4 lesser than what he sells at his stall. Shoppers can avail of a number of discounts and offers that Big Bazaar has to offer. For example, the 'BUY 2, get 1 FREE' concept is applied to many products. The Family center is the ultimate shopping destination for those who believe in Value Shopping.

The Launch:

The Big Bazaar family center in Malleshwaram, Bangalore was launched on the 6th of February, 2010. The launch was a grand event. The launch started out with performances by folk artists and a Dollu Kunitha performance followed by the customary 'Cutting of the ribbon' and a traditional pooja to bless the new family center. There were folk dancers, performers, caricature artists, musicians, a DJ and loads of fun activities for the customers. Popular Kannada movie star, Mr. Ramesh Aravind visited the family center later in the evening to have and interactive session with the customers.

  The launch was a big success and the BBFC was flooded with people from all over, most of whom were excited that Malleshwaram now housed a Big Bazaar. Our design was unique and different from all the other existing Big Bazaars. Our intention was to merge Big Bazaar with the community. We wanted to transform shopping from just being an errand into becoming an enjoyable experience.

 

Record Success:

  The Big Bazaar Family center is doing extremely well. Sales on weekdays touch around Rs. 20 lakhs, while sales on a Saturday or Sunday could easily net Rs. 40 to 80 lakhs. The Family center has blended in to the otherwise conservative and traditional locality of Malleshwaram. The Big Bazaar Family Center is something to look forward to. It is different from the other Big Bazaars in terms of its local connect. We are now in the conceptualizing phase, with the Future group, in launching a Family Center along the lines of the one in Malleshwaram, in Rajajinagar (another traditional south indian, conservative section of Bangalore). So drop by the Big Bazaar Family Center in Malleshwaram and see Value shopping at its best.


Posted By Rahul