four |fôr|

cardinalnumberequivalent to the product of two and two; one more than three, or six less than ten; 4: Aadarsh has has finally documented ‘se-mester four’.(Roman numeral: iv, IV, archa-ic iiii or IIII )• a group or unit of four people or things: the girls walked in pairs or fours.• four years old: I began to teach myself to read at four.• four o’clock: it’s half past four.• a size of garment or other merchandise denoted by four.• a playing card or domino with four spots or pips.ORIGIN Old English fēower, of Germanic ori-gin; related to Dutch and German vier, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin quat-tuor and Greek tessares .

4

chapter: 2

LOSING FAITH

8

false start |fɔls stɑrt|nounan invalid or disallowed start to a race, usually due to a competitor beginning before the official signal has been given.an unsuccessful attempt to begin something. My false start was a serious discouragement at the start of the semester.

rattle |ˈratl|verbinformal cause (someone) to feel nervous, worried, or ir-ritated: A.S.’s judgement rattled my belief, and this gave me a reason to rethink and reassess myself.

hold (or stand ) one’s ground phrasenot retreat or lose one’s advantage during a conflict or competition: So I held my ground and stuck to my belief: I WILL NOT define my compostion by the aestetics, but by the story it tells.

cloud |kloud|verbmake or become less clear or transparent: make (a matter or mental process) unclear or un-certain; confuse: Even after thinking and rethinking I couldnt come up with a good idea. Maybe, my judgement was clouded by thoughts of revenge!spoil or mar (something): I feared that this incident might just cloud the entire semester.

nevertheless |ˌnevərT͟Həˈles|adverbin spite of that; notwithstanding; all the same: state-ments which, although literally true, are neverthe-less misleading. Nevertheless, I decided to stop worrying and carry on with my thiking process.

stagnant |ˈstagnənt|adjective(of a body of water or the atmosphere of a confined space) having no current or flow and often having an unpleasant smell as a consequence: showing no activity; dull and sluggish: No matter how much I tried, my mind remained stagnant, thoughts ceased to flow.

settle |ˈsetl|verb(settle for) accept or agree to (something that one considers to be less than satisfactory): Under the circumstances, I had to finally settle for some mediocre ideas.

false start to settle

9

doodle |ˈdōōdl|verb scribble absentmindedly: So I doodled away what-ever I had in my sane mind.

useless |ˈyōōsləs|adjectivenot fulfilling or not expected to achieve the in-tended purpose or desired outcome: On the way, I recieved some useless piece of advise, like drawing on tracing papers! informal having no ability or skill in a specified activity or area: But then again, I was really useless in composing anything.

composition |ˌkämpəˈziSHən|nounthe nature of something’s ingredients or constitu-ents; the way in which a whole or mixture is made up: In the end the story is a composition.the action of putting things together; formation or construction: The important thing was to carefully compose the lines carefully avoiding unnecessary by products of gestalt. a thing composed of various elements: the composi-tion of lines, thick or thin, curved or linear is all about the story it tells.archaic mental constitution; character: For this assignment one needs some composure in their composition.

again |əˈgen, əˈgān|adverbanother time; once more: So I showed my ideas again, and A.S. said it was B.S.... again!!!

revelation |ˌrevəˈlāSHən|nouna surprising and previously unknown fact, esp. one that is made known in a dramatic way: This disappointment, served as a revelation as I started noticing the attributes and feelings that a lifeless 2-Dimemnsional line can express.

all alongphraseall this time; from the beginning: All along, I was going through a rather broken phase of my life

no matter phrase regardless of: No matter what, I continued on with my brainstorming.

no sooner —— than phrase

doodle to no sooner than

10

used to convey that the second event mentioned happens immediately after the first: No sooner had I started this assignment than A.S. gave us the next assignment.

fold |fōld|verb bend (something flexible and relatively flat) over on itself so that one part of it covers another: The next assignment was all about folding paper, just like origami.

between the devil and the deep (blue) sea phrasecaught in a dilemma: I wasn’t even close to finish-ing the first assignment and now I had to chose between the devil and the deep sea.

incomplete |ˌinkəmˈplēt, ˌiNG-|adjectivenot full or finished: So I left the first assignment incomplete. I just couldn’t think anymore.

hope against hope phrasecling to a mere possibility: I was hoping against hope that I could think better for the next assign-ment.

interesting |ˈint(ə)ristiNG, ˈintəˌrestiNG|adjectivearousing curiosity or interest; holding or catching the attention: an interesting debate: During this time there was an interesting course conducted for the Product Design students.

form |fôrm|nounthe visible shape or configuration of something: The P.D. students were being taught the meaning and value of form in design.

context |ˈkänˌtekst|nounthe circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed: Although they were being taught about it in a differnt context, learning is learning, form is form!

surprising |sə(r)ˈprīziNG|adjectivecausing surprise; unexpected: It was really surpris-ing that we were learning Basi Graphic Design, without learning anything about form and its function!

fold to surprising

11

by the way phraseincidentally (used to introduce a minor topic not connected with what was being spoken about previ-ously): by the way, we had skipped the form course in the first semester because of the all important course-’photography’!(sarcasm).

curious |ˈkyōōrēəs|adjectiveeager to know or learn something: I was really curi-ous (and enthusiastic) to know all about form. So, I attended the course.

interdisciplinary |ˌintərˈdisəpliˌnerē|adjectiveof or relating to more than one branch of knowl-edge: This was a good opportunity to take advan-tage of the interdisciplinary nature of the institute.

interrelate |ˌintərəˈlāt|verbrelate or connect to one another: This is when I realized that design is so interrelated, be it P.D. or G.D., and each one does not play its part in isola-tion- it‘s all together.

kill two birds with one stone proverbachieve two aims at once: So I decided to learn form and apply my learnings in the assignments for B.G.D. in the same week. So I could kill two birds with one stone.

cooperative |kōˈäp(ə)rətiv|adjectivewilling to be of assistance: My peers from P.D. were extremely cooperative and they helped in briefing me about their assignments.

at the same time phrasesimultaneously; at once: At the same time, Textile Design Students were being taught InDesign, which was a necessity for me, but was something I had absolutely no knowledge of!

all (or just ) the same phrasein spite of this; nevertheless: My plate was full and I took up this course, all the same.

heavy |ˈhevē|adjectiveof more than the usual size, amount: This course wasn’t too heavy, but all three together was just...

by the way to heavy

12

unmanageable |ˌənˈmanijəbəl|adjectivedifficult or impossible to manage, manipulate, or control: But killing three birds with one stone was just unmanageable.

focused |ˈfəʊkəst|adjectivedirecting a great deal of attention, interest, or activ-ity towards a particular aim: So I simply focussed on the two courses: one on form analysis and the other one gtaken by A.S.

wacky |ˈwakē|adjective( wackier , wackiest ) informalfunny or amusing in a slightly odd or peculiar way: There is nothing better than a wacky vibrant profes-sor teaching a mundane course in the wackiest way!

discover |disˈkəvər|verb find (something or someone) unexpectedly or in the course of a search: The assignments were not about ‘creating’ forms, but simply discovering the same.

scribble |ˈskribəl|verbwrite or draw (something) carelessly or hurriedly: All we had to do was, scribble!

three-dimensional |ˈˌθri dəˈmɛn(t)ʃənl|adjectivehaving or appearing to have length, breadth, and depth: The challenge was to excavate 3-dimensional shapes from the scribbles.

extrude |ikˈstrōōd|verb shape (a material such as metal or plastic) by forc-ing it through a die: And extruding shapes was dis-couraged. (I had never heard of this word before!)

get the hang of phraseinformal learn how to operate or do (something): It was definitely difficult initially, but with more practice, I finally got the hang of it.

dedicate |ˈdediˌkāt|verb devote (time, effort, or oneself) to a particular task or purpose: I decided that I shall dedicate myself to understanding all about form.

unmanageable to dedicate

13

conceptual |kənˈsepCHōōəl|adjectiveof, relating to, or based on mental concepts: A conceptual understanding of any subject is always essential.

neither |ˈnēT͟Hər, ˈnī-|adverbused before the first of two (or occasionally more) alternatives that are being specified (the others being introduced by “nor”) to indicate that they are each untrue or each do not happen: I learnt that, aethetics must neither be overestimated, nor must it be underestimated.

back |bak|adverbexpressing a return to an earlier or normal condi-tion: So I came back, to the G.D. classroom, an enlightened soul.

misunderstand |ˌmisˌəndərˈstand|verb fail to interpret or understand the words or actions of (someone) correctly: I guess A.S. misunderstood my absence from the G.D. class room, and I was met with criticism.

somebody couldn’t care less phrasesomeone does not care at all: But... I couldn’t care less.

apply |əˈplī|verbbring or put into operation or practical use: So, I began to apply all my learnings on to the task at hand- the second assignment.

paradigm |ˈparəˌdīm|nountechnical a typical example or pattern of something; a model: It was very important for me to develop a paradigm for this assignment, to simplify and deconstruct it.

practice makes perfect phraseused to convey that regular exercise of an activity or skill is the way to become proficient in it: Ya, but this time it wasn’t about ‘practice makes perfect’ instead it was all about ‘practice makes one under-stand better’.

challenge |ˈCHalənj|noun

conceptual to challenge

16

avoid someone/something like the plague phrasetry hard to avoid someone or something: Yet, I avoided A.S. like the plague. I knew that he would lecture me if he even caught a glimpse of me!

interest |ˈint(ə)rist|verbexcite the curiosity or attention of (someone): Initially, I was really interested in lending a hand for the convocation display.

turn someone downphrasereject an offer or application made by someone: The problem was that, whenever I had a point or spoke of an idea, I felt I was being turned down!

distress |disˈtres|nounextreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain: Moreover, I was in distress due to another sequence of unfortunate events.

shut oneself off phraseisolate oneself from other people: Eventually, un-knowingly, I shut myself off from the world!

personify |pərˈsänəˌfī|verbrepresent or embody (a quality, concept, or thing) in a physical form: This mental distress personified itself in the form of a physical illness.

defeatist |diˈfētist|nouna person who expects or is excessively ready to ac-cept failure: For the first time, as I lay in bed- ill, I was a defeatist. It wasn’t that I didn’t know what to do, I just did not want to do anything!

plague |plāg|nouna contagious disease that spreads rapidly and kills many people: I just had a mild fever, it sure felt like the damned plague!verb ( plagues , plaguing , plagued )cause continual trouble or distress to: the problems that plagued the company | I did get well, but I was still plagued by negative thoughts.

disinterested |disˈintəˌrestid, -tristid|adjectivehaving or feeling no interest in something: So, I was

avoid someone/something like the plague to disinterested

17

extremely disinterested in working for the convoca-tion display.

vitality |vīˈtalitē|nounthe power giving continuance of life, present in all living things: All the vitality in me had been drained.

confine |kənˈfīn| verb(be confined to) (of a person) be unable to leave (one’s bed, home, or a wheelchair) because of illness or disability: I was confined to my room for reasons of health and sanity.

realize |ˈrē(ə)ˌlīz|verbbecome fully aware of (something) as a fact; understand clearly: he realized his mistake at once | [ with clause ] : Finally, I realized that I was actu-ally losing all sanity. So, I decided step out of this grungy room.

groggy |ˈgrägē|adjective dazed, weak, or unsteady, esp. from illness, in-toxication, sleep, or a blow: After nearly a week, I stepped outdoors, stil feeling groggy.

self-importance |ˈˌsɛlf əmˈpɔrtns|nounan exaggerated sense of one’s own value or im-portance: I was so full of self importance, that I thought my skills and assets would be missed.

life goes onphraseWell, no one gave a damn! And in life no one ever will. Life goes on, with you or without you.

the beginning of the end phrasethe event to which ending or failure can be traced: I feared that, this was just the beginnning of my end

buck upphraseinformal make (someone) more cheerful: Buck up mate, its not the end of the world!

do something (or nothing ) for phraseinformal enhance (or detract from) the appearance or quality

vitality to do something ( or nothing ) for

not

wont

chapter: 3

shou

ld never

26

language |ˈlaNGgwij|nounthe method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way: The next course was visual language taken by Debashish.

in common withphrasein the same way as: Since we had this course in common with the other disciplines of the Visual Communication department, we had one common class- damn!

movement |ˈmōōvmənt|nouna group of people working together to advance their shared political, social, or artistic ideas: This course was basically concerned with the visual language of each art movement.

divide |diˈvīd|verbseparate or be separated into parts: So we were divided into groups so that each group could take up a different era and study it in detail.

surrealism |səˈrēəˌlizəm|nouna 20th-century avant-garde movement in art and lit-erature that sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind, for example by the irra-tional juxtaposition of images: We got surrealism.

hullabaloo |ˈhələbəˌlōō, ˌhələbəˈlōō|nouninformala commotion; a fuss: At first there was so much hul-labaloo- everyone was trying to voice their opinion.

know-allnouninformala person who behaves as if they know everything: Obviously some know alls were just blabbering without an ounce of research.

manage |ˈmanij|verbbe in charge of (a company, establishment, or undertaking); administer; run: Finally Hena and I managed to control all the commotion.

structure |ˈstrəkCHər|verbconstruct or arrange according to a plan; give a

language to structure

27

pattern or organization to: We finally structured all the data and managed to structure a presentation as well.

short story |ʃɔrt ˈstɔri|nouna story with a fully developed theme but sig-nificantly shorter and less elaborate than a novel: The next assignment was to adapt a certain short story- The Illustrated Man- into a movie or a play or whatever.

render |ˈrendər|verbrepresent or depict artistically: But the same had to be rendered in a surrealist style.

split |split|verbdivide into two or more groups: These groups further split up into two groups each.

divided against itselfphrase(of a group that should be coherent) split by fac-tional interests: Yes that’s the case with our group!

film |film|nouna motion picture; a movie: So we decided to adapt this story into a film.

the whole nine yardsphraseinformaleverything possible or available: I don’t know why, but I ended up conceptualizing everything- the screenshots, the casting, the poster, the presention, the sketches... the whole nine yards.

misfireverbfail to produce the intended result: Turns out, we completely misfired. The presentation was not what Debashish was expecting. It was not surreal at all.

science fiction |ˈsaɪəns ˈˌfɪkʃən|nounfiction based on imagined future scientific or tech-nological advances frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets: Our represen-tation was more Sci-Fi than surrealistic.

backstabbing |ˈbakˌstabiNG|nounthe action or practice of criticizing someone in a

short story to sooner or later

30

tions, characteristics, or associations: Perhaps, this was the first time I was actually ashamed of my own work and my own attitude towards life.

laugh |laf|verb(laugh at) ridicule; scorn: What was worse was that I was laughed at, by all my peers.

crumble |ˈkrəmbəl|verbbreak or fall apart into small fragments, esp. over a period of time as part of a process of deterioration: My life was was just crumbling. It’s not that I get affected by public opinion, but right then, I could have gotten affected by anything. I was at muy sensitive most.

snap |snap|verbsuddenly lose one’s self-control: I just snapped after months of being depresses, again.say something quickly and irritably to someone: I would randomly snap back at anybody who said anything that was even slightly offensive.

ire |ī(ə)r|nounanger: Eventually, I only managed to provoke the ire of the many people around me.

voice |vois|nounthe supposed utterance of a guiding spirit, typically giving instructions or advice: I always had the support of that inner voice. Now, for months, I had lost it.

desperate |ˈdespərit|adjectiveextremely bad, serious, or dangerous: A desparate sadness had engulfed me.having a great need or desire for something: I was in a desparate need for help. But who would look.tried in despair or when everything else has failed; having little hope of success: So, in a desparate at-tempt to find that lost inner voice, I started writing again.

log |lôg, läg|nouna regular or systematic record of incidents or ob-servations: This was when I started mainting a log book for the typography course.. That way I started talking to myself.

laugh to log

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personality typenouna collection of personality traits that are thought to occur together consistently, esp. as determined by a certain pattern of responses to a personality inven-tory: Not exactly, but yeah... The next assignment was to choose any two staff members in N.I.D. and represent them through typography. All we had to do was to just write their names.

reserved |riˈzərvd|adjective slow to reveal emotion or opinions: I chose Swasti and Praveen Nahar. It was finally a relief to analyze someone else and not just myself, 24 x 7.

constraint |kənˈstrānt|nouna limitation or restriction: There were certain con-straints though. One, no one was allowed to speak to any of the assigned staff members. Two, there would be no colors used in the assignment. Three, the typography used must be justified. Four, the justification must not include the physical attributes or disablities of the particular staff member.

probe |prōb|verbseek to uncover information about someone or something: It was now time to probe into their lives, peronal and private, inorder to make sense of the typography used.

dictionary |ˈdikSHəˌnerē|(abbr.: dict. )nouna reference book on any subject, the items of which are arranged in alphabetical order: I could have compiled a dictionary of sorts looking at the amount of adjectives people used to describe both of these respected people.

reaction |rēˈakSHən|nounan action performed or a feeling experienced in response to a situation or event: You should have seen the reaction of the students when I simply uttered the teachers’ name. Spontanious reactions. Some were pleasant and some of them were really scornful. But that’s public opinion.

impression |imˈpreSHən|nounan idea, feeling, or opinion about something or someone, esp. one formed without conscious thought or on the basis of little evidence: Before all of this surveying, inorder to have an unbiased opin-

personality type to impression

Indian

of or relating to India: There was a com-petition during RGB- a competition to spread Design awareness. So, I decided to do the same through very ‘Indian’ posters. A lot of Indians do not value or under-stand Swiss designs. They love their Desi stuff. Hence, my poster was designed as a typical cheap flyer to be stuck on Mumbai Locals or whereever. More importantly, the poster focusses on the average Indian’s idea of ‘good’ design and it allows them to decide for themselves- what is good or bad for them.

34

ion, I listed down my impressions of the personli-ties. I was taught by Swasti during foundation, and I had also seen Praveen Nahar as a part of a jury.

compile |kəmˈpīl|verbcollect (information) in order to produce some-thing: Then I compiled all the my findings and tried reasoning with myself as to what tyeface I should be using.

reasoned |ˈrēzənd|adjectiveunderpinned by logic or good sense: So I reasoned the usage of type according to my compilations and started exploring.By the end of the day I had about twenty five explorations. I was happy with myself.

hang |haNG|verbComputing come or cause to come unexpectedly to a state in which no further operations can be carried out: Just when I was satisfied with my progress, my computer just wouldn’t respond. Yeah my computer hanged.be killed in such a way: Now I just wish I could hang myself. Aaargh! So annoying!!!

luckily |ˈləkəlē|adverbit is fortunate that: Luckily I knew what typefaces I had used and most of the ‘thinking’ part was done. Yay logbook!!!

display |disˈplā|verba collection of objects arranged for public viewing: I managed to compile everything again just before the display.

amusing |əˈmyōōziNG|adjectivecausing laughter or providing entertainment: Tarun found most of our descriptions amusing and most of us had a healthy laugh to each one psychoanalyzing their professors.

diversion |diˈvərZHən, dī-|nounan activity that diverts the mind from tedious or serious concerns; a recreation or pastime: This assignment- psychoanalyzing our professers, was a well needed diversion from me doing the same to me.

compile to diversion

35

to comephrase(following a noun) in the future: That wasn’t all. There were more assignments to come.

Gotham |ˈgäTHəm|a nickname for New York City, used originally by Washington Irving and now associated with the Batman stories: Our next assignment was to research a typeface thoroughly. I researched about Gotham- one of my favorite typefaces.

Obama, Barack |ōˈbämə|(1961–), 44th president of the US, since 2009; full name Barack Hussein Obama. A Democrat, he was the first African American to be elected to the presidency. Nobel Peace Prize (2009): The typeface was used in his Presidential Elections. p.s. I don’t know why he won the Noble Peace Prize.

influential |ˌinflōōˈenCHəl|adjectivehaving great influence on someone or something: People said that it was Gotham that helped Barack Obama win (pun intended!). So much for being influential!

medicine |ˈmedisən|nouna compound or preparation used for the treatment or prevention of disease, esp. a drug or drugs taken by mouth: The next assignment was to redesign the packaging graphics of a prescribed medicine.

juggle |ˈjəgəl|verbcope with by adroitly balancing: So I kept juggling between these two assignments.

accordion |əˈkôrdēən|nounfolding like the bellows of an accordion: For the first discussion of the typeface I went ahead made an accordian booklet. People were really surprised to see me done with a booklet already.

second |ˈsekənd|ordinalnumberconstituting number two in a sequence; coming after the first in time or order; 2nd: Turns out that it was anyway the second stage of the assignment. Since my computer crashed again I had to anyway do it again.

minute |mīˈn(y)ōōt, mə-|adjective

to come to minute

psycho

chapter: 4

ANALIZE

ATIONANALIZE

38

extremely small: The medicine assignment dealt with a lot minute details about typography and composition.so small as to verge on insignificance: Its impact might really seem minute but medicine packaging is a very serious issue.

be longphrasetake a long time to happen or arrive: This was a continuous process and it woul be long before I finally arrived at a solution.

elective |iˈlektiv|adjective(of a course of study) chosen by the student rather than compulsory: Next we had an elective course that ‘sounded’ real good.

all that glitters is not gold proverbthe attractive external appearance of something is not a reliable indication of its true nature: Truly, all that glitters is not gold, and that’s exactly what happened with my perception of my open elective.

image |ˈimij|nouna representation of the external form of a person or thing in art: What really is an image? Is it just a product of a mechanical or chemical process, or is it just an impression of reality? Or, is reality itself an image!

impression |imˈpreSHən|nounan idea, feeling, or opinion about something or someone, esp. one formed without conscious thought or on the basis of little evidence: Our impression of Siddhartha Singh was bad to say the least. Well, his impression of us for pretty much the same!

practice what one preaches phrasedo what one advises others to do: His first words were, “You see, all of you must reach here on time, I mean sharp at 10. I am your faculty so that rule does not apply to me.” Seriously!!! Nuff said.

medium |ˈmēdēəm|nounan agency or means of doing something: Medium is the message(massage!), isn’t it always-Comunica-tion Studies 101.a means by which something is communicated or

be long to medium

39

expressed: More than just words, your body lan-guage is a better medium of communication. Best example- Siddhartha Singh!

arrogant |ˈarəgənt|adjectivehaving or revealing an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance or abilities: It wasn’t that he was arrogant, yet that’s the only quality we could percieve in him.

disregard |ˌdisriˈgärd|verbpay no attention to; ignore: Moreover, he complete-ly disregarded those students who failed to come for the first session (due some genuine reasons).

rude |rōōd|adjective1 offensively impolite or ill-mannered: He was rude enough to ask the students to leave the class for good. Those students were from Bangalore!

revolutionary |ˌrevəˈlōōSHəˌnerē|adjectiveinvolving or causing a complete or dramatic change: This brought out the revolutionary within me!

stand up forphrasespeak or act in support of: Immediately I stood up for the defenseless students from Bangalore and Gandhinagar. After all, it was a matter of N.I.D. vs the rest of the world!

someone’s bark is worse than their bite phrasesomeone is not as ferocious as they appear or sound: Well, I always thought that I was just all bark, but finally standing up for a cause and actu-ally voicing my opinion made me feel much better. I could bite too, you know!

settle |ˈsetl|verbresolve or reach an agreement about (an argument or problem): Finally we reached to a settlement where the ‘suspended’ students were allowed to attend the class.

condition |kənˈdiSHən|nouna state of affairs that must exist or be brought about before something else is possible or permitted: But, this was permitted on 2 conditions; the first- the

arrogant to condition

42

relate |riˈlāt|verb feel sympathy with; identify with: This way we began to related with each other, on a much deeper level. Okay, not that deep, but ya, deeper than before!

overcritical |ˌōvərˈkritikəl|adjectiveinclined to find fault too readily: Well, I don’t know whether it was this course or just me, but I became overcritical of people- the way they behave, the way they are. Although I did not voice my opinions (Thank God!) I did get affected by it- a lot!

self-analysis |ˈˌsɛlf əˈnæləsəs|nounthe analysis of oneself, in particular one’s motives and character: This also resulted in some heavy-duty-self analysis.

scrutinize |ˈskrōōtnˌīz|verbexamine or inspect closely and thoroughly: Now I began to scrutinze every little action of mine; even the act of pushing or a pulling a door, just a freak-ing door!!!

madness |ˈmadnəs|nouna state of frenzied or chaotic activity: After a point, this whole subconcious crap got me. This was eating me up from the inside. It was complete mad-ness, up here, in my bloody head!extremely foolish behavior: It certainly was mad-ness to allow a course or a mere assignment to affect me so much. But, such was the nature of the course. I was helpless. the state of being mentally ill, esp. severely: Well, I guess that’s what people around me thought. Who was I to deny?

fool’s paradisenoun a state of happiness based on a person’s not know-ing about or denying the existence of potential trouble: Knowing these facts about my folly, yet I chose to live in this fool’s paradise. I still do. And it really is paradise.

grow on phrasebecome gradually more appealing to (someone): I don’t know why, but this course grew on me. After a point, I loved the course.

relate to grow on

43

definite |ˈdefənit|adjective clearly true or real; unambiguous: There was a certain enlightenment- Who or rather what I really was! A result of self observation for 2 weeks! Yet, there were no definite conclusions or answers to all the ambiguities and mysteries about myself.

monologue |ˈmänlˌôg, -ˌäg|nouna long speech by one actor in a play or movie, or as part of a theatrical or broadcast program: My act was a mere monologue. That’s all it was. And I loved it!

repercussion |ˌrēpərˈkəSHən, ˌrep-|nounan unintended consequence occurring some time after an event or action, esp. an unwelcome one: The theme- ‘Dreams are mere repurcussions of real events.’ However you go about it, the outcome remains the same, it will always be the same.

dystopia |disˈtōpēə|nounan imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or envi-ronmentally degraded one: This was probably my idea of the world, the real world; emotionless and self-destructive.

stammer |ˈstamər|verbspeak with sudden involuntary pauses and a tendency to repeat the initial letters of words: After a series of unfortunate events I began to stammer since 9th grade. I knew I hadn’t gotten over it. Not just yet. What was even worse, I began to speak with a slur!

finale |fəˈnalē, -ˈnälē|nounthe last part of a piece of music, a performance, or a public event, esp. when particularly dramatic or exciting: Finally, it was time for the finale.

hesitate |ˈheziˌtāt|verbpause before saying or doing something, esp. through uncertainty: I did hesitate once during the first perfomance. Later on, during our last act, I got myself together and I finally pulled it off.

sorry |ˈsärē, ˈsô-|adjectiveused as an expression of apology: I have to say

definite to sorry

under many starry nights, ninad, aish-warya and I just sat and talked all about our lives, our preconcieved no-tions about each other and ourselves, how NID has changed us, worries about the past, our skeptical present and speculations about our future. this gave me tremendous insight into myself while I was still connected to the peo-ple around me.

52

pointless |ˈpointlis|adjectivehaving little or no sense, use, or purpose: And it was absolutely pointless trying to convince them choose otherwise

.shelve |SHelv|verbdecide not to proceed with (a project or plan), either temporarily or permanently: So most of my typographic ventures had been shelved by then. One of my recent ‘shelvigs’ was the approved bochure project.

printing |ˈprintiNG|nounthe production of books, newspapers, or other printed material: By then the next course had begun- Printing.

slow |slō|adjectivelasting or taking a long time, a slow process: Well, it was a relatively slow class. Probably, even time was slower than usual.

textual |ˈteksCHōōəl|adjectiveof or relating to a text or texts: That was probably because this course was more to do with textual knowledge.

PowerPoint |ˈpouərˌpoint|noun trademarka software package designed to create electronic presentations consisting of a series of separate pages or slides: What was more boring was the endless series of PowerPoint presentations being bombarded at us.

uninvolving |ˌəninˈvälviNG|adjectivefailing to engage someone’s interest or attention; dull: The thing about any PowerPoint presentation- even after all the added animations and the flashy transitions, it still is uninvolving!

a bolt from (or out of ) the bluephrasea sudden and unexpected event or piece of news: Just then, like a bolt from the, I got hit by another series of unfortunate events. What timing!

field trip |ˈfil(d) ˌtrɪp|nouna trip made by students or research workers to study

pointless to field trip

53

something at first hand: The next day a field trip to a printing press was organized by the institute.

mum |məm|adjectivesilent: Well, after all the jolts and the bolts and the long presentations, needless to say, I just chose to keep mum, stay aloof for a while, until I pulled myself back together.

Beethoven |ˈbāˌtōvən|German composer. Despite increasing deafness, Beethoven wrote prodigiously, nine symphonies, thirty-two piano sonatas, sixteen string quartets: He was my only company on the quietest day of my life. His music just helped me fill me up from the inside.

hands-on phraseinvolving or offering active participation rather than theory: After a long week of theory, we finally got a hands on approach to printing.

calendar |ˈkaləndər|nouna chart or series of pages showing the days, weeks, and months of a particular year, or giving particular seasonal information: So we were split up in groups of two and given the task of redesigning the year calendar.

assortment |əˈsôrtmənt|nouna miscellaneous collection of things or people: The calendar had to be an experimental one with a display of an assortment of printing techniques.

screen-print |ˈskrin ˌprɪnt|verbforce ink or metal onto (a surface) through a prepared screen of fine material so as to create a picture or pattern: When we were given the option of chosing what technique we wanted, I immediately screamed screen printing.

ornate |ôrˈnāt|adjectivemade in an intricate shape or decorated with com-plex patterns: There was just something so ornate about screen printing. Letters weren’t just machine produced forms, rather, they were hand-crafted jewellery!

singly |ˈsiNGglē|adverbseparately or individually: Even though we were di-

mum to singly

my mind

Sherlock Holmes - OST- Hans Zimmer

chapter: 5

rebels

at

my mind

Sherlock Holmes - OST- Hans Zimmer

stagnationrebels

at

56

vided into groups of two, we decided to work singly. It really suited our personalities.

color interactiondesign principlea principle where one color when placed in the context of another interacts with the eye differently than usual: So we used some good old foundation learnings and applied them to our concept for the cover of the calendar.

rigmarole |ˈrig(ə)məˌrōl|nouna lengthy and complicated procedure: Between the rigmarole of the lectures and lectures and... lectures, there was one course that lightened up my mind

theater |ˈTHēətər|nouna building or outdoor area in which plays and other dramatic performances are given: Finally we were having theatre, a course everyone was waiting for.

famous |ˈfāməs|adjectiveknown about by many people: We were all fascinat-ed as a famous personality- not just N.I.D. famous but India famous, probably even world famous- was coming here to teach us theatre!!!

grandmother |ˈgran(d)ˌməT͟Hər|nounthe mother of one’s father or mother: She was like the world’s best grandmom. So huge and cute and so funny.

story |ˈstôrē|nounan account of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment; a plot or story line: It all began with her teaching us the value and the context of a story. The story- the most basic form of communication.

teamwork |ˈtēmˌwərk|nounthe combined action of a group of people, esp. when effective and efficient: Well, this course screamed teamwork since day one. Not because Ar-shia Sattar just told us to work in one, but beacuse that is the inherent nature of theatre.

too many cooks spoil the broth proverb if too many people are involved in a task, it will not

color interaction to too many cooks spoil the broth

57

be done well: That’s exactly how I thought it would turn out to be. But the group turned out just fine.

as a wholephraseas a single unit and not as separate parts; in general: But all was well when the group was small. Just then she asked the entire class to work as a whole

read |rēd|verblook at and comprehend the meaning of (written or printed matter) by mentally interpreting the charac-ters or symbols of which it is composed: And yeah, I had to read!!! Read!!! Read!!!speak (the written or printed matter that one is reading) aloud, typically to another person:What more? We had to read it out to one another to ensure that we did not fall asleep.

dread |dred|verb [ with obj. ]anticipate with great apprehension or fear: I have always dreaded reading... always!!!

script |skript|nounthe written text of a play, movie, or broadcast: We were asked to read some scripts written by great playwrights and analyze them in detail.

absorb |əbˈzôrb, -ˈsôrb|verbtake in and assimilate (information, ideas, or expe-rience): That way we absorbed all the genius of the play, cause we were to be a part of one soon.

pop quiznouna short test given to students without prior warning: Yes, there was a test based on the reading material given to us. It wasn’t exactly a pop quiz. I just wanted to use that word, that’s it!

production |prəˈdəkSHən, prō-|nouna movie, play, or record, esp. when viewed in terms of its making or staging: We were now going to stage an entire production... from scratch.

role |rōl|nounthe function assumed or part played by a person or thing in a particular situation: This time I was really excited and anxious about my role in the productionan actor’s part in a play, movie, etc.: I knew one

as a whole to role

58

thing for sure- I did not want any role on stage.

backstage |bakˈstāj|nounnot known to the public; in secret: I was tired of always being at the forefront of every group project. So this time I went backstage.the area in a theater out of view of the audience, esp. in the wings or dressing rooms: And guess what, I loved the backstage. (Although, we did not have a backstage, or a stage!)

background musicnounmusic intended as an unobtrusive accompaniment to some activity, such as dining in a restaurant, or to provide atmosphere in a movie: I was always intersted in background music of many films, heck, that’s the only music I listen to.

write |rīt|verbcompose (a text or work) for written or printed reproduction or publication; put into literary form and set down in writing: And I loved writing too! Composing, scripting, story telling

right |rīt|adjectivethe best or most suitable of a number of possible choices for a particular purpose or occasion: I write stories, I have a knowledge of background scores- I was just the the right man for the job!

adaptation |ˌadapˈtāSHən, ˌadəp-|nouna movie, television drama, or stage play that has been adapted from a written work, typically a novel: So as I writer, or, as a co-writer we decided to adapt that play to suit a more modern scenario.

disagreement |ˌdisəˈgrēmənt|nounlack of consensus or approval: But there was an obvious disagreement about this, and we finally reverted back to the same old script.

collection |kəˈlekSHən|nounan assembly of items such as works of art, pieces of writing, or natural objects, esp. one systematically ordered: So I browsed through my infinite collection of background music in search for just the right music for the play.

backstage to collection

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small |smôl|adjectiveinsignificant; unimportant: No job was too small, and every job needed to be practiced repeatedly.

practice makes perfectphraseused to convey that regular exercise of an activity or skill is the way to become proficient in it, esp. when encouraging someone to persist in it: So we did rehearse the act for two whole days till we got it perfectly right. Practice makes perfect- don’t it.

stage |stāj|verbpresent a performance of (a play or other show): We finally staged the play and surprisingly the proceed-ings were very smooth.

praise |prāz|the expression of approval or admiration for some-one or something: The audience was full of praise for the whole production.

a pat on the backphrasean expression of approval or congratulation: It was also really encouraging to have people pat on my back in appreciation of my background score.

last |last|adjectiveonly remaining: But there was still one last as-signment left- Writing an imaginary conversation between two characters from one of her reading assignments. nounthe end or last moment, esp. death: But, till date, I wish that the theater workshop had lasted longer.

digest |diˈjest, dī-|verbunderstand or assimilate (new information or the significance of something) by a period of reflection: There was a lot to digest by the end of this course, (probably too much) but the beautiful taste of it shall always linger on.

on the outsidephraseaway from or not belonging to a particular circle or institution: This course finally made me aware of the chain of command. Not because I was subjected to it or I was at the head of it, but because I saw this while I was on the outside of it, completely unaffected by the proceedings.

small to on the outside

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That is not the kinda sketches I do. Mine are pretty much finished; I just call them sketches. So, my point is: Why can’t binding books be like sketches?

conceptual art |kənˈsɛp(t)ʃ(əw)əl ɑrt|nounart in which the idea presented by the artist is con-sidered more important than the finished product, if there is one: So, just on the same lines, I decided to do some concept binding work!

Muse |myōōz|noun(muse) a woman, or a force personified as a woman, who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist: I was my own muse for this project. After all the book was just about me and my thought and they were going to harbor my thoughts- Yes! This was to by my diary, my thought diary.

you can’t judge a book by its coverproverboutward appearances are not a reliable indication of true character: Yes, that was precisely the theme. I needed something really raw and dirty adn used on the outside, but something beautiful and ornamen-tal on the inside.

tyre |tīr|nouna rubber covering, typically inflated or surrounding an inflated inner tube, placed around a wheel to form a flexible contact with the road: I used a rub-ber tyre for the cover. Why? Cause I felt it stood for me. Raw, used, and yet, symbollically- immortal, physically- mortal.

gold |gōld|nouna yellow precious metal, the chemical element of atomic number 79, valued esp. for use in jewelry and decoration, and to guarantee the value of cur-rencies: And gold paper on the inside. Not because I thought I was so pure and precious, but I was also a materialist and very ornamental on ‘aethetic con-cious’ on the inside

scavenge |ˈskavənj|verbsearch for and collect (anything usable) from dis-carded waste: So I scavenged the entire old city for old rubber tyres. They had to be old and used. I did not want to buy new ones. Theuy would just defeat the purpose of the ‘sketch’.

conceptual art to scavenge

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stitch |stiCH|verbmake, mend, or join (something) with stitches: I took all the piece of rubber tyres and stitched them by hand. No machines! Just hand stitching!

a stitch in time saves nineproverbif you sort out a problem immediately it may save a lot of extra work later: But when did I care! That was and still is my problem. I had some problems with the stitching. Soon I started what I do best-

procrastinate |prəˈkrastəˌnāt, prō-|verbdelay or postpone action; put off doing something: It always starts out brilliantly, with so much of enthusiasm. I bound the book(courtesy Hena) and was almost done with the stitching. I don’t know what got into me!

in any case phrasewhatever happens or may have happened: ‘In any case I was supposed to go home this week. And in that case I defintely won’t be able to finish the stitching’, that’s what I convinced myself.

perfect |ˈpərfikt|adjectivePrinting denoting a way of binding books in which pages are glued to the spine rather than sewn together: We were taught perfect binding, which was comparitively weaker than most other binding techniques(such an irony!).free from any flaw or defect in condition or quality; faultless: It was imperative for each book to be perfectly bound.

put someone/something to the testphrasefind out how useful, strong, or effective someone or something is: We had learnt quite a bit by now and it was time to put all our learnings to test, literally.

burn the midnight oilphraseread, study, or work late into the night: So I burnt the midnight oil and read up everything I could on ‘Print Design’. Note: I don’t read much, I just can’t!

blah |blä|informalused to substitute for actual words in contexts where they are felt to be too tedious or lengthy to give in full: The best description of my test!

stitch to blah

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such anand

THINKING

you are

ANALYTICAL

kind of a person

65

you belongin

TYPOGRAPHY

CALLIGRAPHYis aboutthe

HEART

open

chapter: 6

MIND

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academic |ˌakəˈdemik|adjectivenot of practical relevance; of only theoretical inter-est: Although I did learn a heck of a lot of stuff, but, sadly, the course was just too academic.

home sweet homephraseused as an expression of one’s pleasure or relief at being in or returning to one’s own home: Home sweet home, finally! For the first time ever, I loved home!!!

time out |taɪmˈaʊt|nountime for rest or recreation away from one’s usual work or studies: This was a much needed time out from my work and my life at N.I.D.

trip |trip|nounan act of going to a place and returning; a journey or excursion, esp. for pleasure: This was exactly the opposite. It was not for pleasure! The Graphic De-sign batch came here for purely academic reasons.

typo.abbreviationtypographer.typographic.typographical.typography.Yes, the reason we were here- TYPO DAY.

conference |ˈkänf(ə)rəns|nouna formal meeting that typically takes place over a number of days and involves people with a shared interest, esp. one held regularly by an association or organization: The shared interest: Typography. The people: Typographers all over the world.

expectation |ˌekspekˈtāSHən|nouna strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future: I expected a very inten-sively exciting interaction of the world’s greatest typographers, some healthy discussions and me, enlightened.

the reality is —— phraseused to assert that the truth of a matter is not what one would think or expect: The reality was exactly the opposite. No offence to anyone but it was really formal(look up conference): boring and exhausting.

academic to the reality is

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tire |tīr|verbfeel or cause to feel in need of rest or sleep: What was more tiring was the fact that I had to travel for an hour every morning to just sit and cluelessly stare at the speakers.

salvage |ˈsalvij|verbretrieve or preserve (something) from potential loss or adverse circumstances: There were still some workshops to salvage the conference.

calligraphy |kəˈligrəfē|nounthe art of producing decorative handwriting or let-tering with a pen or brush: So most of us joined the calligraphy workshop.

big shotphraseinformal an important or influential person: What really hyped it up was that it was being taken by this big shot calligrapher- Achyuth Pallav. I didn’t care!

magic |ˈmajik|adjectiveinformalwonderful; exciting: He did wield his brush like a wand, and he produced magic. It was beautiful!

tool |tōōl|nouna thing used in an occupation or pursuit: The tools of his trade were fascinating. What was better, he gave them to us for the entire day!

scramble |ˈskrambəl|verbstruggle or compete with others for something in an eager or uncontrolled and undignified way: In a flash, everyone scrambled across the table to grab a tool of their choice.

wood |wōōd|nounthe hard fibrous material that forms the main sub-stance of the trunk or branches of a tree or shrub: All I got was a piece of wood! And yeah, that was one of his tools.

blank |blaNGk|adjectivenot written or printed on: Next, he placed A blank sheet of paper and he invited each one of us to use

tire to blank

brand

a particular identity or image regard-ed as an asset: Finally I got over my obsession over branded products. This was the first time I voluntarily bought a pair of T-shirts, unbranded, from a street vendor for just 130 bucks. Good buy right!

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the tool in our hand.showing incomprehension or no reaction: I just went blank, really blank.

conscious |ˈkänCHəs|adjectivepainfully aware of; sensitive to: With everyone watching I became incredibly concious of what I was going to do.deliberate and intentional: But I did make a con-cious attempt to do two things- one, act calm and, two...

subconscious |səbˈkänSHəs|adjectiveof or concerning the part of the mind of which one is not fully aware but which influences one’s actions and feelings: ..dig deep into my subconcious and try and figure out what I should conciously do. What would actually define me?

decide |diˈsīd|verbmake a choice from a number of alternatives: So after a little subconcious brainstorming I finally decided what to do.

confident |ˈkänfədənt, -fəˌdent|adjectivefeeling or showing confidence in oneself; self-assured: Just then, a confident young man passed by with a similar tool and confidently dipped it in paint and confidently slammed it on the paper repeatedly. He then signed off by writing his name in a confident calligraphic style.

shattered |ˈSHatərd|adjectiveupset (someone) greatly: I was shattered when I saw this. I had the exact same thing in mind. Now I felt ever-more concious and confused.

intimidate |inˈtimiˌdāt|verbfrighten or overawe (someone), esp. in order to make them do what one wants: I was just too in-timidated. I trembled as I wrote something onto the paper, something which I hadn’t planned of.

embarrass |emˈbarəs|verbcause (someone) to feel awkward, self-conscious, or ashamed: I was extremely embrassed, of myself.

by oneselfphrase

concious to by oneself

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unaided, alone: Later, I was by myself, with all the tools at my disposal.

cautious |ˈkôSHəs|adjectivecareful to avoid potential problems: I was cautious of exploring the colors, the brushes or even myself.

splash |splaSH|verbcause (liquid) to strike or fall on something in irregular drops: I no time I began to splash ink all over the paper, with no regard for any sense of introspection or conciousness.

dance |dans|nouna series of movements that match the speed and rhythm of a piece of music: It felt like a dance. So much freedom, so much energy, so much power.

eye-opener |ˈaɪ ˌoʊp(ə)nər|nouninformalan event or situation that proves to be unexpectedly enlightening: Just as I settled down and introspect-ed about the recent past, I had an eye opener.

spontaneous |spänˈtānēəs|adjectiveperformed or occurring as a result of a sudden inner impulse or inclination and without premeditation or external stimulus: This was what I was missing in life. It’s not exactly the spontainity. It is not just about my work.

obligation |ˌäbliˈgāSHən|nounan act or course of action to which a person is mor-ally or legally bound; a duty or commitment: All my life, everything I did was an obligation. Social life- obliging people; Work life- obliging myself.

dawn |dôn, dän|nounbecome evident to the mind; be perceived or understood: The awful truth was beginning to dawn on me, so was the light of enlightenment. I suddenly realized the meaning of,

priority |prīˈôrətē|nouna thing that is regarded as more important than another: Now, I finally understood what my priori-ties were.

cautious to dawn

happiness

family

WORK

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return |riˈtərn|verbcome or go back to a place or person: So I finally returned to Ahmedabad and my life.

self-possessed |',sɛlf pə'zɛst|adjectivecalm, confident, and in control of one’s feelings; composed: But this time I returned a self possessed man, ready for life(rather, 3 more weeks).

color |ˈkələr|nounthe property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way the object reflects or emits light: The next course was ‘Color’. We did have courses on color thrice, once in each semester, and we had learnt most of the basics already.

in contextphraseconsidered together with the surrounding words or circumstances: But now it was important for us to view these learnings in some context, perhaps graphic design!

or right awayphraseimmediately: So Tridha Gajjar, our course faculty, introduced herself and she gave us two assignment briefs right away.

base |bās|nouna conceptual structure or entity on which something draws or depends: The first two assignments were research based. A lot of computer work and fact finding was involved.

pink |piNGk|adjectiveof a color intermediate between red and white, as of coral or salmon: The first assignment was to research on a particular color. The color I chose- PINK.

analyze |'anl,īz|verbexamine methodically and in detail the constitution or structure of (something, esp. information), typi-cally for purposes of explanation and interpretation: For the second assignment, we had to analyze, in detail, any five logos- their color and form.

return to analyze

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cultural |ˈkəlCHərəl|adjectiveof or relating to the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a society: I learnt to see color in a cultural context.

reason |ˈrēzən|verbthink, understand, and form judgments by a process of logic: This assignment actually helped me reason the use of a particular color for a particular pur-pose. It’s not that we never reasoned color before, we just became more concious of it.

animated |ˈanəˌmātid|adjectivemade using animation techniques: For the next assignment I chose to study Logos that were ani-mated. So apart from the color and form of the logo what interested me more was the-

experiential |ekˌspi(ə)rēˈenCHəl|adjectiveinvolving or based on experience and observation: - the experiential aspect of the logo, especially when it preceeded a movie.

package |ˈpakij|verb combine (various products) for sale as one unit: The logos were not just visuals, but sound and anima-tion packaged into a one great concept.

backstory |ˈbakˌstôrē|nounbackground information about a real person or thing that promotes fuller understanding of it: What was even more fascinating was the backstory of each logo, of the designer and his/her inspiration.

switch |swiCH|verbchange the position, direction, or focus of: I kept switching focus between these assignments until we finally had to present each one of them.

chill |CHil|verbinformalcalm down and relax: One thing is for sure: I am so chilled during my presentations. I don’t even need a presentation, I can just talk.

mix-up |ˈmɪks ˌəp|nouninformal

cultural to mix-up

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a confusion of one thing with another, or a misun-derstanding or mistake that results in confusion: There was one small mix up nevertheless. I don’t know how, but the presentation for the study in pink was entirely done in purple color. I really don’t know how that happened.

Holmes, Sherlock |hōmz|an extremely perceptive private detective in stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Around this time I statrted watching a T.V. series called Sherlock, an adaptation of the fictitious legend.

penchant |ˈpenCHənt|nouna strong or habitual liking for something or ten-dency to do something: Eventually, I developed a penchant for observing things, objects, designs, and people. I started reading everything around me.

mood |mōōd|nouna temporary state of mind or feeling: In the third assignment, were asked to choose a certain mood and then represent that using an appropriate form and appropriate colors.

psychedelic |ˌsīkəˈdelik|adjectiverelating to or denoting drugs (esp. LSD) that produce hallucinations and apparent expansion of consciousness: I don’t whether I just wanted to be different or wierd, but I chose psychadelia.

Information graphicnouninfographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge: The next assign-ment was to use the knowledge of color in designing infographics.

day |dā|nouna period of twenty-four hours as a unit of time, reckoned from one midnight to the next, corre-sponding to a rotation of the earth on its axis: The infographic was supposed be on how I spent a day at N.I.D., not any day, a paticular designated day.

found |found|adjectivehaving been discovered by chance or unexpectedly, in particular: Immediately I used all my new found spontaniety and freedom of thought for both of these assignments.

Holmes, Sherlock to found

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ink |iNGk|nouna colored fluid used for writing, drawing, printing, or duplicating: Ink was the in thing for the rest of the semester. I got all the inks that I could possibly get and started splashing them all over.

justify |ˈjəstəˌfī|verbbe a good reason for: There had to be a justification for this right??? And there was. On that particu-lar day I remember writing a lot- I mean creative writing.

unplanned |ˌənˈpland|adjectivenot planned: Moreover that day was very un-planned. It was a day of random events.

movie |ˈmōōvē|nouna story or event recorded by a camera as a set of moving images and shown in a theater or on televi-sion; a motion picture: I still remember me seeing this awsome inspiring movie that day- The Art of Flight. Amazing movie!!!

tea leaf |ˈti ˌlif|nouna dried leaf of tea: Just after immersing the paper in a bowl of water and tea leaves, I took some paint and splattered it all across the paper.

designate |ˈdezigˌnāt|verbsignify; indicate: Then I designated each ink splat-ter an activity of the day. Larger the ink splatter, the higher its importance.

poetic |pōˈetik|adjectivewritten in verse rather than prose: The index was wriiten(rather composed) in a poetic style.having an imaginative or sensitively emotional style of expression: So the entire infographic looked very poetic- just like the kind of person I am and just like the day it was.

variation |ˌve(ə)rēˈāSHən|noundifferent or distinct form or version of something: I did have a few color variations, but the black and white one was the best fitting. p.s. The brown vari-ant looked like shit, literally!

ink to variation

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texture |ˈteksCHər|nounthe feel, appearance, or consistency of a surface or a substance: I did want it to be printed on a textured paper thus giving it a heightened poetic appeal.

drug |drəg|nouna substance taken for its narcotic or stimulant effects, often illegally: Back to psychadelia, I had never been under the influence of drugs or alcohol. I had never even smoked a cigarette.

curiosity |ˌkyōōrēˈäsitē|nouna strong desire to know or learn something: Yet there was this strange curiosity to know what it felt like.

trickle |ˈtrikəl|verbcause (a liquid) to flow in a small stream: So I poured some ink onto the paper and let it trickle down.

exclamation marknouna punctuation mark (!) indicating an exclamation: Then I tried using the concept of the exclama-tion mark by adding overlapping colors till it was psychadelic enough.

emanate |ˈeməˌnāt|verb(of something abstract but perceptible) issue or spread out from (a source): The basic idea was to show something emanating from the head to give the impression of a high.

high |hī|adjectiveintoxicated with drugs: Yeah, but there were instances when I had been really high, halucinating and lost.

meditate |ˈmedəˌtāt|verbthink deeply or focus one’s mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation: I used to meditate a lot and there were moments when I was lost within myself.

insomnia |inˈsämnēə|nounhabitual sleeplessness; inability to sleep: There was

texture to insomnia

85

this one time, when I hadn’t slept for 80 hours and I could see cats- cats that weren’t actually there!

chakra |ˈCHäkrə|noun(in Indian thought) each of the centers of spiritual power in the human body, usually considered to be seven in number: I researched about the chakras of the body that were directly related to meditation techniques which was, in turn, directly related Out of Body Experiences(OBE) a.k.a. high.

fuse |fyōōz|verbjoin or blend to form a single entity: So I took all these experiences and thesse cravings and these facts and fused them to together to derive a form.

misconstrue |ˌmiskənˈstrōō|verbinterpret (something, esp. a person’s words or ac-tions) wrongly: Unfortunately I misconstrued the Tridha’s brief. It wasn’t necessary for us to make a logo, we just needed to potray that feeling on an A4 sheet of paper.

variety |vəˈrīətē|noun(a variety of) a number or range of things of the same general class that are different or distinct in character or quality:This helped me sketch, paint and splash a variety of explorations. Some with the chakra as the theme and some with just the flurry of ink.

short listverbput (someone or something) on a short list: Then I did short list most of my ‘head’ forms as the forms with the chakra or the lotus were too abstract and weren’t communicative enough.

refinement |riˈfīnmənt|nounthe improvement or clarification of something by the making of small changes: Then I started refin-ing the final form by redrawing and repainting it neatly. No digital enhancements.

lotus |ˈlōtəs|nounany of a number of large water lilies, in particular: I also refined the lotus form and tried making it as neat as possible. It was a difficult task, as it had too many layers of petals.

chakra to lotus

i came

SAWi

chapter: 7

CONQUERED.I

break point

the state of a game when the side re-ceiving service needs only one more point to win the game: Yup, I was almost there, but then the computer crashed and...the moment of greatest strain at which someone or something gives way: So I just had to vent it out, you know- break something.

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smiley |ˈsmīlē|adjective (in electronic communications) a symbol that represents a smiling face, typically formed by the characters :-) and used to indicate that the writer is pleased or joking: I used the concept of smileys. Thus simplifying the entire serious and religious topic of Rama and Krishna.

typecast |ˈtīpˌkast|verbrepresent or regard (a person or their role) as a stereotype: By then I had already been typecasted as this guy who would always use ink splashes and psychadelic colors in every assignment. It became my style.

style |stīl|nouna way of painting, writing, composing, building, etc., characteristic of a particular period, place, person, or movement: I had always been against developing a style. I hate being a stereotype. But I don’t how, I just developed a style.

pending |ˈpendiNG|adjectiveawaiting decision or settlement: So there was work still pending- Typography!!!

rework |rēˈwərk|verbmake changes to something, esp. in order to make it more up to date: Most of my classmates thought that I had everything sorted already and I just had to refine the same. But I had other plans - plans to rework the entire booklet.

monotony |məˈnätn-ē|nounlack of variety and interest; tedious repetition and routine: I hated the monotony of layouts. And I was determined not to adhere to any layouts at all. (Well, it is surprising that this book has a layout- I am so deconstructing myself now!)

architect |ˈärkiˌtekt|nouna person who designs buildings and in many cases also supervises their construction: The typeface was actually inspired by the hand lettering done by New York’s architects.

theme |THēm|nounthe subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person’s

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thoughts, or an exhibition; a topic: Hence the theme was: An Architect’s Architepycal Typeface.

blueprint |ˈblōōˌprint|nouna design plan or other technical drawing.something that acts as a plan, model, or template: So these were the basic thoughts and themes that acted as a blueprint for the rest of work.ORIGIN late 19th cent.: from the original process in which prints were composed of white lines on a blue ground or of blue lines on a white ground: Moreover the appearance of the book, especially the cover page and the poster was supposed to be done on blueprint paper.

unique |yōōˈnēk|adjectivebeing the only one of its kind; unlike anything else: Every single page had a unique layout.

be in the process of doing somethingphrasebe continuing with an action already started: Ac-cording to my time I had to show the type-designer a.k.a. the architect in the process of designing and analyzing the typeface.

fake |fāk|verbmake (an event) appear to happen: Obviously I couldn’t photograph Tobias Frere Jones designing the typeface. So, obviously, I had to fake it.

junior |ˈjōōnyər|nouna person who is a specified number of years younger than someone else: So I asked one of my juniors, Burhan, to help me out.

come in handyphraseinformal turn out to be useful: Burhan actually came in handy. He had a camera alright, but he was actually handy, literally! This might sound really wrong, but he has good hands- hands that could pass off for a foreigner’s hands.

poster |ˈpōstər|nouna large printed picture used for decoration: One additional feature was the removable-folding-poster within the booklet. This was another imitation of the blueprint concept.

blueprint to poster

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completely |kəmˈplētlē|adverbtotally; utterly: The medicine packaging assignment required a completely different approach.

govern |ˈgəvərn|verbcontrol, influence, or regulate (a person, action, or course of events): This was governed by a certain set of regulations declared by the Indian Govern-ment itself.

at stakephraseto be won or lost; at risk: After all, there was a lot at stake when it came to medicines.

cautionary |ˈkôSHəˌnerē|adjectiveserving as a warning: Most of the information on the tablet is mandatory information. But some of them are cautionary and are important for the user.

instinct |ˈinstiNGkt|nouna natural or intuitive way of acting or thinking: Whenever my mom or dad or even I have to deal with any medicine, be it syrups or tablets or cap-sules, our basic instinct is to read the cautionary information and check if there are any-

side effect |ˈsaɪd əˌfɛkt|nouna secondary, typically undesirable effect of a drug or medical treatment: A lot of alopathic medica-tion have side effects on the patient. Sometimes, this leads to very serious complications that could result in death also.

survey |sərˈvā|verbinvestigate the opinions or experience of (a group of people) by asking them questions: In order to understand the basic instincts of people(when they by a strip of tablets) I conducted a survey.

response |riˈspäns|nouna written or verbal answer to a question in a test, questionnaire, survey, etc.: I did recieve a very ideal and typical response from almost all the survey participants- Yes, we read the cautionary notice.

consult |kənˈsəlt|verbseek information or advice from (someone with

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expertise in a particular area): I was still pretty unsure. So I consulted Siddharth Ghosh- a Typog-raphy genius for further advice.

rebuff |riˈbəf|verbreject (someone or something) in an abrupt or ungracious manner: I showed him my analysis and before I could continue, he rebuffed every single analytical reasoning I had thought of for the packaging.

start overphrasemake a new beginning: He then told me start over again with a different approach.

convenience |kənˈvēnyəns|nounthe state of being able to proceed with something with little effort or difficulty: According to him, the packaging was only for the convenience of the pharmaceutical agency and the vendor.

map |map|verbbe associated or linked to something: So, I mapped the information according to the respective target audience.

regulatory |ˈregyələˌtôrē|adjectiveserving or intended to regulate something: Once that was done, it was just a matter of placing the regulatory information.

God (is) in the detail(s)idiomwhatever one does should be done thoroughly; i.e. details are important: The medicine packaging was all about the details. Especially the typeface used.

legal |ˈlēgəl|adjectiveof, based on, or concerned with the law: I though-this was assignment was of such a big magnitude with lot of legal hassles and the scope for very little designing.

seriously |ˈsi(ə)rēəslē|adverbwith earnest intent; not lightly or superficially: Infact, it was something very few people gave a se-rious thought. After all, once it is prescribed by the doctor, who gives a damn if it safe or not... right?!

rebuff to seriously

signature

nouna distinctive pattern, product, or characteristic by which someone or something can be identified: The music room needed a logo, and I wanted to give them a logo that was character-istic of the music they produce- just like a signature, a signature music

sine wave

nounA curve representing the periodic oscillations of the constant ampli-tude as given by a sine function. Also called sinusoid: This was very im-portant in the physics of sound and music. So, I just merged this con-cept with the word signature or sign- ‘signwave’.

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postproduction |ˌpōstprəˈdəkSHən|nounwork done on a film or recording after filming or recording has taken place: Who knew that there would be postproduction work in Typography too!!!Printing, Binding, Folding... that’s just the be-ginnning of the list.

point |point|nounPrinting a unit of measurement for type sizes and spacing, which in the US and UK is one twelfth of a pica, or 0.013835 inch (0.351 mm), and in Europe is 0.015 inch (0.376 mm): This was one big revelation. First I used a 12 point sized typeface. I thought it would be pretty small. I was so wrong. Finally my typesize was just 9-10 points.

fresh |freSH|adjectiverecently made or obtained: When I finally got my prints, bound and done fresh from the printer, it just felt so good. You could smell the typography. Ah!recently created or experienced and not faded or impaired: It has been months since I have taken the prints, but the memory is still fresh.

forget |fərˈget|verbinadvertently neglect to attend to, do, or mention something: There was something I was still forget-ting. I just didn’t know what.

postcard |ˈpōstˌkärd|nouna card for sending a message by mail without an envelope, typically having a photograph or other il-lustration on one side: I completely forgot about the ‘postcard design’ assignment! So annoying!

quote |kwōt|verbnouna quotation from a text or speech: Each student was given a quote. Now, we had illustrate this quote on postcard. The quote- “Type is not a group of beau-tiful letters, it is a beautiful group of letters.”

make sense ofphrasefind meaning or coherence in: At first, I couldn’t even make sense of it. Probably that’s why I con-veniently chose to forget it.

good |gōōd|adjective

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to be desired or approved of: Then I saw Khyati’s work. It was just so good. I was inspired. But, at the same time, I was damn intimidated.

stop |stäp|verb(of an event, action, or process) come to an end; cease to happen: I just stopped thinking for a while. I just decide to sit and stare at the computer or the paper or the walls or just dream. I don’t know what, but no thinking!!!

stick |stik|adjectivesomething resembling or likened to a stick, in par-ticular: After a while I started drawing stick figures on a paper. Eventually I tried making sense of what I was doing.

little |ˈlitl|adjectiveyoung or younger: I compared type to little girls and used the metaphor of a photograph frame or limelight.

unity |ˈyōōnətē|nounthe state of being united or joined as a whole: Basically, I compared this quote with another old saying- Unity even in diversity.

digitize |ˈdijiˌtīz|verbconvert (pictures or sound) into a digital form that can be processed by a computer: Later I digitized this sketch along with the quote hand written.

arrange |əˈrānj|verbput (things) in a neat, attractive, or required order: All I had do was to arrange it on a postcard, and add some color- I added only yellow, the yellow frame.

cute |kyōōt|adjectiveattractive in a pretty or endearing way: Finally the sketch looked so cute. No one could believe...Even I couldn’t believe that I had drawn this.

happy |ˈhapē|adjective ( happier , happiest )feeling or showing pleasure or contentment: I felt so happy after printing the postcards. Everyone felt happy. It still makes me happy. It’s probably the only happy wok I have done in my life!!!

stop to happy

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over and done with phrasecompletely finished: So all the assignments, and in turn, the semester was over and done with.

It ain’t over till (or until) the fat lady singsproverbinformalessentially meaning that one should not assume the outcome of some activity (e.g. a sporting contest) until it has actually finished: But it was ain’t over until my jury panel bombards me.

jury |ˈjōōrē|nouna body of people selected to judge a competition: I still had a jury to attend. And panel consisted of Anil Sinha, Chakradhar Saswade and Rupesh Vyas.

determine |diˈtərmin|verb cause (something) to occur in a particular way; be the decisive factor in: The sad part was that, this jury was going to ultimately determine whether my semester was good or bad, and ultimately, whether I was a good designer or not.

who am I (or are you, is he, etc.) to do something phrasewhat right or authority do I (or you, he, etc.) have to do something: Agreed, they are my superiors and they will be judging me, but who are they decide whether I am good or bad!!! That’s my right and my right alone. I decide whether I am good or bad.

cold feetphraseloss of nerve or confidence: Initially I had cold feet, but later I was fearless.

D-Day |ˈdi ˌdeɪ|nounthe day on which an important operation is to begin or a change to take effect: The problem with me is that I keep getting stronger and confident as the D-day approaches.

folder |ˈfōldər|nouna folding cover or holder, typically made of stiff paper or cardboard, for storing loose papers: All I did was- take the prints and just keep making folders. All throughout my foundation year I was known for making hand made folders for my jury or as a matter of fact, any submission.

over and done with to folder

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bulletin board |ˈbʊlətn ˌbɔ(ə)rd|nouna board for displaying notices: I hated the idea of showing all my work in a digital medium. So I got two bulletin boards and displayed my work all across the boards.

timeline |ˈtīmˌlīn|nouna graphic representation of the passage of time as a line: Instead of having a very arbitrary arrange-ment I arranged the assignment prints according to a timeline format- the timeline of my semester.

meter |ˈmētər|nouna device that measures and records the quantity, degree, or rate of something, esp. the amount of electricity, gas, or water used: The theme was my happiness/freedom meter. The higher the assign-ment was the happier I was during that course.

rattle someone’s cage phraseinformal make someone feel angry or annoyed: I started out by narrating my experiences throughout the semes-ter and the first course was B.G.D. And I managed to rattle his cage once again!!!

keep one’s coolphraseinformalmaintain a calm and controlled attitude: I kept my cool even when I was in the eye of a storm.

heed |hēd|nouncareful attention: I still paid heed to whatever they told me. Yeah, I did have my own share of learn-ings, but there was no harm in listening to someone else’s opinion.

feedback |ˈfēdˌbak|nouninformation about reactions to a product, a person’s performance of a task, etc., used as a basis for im-provement: I did get a lot of feedback from Rupesh and Chakradhar. Anil Sinha was just ignorant.

constructive |kənˈstrəktiv|adjectiveserving a useful purpose; tending to build up: I just wished that I had gotten some constructive feed-back. But, I guess, I had learnt it own my own.

bulletin board to constructive

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leave someone/something in the dustphrasesurpass someone or something easily: The jury was over and I decided to leave all the bitter experi-ences in the dust. I decided to-

move onphraseprogress: I decided that it was best for me to move on. Be neither sad nor overconfident.

wipe the slate cleanphraseforgive or forget past faults or offenses; make a fresh start: That was the only thing on my mind. And for that, I had to forgive myself for everything.

cheerful |ˈCHi(ə)rfəl|adjectivenoticeably happy and optimistic: Having done that I was more cheerful than ever. I could feel happier.

bicycle |ˈbīsikəl|nounride a bicycle in a particular direction: I used my new found spontaneity and bicycled to Adalaj and then to Gandhinagar and all the way back.

liberate |ˈlibəˌrāt|verbset (someone) free from a situation, esp. imprison-ment or slavery, in which their liberty is severely restricted: That ride was liberating- liberating from all the social shackles, liberating from all the critiques, liberating from all the fake appreciation, liberating from the confined walls of the studio, the confined briefs of assignments, liberating from my preconcieved notions, liberating from the cage built within.

in the endphraseeventually or on reflection: It was finally the end of the year. A lot had already happened and I had been through a lot. In the end this was a semester when I finally grew up. This wasn’t the end, not yet.

life |līf|nounthe period between the birth and death of a living thing, esp. a human being, the period during which something inanimate or abstract continues to exist, function, or be valid: Every semester is a life cycle in a way. It doesn’t matter if we passed or failed. It’s just the realization of accepting death and be-ing willing enough to be born again.

leave someone/something in the dust to life

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I want to thank everybody involved in this little project of mine.

First and formost- My mom and dad. They deserve to have their trust and faith rewarded. Of all the times I have let them down, or probably broken their trust- This book is a big ‘sorry’ and a promise that I will never disappoint them.Moreover this is a huge ‘thankyou’ for, without their upbringing, I would not be the person I am today. I love the way I was brought up by them, and I couldn’t ask for more.

Thanks to Tarun Deep Girdhar- an inspiration to most Graphic Designers at N.I.D. It is his motivation to ‘experiment all that you can’ that makes me a confident and open minded Graphic Design Student.

Sorry and Thankyou Siddhartha Singh. The I.M.A. workshop was very instrumental in helping me realize my strengths and weaknesses, not just as a designer, but also as a person.

Special thanks to Ninad Adawadkar and Aishwarya Ganeshan for bringing me back from the dead. I would not be writing this if it weren’t for you guys. Another special thanks to Shivani, Thommen, Hena and Aloki

from me to everyone

Credits

Shailendra, Arshia Sattar, Rupesh Vyas, Nidhi, Burhan, Debashish, Tridha Gajjar, Bharat Bhai, Adobe, Apple Inc., Printers

long way to gophrasea lot of work to do or improvements to make: There is still a long way to go.

Aadarsh Rajan ǀ aadarsh.r@nid.edu ǀ S1000061