Ashwini Deshpande: “Printers and designers must collaborate”

Deshpande quoted Albert Einstein at the start of her presentation: “To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, require creative imagination and marks real advance in science.”

She stressed on the need for printers and designers to collaborate in order to generate ideas that can produce best jobs. She shared a project, which her firm Elephant Designs undertook recently. "As per the brief, we had to make plastic packaging to resemble a paper-based product. We were able to accomplish it successfully thanks to the extensive support from one of our print vendors,” said Deshpande.

She said that important aspects of a printed product include design, brand, print and context; however one m

ust not neglect the user, who is always at the centre of the picture.

She raised a pertinent question: Are we mixing skills and materials to make new? “For instance, a liquor carton, I came across, was designed by a fashion designer. It was a mix of jute, paperboard, decorated with embroidery, foiling and various finishing techniques,” said Deshpande.

“Also, glow-in-the-dark inks are not new to us. But how many of use it effectively?” asked Deshpande. She showcased a poster of a weathered tree. “The leaves of this tree are printed with glow-in-the-dark inks, which are invisible in presence of light. However, in the dark, it blossoms. It conveys a message of ‘Save Electricity, Save Nature’ effectively.”

Deshpande cited the instance of 3D printing, which according to her will sooner or later be a commercial and via

ble technology in the country.

A student of NID, Ahmedabad, Deshpande is a print lover who misses the letterpress. “Print has always been fascinating for me since it affects people, culture and trade. If the art and skill of making Paithani saree has not become extinct, then why has letterpress died? I wish we bring back letterpress,” said Deshpande.