Designyatra 2023 took place on 26-28 October, 2023 at Grand Hyatt, Goa.

The Speakers:

1. Abha Narain Lambah
   Founder, Abha Narain Lambah Associates
   Abha Narain Lambah is an Indian conservation architect known for restoring UNESCO World Heritage Sites like Ajanta Caves and Mumbai’s Victorian buildings. Her firm has received 11 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards. Ongoing projects include restoring the Shalimar Bagh and preparing nominations for Mughal Gardens of Kashmir and Sarnath.
2. Alan Dye
   Founder & Creative Director, NB Studio
   Alan Dye, Co-Founder and Creative Director of NB, is an award-winning designer with 30+ years of experience leading projects for Philharmonie Luxembourg, Pernod Ricard, Crowne Plaza, The Royal Mail, Museum of London, V&A, and Tate Modern. He co-founded NB: Studio after honing his craft at Pentagram. Educated at Ravensbourne University and Maidstone College of Art, his work has earned D&AD, Design Week, Brand Impact, and New York Art Directors awards. A regular judge for D&AD, he also chaired the Typographic Circle for nearly a decade. Michael Wolff praises him as one of the UK’s most imaginative designers.
3. Anil Aykan
   Graphic Designer & Educator, Fragile Self
   Anıl Aykan is a London-based graphic designer and educator, originally from Istanbul. She graduated from the Graphic Design Department of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and completed her Ph.D. at the same university on typography. She was a teaching assistant and tutor in several universities in Istanbul, since 2014 she has been working as a graphic designer at Barnbrook in London. Her expertise is in editorial design, working with internationally renowned clients such as Victoria & Albert Museum, Phaidon, Rizzoli, Thames & Hudson, and Somerset House. She is also a member of the minimal electronic band Fragile Self.
4. Christopher Bauder
   Founder & Creative Director, WHITEvoid
   Christopher Bauder is a German interaction designer and media artist based in Berlin. His work focuses on translating bits and bytes into objects and environments, integrating space, object, sound, light, and interaction. Founder of WHITEvoid studio, he’s known for the Lichtgrenze installation for the 25th anniversary of the Berlin Wall’s fall. His installations have been showcased globally at venues like Centre Pompidou, Museum of Design in Zurich, and MUTEK. Bauder’s projects have won multiple awards, including the German Lighting Design Award, Red Dot Design Award, and Cannes Lions.
5. Dick Powell
   Co-Founder, Seymourpowell
   Dick Powell, co-founder of Seymourpowell, champions design as a means to improve life, business, and the world. With nearly 40 years of experience, he’s taken this vision to TV with 12 Channel 4 programs and recently designed Virgin Galactic’s spaceship interior. A strong advocate for design education, he chaired D&AD for 10 years and served on various design boards. Powell believes in the power of innovation and design to create a better future.
6. Jayden Ali
   Architect, Artist & Filmmaker, JA Projects
   Jayden Ali is an architect, artist, and filmmaker whose interdisciplinary practice, JA Projects, works internationally on public-facing cultural projects. A lecturer at Central Saint Martins and trustee of Open City, he’s a Design Advocate for the Mayor of London and on the Architects’ Journal’s ’40 Under 40′ list. He’s part of Hackney’s Regeneration Design Advisory Group and the London Legacy Development Corporation Quality Review Panel. Co-curator of the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2023, Jayden is an alumnus of the Architectural Association, The Cass, and the University of East London.
7. Jonathan Barnbrook
   Graphic Designer, Artist, Type Designer, Activist & Owner, Barnbrook
   Jonathan Barnbrook is a British graphic designer, filmmaker, and typographer. Trained at Saint Martin’s School of Art and the Royal College of Art, he designed David Bowie’s album covers from Heathen (2002) to Blackstar (2016). Known for emotive typefaces like Bastard and Exocet, he collaborated with Damien Hirst and is a signatory of the First Things First 2000 manifesto. Barnbrook uses design as a tool for social change, creating politically charged work and contributing to Adbusters. His studio designed the corporate identity for Tokyo’s Roppongi Hills and Mori Art Museum. He lives and works in London.
8. Khyati Trehan
   Graphic Designer & 3D Visual Artist
   Khyati’s work is textural, playful and emotive, though her love for the sciences has a tendency to sneak in. Khyati’s career has seen her work across disciplines, drawing inspiration from the context of the work and often exploring the edges of all things visual for the likes of the Oscars, New York Times, Apple, Google and Instagram. She currently works at the Google Creative Lab in NYC. She previously worked as a senior communication designer at IDEO Munich. Khyati was one of Print Magazine’s 15 New Visual Artists under 30 in 2017, was chosen as the Artistry Creator of the Year at Adweek’s Creator Visionary Awards, won the ADC Young Guns 19 and most recently, made it to the Forbes 30under30 India List.
9. Manvendra Singh Shekhawat
   Founder, Dhun
   Manvendra Singh Shekhawat is a visionary entrepreneur, renowned for his luxury hotels Suryagarh and Narendra Bhawan. He is restoring five forts into cultural hubs and has led over 35 community projects. His current focus is Dhun, a regenerative habitat for 8,500 people, transforming 500 acres into a thriving ecosphere.
10. Murthovic
    Electronic Music Composer, DJ & sound designer
    Murthovic, a Hyderabad-based electronic music composer, DJ, and sound designer, boasts nearly two decades in the field. Known for the acclaimed dance opera Antariksha Sanchar, he also oversees sound design for Antariksha Studio, producing a video game ‘Antara’ and ‘Elsewhere in India.’ With a background in Western and Indian classical music, Murthovic’s consistent electronic music practice shines through his two-decade presence on the festival and club circuit in India.
11. Thiruda
    Media artist, creative director & curator
    Avinash Kumar aka Thiruda is an acclaimed media artist, creative director, and curator, specialising in immersive experiences for electronic music. Co-founder of Quicksand and UnBox Festival, he collaborates with artists, filmmakers, animators, and game developers to showcase an authentic Indian perspective globally. A co-founder of the audio-visual collective BLOT! (2007-2017), Thiruda played a pivotal role in shaping India’s live visuals and electronica scene.
12. Nathan Yong
    Co Founder/ Design Director, Grafunkt
    Nathan Yong runs a multidisciplinary design consultancy in Singapore, spanning industrial, graphic, interior, and architectural design, strategic planning, and branding. He leads a program at Lasalle School of the Arts, mentors startups, and serves as a design awards jury member. His work, exhibited globally and featured in top magazines, includes collaborations with Design Within Reach, Herman Miller, Ligne Roset, and others. Inspired by visual observation, he captures the essence of products through simplicity and restraint.
13. Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian
    Designer, Artist and Filmmaker, Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios
    Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian PhD (she/they) is an award-winning designer, creative director, filmmaker, and director known for creating platforms that support plurality and socio-political projects. She founded the International Space Orchestra and the tuition-free University of the Underground. A filmmaker, radio host, keynote speaker, and amateur boxer, Nelly has collaborated with Massive Attack, Kid Cudi, and others. She challenges institutions from within, including the UN and NASA, and supports transnational teaching and unconventional practices.
14. Pau Garcia
    Media Designer & Founder, Domestic Data Streamers
    Pau Garcia is a media designer and founder of Domestic Data Streamers. Since 2013, the Barcelona-based studio has been producing immersive “info-experiences” for institutions like the United Nations, Tate Modern, and Citizen Lab. Garcia is chair of the Master in Data in Design at ELISAVA, and has lectured at the Hong Kong Design Institute, the Royal College of Arts, Politecnico di Milano, and the Barcelona School of Economics. He also founded HeyHuman!, an artist residency program that combines music, journalism, data for art research, and social justice. He typically doesn’t speak in the third person.
15. Roosje Klap
    Founder, ARK Studio
    Roosje Klap explores the boundaries of custom fit design through collaborations with artists, curators, and designers. Her group, ARK, embodies an interdisciplinary approach. An educator in graphic design and media art, she designs curricula for international academies. Klap chairs Valiz Publishers and serves on boards for the Oude Kerk, Wim Crouwel Institute, and The Hmm. A Ph.D. candidate at Leiden University, she is also part of the AI Research Group at Sandberg Institute and the Networked Image research group at the University of Amsterdam. In 2022, ARK won the Golden Calf for ‘Best Digital Cultural Production’ for the project LAWKI.
16. Shamyra Moodley
    Entrepreneur & Creative Director, Laaniraani
    Shamyra Moodley is an accountant-turned-creative director of Laaniraani, and creates one-of-a-kind sustainable designs from donated remnant fabric. With a passion for colours and textures, Shamyra combines art and fashion to express her African, Indian and Irish heritage. The multi-award-winning designer, who most recently brought home 2023 Eco Responsibility Special Prize awarded by Africa Fashion Up and HEC Paris, Nicholas Coutts/ TWGY Sustainable Fashion Award in 2022 and the AFI Fastrack Designer of the Year award in 2021, believes sustainable fashion can help the sector in a variety of ways.“The combination of legislation, consumer education, the mindset of repurposing wasted fabric, and considered design with scale in mind can bring about an industry shift that benefits our planet and its people.
17. Dr. Shneel Bhayana
    Architect | Bio Designer, Indus
    Dr. Shneel Bhayana is an Architect, Biodesign Researcher, social entrepreneur, and TEDx Speaker. Her PhD at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL focused on integrating biology into design to create large-scale photosynthetic systems for architecture. She pioneers 3D printing and robotic fabrication for novel living materials, exemplified by her Indus project—a wall using microalgae to purify polluted water, bridging urban challenges with local cultural techniques.
18. Shubham Singh
    CEO, CRASTE
    Shubham Singh is CEO and Co-founder of Craste, focusing on sustainable materials and circular economy. A social entrepreneur, he began with the BIRAC Social Innovation Immersion Programme, earning accolades like the BIRAC SOCH Innovation Challenge Award. Shubham founded Gramiksha at 19, impacting underprivileged children across six cities. With a Masters from Imperial College London, he advocates for entrepreneurship, climate change, and education, and is a TEDx speaker.
19. Shubhi Sachan
    Founder, Material Library of India
    Shubhi Sachan explores the future of materials, envisioning waste streams as tomorrow’s resource mines. Her practice delves into value chains, resurrecting discarded materials from landfills and incinerators. With a background in textiles and a passion for sustainability since 2012, she founded the Material Library of India in 2017 to promote resource efficiency and environmental stewardship.
20. Sindiso Nyoni
    Graphic Artist + Founder, StudioR!OT
    Sindiso Nyoni, a self-taught graphic artist from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, holds a BTech in Graphic Design from the University of Johannesburg. Known as R!OT, he is celebrated for his activist street art and multidisciplinary design. His work spans exhibitions worldwide, including at prestigious venues like The Guggenheim Bilbao and The Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City. Sindiso’s portfolio includes collaborations with global brands and roles on design advisory panels and judging juries across Africa.
21. Tina Touli
    Creative Director & Graphic Communication Designer, Tina Touli Designs
    Tina Touli, a London-based creative director and graphic communication designer, is renowned for her global presence at events like Adobe MAX, OFFF Festival, and Graphika Manila. Her multidisciplinary approach has led to collaborations with major clients such as Adobe, Dell, and Converse. Selected by Print Magazine as a top young designer under 30, her work is featured in leading design publications and she teaches at Central Saint Martins, University of Arts London.
22. Yael Mer & Shay Alkalay
    Founders & Designers, Raw Edges
    Yael and Shay founded their design studio after graduating from the Royal College of Art in 2007, focusing on playful, imaginative furniture and installations. Known as Raw Edges, their work explores curiosity and surprise through vibrant colors, dynamic patterns, and unconventional materials like expandable foam and boiled dyes. Their creations, including iconic pieces like Stack and Volume, have garnered international acclaim, featured in museums like MoMA and commissioned by brands like Louis Vuitton and Stella McCartney. They continue to innovate, recently designing bespoke installations for Chatsworth House and expanding their Endgrain collection.

23. Yosuke Ushigome
    Designer / Researcher / Technologist
    Yosuke [yō-ské] is a designer / researcher / technologist based in London. He currently works for Normally as a Lead Interaction Designer. Specialising in futures research and interaction design, he creates visions and prototypes that facilitate discussions and decision-making for our futures. His recent projects include research into the diverse nature of the transition towards sustainable futures for Hitachi, and developing a more cultural and spiritual interaction with AI voice assistants with Swarovski, both of which he undertook while director of the London studio of Takram, a design innovation practice from Tokyo. He also writes for design publications such as Core77 and ICON magazine.

For more pictures from the festival, click here.