Graphic design is an art of making things look better and attractive. Graphic Designers work by combining art with techniques. In this article, we will see some of India's most famous graphic designers. Read on.
Graphic Design is the art of mixing traditional art, culture, and styles. A graphic designer uses visuals to communicate a message or solve a problem. They combine text, colors, shapes, art forms and images to share information in a clear and attractive manner. Designers today use a variety of software, such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and CorelDRAW, to make professional designs. A Graphic designer applies their skills in real-world scenarios using knowledge of art, design tools, etc. Graphic Design includes creating logos and designs for brands, designing advertisements, etc. Some of the famous graphic designers are Benoy Sarkar, Dashrath Patel, R. K. Joshi, Sudarshan Dheer, Sujata Keshavan, Vikas Satwalekar, Yeshwant Chaudhry, etc.
- Famous Graphic Designers of India
- Work of Graphic Designers of India
- Salary of a Graphic Designer in India 2027
Famous Graphic Designers of India
Some of the famous graphic designers of India are:
1. Benoy Sarkar
Benoy Kumar Sarkar studied at Yale University and started teaching at the National Institute of Design (NID). He loved combining simple shapes like circles and squares with Indian cultural patterns. He designed some of the most famous and clean company logos in Indian history, including the Airports Authority of India, Indian Airlines, and Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC).
- Professional Life: After returning to India, he worked as a key faculty member at the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad, helping shape India's early design education system.
2. Dashrath Patel
He studied fine arts at the Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai, and then went to Paris to study ceramics, painting, and photography. He designed major international exhibitions for India, such as the India Pavilion at the Montreal World Expo. In recognition of his massive contribution to Indian design, he was also awarded the Padma Bhushan.
- Professional Life: He was the founding secretary and first director of the National Institute of Design (NID). He served at NID for 20 years. He was an expert in multiple fields, including photography, exhibition design, and pottery.
3. R. K. Joshi
He graduated in commercial art from the Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai. He was a pioneer in multi-language Indian typography. He designed the first Indian language fonts for Microsoft Windows and created iconic calligraphic designs for the Government of India. He is widely remembered for reviving interest in ancient Indian scripts.
- Professional Life: He worked as a creative director in top advertising agencies before joining IIT Bombay's Industrial Design Centre (IDC) as a professor to teach calligraphy and typography.
4. Sudarshan Dheer
He has a diploma in graphic design and painting from the Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai. He spent 50 years creating corporate brand identities for over 100 top Indian companies. His most famous logos include HP (Hindustan Petroleum), Titan Watches, ICICI Bank, and the Kurl-on brand. He also published books on corporate design and won numerous national awards.
- Professional Life: After working for several advertising agencies, he started his own design studio, Graphic Communication Concepts, in 1974.
5. Sujata Keshavan:
She graduated from the National Institute of Design (NID) and then got her Master of Fine Arts in graphic design from Yale University. She is famous for bringing international branding practices to Indian businesses. She is the creative mind behind the modern logos of Airtel (the red wave), Infosys, Wipro, and Himalaya Wellness. She was named the ET Businesswoman of the Year.
- Professional Life: In 1989, she co-founded Ray+Keshavan, which became India's leading brand design firm. She also started a sustainable fashion brand known as Varana.
6. Yeshwant Chaudhry
He graduated from the Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai and then studied advanced design and film production in the United Kingdom and Europe. He coined the term corporate citizenship in the Indian context. He is globally famous for designing the timeless logo of the State Bank of India (SBI) (the blue circle with a keyhole lock), along with identities for HDFC Bank and Tata companies.
- Professional Life: He worked with the global design legend Henri Henrion in London before returning to India to establish his own highly successful firm, Communica.
Work & Achievements:
7. Vikas Satwalekar
He completed his formal education in design at the National Institute of Design (NID) and pursued advanced design studies at the Basel School of Design in Switzerland. Apart from academic leadership, he also worked on visual communication, corporate identity programs, and exhibition graphics for the government. He created corporate branding and educational exhibits for institutions across India.
- Professional Life: He served as a senior faculty member and later became the Executive Director of NID from 1989 to 2000. He spent decades teaching and mentoring generations of Indian design students.
8. Akshar Pathak
He completed his B.Des in graphic design from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi. He is very famous on social media for his viral project called Minimal Bollywood Posters, where he broke down complex movie plots into single, witty icons. His signature style is very clean, simple, and humorous, making him a major influencer in modern digital graphic design.
- Professional Life: He worked with media companies like All India Bakchod (AIB) and currently works as a core creative lead and designer for the food delivery giant Zomato.
Commonly asked questions
To give oneself a higher chance of securing a good rank in NID DAT, it is important to use good-quality books a reference material.
Here are some of the best books recommended by experts and previous rank holders to prepare for the NID DAT exam.
- NID (B. Des. ). Entrance Books and Test Series by AFAINDIA
- Basic Rendering by Robert W. Gill
- Design drawing by Francis D. K. Ching
- NIFT/NID/IIFT Entrance Exam Guide by RPH Editorial Board
There is no official syllabus for NID DAT exam. Details regarding the pattern and types of question asked are available in the handbook available on the website. You can solve sample paper to get the idea of the question paper.
Candidates may note that the National Institute of Design (NID) doesn't release any syllabus for either DAT Prelims or DAT Mains.
However, the institute will release the sample test papers for the NID DAT exam. The sample papers contain questions similar to the ones that will be asked in the actual exam.
So, the candidate may download and practice the sample papers to get an idea about the difficulty level, types of questions asked, marking scheme, weightage, and topics covered.
Additionally, the candidate may download the section-wise topics for the DAT Prelims and DAT Mains exam that have been prepared by consulting previous years' question papers.
NID Studio Test is said to be the hardest. Here, students are asked to prepare a model using the material given. It checks creativity, imagination, and problem-solving skills.
Work of Graphic Designers of India
The names of some of the famous graphic Designers are given below.
| Designer | Major College / University |
Most Famous Work / Logo
|
|---|---|---|
| Benoy Sarkar | Yale University, USA |
Indian Airlines & DTC logos
|
| Dashrath Patel | Govt. College of Fine Arts, Chennai | Founding Director of NID |
| R. K. Joshi | Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai |
Windows Indian language fonts
|
| Sudarshan Dheer | Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai | HP & Titan logos |
| Sujata Keshavan | NID & Yale University | Airtel & Infosys identities |
| Vikas Satwalekar | NID & Basel School, Switzerland |
Director of NID (1989-2000)
|
| Yeshwant Chaudhry | Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai |
State Bank of India (SBI) logo
|
| Gopi Prassana | Multimedia Specialist |
Famous South Indian film posters
|
| Akshar Pathak | NIFT, New Delhi |
Zomato graphics & Minimal Posters
|
| Madhukar B Raju | Visual Arts Specialist |
Corporate digital identity systems
|
Salary of a Graphic Designer in India 2027
The average salary of a graphic designer in India ranges between 2.5 LPA to 6 LPA. This salary depends upon experience, skills, organization and location. The salary of a graphic designer may be different at the entry level, starting from 2.5 LPA to 3.5 LPA. As the level of experience increases, the salary of the graphic designer increases.
| Experience Level |
Years |
Average Annual Salary (INR) |
|---|---|---|
| Entry Level |
0 - 2 years |
2.5 LPA - 3.5 LPA |
| Mid-Level |
2 - 5 years |
4 LPA - 6.5 LPA |
| Senior Level |
5 + Years |
7 LPA - 12 LPA |
| Art Director/ Creative Lead |
5 + Years |
12 LPA - 25 LPA |
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Sayeba Naushad is a commerce postgraduate from Banaras Hindu University. She has over five years of experience in content writing and editing. She has a nose for current events in design field. At Shiksha.com, she s
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