New York, April 2025 — India has made a striking mark on the global stage of design excellence, with three outstanding entries from the country winning Certificates of Typographic Excellence in the prestigious TDC71 Competition, organized by the Type Directors Club (TDC), the world’s leading authority on typography and type design.
Recognized for their creativity, cultural depth, and typographic craft, the winning Indian entries stood out among a total of 170 global winners from 26 countries.
Indian Winners at TDC71
The following Indian designers and studios received the coveted certificates:
-
Ek Type, Mumbai
Winning Entry: “Naatak”
Category: Type Design – Single Axis Type Family
Highlight: Celebrated for its culturally resonant and technically sophisticated approach to Indic type design, “Naatak” reflects a growing global appreciation for Indian scripts and aesthetics. -
Naveed Hussain, Delhi
Winning Entry: “Khwabgah: Culture Kitchen”
Category: Lettering – Print Posters, Series
Highlight: A vibrant exploration of Urdu-inspired lettering and cultural storytelling through expressive poster design. -
Pollinate Labs, Mumbai
Winning Entry: “Pollinate Dynamic Identity”
Category: Communication Design – Print or Digital Logotype/Monogram, Single
Highlight: A dynamic and adaptive brand identity system grounded in modern Indian design sensibilities.
A Global Stage for Indian Typography
This year’s competition received entries judged by esteemed juries across Type Design, Lettering, and Communication Design, led by renowned industry figures including Min Lew (Base Design, NYC), David Jon Walker (Yale University), and Sahar Afshar (Dogray Type Foundry, London).
The diversity of India’s winning work — spanning experimental lettering, innovative branding, and culturally rooted type design — showcases the country’s rich visual heritage and forward-looking design thinking.
All three Indian winners will be featured in The World’s Best Typography®, the official TDC Annual, and their work will tour globally through eight traveling exhibitions. Additionally, the Best of Discipline and Judges’ Choice winners will be announced during Creative Week 2025, on May 13 in New York City. The TDC71 Exhibition will also open that evening at Location05, spotlighting the world’s top typographic work.
