New York: The One Club for Creativity has unveiled the striking new visual identity for Young Guns 23, crafted by renowned graphic designer and 3D visual artist Khyati Trehan. A past YG19 winner, Trehan now lives in Brooklyn, New York, and brings a uniquely tactile and experimental energy to this year’s edition of the global competition celebrating exceptional creative professionals aged 30 and under.
Each year, the Young Guns Cube and program branding are redesigned by an alumni winner, and Trehan embraced the challenge with a concept that channels the creative drive shared by all Young Guns.
“The YG23 visual identity draws from what all winners share: a restless, hands-on spirit that keeps them moving and pushes them past the obvious,” she explained. “It’s a telltale sign that they’re going places, and the branding channels that momentum.”
The new wordmark features letterforms that resemble wheels, symbolizing movement and progress. It’s a modular system that can contract into a square or stretch into a linear configuration, offering versatility without losing character.
Trehan’s inspiration came from a formative design school project — an exercise in cutting squares from animation keyframe strips and rearranging them into rhythmic 8×8 grids. Revisiting this technique, she built on it using generative tools.
“I revisited that exercise and ‘vibe coded’ a tool that turned the animations into ASCII art,” Trehan said. “The identity comes together to feel hands-on — think quick DIY flyers — as if I grabbed the first stack of colored paper from the stationery shop and dove straight into making.”
A senior designer at Google Creative Lab, Trehan is known for blending visual systems with storytelling and experimentation. Her portfolio spans high-profile collaborations with Apple, Instagram, The Oscars, The New Yorker, and more. Her accolades include recognition from the Type Directors Club, Print Magazine’s ‘15 New Visual Artists Under 30,’ Adweek’s Artistry Creator of the Year, and Forbes India’s 30 Under 30.
Now open for entries, Young Guns 23 invites submissions from creatives aged 30 or younger with at least two years of professional experience. The competition, judged by a panel of past winners and leading creatives, accepts both professional and personal work. Early entry runs through August 14, with the final deadline on September 18, 2025. Winners will be announced in December.
Returning this year are two initiatives from long-time partner Levine/Leavitt: the Artists-in-Residence Award, offering year-long career representation to one winner, and the Young Guns Assistance Program, which grants free entry to eligible illustrators and photographers facing financial constraints.
Winners receive a uniquely designed Young Guns Cube, a profile on the Young Guns website, a complimentary One Club for Creativity membership, and access to a global network of peers and mentors. Past honorees include creative luminaries like directors DANIELS, Joseph Kosinski, and artists such as Jessica Walsh, Christoph Niemann, Natasha Jen, and Kerby Jean-Raymond.
With Trehan’s bold, kinetic identity setting the tone, Young Guns 23 is poised to spotlight another generation of visionary creators breaking new ground across disciplines.
For more information and to submit work, visit www.youngguns.org.
