The Ancient Indian Grid System: A New Gateway to Modern Design Language

Think of any aspect of modern life aesthetic- your house, the newspaper or Facebook, graphic design is probably instrumental in defining and distinguishing its content. Grids provide the framework to organise space and manage the flow of information. From the organic-spiritual connect of temple plans to the fluidity of design in auspicious symbology, endless examples of the creative uses of the grid shine through in ancient Indian culture. Unfortunately, there exists inadequate knowledge of this rich legacy, owing largely to the accent on Western pedagogy. With an aim to garner sensitivity to the fact that grids can also be dynamic and free flowing, one also hopes to bridge the gap between modern design and traditional art to create a uniquely Indian design language. The aim is to underline a strong link between Graphic Design and Indian Design definition, to highlight the possibility of evolving a strong, indigenous graphic language that could speak eloquently its own vocabulary while adhering to the predominantly western principles that form the current bulwark of modern design education, that might ignore the indigenous aspects so evident in ancient grid structures.