The newly formed Academy of Design Sciences Foundation India (DeScIn) has announced a logo design competition. DeScIn is a peer society and a non-profit association focused on advancing academic and scientific activities in various areas of design research.
The aims and objectives of DeScIn are captured in the following principles:
- Principle of Quality: The academy will strive to behold the best possible academic quality in design research.
- Principle of Inclusivity: As long as academic quality is not compromised, the academy will strive to represent design research in its widest possible areas of manifestation.
- Principle of Responsibility: The clauses of dissolution cannot be altered.
- Principle of Ownership: The leadership of pre-existing events and positions acquired by the Academy will continue to be held by their original owners, who will operate independently in decision-making regarding the events and positions.
My Design Submission: Logo Reveal Animation
The DESCIN logo is created using primary shapes, with a simple, minimalist layout. It instantly conveys a human-centered motif and invokes a research ethos.
The design visually hints at or abstractly represents humanity, and puts people at the focus. This instantly communicates that the institution or organization values people — whether that’s learners, researchers, or the broader community.
The logo also evokes concepts of a core idea or a focal point for investigation — paralleling the way research seeks to reach the heart of knowledge.
Inspiration and Logo Logic
A few of the iconic logos belonging to the best educational institutions in India are all built using basic shapes. The humanity angle is inspired by the Ubuntu logo. Primary research involves interviews and surveys trying to capture the voice of the subject. A single inverted comma (quotation mark), as seen on the Vodafone logo, represents the dialogue between the researcher and the subject.
The DESCIN logo shows a human form embracing the principles of inclusivity, responsibility, and ownership. A single inverted comma represents the questions and answers between the researcher and the subject. The right half of the logo resembles a stylized ‘D’ for ‘Design.’
‘DeScIn’ or ‘descin’ or ‘DESCIN’?
A highly ‘unscientific study’ conducted among my friends proved that people have difficulty reading ‘DeScIn’ properly. It is very difficult to distinguish between a capital ‘i’ and a lowercase ‘L.’ Most of the people read ‘DeScIn’ as ‘DE-SCLEN!’ So I tried using all lowercase ‘descin’ and all caps ‘DESCIN.’ This time, I got satisfactory results, as people read it very similarly to ‘design.’ I decided to keep the all caps version.
Logo and Logotype
Linear lockup and stacked lockup versions of the logo and logotype are created to be used in narrower and wider spaces on websites, social media, and merchandise. ‘DESCIN in the stacked version and ‘Academy of Design Sciences Foundation India’ are written using Poppins typeface inh bold weight. ‘DESCIN’ in the linear version has semi-bold weight.
As suggested in the competition brief, I went with the primary color of Teal with a hex code of #0194a4. Teal combines the calming properties of blue with the renewal qualities of green. It represents open communication and clarity of thought. Teal’s unique hue stands out against both light and dark backgrounds, making it useful in design for guiding users and creating focal points.
Monochrome and Mixed Media Applications
The logo works well in monochrome and also in different sizes.
The logo will also work well on mixed media with gold or silver accents.
The DESCIN logo successfully blends minimalist design with a meaningful, human-centered message, embodying the institution’s values. As DESCIN continues to shape the future of design research in India, I’m sure that its thoughtfully crafted logo will serve as a beacon for its vision and values.
UPDATE 27-JULY-2025
I’m very happy to inform you that my logo design is selected as one among the four finalists.
Resources used in this design
- Coworkers working together in the office by rawpixel.com: Freepik
- View of coffee cup with professional business card mock-up: Freepik
- Digital product agency website page template by rabbixel: Freepik
- Transparent plate in front of brick wall by ART-JEK: FreePik
- Music — Groovy Catchy Flute Trap Freestyle Rap Beat (prod by onesevenbeatxs): Pixabay
