Design Credits

The SADEA identity is a collaboration between South Asian design educators. Each designer was assigned a letter of "SADEA" and chose core values to inform the letterform's design, showcasing South Asian cultural heritage and diverse diasporic experiences.

Art Director:
Archana Shekara

Designers:
Aasawari Kulkarni, Amrita Datta, Archana Shekara, Garima Thakur, Muhammad Nafisur Rahman, Ruchita Mandhre, and Shantanu Suman   

Garima Thakur

Core Value: Solidarity & Equity

Taking inspiration from the circle as a form that illustrates wholeness, inclusivity, and the feeling of being held. The circle is perceived as complete but can lead to several tangents acknowledging the many challenges in seeking solidarity. In the letterform design, several concentric like circles come together to form a core community bridging distances to create equitable opportunities for historically marginalized groups of people.

Amrita Datta

Core Value: Transcontinental Roots

The letterform uses commas (,) to juxtapose the transcultural roots of South Asian immigrants and their vernacular. A comma divides the sentence into two halves: indicating a pause, or enabling two conversations to join—similar to the global South Asian immigrant experience. We assimilate into the dominant social group, creating a divide in the process. The teardrop spur exhibits our vernacular roots, resembling the Bangla vowel অ. Cultural narratives like these amalgamate SADEA’s transcontinental roots.

Ruchita Mandre

Core Value: Dignity, Equity, & Plurality

SADEA facilitates an equitable platform for South Asian design educators, a sense of place that ‘we belong.’ The letterform design mimics the shape of an upward destination icon, the curve of the bowl mimics the Devanagari script; one of the official scripts of the Republic of India and Nepal. The ‘d’ connects with our cultural roots, celebrating similarities and acknowledging differences implying SADEA’s role in building community, honoring plurality, and dignity for all South Asian voices globally.

Shantanu Suman

Core Value: Education & Mentorship

In today's fast-paced world, education has evolved beyond traditional classroom settings. Conversations and mentorship play a vital role in fostering learning and personal growth. The speech blurb, a familiar icon associated with spoken language, is universally recognized as a representation of communication and dialogue. It signifies the exchange of ideas, thoughts, and knowledge. Using speech blurbs can help us understand education better and highlights the importance of conversation and mentorship in learning.

Muhammad Nafisur Rahman

Core Value: Dignity & Transcontinental Roots

Dignity honors and celebrate the inherent worth of every individual. The rich contrast model between thick/thin and overall condensed/slender letterform suggests strong character and confidence. The swoosh tail connects “a” immediately to the traditional handwritten practices and nuanced commonality among various South Asian scripts.

Nari

Aasawari Kulkarni

Core Value: Dignity & Plurality

The display typeface we use is Nari, a variable typeface with unique characters that offer a delightful contrast in stroke weight. Each character uplifts diversity in thought, action, and movement. The stems with sharp projected strokes represent flight as SADEA partners with equity-centered and diversity-focused organizations for building a robust community of design educators who empower each other.

Logo Animation

Concept: Archana Shekara

Art Director: Amrita Datta, Archana Shekara

Designer: Heba Jaleel

The logo animation incorporates rich and diverse cultural patterns weaving many narratives of South Asian heritage and identities. The movement of intricate marks and vibrant colors depict South Asian diaspora in a global context.

Website

Art Director: Archana Shekara

Designers: Amrita Datta, Karuna Gangawani, Nikhil Ghodke