Mahendra Bhai Patel: An Interview

He was the best faculty I had at my design college, always a teacher willing to do more for us to understand. His classes were marked by him explaining concepts in a very animated manner which would ensure that we recalled everything he taught. This is an interview with all the questions I wish I’d asked him when I was at college and then some.

Why did you choose typography as a specialization?

When I joined PG program at NID in 1964 after Fine Arts Painting, all were new to me in the Visual Communication Discipline. I started seeing scrupulous forms in letterforms and so NID chose me to focus on “Type & Typography”, more I worked on, I got more interested and become expert in “Letter Press Typography”. I was lucky to get one to one training for it from Peter Teubner, a Swiss teacher, for one whole year.

What are some of the changes you see between today’s working environment and back from when you joined the industry as a fresher?

In 1966, I started working on projects at NID, they were very much technology driven with “Hot-Metal Type Composing” and the art works needed to be done by “Cutting & Pasting” for offset printing. And on galilees for letter-press printing. And there were colour separations to be done in the processing studio by specialized technicians.

Today in 2020, computer application does all these with utmost precision. Design and processing has been fused and become more designer friendly and faster and most accurate. I see more focus on design today than on the mastery of the tools which has led to interesting new designs emerging. 

What would be the 3 things you wish design schools taught a student (to help be ready for the industry more realistically)?

1: Teach basic elements/fundaments of design extensively and explorative. 

2: Teach them the computer applications extensively, 

3: Make them capable for conceptualization, visualization and Design Development & Detailing.

4: Teach them to explore and choose a appropriate & relevant solution/proposition for end user, problem, need, technology, media and client.

Could you share a story from your life that taught you a valuable lesson? Something like an anecdote?

As a student in Switzerland in 1967, I used to roam around and find places in the city as well as in the country using the maps, I enjoyed travelling with maps. On returned to NID, I ventured in designing and producing same quality map for Ahmedabad City and persuading clients to buy it to distribute to use.

Then get into designing different kind of maps for next decade!!!

It is like eating and enjoying a Thai food, then venturing into business of creating a business restaurant without any previous knowledge or skill.

What is the one thing (anything) about that design students dont know when they enter the market, that hasn’t changed since you were student?

Most of the time what you learn and what opportunity you get in the profession world is not the same.

The attitude and values you develop are the most helpful, that is the insights and capability to accept the challenge to work in unknown and unfamiliar subject or field or technology.

What do you wish design students knew when they joined the industry? 

Have a open explorative mind with passion, dedication and commitment.

Are there a few things you believe that fresh-graduates should be wary of about the industry? 

Accept it, learn, educate, influence and contribute.

How do you manage to not lose your excitement while teaching even after so many years of being a teacher? 

Look & think positively and freshly for any opportunity I get or do not get.

Optional: could you share a story about a moment in the design industry where you had a learning that changed you for the better? A learning you couldnt imagine your life as a designer without? 

My very first professional Way-Finding project experience for the most rich and popular pilgrimage place, Tirupati”. Dealing with 5 languages with even different individual scripts. I am quite non-worshiper person but got emotionally into relating with temple authority and places of worship and serve with the most appropriate solution for a such a over crowded place, was the most satisfying. It brought me a new challenging field of Way-Finding. It brought me many good projects soon after, Way-Finding & Signage Design System for Hyderabad City for international tourism; Way-Finding & Signage for Kumbh Mela in Ujjain; and Way-Finding & Signage for Bombay International and Domestic Airports.

What has typography taught you about life? 

Pleasure and success are always there, if you have positive mindset with passion, dedication and patience.

About Mahendra Bhai Patel: 

Professor Mahendra Patel, one of the finest teachers of Design, taught students at the National Institute of Design for 39 years, after which he has taught at various other colleges which include MITID, DY Patil International University, Symbiosis Institute of Design, Industrial Design Centre (IDC) - IIT among many others. His areas of expertise include Typography, Typeface design, Signage Systems and Information Maps and Charts. He pioneered developments in these fields. Since 2004, he has retired from being a full time faculty at NID. He now spends his time on projects and conducts workshops at different design institutes. 

He was the recipient of the 18th Gutenberg Award for his contribution to Typography in 2010. And, he was honoured with the Design Grandmaster Award during the Icograda Design Week in India at IIT Bombay during 2007. 

His official blog is here.

A few exercises he has for young design learners are linked here.

A very informative podcast is his interview on DesignedThisWay.