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Prof. R. K. Joshi at the Aksharyog Seminar & Workshop 1986


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Source: India,  

Date: 5.2.1986

Medium: photograph

Credits: IDC


Detailed Description

Professor Raghunath K. Joshi (1936–2008): calligrapher, designer, poet, researcher and teacher. After a meritorious 30 year career in the mass communication industry, Prof. Joshi spent 15 years teaching design courses IDC/IIT in Mumbai. He later served as a visiting design specialist at the Centre for Developed of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) in Mumbai. Prof. Joshi helped develop font design software, Indian language word processing packages and designed series of Indic fonts for Microsoft Windows and Linux. He organized exhibitions, workshops and seminars on various aspects of Indian letterforms and exhibited his calligraphic works at educational Institutes and public places. He also wrote poems, staged multilingual happenings, planned multilingual communication campaigns and undertook the first ever calligraphic research in Indian manuscripts and epigraphic writings. Prof. Joshi spoke on Indian design, calligraphy, type design, compugraphy for ATypI, TDC, Icograda and other organizations. He received numerous awards including the CAG Hall of Fame (1992) and the Ad Club Distinguished Achievement Award (2004). For the past couple of years, Prof. Joshi has shared the duties of ATypI country delegate for India with Rathna Ramanathan. Prof. R K Joshi passed away in San Francisco on February 5th, 2008, at the age of 72.



Projects

Stylized log 'Shree' with thick flat penakshra 'Gan' Calligrapher | Prof. R. K. Joshi

Stylized log 'Shree' with thick flat penakshra 'Gan' calligraphy by Prof. R. K. Joshi.


Indian Post Logo

Prof. R. K. Joshi, a distinguished typographer and calligrapher from IDC IIT Bombay, designed the Indian Post logo in 1993. The logo was part of a broader effort to modernise the Indian postal system's image, marking the transition to a more contemporary, efficient, and customer-friendly organization. The primary element of the logo is a stylised envelope, with three diagonal strokes resembling wings. These strokes represent speed, communication, and movement, reflecting the swift and reliable services of the Indian postal system. The colours are significant in the logo. Red represents energy and passion, symbolising the dedication of India Post in serving the country. Yellow is associated with warmth and positivity, indicating the trust and reliability of the service. Prof. Joshi's background in typography shines through in the logo. The wordmark Government of India and "INDIA POST" are rendered in a simple yet elegant font, making them easily recognisable and readable in both Hindi and English. The design by Prof. R. K. Joshi helped establish a strong brand identity for India Post, and it has remained largely unchanged since its creation, showcasing the timelessness of the design.