Re-Live #KDA24 Awards Night @ Designyatra 2024

The Year Of

GiveBack

Entering awards, especially for independents and small agencies, is hard. From budget constraints to time constraints, there’s a lot that goes into it. In 2024, we wanted to make that decision easier for all. Enter, GiveBack!

For every entry that did not make it past Round 1 i.e. into our First List, Kyoorius promised to GiveBack 50% of the entry cost.

That’s not all though!

All entries that made it to the First List got a voucher worth INR 6000/- redeemable against a pass to Kyoorius Designyatra 2024, held at Grand Hyatt, Goa.

Meet the Jury

The Kyoorius Design Awards follow a comprehensive multiple-round judging process, where jurors base their decisions on three criteria.

In the categories relating to craft, work is judged first on the strength of the craft, then on how it contributes to the success of the idea.

All decisions pertaining to judging and winning are solely the responsibility and onus of the jury.

Judging Criteria

Our Elephants have to fulfil all three criteria:

The idea is the foundation of a great piece of work. The judges will look at the strength of the idea in terms of its originality, in whatever shape or form it may be, as it’s subjective. But they’ll also ask questions such as “Has it generated a new perspective on an old problem? Has it added something new to the advertising industry, and the world, at large?”
The test of a great idea lies in its execution. Have you brought out the full potential of the idea? Does the craft raise the overall level the idea? And is it well produced for the mediums it’s meant for?
For any piece of work to be impactful, the context of the culture, the product, the environment and the time it’s been created in is extremely important. Is it resonating with the people it was made for? And is it fit for the purpose that it was intended?

The A&ID Jury

Founder & Principal Designer,
lyth Design
Apoorva Shroff is the founder and principal designer of lyth Design, a boutique architecture and interior design firm. With a postgraduate degree from UCLA, her design philosophy centers on aesthetics, sustainability, and innovative material use. Lyth Design transforms inspirations into practical, stunning spatial solutions for clients like SoftBank, Prestige Group, and Ashoka University. Shroff's work has been featured in top design publications and mainstream media, and she has served on prestigious jury panels, including FRAME and INDE. A proponent of sustainability and continuous learning, she frequently participates in panel discussions and workshops. Her family home, Airavat, was a finalist at the World Architecture Festival 2021. Shroff also teaches at Balwant Sheth School of Architecture, mentoring the next generation of professionals.
Principal Architect,
Malik Architecture
Arjun completed his Bachelors in Architecture at the Rachana Sansad Academy of Architecture, Mumbai and went on to receive a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University in New York. Before commencing his Masters in New York, Arjun worked at Malik Architecture for three years and returned to the practice in 2005. When he’s not brainstorming with the MA team at the studio, you can find him playing football at the Bombay Gymkhana with his team, or spending time with his beautiful wife Melinda and nine year-old son, Gautam.
Founder & Lead Architect,
LMC Architects
LMC Architects is an international design studio founded in Mumbai in 2007 by Dutch architect Lara de Rooij. With a second office in Amsterdam since 2016, LMC has completed over 120 projects across India and the Netherlands. Lara, with a master's degree from the Technical University of Delft, combines Dutch design, European efficiency, and Indian creativity in her work. The all-women design team at LMC focuses on durability, client requirements, and meticulous detailing. Their projects span diverse locations, including Ladakh, Kolkata, Bangalore, Mumbai, Kerala, Uitdam, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam.
Co-founder, Architect & Urbanist,
Anagram Architects

Madhav, an architect and urbanist, co-founded Anagram Architects with Vaibhav Dimri in 2004 after graduating from the School of Planning and Architecture Delhi. Known for deeply contextual and sustainable designs, the firm works in architecture, interior design, urban design, public infrastructure, and environmental design. Madhav's expertise in cultural histories, urban economics, and new technologies enriches the practice.
Anagram Architects has garnered international acclaim, including a nomination for the Aga Khan Award (2010) and recognition in Wallpaper* Magazine’s “Architects Directory 2009.” The firm has won several awards, including the Architectural Review’s World Emerging Architecture Awards (2007), Cityscape Architectural Awards (2008, 2010, 2016), and the 2A Asia-Oceania Architecture Award (2023).
Principal Designer,
Essajees Atelier

Sarah Sham is the Principal Designer of Essajees Atelier, a Mumbai-based interior design firm. She holds degrees in Art History from Duke and Oxford, and diplomas in Business Administration from NYU Stern and Interior Design from Rachna Sansad Mumbai.
In 2014, Sarah founded Essajees Atelier to modernize her family’s 130-year-old antique and furniture dealership. The firm now boasts 80 projects, 30 team members, and 450,000 Instagram followers. In 2020, she launched an online community for interior designers across India. Sarah's accolades include Forbes India’s 30-Under-45, ET Now’s ‘India’s Leaders of Tomorrow’, Luxebook India’s ‘Top 50 Women in Luxury’, and India Today’s ‘Top 10 Women Entrepreneurs’ in 2022. She has also spoken at TEDx and been featured in leading design publications.

Founder & CEO,
Lopez Design Pvt Ltd
Anthony Lopez is a leading Indian designer and prominent speaker at local and international conferences, leading initiatives that promote responsible design. His award-winning firm, LOPEZ, has always been guided by a clear vision — Dare to be authentic. Its prestigious client list includes the Murugappa Group, PwC, Mercer, VIP, Ace2Three, the Government of India, the Bihar Government, UNICEF, Magic EdTech, and Accel.
Founder, Graphic Designer, Art Director,
Studio BigFat
Aniruddh Mehta is a graphic designer and the founder of Studio Bigfat – a multi-disciplinary design studio based in Mumbai. His work ranges from traditional Graphic Design where he works with brands to help actualise their vision as well as practicing Visual Arts across multiple mediums. Through his work he attempts to explore the organisation of things whilst also making a mess.
Co-founder & Creative Head,
Tree Design

After graduating from Delhi College of Art, Arnab Chatterjee began his career at Trikaya Grey in 1995, working with notable figures like Aloknanda and Vikas Gaitonde. He later joined TBWA, where he partnered with Kapil Dhawan. Together, they led creative efforts at agencies such as Mudra, Everest, and VGC before starting their own firm, Tree Design. In 2007, Arnab and Kapil left advertising to create streetanchor.com, driven by social issues. Soon after, they launched Tree, a design and communication company in Gurgaon. Arnab has worked with various brands including SmithKline Beecham, Bausch and Lomb, Mauritius Tourism, Electrolux, Sony PlayStation, HBO, McDonald's, Unilever, and Tata Consumer Products, among others. He has received awards from New York Festivals, One Show, Clio, and multiple entries in Luerzer’s Archive. Arnab was named the top art director in India by Luerzer’s Archive in 2004 and recognized as one of the top creatives in Asia for three consecutive years.
Global Head of Design,
Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL)
A creative impact strategist and designer with 15 years of experience across Asia and Africa, Darshan Gandhi recently founded The Darshan-Gandhi Design Company. This future-forward practice combines design with business fundamentals, empathy, and innovation. The company's core purpose is to democratise and institutionalise 21st-century design across various industries. Integrating creative processes with design interventions, Darshan founded GCPL Design Lab and continues to serve as a senior consultant on key strategic projects. She is also a mentor at the Design Studio at Godrej Properties and teach design strategy and management at premier design institutes. In her spare time, Darshan indulges in pottery.
Head of Design – Design Excellence Centre
Titan Company Ltd | Watches and Wearables Division

Mahendra Chauhan is a distinguished design leader with deep expertise in product design and interaction design. He has crafted some of the most iconic products and has been honored with numerous national and international design awards, including the prestigious 'Red Dot' and 'Good Design Award,' which signify excellence and quality in design. Mahendra is a regular speaker at various design forums. Currently, Mahendra heads the design team at TITAN, India's most renowned lifestyle company.
Co-founder,
CoDesign

Mohor is the co-founder of Codesign and has led brand identity transformation for many of India’s loved legacy and challenger brands across two decades of professional practice. A graphic designer by training & NID alumnus, Mohor has built a unique practice at the intersection of culture, commerce and craft for branding. She is the editor of the internationally acclaimed Dekho—an anthology of conversations on design in India, and has been published by several Indian & international platforms like Bloomsbury, What Design Can Do, The Hard Copy, amongst others. Mohor has also curated programming for creative platforms, and in the past co-founded platforms like Unbox Festival & Project Rising.
Co-founder & Type Design
Ek Type
An alumnus of Sir J. J. Institute of Applied Art, Sarang specialises in type design and calligraphy. In 2005, he founded ‘WhiteCrow’ – a type foundry and design studio based in Mumbai. With clients such as Vodafone, Virgin Mobile, Star Network, Coca Cola, Flipkart, Future Group, Godrej, Facebook and Pidilite, his studio has steadily found its niche in multi-lingual branding, designing custom typefaces across Indian scripts and calligraphy.

Sarang is also a part of ’Aksharaya’, a group that channelises their collective efforts to document, promote, explore and create awareness about Indian scripts. He is a member of Alliance Graphic International (AGI). Apart from his commercial ventures, Sarang conducts workshops related to multi-script typography in conferences, advertising/design agencies & design schools.
Founder & Principal Designer, Pollinate Labs
Siddharth is the founder and principal designer of Pollinate Labs, a multidisciplinary design company focused on human-centered design. An alumnus of the University of Sydney with a Masters in Design, Siddharth began his career with Martin Lindstrom and has worked at MullenLowe, Fitch, and VGC. He has led large-scale branding projects for Tata, Hinduja, Essar, and Aditya Birla Group, and worked on multidisciplinary projects for Unilever, Nestle, Sony Liv, The Park Hotels, Pidilite, Oberoi Realty, Dhanlaxmi Bank, and Vodafone. Before Pollinate Labs, he ran The House of Two, a globally recognized design practice. His work has been featured in Graphis, Communication Arts, Kyoorius, and One Show. An artist who paints with typography, Siddharth's work has been minted as NFTs and featured in niche design publications. He is currently creating his own line of products and enjoys rock climbing, nature, philately, and travel.
Head Of Design,
PepsiCo India & South Asia
Tanu Sinha joined PepsiCo in 2019 as Head of Design & Innovation for the India Business Unit and now leads design for India & South Asia. She integrates design thinking into PepsiCo’s culture to drive business growth across brands like Pepsi, Lay’s, Mountain Dew, Kurkure, Gatorade, Tropicana, Doritos, Aquafina, Quaker, and Mirinda. Previously, she served as Design Director at Nestle Design Lab, partnering with 50+ Nestle India brands. A graduate of the National Institute of Design (NID, Ahmedabad), Tanu has worked with leading design studios like Fitch and Elephant Design, collaborating with clients such as Britannia, Heinz, Coca-Cola, Godfrey Philips, and Volkswagen. With 17 years of experience, she has built brands, teams, and relationships throughout her career.