In the past, in one of my write ups about Macrodesign, I had proposed
that designers have to get involved in macro issues while doing their
part as designers.unfortunately most designers like many other
professionals are shy of developing and expressing a political point
of view, for fear of losing their objectivity. The truth is, without a
political point of view and a social commitment, you cannot bring
about change. Isn't cit hange that we seek to bring about with our
design thinking?

Fundamental change needs to happen in our minds, not just in the
material world we create. That calls for a point of view about how we
treat other people. It is about how we think about humanity and about
nature and about war and peace and about inequalities, about
secularism, about violence, about tolerance, etc.

If we turn our attention away from these issues that shape our
experience everyday, our influence as designers, on the world will be
superficial. The gap between the logo and the reality of Indian post
will never be removed.




On Oct 1, 2008, at 10:57 PM, deepankar bhattacharyya <deepankar_bhatta@...
> wrote:

> why are we like this?
>
> an emblem for this kind of entity should suggest rapaciousness and
> exploitation if it is to remain true to existing culture. and it's
> aspirations? are there any?
>
> a tag line may be added - we also deliver the post.
>
> Deepankar Bhattacharyya
> Images Communications, New Delhi, India
> NID 1970-76
>
> mailto: deepankar.post@...
>
> --- On Tue, 9/30/08, Uday Dandavate <uday@...> wrote:
> From: Uday Dandavate <uday@...>
> Subject: Re: [designindia] Re: india post log debate
> To: designindia@...
> Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 10:04 PM
>
> I have been reading with interest the entire discussion about India
>
> Post logo design. I am forced to respond to this because of my recent
>
> experience with the Postal services in India. I want to first narrate
>
> the experience and then respond to the discussions on the topic of
>
> developing a logo for India Post.
>
> " Two years ago, when my father passed away (my mother passed away
>
> four years prior to my father's death), I had to visit a post office
>
> in the same building in which I grew up and my parents had lived since
>
> 1955, to transfer three postal deposits my parents had made. I knew
>
> that their decision to invest in the post office were driven by their
>
> desire to support a public sector institution, that was strapped for
>
> funds. What happened after that was a series of eye opening insights
>
> that were hard to imagine in the India that we tout as being one of
>
> the emerging super powers of the world.
>
> Foremost of all state of the environment was in the most uninspiring
>
> and unhygienic condition, not only for the customers but even for the
>
> workers, who are supposed to be motivated to provide customer service
>
> to the people visiting the post office: This is Mubai."
>
> When I approached the post master, who knew my family very well as a
>
> very influencial political family, he pointed out that the records of
>
> my parents' investment date back 30 years and they were only in paper
>
> based folders, which he would have to find where they were. After
>
> dusting through piles of files in numerous cupboards and after talking
>
> to several people, he determined that the files were moved from Dadar
>
> Post office to Mahim post office several years ago, due to shortage of
>
> storage space and that I would have to go to the Mahim post office to
>
> secure the files for him. He suggested that my going there would be
>
> the best way to overcome red tape and to speed things up..
>
> Next I went to the Mahim post office, which again was quite
>
> uninspiring environment. The post master was able to find the three
>
> files with my parents' investments in it. He said, he would send them
>
> to the Dadar post office the same day, which he did.
>
> Back to Dadar post office, the officer concerned reviewed the three
>
> investments and determined that an officer in Mahim post office was
>
> in-charge of verifying that I was the sole heir of my parents. I did
>
> have my father's will with me. This procedure involved I getting a few
>
> forms signed by my neighbors and the officer in the Mahim post office
>
> sending an inspector to interview those neighbors. I prepared the
>
> forms within two hours and visited the Mahim post office to meet with
>
> this officer. When I met with him, he clearly told me that no matter
>
> what my sense of urgency, he was not going to open my file for the
>
> next 20 days, because he was over worked. I pleaded that I had to
>
> leave for the U.S. to be with my daughter who was alone attending her
>
> school. He did not listen. I then argued, and finally threatened legal
>
> or administrative action. Nothing worked. On my way out, one of the
>
> officers from the post office suggested that if I offered him a bribe
>
> my work would be done right there. I told him, this money belongs to a
>
> person who has not made a single paisa in his life when he could have
>
> made billions of dollars in bribe holding the public offices he held.
>
> I am willing to forego all the money but will not pay a paisa in bribe
>
> to secure it."
>
> A year passed and nothing happend. I finally called the communication
>
> minister, Dayanidhi Maran and threatened a press conference and two of
>
> my accounts were released the next week. The money in One of the
>
> accounts was sent to the Charity Commissioner because I did not claim
>
> it in time.
>
> When I spoke to my postman about all this experience, he raised his
>
> hands in dispair and said, "Are Baba, nobody care here neither for the
>
> employees nor for the customers. Just imagine, even with your
>
> political influence, you could not make things work for you for a full
>
> year, what about others?"
>
> Now let us turn to the discussion on design of India Post Logo. As
>
> many others suggested in this thread, a logo is only an expression of
>
> the values, the culture and the vision an organization is committed
>
> to. it is not a makeup that hides a deformed face, nor a smile that
>
> can hide the pain or the negativity that exists within an
> organization.
>
> When I travel around the world as a design researcher, I realize that
>
> true expression of design, whether created by everyday people, in
>
> putting together their environment, or by design experts, while
>
> recommending a vision and a direction to the organization, can be
>
> found only if the necessary ingredients are present in the experience,
>
> values and the culture of that organization.
>
> There is much that needs to be fixed in the work ethic, the respect
>
> the organization provides to the employees and overall experience
>
> everyone derives from interacting with a Postal service. There are
>
> numerous benchmarks available around the world, of Postal services
>
> being as ejoyable, customer centric, employee empathetic and overall
>
> better designed in its infrastructure.
>
> It is possible in public sector, Sridharan has done it in Railways,
>
> Amul has done it in Dairy business.
>
> Until all this happens in the Indian Post the design expression will
>
> not hide the true emotions and the experience.
>
> Thanks
>
> Uday
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>
>


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