Ashwini Deshpande — Co-Founder
A 1989 graduate of National Institute of Design, along with 2 co-founders, I lead Elephant, India's largest independent integrated design consultancy with offices in India & Singapore. Elephant was ranked as No 1 Design Agency by The Economic Times Brand Equity reckoner in consistently including 2019. Award winning work includes global brands such as Daimler, Unilever, P&G, Gillette and Indian ones such as Britannia, Piramal, Nirlep, Titan, Godrej and Paper Boat drinks. Awards include WorldStar Packaging Excellence, Global ReBrand, A Design Awards. I was invited by Rockefeller Foundation to participate in Global Social Impact summit at Italy & by Danish Design Foundation for the Global Co-creation Summit at Copenhagen. I have lectured at the icograda Design week in Vancouver & Istanbul, Business of Design Week at Hong Kong. I have been a jury member for Cannes Lions, Young Guns, Global ReBrand 100, D&AD Awards, Spike Asia & Design for Asia Awards. I was one of the select few designers to be included in the Mumbai Melbourne Design Map project supported by the Victorian Government. My recent speaking engagements include UN Global Compact Network leadership programme, a Keynote at Design Congress in Puebla, Mexico & International Design Congress at Gwangju, Korea. Core Committee Member: The Design Alliance Asia. Founding Member & Active Volunteer (Pune Chapter): Association of Designers of India. Charter Member: TiE Pune I have been advising a Media Conglomerate on user-centric approach, been on the ColourNext colour forecast panel as Trends Expert for Asian Paints since 2003. I have also been a brand ambassador for HP. My Individual publishing includes design research case studies and articles in books & national dailies. As part of tDA Asia, I was "editor" of award winning cross-cultural project "Colours of Asia" that culminated into a book published with the support of Hong Kong SAR Government.
Stackforce AI infers this person is a Design Consultancy Leader with extensive experience in brand strategy and user-centered design.
Location: Pune, Maharashtra, India
Experience: 36 yrs 11 mos
Skills
- Design Strategy
- Brand Development
Career Highlights
- Led India's largest independent design consultancy.
- Award-winning work with global brands.
- Active contributor to design education and community.
Work Experience
Design Business Chamber Singapore
Jury Member - Singapore Good Design - SG Mark (1 mo)
The One Club for Creativity
Jury Member - The One Show (1 mo)
ADFEST (Official)
Jury President (1 mo)
INDIGO Paints Limited
Independent Woman Director (2 yrs 10 mos)
LIA - London International Awards
Jury President (0 mo)
Hong Kong Design Centre
Design For Asia - Grand Jury (2 yrs)
MAD STARS
Executive Jury (0 mo)
LIA - London International Awards
Jury President (1 mo)
PENTAWARDS
Jury Member | Speaker (1 mo)
The Gerety Awards
Executive Jury (0 mo)
D&AD
Jury President (0 mo)
Hong Kong Design Centre
Design For Asia Awards - Grand Jury (0 mo)
The One Club for Creativity
Young Guns 16 Jury Member (0 mo)
Sakal Media Group
Freelance Columnist (1 yr 11 mos)
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity
Jury Member (0 mo)
Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity
Jury Member (0 mo)
The Design Alliance Asia
Core Committee Member (26 yrs 2 mos)
Elephant Design Pvt Ltd
Director (36 yrs 10 mos)
Education
Master's degree at National Institute of Design
SSC | HSC at S B High School & Science College
