Preeti Vyas: Guest of Honour at Vijaybhoomi University

Looking back at an exciting weekend at Vijaybhoomi University where our founder, Preeti Vyas shared a glimpse into the rapidly evolving world and how it's the "most exciting as well as challenging times in history of the planet."

Read the entire speech below-

First of all, thank you Sanjay for having me here today. I am honoured to be here on Founders day, sharing the stage with dignitaries and of course, meeting all of you. By the way, I am here not just as a speaker today, but also as your neighbour. I have a farm just a few minutes away and this also gives me the opportunity to invite you all over for chai when I come here from Mumbai, which is almost every weekend. 

 

But coming back to the event of the day. I want to say that as students, these are exciting times.

 

Looking back, when I was your age, I had just started as a student of the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad. And THAT was an amazing time for all of us there. A beautiful campus and an evolved curriculum which not just put us in touch with our Indian design roots, but also exposed us to immense possibilities through exposure of what was the best in the world. It infused us with a sense of purpose and a comprehension of the power of Design and how it could benefit the lives of people in a new post-Independence India. There was an awakening amongst the young Designers of being change agents and the roles and responsibilities that it would entail. It was indeed, a thrilling time. 

 

And here you are today, students in the most amazing and perhaps the most exciting as well as challenging times in the history of the planet. We have seen the incredible disruption, or perhaps I should say creative disruption brought about by Covid and all its variants. It has forced change upon us unlike any other event in recent history. It has created new socio - economic structures, new life style patterns, new value systems, new learning opportunities and so on. And this churn isn’t over yet. We have seen only the beginning of what could be a world of new and visionary opportunities.

 

And now, we are entering into a whole new digital paradigm; into the Metaverse and it will be you, who will invent, create pathbreaking ideas and seize amazing opportunities as you navigate towards an incredibly exciting horizon that you will be the architects of. 

 

In the last ten years, we’ve seen traditional banking go online, and online banking further evolve, with crypto currency now entering the financial stage. We are seeing artists starting to cash in on the digital revolution, with NFTs becoming new streams of revenue & recognition. We’ve seen big companies dismiss, then slowly embrace the power of design thinking, using tools from the designer’s toolkit to solve complex business problems. And, through the pandemic, we’ve seen a plethora of entrepreneurs and the birth of unicorns seizing opportunities through innovations in technology, healthcare, transportation, sustainability and more…

 

Who would have thought that a vaccine for a pandemic could have been developed and delivered in just over a year, when before Covid, this process has generally taken close to a decade. We are fast forwarding across all traditional timelines. And the future is here and now. The future is online and offline. The future is both in the metaverse and in the real world. It’s up to you to make the most of it, to make the most of the access to information & knowledge that you will gain here. 

 

As students of this University, think of the immense new business ideas which would have never found a place before in the world.

 

As lawyers, you will be at the forefront of new legal scenarios you have never yet visualized.

 

As Designers, the world of design and design thinking just got enlarged to include new ways of living, communicating and consuming.

 

As musicians, you will create, invent and engineer new instruments, and music for a generation hungry for new sounds. 

 

As data scientists, you will see & decipher patterns in numbers, and help influence, innovate and inform.

 

More importantly, as young leaders, you will inspire the next generation to follow their passions and chase their dreams, leading by example. The future is in your hands and it’s up to you to shape it.

 

I envy you for being at the epicentre of a new renaissance that all of you have the potential to create. And I wish you all the best.

VGC designs brand identity for BITS School of Management, a BITS Pilani initiative

BITS Pilani, an Institution of Eminence recently announced their foray into business education with BITSoM (BITS School of Management), a global business school based in Mumbai. The new age institution will be offering a residential two-year MBA Programme at par with the leading business schools in the world. Carrying forward the BITS Pilani legacy of excellence, BITSoM will be led by its Chancellor, Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla and an esteemed Governing Council. The business school aims to offer world-class business education blended with new age knowledge that encompasses tech + design + data, and brings together world-renowned faculty, an innovative curriculum and more, to shape the next generation of visionary leaders.

 

VGC came on board as brand partners to BITSoM, to help develop the brand mandate and launch the business school. Starting with an in-depth strategic exercise, the brand was created in close partnership with the BITSoM, 9Dot9 and Aditya Birla Group teams.

Carrying a celebrated legacy into the future

BITS Pilani has been synonymous with excellence for decades now. VGC's core task was to strategically carry forth aspects of this legacy into a new, future-focused brand without directly linking the two. In order to strategically position the brand, VGC undertook an in-depth research exercise, studied the market, category & competition, and spoke with students, faculty, recruiters, an exam administering body and many more, both in India and abroad. The insights revealed that people preferred a brand that was inspired by heritage, yet modern at the same time. These insights were then used to uniquely position the brand and also to develop BITSoM’s vision & mission.

 

Leading from the brand positioning, in order to develop the new identity, VGC identified key aspects of the new brand and brought them to life through relevant symbolism within the concept of heraldry (an ancient practice, still in use, where elements of nature that have specific representations, come together to create a unique crest or symbol that collectively becomes an identifying mark for organisations, families or even governments). The symbols taken forward were the Tiger - representative of India, leadership, agility & vision, and the Sun - representative of new beginnings, a fresh approach, the origin & energy. The brand identity collectively represents BITSoM's origins, it's global outlook, future-focus and emphasis on moulding next gen leaders for a new age world. While the initial ask was to create a brand identity for a business school, VGC went a step further and delivered a brand that is entrenched in key insights, new age symbolism and a focus on the future.

Group Mentor, Vice Chairman, Hindalco and Chairman, Business Review Council, Aditya Birla Group, Mr Debu Bhattacharya had this to say about the brand exercise and working with VGC – “As we launch BITSoM, I would like to acknowledge with thanks the wonderful role that VGC has played right from the word go in developing the Brand, the logo, and the creatives! The team has been like our extended arm - available always and responding rapidly and with precision. Wish the organization all the very best.”

  

 

The BITSoM Tiger finally roars! 

Apart from developing the brand's strategy and designing the brand identity, VGC also created a compelling launch campaign and plan for BITSoM. The campaign went live in the last week of January/first week of February and was designed to stand out from any other communication in the education sector. The launch ads highlight the multiple USPs of the new brand and is aimed at students who are considering doing an MBA in 2021.

 

“It was an honour to be invited to design the positioning strategy, branding and communications for Bits Pilani’s launch of a new age school of business in Mumbai. Our Design solutions endeavour to combine the legacy of an iconic institution with contemporary accents in keeping with the times.” Said Preeti Vyas, Founder & Chairwoman, VGC.

 

The brand universe that VGC has created for BITSoM covers the entire brand & communication ecosystem, so that BITSoM can not just survive, but thrive and work towards its goal of becoming a top 10 global business school, based out of India.

A New Mark For New Milestones

A Brand New Journey Generates a Brand New Buzz!

With the recent launch of the new identity for Aditya Birla Group, we have been featured in various publications and here's a round-up of them.

Aditya Birla Group 

Aditya Birla Group is talking about the logo on their home page. It's quite an interesting read, especially the quote from Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla. 

Link to read 

MXM

Preeti Vyas, Chairwoman – VGC, was interviewed by MxM on the rebranding of Aditya Birla Group. The interview explores why the rebranding is relevant, what it means to VGC & Aditya Birla Group and more. 

Link to read 

Exchange4Media

This article talks about the relationship between Aditya Birla Group & VGC, and what the new logo means to both organisations. 

Link to read 

Impact Magazine

Preeti Vyas speaks about the thought behind the new logo, what lead to the rebranding and what it represents. 

Link to read 

With more to come, stay tuned to this space! 

VGC gives Aditya Birla Group a new avatar!

VGC Design Lounge | Pantaloons' Autumn/Winter Collection

For Pantaloons' festive collection 2015, we reunited the Fab Four to bring forth the celebratory spirit of Pujo and Diwali, by creating a lively festive campaign for India’s go-to family brand, to celebrate everybody’s favourite festival of the year!

VGC Design Lounge: The Fashion Trend Report

Hello! 

Our new initiative aims at bringing to you, the latest in the brand and design world. This edition of VGC-Design lounge picks up on trends among fashion brands. 

We hope you enjoy this edition!

Preeti Vyas on judging the D&AD Awards - 2015

www.vgc.in  Vyas Giannetti Creative

Preeti Vyas features in Impact's 8th Anniversary issue

Preeti Vyas, Chairwoman, VGC, was recently featured in Impact Magazine's 8th Anniversary Issue. Here's what she had to say.
“Through my years of being a creative professional and later the head of an organization, I have found that there is

 only one sure shot way of success for me – be it a strategic thought, a creative idea, or a presentation. It only works for my clients if it as already worked for me. I have found that the barometer for a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ idea is only within me. I have instinctively devised a ‘yogic’ method of reaching within, becoming deaf to any external nagging voices and dwelling on a creative thought one-on-one with myself. If I come away with a moment of deep joy, then I will back that thought with utter conviction. And almost always, the client too goes for it. And on the few occasions when I have let someone else’s influence overtake this process, then that idea has almost always bounced.
As I think about it a bit more, that is the DNA of my design firm VGC too. We work really hard to reach that ‘Aha’ moment, whether it is an idea or an execution. Also, in a larger sense, and pardon me if I am being a bit philosophical and perhaps even spiritual, isn’t the reason we all choose a creative field to achieve that inner moment of truth for ourselves?”
-Preeti Vyas

Preeti Vyas Curates and Presents Designomics, a series on Logo for Bloomberg UTV

Designomics is a series on Logo for Bloomberg UTV, which I will curate and present from the vantage point of Indian businesses that have understood Design and its various disciplines as a vital business tool and integrated it in their growth stories.

The Design Industry is fast graduating from a boutique cottage Industry to a strategic and savvy activity, aiming to create a robust ROI for businesses through what I call, Designomics.

The Universe of Design specializations is growing vastly. It ranges from Branding to packaging, to Digital, to Furniture, Automobile, environmental and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Design as a profession is increasingly emerging out of being the afterthought, only to be brought in at the end for cosmetic beautification to being integrated into the very inception of the business process.

This is because enlightened companies have realized that strategic Design has the power to partner them in their growth and profitability.
Of course, there are innumerable international case studies, which show the success of integrating Design across key business interfaces.
But what is truly heartening is that within India too there are many illustrations of how businesses have prospered by using intelligent design in a rapidly crowded and complex marketplace.

The sheer volume of products and services operating in a single domain has risen rapidly and exponentially. As has new categories of businesses. Added to that, India has embraced scale almost overnight. Take retail for example; it went from the local Kirana to the Mall model almost overnight. Business ambitions are no longer shy. Thinking big and thinking Global is the mantra of all Indian businesses.

Against this backdrop, Designomics will bring to you vibrant stories of how diversified conglomerates, Business to business, or consumer facing companies, have added value through Design by integrating different Design specializations into key stages of their business ecology. We will track companies like Mahindra and Mahindra, Titan, and Godrej in the coming segments and see how they have practiced Designomics.

Here is a quick glimpse of what’s coming up next week. You know him as the Chairman of a large Indian multinational. Now meet Kumar Mangalam Birla as an early believer in strategic Brand Design who united a diversified conglomerate under the umbrella of a single power brand

So whether you represent a business, or are an entrepreneur, or of course are a Designer, come watch Designomics and see how you can profit from Design.

- Preeti Vyas

you can have look at the Curtain Raiser which premiered on Bloomberg UTV. here is the link to that. >>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx2NBvqycdo

Cheers!

VGC launches a new Design Destination in Bengaluru with four clients.

We are happy to announce that Vyas Giannetti Creative has recently opened its offices in Bengaluru with assignments from clients like Fosters, Madura, Nitesh Estates and Park Hotel, Bengaluru. It is headed by Neha Tulsian who has been with VGC Mumbai since early 2009.Having studied at the London College of Communications she enjoyed the opportunity of working with some wonderful design studios in London like SAS Design, Johnson Banks, Radford Wallis, Together Design, Un-real design and Williams Murray Hamm amongst others.VGC has constantly looked for ways to create robust ROI for their clients through cutting edge Design solutions. Our Bengaluru office is one more step in that direction.Our extensive Design expertise, combined with our association with globally renowned specialists in diverse domains like Structural product design, Brand Environment and Retail Space Design, Online and New media Design to name a few, VGC brings local-global design solutions for a discerning clientele in India.

Clients Speak

Pranab Barua CEO, Madura Fashion & Lifestyle
‘VGC’s reputation for Branding Services is very strong. Their long-term association with our Mother Brand- Aditya Birla Group, also gave us the confidence in their understanding the culture and ethos of the group. VGC Bengaluru has done an impressive job of creating a Brand Design Portfolio for the transition of Madura Garments to Madura Fashion and Lifestyle.’

Derek Hugh Jones, Director Marketing, SabMiller India
‘We commenced a project for Fosters with VGC recently. In the eighteen months I have spent in this country I have not come across as many good ideas and fresh thinking as I saw in 30 minutes of their presentation. I wish VGC’s Bangalore operations well in its new journey.’

Ashwini Kumar CEO, Nitesh Estate
‘Based on VGC’s past portfolio of a specialized design house, we recently mandated them to work on a very exclusive, high end project of ours. The interactions we have had with the team thus far, give us the confidence that they will be able to meet our expectations.’

Deepak Nath, Category Head, SabMiller India
‘With their first strategy presentation VGC has kept their promise of fresh out of box creative thinking, firmly rooted in sound strategy. We were impressed with their process, research and ideation to deliver quality solutions at this stage, whichotherwise might have taken three stagesto achieve.’

Subrata Majumder, Area General Manager, Park Hotels
‘We have been working with VGC for a while now, they have a unique and multi layered approach to communicating various concepts and are bang on for most of the briefs from the word go. Neha Tulsian heading the Bengaluru office has been a fabulous person to engage with. We wish their Bengaluru office lots of success.’

VGC ranked amongst India's Greatest Brand Builders by CMO Asia

Recognition is always good to have, but this one is rather special and we are happy to share with you that CMO Asia ranks VGC’s Preeti Vyas amongst India’s Greatest Brand Builders, in its third and latest edition. This book has been conceived, researched and documented by Dr. R L Bhatia, a familiar figure in the knowledge space of the world of branding. The recognition is for the entire team who has always wanted to push the envelope further and certainly for all our clients who have seen and acknowledged the strategic and qualitative benchmarks we have always delivered.

Cheers! :)

VGC Annual Awards..!!

This years ceremony took place on a warm barmy barbeque evening at a downtown haunt in Worli. The salubrious venue near the seaface on the opposite side of the Arabian Sea was selected for this gala event.

Most notable VGC staff and local celebs were present. Some looking cool, others not so, some there to network but most anticipating an award of somekind therefore came dressed for auditions for Saturday Night Fever.

The atmosphere was tension filled with anticipation. People showed great patience sitting around waiting for the proceedings to commence. But some nerves did get frayed so they hit the bottle and helped themselves pushing the barmen out of their way. It was every man, women and dog for himself.

After filling their glasses, they all calmed down.. Then it was the mens turn to get some drinks. Some seemed to have had a barrel full even before the first award was announced. 3 guesses are not needed, but here is a clue, look into my eyes, I am fit to drive!

The dessert was dead good and left a smile on most diners faces!

On with the awards ceremony. The comperes for the evening were Devi and Gary assisted by Kanti.

Here some of the highlights

RAJU: Best floor painter humbly accepted

KESHAW: Best kept mustache Keshaw, the comb is for the tache, not to shove in and rake your ear out!

RUMEENA: Most talkative does a little Ali shuffle in accepting her award.

SHANKER: Managed to walk in a straight line to collect Fastest Driver

SACHIN: Munched the Biscuit Eater Award

DEVI: won What does Devi need? We are still trying to work that on out!

GARY: collected, If it fits, wear it!

There was a minor contra-temp when a delegate who hadnt won an award mis-behaved. The judges must have penalised him for making a beeline for the chicken kebabs! A court injunction means his name and identity can not be revealed to the public but the 4-legged furry thing from the Reception department took his protest onto the stage. He had to be escorted off by the security staff. LUCKily, he didnt put up much of a fight though some were aghast at him loosing his cool.

Whilst the awards were taking place, our resident Snapper of the Year winner was busy clicking away to show the true spirit (as well as the vodka) of the occasion which put most delegated in a 'good mood'.