New Zealand-born Meena Kadri won a Kentucky Fried Chicken coloring competition when she was six years old and has been involved in design ever since – as a graphic designer, design educator and more recently in the realm of design for social innovation. She taught graphic design for 10 years in China, New Zealand, and at the National Institute of Design in India. She currently explores the intersection of culture, communication, and creativity from New Zealand via her consultancy, Random Specific, plus works as a Community Manager on OpenIDEO. She exhibited collaborative works produced with Indian street painters at the Glasgow School of Art in 2007 and continues to document Indian street typography on trips back to her motherland.
TYPO Talks: What inspires you?
Meena Kadri: I’m inspired by the intersection of communication, culture and creativity – whether it’s street-based truck painters in Mumbai, protestors in Egypt or jelly makers in the UK. Oh – have I jumped straight to the contrast topic? Oops!TT: The theme of this year’s TYPO is Contrast. Can you give us an example of projects in your portfolio that contrast with one another? Or a project that contrasts with itself?
MK: I’ve worked on projects ranging from devising Twitter rap campaigns to co-create health messages with youth to consulting on sanitation research in low-income communities across India to exploring attitudes to death and dying amongst various cultures and religious groups in New Zealand. Contrast is something I actually seek out in my professional life because I enjoy cross-pollinating insights and learnings across locations, disciplines and topics. It also stops me falling into the mode of mediocrity. Sometimes I’m keen to confront others with contrasts, from one part of the world to another. In fact the name of my consultancy: Random Specific, is underpinned by contrast.TT: What other speakers at TYPO San Francisco are you most looking forward to?
MK: I’m always keen to hear from Peter Bil’ak – and look forward to meeting up with him again now that I’ve started contributing to his new Works That Work magazine. I’m interested to see if Christopher Niemann is as witty in person as his visual poetics which I’ve admired for so long. Though usually going to conferences for me is more about getting immersed in the collective energy of a bunch of switched-on, passionate folk over an intense period of time.Meena Kadri
New Zealand-born Meena Kadri won a Kentucky Fried Chicken coloring competition when she was six years old and has been involved in design ever since – as a graphic designer, design educator and more recently in the realm of design for social innovation. She taught graphic design for 10 years in China, New Zealand, and at the National Institute of Design in India. She currently explores the intersection of culture, communication, and creativity from New Zealand via her consultancy, Random Specific, plus works as a Community Manager on OpenIDEO. She exhibited collaborative works produced with Indian street painters at the Glasgow School of Art in 2007 and continues to document Indian street typography on trips back to her motherland.TT: What is your favorite thing to do in San Francisco?
MK: Enjoy a prosecco over brunch at Bar Jules then work it off by wandering through neighborhoods up and down all those fab hills. I especially love the tucked away goodness of the Filbert Steps.TT: What are currently your favorite interesting/beautiful publications, books, movies and/or links?
MK: Shall I stick with the theme of contrast – seems like a good idea, right? I’m digging this clip which contrasts analogue and digital. Here’s another playful one which contrasts permanence and impermanence. I’m also a fan of the Hinglish Project which mashes up Hindi and English scripts and Hand Painted Type which involves documenting and digitising the work of talented Indian roadside painters.TT: What does “contrast” mean to you?
MK: Contrast celebrates diversityGet your ticket to see Meena and all of our other excellent speakers here.
