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ragini.siruguri@gmail.com
ragini.siruguri@gmail.com
I am an independent designer and researcher based in South India. My work integrates design, typography, photography, and writing, and is guided by the belief that every form of design is inseparable from its cultural, historical and political context.
Since 2016, I have designed books with Tara Books, a publishing house known for pushing the boundaries of book-making. Notable projects include Origins of art, Where has the tiger gone? and The women I could be, which experiment with new design approaches amidst constraints.
I hold an MA by Research in Typography and Graphic Communication from the University of Reading in the UK, supported by the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation. My ongoing research focuses on the representation of South Indian scripts—particularly Telugu—in various media. This research informs my approach to multi-script projects and underscores the importance of cultural representation in contemporary design practice in India.
I am passionate about working on independent and collaborative projects, ranging from print design and typesetting to Indian design education and visual culture.
Feel free to reach out for collaborations and enquiries—I would love to hear from you.
Talks and presentations
Evolution of Indian script typography
Bits&Scripts–2, Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai
2025
Bits&Scripts–2, Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai
2025
A talk on the historical adaptation of Indian scripts to typographic form using early type-making technologies, and their impact on contemporary digital Indian script typefaces.
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Book design and typography in contemporary Telugu publishing
Hyderabad Literary Festival, Hyderabad
2025
A talk on the evolution of Telugu book typography and current design challenges in the contemporary publishing industry.
Hyderabad Literary Festival, Hyderabad
2025
A talk on the evolution of Telugu book typography and current design challenges in the contemporary publishing industry.
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Type in book design
Tara Books, Chennai
2023
A talk on the role of type in book design in collaboration with German graphic designer and typographer Verena Gerlach and Tara Books.
Tara Books, Chennai
2023
A talk on the role of type in book design in collaboration with German graphic designer and typographer Verena Gerlach and Tara Books.
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Origins of art: Publishing as co-creation
Elliot Bay Book Company, Seattle (virtual)
2022
A virtual talk on publishing presented with Gita Wolf, founder of Tara Books, in collaboration with Elliott Bay Book Company, an independent bookstore in Seattle, USA.
Elliot Bay Book Company, Seattle (virtual)
2022
A virtual talk on publishing presented with Gita Wolf, founder of Tara Books, in collaboration with Elliott Bay Book Company, an independent bookstore in Seattle, USA.
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Don't judge a book designer by their layout
TypeWknd (online conference)
2021
A virtual talk on the creative challenges of designng Hic!, a Riso-printed book for children published by Tara Books.
TypeWknd (online conference)
2021
A virtual talk on the creative challenges of designng Hic!, a Riso-printed book for children published by Tara Books.
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Gond painting: Art from lived life
DakshinaChitra, Chennai (virtual)
2021
A virtual talk on visual narratives in the Gond style of painting, an indigenous community art tradition from Central India, in collaboration with DakshinaChitra Museum in Chennai, India.
DakshinaChitra, Chennai (virtual)
2021
A virtual talk on visual narratives in the Gond style of painting, an indigenous community art tradition from Central India, in collaboration with DakshinaChitra Museum in Chennai, India.
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Frida folk: Design as narrative
Hyderabad Literary Festival, Hyderabad
2019
A talk on the role of design in book publishing in the making of Frida Folk, a book on artist Frida Kahlo published by Tara Books.
Hyderabad Literary Festival, Hyderabad
2019
A talk on the role of design in book publishing in the making of Frida Folk, a book on artist Frida Kahlo published by Tara Books.
Workshops
Concept, art and design
A workshop on the book design process at Tara Books developed and conducted with the team for visiting design students.
A workshop on the book design process at Tara Books developed and conducted with the team for visiting design students.
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Book stories
A workshop for young children to learn about the different ways of making a book, developed and conducted with the Tara Books team .
A workshop for young children to learn about the different ways of making a book, developed and conducted with the Tara Books team .
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Fundamentals of visual design communication
A workshop in collaboration with Ownpath on ways to approach graphic design for the Indian context.
A workshop in collaboration with Ownpath on ways to approach graphic design for the Indian context.