GET IN TOUCH
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.
Experience
2016–Present
Consultant
BluePencil InfoDesign, Hyderabad
_Consultant
BluePencil InfoDesign, Hyderabad
2016–2023
Visual communication designer
Tara Books, Chennai
Visual communication designer
Tara Books, Chennai
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2022–2023
Adjunct Faculty
AND Academy, New Delhi (remote)
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Adjunct Faculty
AND Academy, New Delhi (remote)
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2020
Mentor
Ownpath, Bengaluru (remote)
Mentor
Ownpath, Bengaluru (remote)
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2017–2018
Freelance designer
TWO Design, Pune (remote)
Freelance designer
TWO Design, Pune (remote)
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2015
Design intern
FOLO, Ahmedabad
Design intern
FOLO, Ahmedabad
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2014
Design intern
17dnorth, Hyderabad
Design intern
17dnorth, Hyderabad
Talks and workshops
2023
Type in book design
Type in book design
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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2022
Origins of art: Publishing as co-creation
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.
Origins of art: Publishing as co-creation
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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2021
Don't judge a book designer by their layout
A virtual talk on designing for print presented at TypeWknd 2021, an online conference on typography and design.
Don't judge a book designer by their layout
A virtual talk on designing for print presented at TypeWknd 2021, an online conference on typography and design.
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2021
Gond painting: Art from lived life
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.
Gond painting: Art from lived life
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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2020
What happens next with Ragini Siruguri
A virtual talk on book design and publishing as part of a series titled What Happens Next, an initiative by Shreya Nagarajan Singh, an Arts Development Consultancy in Chennai, India.
What happens next with Ragini Siruguri
A virtual talk on book design and publishing as part of a series titled What Happens Next, an initiative by Shreya Nagarajan Singh, an Arts Development Consultancy in Chennai, India.
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2019
Frida folk: Design as narrative
A talk on the role of design in book-making presented at Hyderabad Literary Festival 2019 in Hyderabad, India.
Frida folk: Design as narrative
A talk on the role of design in book-making presented at Hyderabad Literary Festival 2019 in Hyderabad, India.
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Concept, Art and Design
A workshop developed and conducted with the Tara Books team for visiting design students to learn about the process of book design in the context of an independent publishing house.
A workshop developed and conducted with the Tara Books team for visiting design students to learn about the process of book design in the context of an independent publishing house.
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Book Stories
A workshop developed and conducted with the Tara Books team for young children to learn about the different ways of making a book.
A workshop developed and conducted with the Tara Books team for young children to learn about the different ways of making a book.
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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.