Design (1957–88) was an English-language monthly magazine from India edited by Patwant Singh, a writer, political commentator, and publisher. Comprising 167 issues of the magazine, this collection underscores the crucial role of art journals and periodicals in fostering significant conversations around art and emerging forms of visuality in twentieth-century Asia. Design explores discussions on modern and contemporary art practices situated within broader cultural contexts, including design, architecture, urban planning, theatre, and cinema.

Initially published in Mumbai (then-Bombay) and later in New Delhi, Design featured writings by and about artists, critics, architects, designers, and other cultural practitioners from around the globe. Interdisciplinary in nature, the magazine encompassed essays and discussions spanning topics such as modernism in Indian architecture, indigenous techniques, and radical design practices, while foregrounding the relevance of modern and contemporary art, architecture, and craft practices in regions such as West Asia and Latin America. The magazine showcased the works of prominent figures in art and architecture, including N. S. Bendre, Sankho Chaudhuri, Le Corbusier, Satish Gujral, Zarina Hashmi, Louis Kahn, Krishen Khanna, and C. P. Kukreja. Its content varied widely, featuring monographs, interviews, critical essays, book reviews, and commentaries. Important contributors included Nobuya Abe, Mulk Raj Anand, Peter Blake, Richard Bartholomew, Krishna Chaitanya, Charles Correa, B. V. Doshi, Anita Dube, Nissim Ezekiel, Charles Fabri, Geeta Kapur, Keshav Malik, Isamu Noguchi, Vinayak Purohit, Habib Rahman, Joseph Allen Stein, and Kaizer Talib, among others.

Design had a total print run of 300 issues, which are now held in various personal collections. Of these, 165 issues were generously made accessible by Meher Wilshaw and the family of Patwant Singh in New Delhi. Two additional issues were located during the scoping of the Jyotsna Bhatt Archive and were kindly provided by Jyoti Bhatt for digitisation.

The project team includes Researcher Noopur Desai, Archivist Pallavi Arora, Digitisation Assistant Sunil Kumar Mahawar, and interns Shubha Bhatt and Trisha Bhargav.

Permission to publish materials must be obtained from copyright owners. For further inquiries, please contact research@aaa.org.hk.

This project was supported by the Thapar Education Trust and Godrej Seeds and Genetics Ltd.