It was in November last year when an unexpected email landed in Khyati Trehan’s inbox. On checking the message—it was signed by Ford Oelman, Creative Director at Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences—the visual artist and designer was surprised to read that The Academy was inviting her (with seven artists from across the world) to participate in a project. After a moment of disbelief, Trehan realised that she was ready to add yet another feather in her cap.
In the next two months, Trehan worked on a representation of the Oscar statue. The final work is a motion graphic in shades of white, pink, and blue with the statue in the centre—it was used in the Oscar gallery as well as The Academy’s social media posts. The work also encapsulates Trehan’s appreciation of movies. “I like all the films I watch (laughs). The [movie] theatre is a place that really immerses you. I took this idea of the immersive power of movies as my plot for the visual. When you are watching a film, you feel like you are within the story, among characters, which is why I put the Oscar statue in the centre and it was surrounded by all these [abstract] elements,” the 30 year old mentions.
Creating a distinctive visual language
Trehan’s relationship with design can be traced back to 2013. A student at National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, she posted ‘The Beauty of Scientific Diagrams’, a lettering series created as part of a classroom project, on Behance (a social media platform to showcase creative work). The detailed and deeply-researched work garnered widespread attention on social media. Since then, there has been no looking back for the South Extension resident.
Over the years, the artist has explored various opportunities the design world had to offer. Trehan who started out with typography has forayed into 3-D graphics. Her Instagram page is a documentation of various playful yet introspective 3-D graphic visuals which have created a buzz on social media. She also worked in branding and visual storytelling and designed filters for Instagram and Snapchat. When not designing for clients, she lets her creativity flow free. “When I am creating something for myself it is like a visual diary…being spontaneous.
There is an attempt to not have a process and just explore”. Exploring design beyond just career has helped Trehan work in several capacities. “For a lot of people, they have their career and their life. That line is pretty blurry to me,” she states. The deep interest in design is also reflected in her process of working. When designing for corporate projects, Trehan tends to deeply immerse herself in the context. “Being a designer is about learning from reality and diving deep into the context before you put pen to paper.”Despite her body of work, the artist feels that she is only getting started, waiting to explore the many dimensions of the ever-expanding world of design.