Namasté, I’m Shantanu Suman—a graphic designer from India currently working as an Associate Professor of Graphic Design at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana (USA). In a career spanning over twenty years, I have worked as a Creative Director, documentary filmmaker, small business owner, and educator. I worked as an Art Director for over six years with several advertising agencies in India, including Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, Ogilvy & Mather, McCann Worldgroup, and Publicis Communications. In 2010, I moved to the United States to pursue my master’s degree at the University of Florida. During my stint in advertising, my work was recognized with multiple international advertising awards, including Cannes Print Silver Lion, D&AD in-book, Clio Bronze, and Asia Pacific Adfest. In addition, I was ranked 269th in the all-Asia creative ranking by Campaign Brief Asia 2011 magazine. In 2012, I collaborated with friends to make Horn Please, a documentary film based on Indian Truck Art, which has been screened at several film festivals in the United States and Europe.
In 2013, after graduating with an MFA in Graphic Design from the University of Florida, I co-founded Open Door Design Studio (ODDS). As a Creative Director at ODDS, I have worked with clients ranging from small start-ups to international organizations. Some well-known clients include Kohler Co., The Wing Luke Museum in Seattle, Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science in Miami, Wired Magazine UK, and the Center for Craft, Creativity, and Design in Asheville. In addition, my design work has been featured in multiple print and digital publications, including Uneven Growth – Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Type Director’s Annual, Communication Arts Design/Advertising/Typography Annuals, Graphic Design USA, Print Magazine RDA, LogoLounge, Typism, Architectural Digest, CNN Travel, Identity Designed, The Dieline, Designboom, Uppercase Magazine, and Creative Review.
In 2016, I joined Ball State University and founded Studio 165+, a design studio course through which students work with regional, national, and international clients. I have presented at several academic and professional conferences, including Collage Art Association (2021, 2020, and 2018), SECAC (2018 and 2019), UCDA (2022 and 2019), Typewknd 2021, and AIGA Midwest Design Week 2020. Graphic Design USA magazine included me in a list of People to Watch in 2021 for my work as an educator and a designer. During the same year, I was recognized as an Indiana Campus Compact “Emerging Leader in Community Engagement” for my work within the Muncie community. Since moving to the United States, I have constantly drawn inspiration from my Indian roots to inform my design decisions. I use Hindi typography to make the Devanagari script relevant to the current design discourse.
AWARDS
Graphis Honorable Mention 2024 // Graphis Silver Award 2024 (x 2) // Graphis Honorable Mention 2023 // Graphis Silver Award 2023 // BSU College Creative Endeavor Award 2022 // American Health + Wellness Design Award (GDUSA) 2021 & 2020 // GDUSA People to Watch 2021 // Indiana Campus Compact Emerging Leader in Community Engagement 2021 // Ball State University Accessibility Award 2021 // American Graphic Design Award (GDUSA) 2021, 2020, 2019, 2017, & 2016 // American Web Design Award (GDUSA) 2020 // American Advertising Federation (ECI) 2020 // LogoLounge 2017 & 2016 // Type Directors Club 2017 // Communication Arts Typography Annual 2017 // Print Magazine RDA 2016 & 2015 // American Advertising Federation (Asheville, NC) 2015 // Communication Arts Design Annual 2014 // Asia Pacific Adfest 2011 // Communication Arts Advertising Annual 2010 // Cannes Advertising Festival Silver Lion and Finalist 2009 // Clio Advertising Awards 2009 // D&AD 2009 // Goafest Advertising Awards 2009 // Spikes Asia Advertising Festival 2009
CONFERENCES/TALKS/PANELS
AIGA Indy Creatives in Color 2023 // College Art Association (CAA) 2023, 2021, 2020, & 2018 // University & College Designers Association (UCDA) 2022 and 2019 // Typewknd 2021 // AIGA National: Panel Discussion (BBLDE Book Launch) 2021 // Type Director’s Club: Exploring Language, Politics, and Typography (BBLDE Book Launch) 2021 // Parsons School of Design: An Open Discussion (BBLDE Book Launch) 2021 // Southeastern College Art Conference (SECAC) 2020, 2019, & 2018 // AIGA Midwest Design Week 2020 // Muncie Arts & Culture Council 2021 // UAB Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Lecture Series 2016 // Asheville Venture Local Fair 2015 // CSAFF Documentary filmmaking by South Asian Directors 2013
PROJECTS FEATURED IN PUBLICATIONS
Centered: People and Ideas Diversifying Design // Black, Brown + Latinx Design Educators 2021 // Typism: Book Nine, Eight, Seven, Four, & Three // The Telegraph, India (Interview) 2019 // Hindustan Times, “Desi Sign Painters get global Patrons,” 2019 // Print Magazine, “Focus on Color” 2017 // Wired Magazine, “Wired India” Type Design, UK Edition 2016 // Architectural Digest India, Horn Please, 2016 // CNN Travel, Pimp my ride: The psychedelic world of Indian truck art 2015 // Uneven Growth: Tactical Urbanisms for Expanding Megacities, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) 2014 // Asheville Citizen-Times 2014 // Uppercase Magazine 2014 // The Gainesville Sun, 2013 //
Work History