Vimal Parmar, marketing professional & print evangelist, highlights a knowledge sharing initiative hosted by Transasia Papers
25 August 2026: When designers understand paper, materials and production, creative possibilities expand beyond the screen. It is always heartening to see brands invest in educating consumers, including students. Not merely to create brand awareness, but with a genuine intent to share knowledge without overtly selling their products. Over the years, we have come across several such initiatives, and they deserve to be applauded.
One of the most effective ways to make such initiatives meaningful is to bring together practising professionals, educational institutions and an audience comprising students, industry professionals and anyone curious about the subject.
On August 8, 2026, I attended one such initiative hosted by Transasia Papers under its Paper Fan Club banner. The session, spread over approximately two and a half hours, featured an engaging expert talk by Zeenat Kulavoor, Design Director at Bombay Duck Designs, at École Intuit Lab in Mumbai.
Transasia Papers has spent more than two decades bringing premium fine papers to India’s printing, packaging, publishing and creative industries. Through Paper Fan Club, it brings together designers, printers, students and creative professionals to explore paper, print and the craft of making things well.
Drawing on over a decade of experience designing books and publications for artists, photographers, brands, institutions and independent publishers, Kulavoor took participants through a selection of real-world projects. She explored how editorial intent, material choices, design decisions and production realities constantly influence one another.
What made the session particularly engaging was its honesty. Kulavoor discussed not only projects that came together as intended, but also those that did not and the lessons learnt from both. The interactive format encouraged participants to look beyond the finished printed piece and understand the decisions that shape it.
I asked one of the attendees, Hrishikesh, a creative professional, to share his thoughts on the session. He summed it up rather well stating “An engaging session that made the complexities of print feel surprisingly accessible.”
The takeaway was clear. Understanding production does not constrain creativity; it expands it. And initiatives such as Paper Fan Club demonstrate how brands can contribute to the industry by sharing knowledge, encouraging dialogue and helping the next generation of creative professionals understand the possibilities of print.
About the author
Vimal Parmar is a marketing professional, print evangelist and regular contributor to leading publications in India’s print and photo-imaging space. He writes extensively on print innovation, marketing and the evolving future of the photo-imaging industry.
