A Morning With Zeenat Kulavoor

Zeenat Kulavoor is a multidisciplinary designer and artist based in Mumbai, and the Design Director of Bombay Duck Designs. Over the past decade, she has designed books and publications for artists, cultural institutions, and independent publishers, developing a practice rooted in editorial thinking, material exploration, and print.

In this Expert Talk, Zeenat will share a selection of projects that sit at the intersection of book design, paper, and print, walking through the material, editorial, and production decisions that shaped each one. She'll talk about the projects that came together as intended, the ones that didn't, and what those experiences taught her.

Join us for an honest conversation about design in the real world, and the constant negotiation between what you imagine and what you can actually make.

A talk followed by an open Q&A. Drawing from a selection of books and publication projects, Zeenat will share the thinking behind each one, from working with Writers, Artists, and Editors to developing design systems, selecting paper, navigating production constraints, and making print decisions. The session focuses on the real process of making books, with practical insights, challenges, and lessons learned along the way.

This session is intended for designers, artists, illustrators, and design students interested in book design, editorial practice, and publication making. Whether you're working on your first publication or have experience designing books, this session is for those looking to deepen their understanding of the creative and production process.

Zeenat Kulavoor is a multidisciplinary artist and designer based in Mumbai. She is the Design Director of Bombay Duck Designs, a studio working across branding, publications, exhibition design, spatial experiences, and print. Her practice explores the intersection of typography, language, materiality, and everyday visual culture through books, installations, and print-based work.