PUNE: Dr DY Patil Vidyapeeth’s School of Design hosted its flagship academic event, DeCode Summit 2026, on March 23 and 24, bringing together designers, academics, industry experts and students for a two-day exchange on contemporary design practices.Hosted by the Department of Visual Communication Design, the summit focused on typography and its changing role in communication. The program was organized under the guidance of Chancellor PD Patil with the institutional support of Pro Vice Chancellor Smita Jadhav.The keynote address on Day 1 was given by D. Udaya Kumar, who spoke on display typography and its cultural relevance. Ektype co-founder Sarang Kulkarni discusses the structure and contemporary use of Indian script. On Day 2, Dr. Chaitanya Gokhale explored the relationship between typography and design thinking, while an online session by Prof. Michael V. Testani offered a global perspective.The summit featured topics such as “Big Type, Bold Voices” and “When Letters Perform”, focusing on scale, personality and movement in typography. A series of workshops on calligraphy, calligraphic and cross script design was an important part of the program.Students participated in hands-on sessions that emphasized composition, visual classification, and experimentation. “The summit exposed students to both academic and industrial perspectives, helping them understand typography beyond theory,” said Jadhav.The aim of the event was to bridge the gap between classroom learning and industry practice by encouraging creative research among students.
