Mr. Sutirtha De

Mr. Sutirtha De is a practicing designer, educator with over 25 years of multidisciplinary experience spanning design education, product development, branding, and creative direction. To him, design is an instrument for creating effective, efficient, and contextually relevant solutions—a bridge between creative intelligence and business strategy.

As an educator, he believes that design integrates multidimensional factors to create meaningful outcomes. At RV University, he served as an Assistant Professor in the School of Design & Innovation, where he has played a pivotal role in curriculum development for Communication Design and Foundation courses. He has also spearheaded international collaborations through the International Committee, facilitating MoUs and partnerships with leading design institutions such as Teesside University (UK), IED Italy, and CCS Detroit. His teaching expertise covers Typography, Graphic Design, Type Design, Photography, and Brand Identity.

A recognized contributor to the global design community, he has hosted and collaborated with eminent figures such as Ellen Lupton, Paula Antonelli, Rainer Erich Scheichelbauer, and Prof. Mahendra C. Patel, bringing international design perspectives to Indian classrooms. His awards and honors include the India Design Mark – Good Design Award (2017), the Dancing Letter Scholarship (USA, 2024), and invitations to speak at international platforms such as Typographics24 (Cooper Union, NYC).

Before joining academia full-time, he held leadership and design roles with global brands such as Louis Philippe, Reid & Taylor, VF Arvind Brands, and Flatheads, where he led design strategy, material innovation, and product development across categories. As a Design and Strategy Consultant, he has worked with reputed clients including Savile Row (London), Puma (Germany), Armani, and Radley (UK), contributing to brand identity and product vision.

In his earlier academic roles, he served as Associate Senior Designer/Design Associate at the National Institute of Design (NID), where he mentored students in Lifestyle Accessory Design, Experience Design, and Visual Communication. He also led outreach projects such as the Jute Design Cell under the Innovation Centre for Natural Fibres, in collaboration with the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.

A bridge between academia and industry, he brings to his classrooms the insights of a practitioner and the vision of an academic leader. His pedagogical approach emphasizes design thinking, empathy, inclusivity, and future-readiness, integrating technological advancements such as AI-driven tools with the craft and human-centered philosophy of design.