DoBeDone! Delhi’s Biggest Design Celebration Has Everyone Talking About What’s Next
- ByStartupStory | October 28, 2025
As it turns out, the Association of Designers of India (ADI), Delhi NCR Chapter’s DoBeDo Pro 2025 more than delivered on the promise of its poppy and vibrant promotional campaign that everyone had been witnessing across social media over the past month. It got the design community talking — and thinking — about the future of design and creative leadership, with plenty of enthusiasm and bravado.
After the event was inaugurated with an opening address by ADI Delhi NCR Chapter’s Ankur Sardana (Head of Industry Outreach), Sakshi Jain (General Secretary), and Puja Anand (President), the event calendar began rolling with a thrilling, infectious energy right from the get-go. This was thanks to its insightful lineup of guest speakers and the DoBeDoers, the speakers selected by an esteemed jury comprising Ashwini Deshpande (Co-founder & Director, Elephant Design), Parmeshwaran Venkataraman (Co-founder, 3 Big Things Studio), Mukul Goyal (Creative Director & Founder, Designwise India), Tapan Chakravarty (Architect, Urban Designer, Educator), and Mohor Ray Dahiya (Co-founder, CoDesign).
The first session kicked off with Pratyush Gupta (Founder & Director, Pratyush Gupta Design), who presented his refreshing take on Indian classical music and how it can be reimagined and made accessible for children. He was followed by Rasagy Sharma (Senior Design Manager, Capital One), who led the audience through his quest of becoming more than a designer. Next came Ananya Agrawal (Founder & CEO, Dreamverse Learning Lab) with her presentation ‘Ripples in Time: Designing Systems from Inside Out,’ and finally Akanksha Singh (Director of UX, Expedia Group) with ‘Design Without Borders,’ who dissected the evolving roles of designers in the intelligent era, leaving the audience thoroughly engrossed.
After the first session and a quick coffee break, the stage lights came up again for guest speaker Ashish Dhaka (Founder, Fashion Revolution India), who shared how waste can be meaningfully integrated into design practices through his talk on the art of in-between, where making meets meaning.
Following Ashish’s engaging talk, the audience geared up for DoBeDo Pro 2025’s panel discussion on Creative Leadership in Design and Education. Moderated by ADI Delhi NCR’s President Puja Anand, the session featured Madhu Pandit (Professor, IIAD; Partner, Bargad Design), Abu Tallah Farooqi (Associate Professor and Vice Dean, Academics), Saurabh Tewari (Assistant Professor, IIT Delhi), Dr. Manisha Mohan (Professor and Dean, School of Design, Bennett University), and Ramneek Majithia (Director, National Institute of Design, Haryana). Several attendees later shared that the panel sparked powerful conversations about the evolving design landscape, and it certainly did.
As the discussion concluded, the podium was graced by special invitee Mr. Sundeep Kumar (Vice President, World Crafts Council, Asia Pacific Region). Following his thought-provoking address, the crowd broke for lunch, only to return with even greater enthusiasm for the second session of the day. This segment was led by guest speaker Tanu Sinha (Head of Design, PepsiCo India & South Asia), Vishal Mardia (CEO, SimplyWish), and Dr. Taapsi Ramchandani (CEO, Poocho). Tanu opened the session with a vibrant presentation on the power of culture & collaboration in design and crafting brand stories, leaving the young designers in the audience both awe-struck and inspired. Vishal followed with his wit, drawing laughter through his colloquial, Delhi-flavoured punchlines. Bringing the session to a close, Taapsee took everyone on a futuristic journey into the role of AI, data, and research in design.
Next up, Rishiraj Chakrabartty aka Bongster (Graffiti Artist and Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Art & Design) took attendees into the world of graffiti through his vibrant showcase, Letters, Layers, Lives: Rewriting the City. After another round of coffee, the final group of speakers took the stage: Anirban Ghosh (Sound Designer, a.k.a. Baan G), Gurman Bhatia (Founder, Revisual Labs), and Shivani Mehta (Co-founder, Daakroom). Anirban opened the session with his talk, Reframing the Frame: A W.I.P (Labs) Journey, followed by Gurman’s Revisualising a World Full of Data, and finally, Shivani’s Reclaiming Tangibility in a Digital World.
While DoBeDo Pro 2025 took everyone on a roller-coaster ride through one awe-inspiring session after another, it also made the most of its pauses, turning even coffee and lunch breaks into pockets of fun, interactive engagement. Attendees were encouraged to network and mingle through playful activities—each goodie bag included a coloured card (one of ten different colours), and participants were asked to find someone holding the same colour and strike up a conversation. They were also asked to collect signatures from people they connected with, and toward the end of the event, those with the most signatures received special goodies.
To top it all off, everyone left with memorable event merchandise—a tangible reminder of the day’s experiences—courtesy of the sponsors, Say It With a Pin and Sona Papers.
Following this, DoBeDo Pro 2025 officially came to an end with a closing speech and thank-you note from the ADI Delhi Chapter Committee. Speakers were applauded, jury members thanked, volunteers recognized, and the event partners’ contributions celebrated. DoBeDo Pro 2025 was supported by Sona (Paper Partner), Jindal School of Design & Architecture (Education Partner), Kaagazi Labs (Content Partner), Young Brush (Content Partner), NID Alumni Association (Community Partner), Anil Bakshi, Startup Story (Media Partner) and a roster of design and communication studios including Ashabhi Design, Say It With a Pin, GDD, and Lemon Yellow Studios.
As the curtains drew on DoBeDo Pro 2025, the energy in the room reflected not just the success of a single event but the collective vision of the Association of Designers of India (ADI). The Delhi NCR Chapter’s Core Managing Committee, led by Puja Anand (President), Aditi Vitasta Dhar (Vice President), and Sakshi Jain (General Secretary), and powered by a passionate team including Ankur Sardana (Head of Industry Outreach), Abhiroopa Mathur (Head of Marketing and Communications), and Aakanksha Kulkarni (Head of Events and Activities), truly embodied ADI’s mission to connect design with purpose, people, and progress. Backed by a tireless crew of volunteers and student coordinators, their efforts transformed the event into a living, breathing showcase of collaboration and creativity in action.
DoBeDo Pro 2025 was not just another design gathering. It was a testament to ADI’s growing role as a bridge between designers, industries, academia, and policymakers. As the applause echoed through the venue, one thing was certain: Delhi’s design community is not just dreaming about the future, it is designing it, together.
For more on ADI Delhi Chapter’s activities, follow @adi_delhincr on Instagram.
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