Read India (www.readindia.org) is a learning programme to help underprivileged children aged six to fourteen who find it difficult to recognise the alphabet, despite being in school. The programme has been developed by Pratham (www.pratham.org), a non-governmental organisation working to improve the lives of underprivileged children. The brief was to raise awareness and create support for Read India among the educated masses. The typography in this poster is an extremely popular Indian proverb in Hindi. This proverb, ‘Kala Akshar Bhains Barabar’ is colloquially used in India to suggest that to the unlettered, alphabets appear like a buffalo. This adage also highlights the plight of an illiterate person.
WINNER OF D&AD WOOD PENCIL / TYPOGRAPHY / POSTER DESIGN / 2008