D’KODE 2026 typography summit to bring designers and students together in Pune

PUNE: The school of design at Dr DY Patil Vidyapeeth in Pimpri will host its flagship two-day design event ‘D'KODE 2026' on March 23 and 24.

The event will bring together designers, students, academicians and industry professionals to explore the evolving role of typography in contemporary communication design.

This year's theme ‘Discover Design Decode' highlights how design functions as a visual language that communicates meaning, identity and cultural narratives. The 2026 edition focuses on display typography, encouraging participants to experiment with bold and expressive letterforms that create strong visual impact and transform typography into a powerful storytelling tool.

A major highlight of the summit will be ‘expert talks' and keynote sessions by leading professionals from the design and typography community. Among the speakers will be D Udaya Kumar, known for designing the Indian rupee symbol, Sarang Kulkarni, co-founder of Ek Type, calligraphy expert Abhishek Vardhan Singh, senior calligrapher Chaitanya Gokhale and designer Shantanu Salunke.

The programme will also feature hands on typography and calligraphy workshops, large scale typographic installations and a juried display typography poster exhibition.

Students will actively participate through poster design projects and three dimensional typographic installations, providing them an opportunity to present their creative ideas and receive feedback from experienced designers.

Smita Jadhav, pro vice chancellor of the university, said the summit aims to create a platform where students can interact with design professionals and gain exposure to contemporary practices in visual communication.