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LOCAL Local is a nomadic design studio: We like to be inspired by local issues, stories and aesthetics. Brand | Motion | Web | Product | Story
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We, at LOCAL, bring local stories, visual inspiration, insights and design research to understand your specific social and cultural nuances. This helps to solve design problems and create brands and design that remain relevant even when trends change.

31/05/2026

in good co - LOCAL𝒾𝓈ℯ𝒹.

For nearly two years, existed across workshops, research studies, design reviews and countless conversations.

Last week, it opened its doors.

The launch brought together the teams behind the project, the leadership at , and voices from across branding, hospitality, design, and culture.

From unveiling the space to conversations with .mohanty, , , , Caleb L., and many others who joined us through the day, the occasion reflected the scale of ambition behind the brand.

What stood out most wasn’t the launch itself.
It was watching people begin to inhabit the space - gathering, meeting, lingering, and making it their own.

A good project.
In good company.

🩵

{LOCAL𝒾𝓈ℯ𝒹, ingoodcoindia, cultural branding, hospitality design, design from India}

26/05/2026

Over the last few months, we’ve been observing how people occupy third spaces across India.
And one thing keeps standing out: the most meaningful cafes today aren’t built around coffee alone - they’re built around subcultures.
Around shared interests
Repeated rituals.
People finding belonging in the same spaces, again and again.

Maybe that’s what the new Indian hangout really is.

A few thoughts on where cafe culture is headed.

12/05/2026

LOCAL is looking for a highly skilled senior designer and design leader. Link in bio of

29/04/2026

We’ve never seen culture as something to define or direct. It’s something you make space for and then let it unfold.

Over time, that has meant building platforms for experimentation, opening up design beyond its usual boundaries, and creating ways for people to come together, engage, and play.

From .labs to Playground, each format has been a step towards making design more accessible, more collaborative, and more human.

This is a glimpse into that thinking.
The full piece by our founder Roshnee Desai goes deeper into why this matters, and what it takes to build culture with intention.

Read the full piece on our website.
Link in bio.

21/04/2026

From Artifact to Deck: we’re pleased to share our work with the

Across Asia, social games have long functioned as rituals of gathering: evolving across regions while carrying shared cultural meaning. For the Museum, this history became the foundation of a limited-edition poker deck inspired by objects from its collection.

The design draws from ancient game artifacts preserved within the archive. In the earliest sketches, the human hand emerged as a central device: connecting disparate pieces within a single composition and reinforcing the idea of games as social rituals.

As the system evolved, the focus shifted. In the final designs, the hands receded into subtle, playful moments, allowing the game pieces themselves to take prominence—distilled into a cohesive visual language.

A deck shaped by history. Designed for interaction.

Built to be held, shuffled, and shared.

Full case launches tomorrow,
stay tuned!

17/04/2026

Originally commissioned as a limited-edition piece for the Chinese New Year by the project invited us to respond to tradition through play.
At its centre is the player’s hand interacting with game pieces, a recurring visual anchor symbolising participation, human touch, and shared experience. Surrounding this motif are patterns and forms drawn from historical game artefacts within the museum’s collection.
Our response was to distil shared visual patterns across regions into a simplified geometric language—uniting distinct traditions into one cohesive, playable story.
A deck shaped by heritage. Designed for interaction.
Case study launches soon, stay tuned!

15/04/2026

How do you honour diverse cultural artefacts while designing a cohesive, contemporary system?

We began with a simple premise: games are not merely objects of competition but social rituals that bring people together. That idea shaped the foundation of the deck.

At its centre is the player’s hand interacting with game pieces, a recurring visual anchor symbolising participation, human touch, and shared experience. Surrounding this motif are patterns and forms drawn from historical game artefacts within the Asian Civilisations Museum museum’s collection.

Our response was to distil shared visual patterns across regions into a simplified geometric language—uniting distinct traditions into one cohesive, playable story.

A deck shaped by heritage. Designed for interaction.

Case study launches soon,
stay tuned!

14/04/2026

A peek into the story behind a limited-edition deck for the Asian Civilisations Museum , Singapore.

Across Asia, traditional social games have long served as rituals of community and cultural exchange. When the Museum set out to reimagine a poker deck inspired by exhibition artefacts, we saw an opportunity to unify diverse gaming traditions into one contemporary system.

Artefacts from different cultures were distilled into a cohesive geometric language: translating history into a format designed to be handled, played, and shared.

A custom deck where heritage meets interaction.

Case study coming soon!

10/04/2026

‘Play’ is the world of the year for LOCAL as a studio and hence we held 2 Playgrounds this year. It dictates how we work and look at the world from the cultural lens.

‘Play’ for us, comes from noticing how the culture of the world has moved to screens — where attention fragments, and presence starts to slip. And we wanted to slowly move that culture back to the analogue.

Across Mumbai and Bengaluru, the LOCAL Playground became a way to shift that. To bring people into the same space, working with their hands, figuring things out together, and staying with the moment a little longer than we’re used to.

Different cities, different rooms — but the same intent. People showed up, engaged, and allowed themselves to play.

Here is a throwback to our latest Playground with NVRFOUND working with Materials, titled Stone Paper Scissors as part of the Bengaluru Art Weekend .

03/04/2026

At , we opened up a space for conversation and engagement with .in

Through thoughtful panels with insightful voices, and a workshop rooted in tactility, the idea was simple to slow down, to engage, and to experience art beyond just the visual.

To listen, to feel, to make.

Grateful for everyone who showed up with curiosity and stayed with presence. ✨

Address

5 Dhan Laxmi, T, H, Kataria Marg, Matunga West
Mumbai
400016

Website

http://www.wedesignlocal.com/

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