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SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

The Everyday Design Archive grows through collective observation.​​

We invite designers, researchers, artists, students and everyday observers to contribute objects, systems, or rituals from everyday life across the Indian subcontinent.

Your submission helps document forms of design that often go unnoticed, yet carry deep cultural and functional intelligence.

What can be submitted

We welcome nominations across three categories:

Objects

Systems

Rituals

Tools, utensils, artefacts, ornaments or everyday items that serve a function in daily life.

Ways in which communities organise work, exchange, cooperation or shared resources.

Cultural practices or recurring actions that structure everyday life or collective memory.

We encourage submissions that reflect:

  • Everyday use in the Indian subcontinent

  • Vernacular or community-evolved design

  • Anonymous or collectively developed forms

  • Adaptation to local context, materials, or customs

  • Personal observation or lived experience

A submission does not need to be rare or historic. Often, the most meaningful contributions come from ordinary things that are easily overlooked.

What to include in your submission

When submitting an entry, please share:

  • A formalist description of the object/ system/ ritual (OSR)

  • What is your relationship with the OSR?

  • Does this OSR have any social or cultural value?

  • Does this give you a sense of comfort or has personal importance to you?

  • Can you draw it from your memory? A continuous line drawing without lifting your hand off the paper would be good.

Your perspective is an important part of the archive. Personal observations, memories, or encounters help bring these entries to life.

Please email us your submissions at: research@jlxstudio.in

Submissions may be reviewed and edited for clarity before being added to the archive.

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