Ajay Shah Design Studio

ASDS began working with Crossword Bookstores in 2020, starting with the design of their flagship store in Mumbai. That first project was followed by a series of stores across multiple cities.

In 2025, we were commissioned to design a new store for Crossword in an upcoming mall in Dubai. After reviewing the site and studying the surrounding competition, we felt the existing bright and cheerful concept needed to evolve for this context.

For Dubai, we explored a more refined direction with a warmer tonality. New fixtures were designed, birch ply was introduced, and softer ambient lighting was proposed to create depth and calm.

One special feature was a small enclosed room dedicated to books by Indian authors. Designed with a table and chairs, this space had a more intimate and contemplative mood.

Given that the shop was located on the first level and needed strong visibility from a distance, we chose to express the brand’s yellow boldly — but in a restrained and refined way.

The concept evolved and several changes were made to the final ex*****on. Yet this version remains the closest to our original vision for the brand in Dubai.

New visual identity coming soon.

Vensa Breeze is a villa based project in Hyderabad, India. 

After designing the corporate identity for the Vensa group some years ago, we followed this with a new identity for a boutique office project Vensa One, carrying the primary concept of the ‘cartesian’ symbol in the design. 

We were once again invited to design a new villa living project identity for them. We explored many names for the project and the name ‘breeze’ was chosen. 
Breeze, unlike air, suggests motion; there is a sensation of feeling cooler.

It was then decided to carry forward the cartesian symbol from the corporate identity in all the projects, thereby giving each project a unique connection with the parent brand.

By cleverly placing the cartesian symbol inside the letter B; the latter has dimension and architectural quality. 
Vensa appears in the corporate lower case font forming a logo unit with Breeze. The symbol can be used independently in signage and other applications to varying scales for effect. A brighter ultramarine blue colour breaks the pattern of pastel colour association with villa-based projects adding vigour to the project.

An identity we designed for Vensa One last year.

Having designed the corporate identity for Vensa Infrastructure some years ago, we were invited to design the identity for its first B2C project in Hyderabad; a boutique office tower.

After exploring several directions for naming the project; we finalised on calling the tower ‘ONE’.

Being the first project — ‘ONE’ sets the tone for future projects. The simplicity of ‘ONE’ also gives it an easy recollect and recognition, paired with the prefix of Vensa (as a larger brand architecture strategy).

Vensa One is a project that is design-focused.

The identity rethinks the cartesian symbol from the corporate identity.
The vertical orientation of the symbol defines the point of origin and the 3 axis represents three fundamental considerations of the project: Philosophy, Design, and Practicality.

The Vensa One identity uses a fresh orange-red colour to create a bold confident appearance for the project. The identity applications were designed with thought to create relevance and impact; we also adapted the symbol to create a light fixture for the interior space!

Copywriting by Kaushik Saha