The APOGEE English Press met with Soham Deshpande, the coordinator of The Bassein Society, the newest club on campus, to learn more about their work for the upcoming fest. 

Soham introduced The Bassein Society (pronounced Bae-shi-en Society, as clarified by him) as a graphics design club. He mentioned that the name was inspired by the graphic designer, Saul Bass, who is known for having designed posters for notable films, like ‘The Shining’ and ‘Schindler’s List’. He emphasised the importance of bringing back the “art” in graphic design, as he believed that most people interested in it have been attracted to it due to its monetary benefits. He stated that he had first-hand experience with the people interested in graphic design on campus, and believed that there was a need for the Bassein Society, as a ‘knowledge transfer’ club, where he and his colleagues could teach design theory to a select group. He was keen on keeping his doors open for those interested. However, he highlighted that getting into the club would involve a stringent screening process to uphold their values. He understood that entering into graphic design was often overwhelming with all the tools on hand, and the feature-packed interface of programs like Photoshop and Premiere Pro.

Soham highlighted that the club was not focused on the monetary gains that accompany graphic design. For APOGEE ‘25, they planned on having a poster-making competition, where many skilled designers could showcase their work. They had also planned for a stall to sell posters made by themselves. He wished to keep the entire event self-sponsored, bearing all the costs of marketing and organization, and the prize—an information-packed book on theoretical graphic design. 

Soham believed that the posters for APOGEE over the years had been dismal, and they lacked the expression of a graphic designer making his art. He wished to change this culture, and will be taking a step towards reviving the artistic culture in BITS. He was enthusiastic about working around paywalls for expensive design software, expensive graphic design books, and such to make sure that the best possible experience was provided.