A little about your outfit Zink. What do you do?
We are a design and branding agency located downtown Toronto.
We help new businesses and brands get started. We refresh and revolutionize existing ones for growth. 
Some of the services we offer are brand identity, digital, creative campaigns, packaging, retail & spatial design.

What made you start Zink?
We wanted to create a shop that would house strategy, creative and production all under one roof. 
It was a slow start but we were lucky to win an Emmy award for graphic design for the Super Bowl branding in the first year that we were in business. That helped us tremendously and opened many doors for us.

Tell us about your designers/animators. Did they go into fine art or design schools? How do you pick them up?
Canada has some of the worlds finest design and animation schools. Most of our designers that work at Zink have passed out from Toronto Design schools like OCAD ( Ontario College of Art and Design), Sheridan and George Brown. We also work with a global roster of freelance talent and have developed great working relationships with them over the years. 
We have close relationships with all the design schools in Toronto and have first access to the talent pool. We also keep an eye out for great talent from all over and try and bring them on board if the project requires it.

Can you tell us the process of building a design language for a brand?
Before we put pen to paper we really dig down and research the product or company we are branding.
Understanding the company, its philosophy and its core values are very important in building a brand, it helps you define a set of rules and create a genuine voice for the brand that should extend beyond the visual and reflect the attitude of the company. 
The message should be genuine and clear and consistent. Once this has been clearly identified the design language will flow.

How important is the focus on good design in Zink?
What we perceive as good design is a product of different qualities – functionality and aesthetics being a couple of them. Our expectations of what is good design are constantly changing. it’s important that functionality and aesthetics work together to produce a better experience. We tend to focus on that.

What does Zink do which sets it apart?
We are multidisciplinary in the true sense. We have a strong design, tech and post team in house. The collaboration helps us experiment, bounce off and test ideas in the early stages of production. 

Tell us something about designing for television.
Television design has changed over the years. The television used to be an escape in the past and the campaigns were long and extensive. 
This has changed – It has now become an extension of online viewing. UX and UI play an important role and the lines between web, OTT and cable have been blurred. I think the user experience at all touch points should be continuous and seamless. This affects how information and content is displayed and interacted with. The user should be capable of continuing the same visual journey across all devices.

Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?
I did not have any role models but I have been influenced by numerous great artists and continue to do so. I’m especially attracted to contemporary artists and admire people who push the limits of their talents – Zaha Hadid, Jeff Koons, Basquiat, Terrence Malick and Hayao Miyazaki are just a few of the more popular ones.
Who was the most influential personality in your career in Brand Building?
I don’t think I can single out a one persion however my contemporaries have greatly influenced me. I have been fortunate to work, hang out and grow with some wonderful people that helped me develop and build lasting connections.

Do you work with any advertising agencies? Or mostly directly with brand teams at clients’ side?
Most of our projects are directly from clients. As a company, we are pretty agile and can take on projects at different stages of production. Since we have a strong design team agencies sometimes collaborate with us.

Any other Indian design firms that you admire?
I love the work of the interior design firm Sumessh Menon Associates. The work is strong, contemporary and has the right amount of Indian flavour. India is making headway in the digital space and I’m seeing a lot of cool new talent.

What advice do you have for aspiring creative professionals? Would you advise them to take on graphic design as a career option?
Our collective awareness of the importance of good design is at its peak and design is more integral to good business than ever before.
As the world moves into the next stage of complete automation we would need fresh thinking and bright minds to make our lives simpler.
It’s a great time to get into design but I think you should not confine yourself to only graphic design. As production processes get easier the borders between all types of design are disappearing allowing us to focus more on creativity and experience.

Who would your design team like to take out for dinner?
Elon Musk, Shonda Rhimes and the cute new receptionist down the hall 🙂

What’s on the company iPod?
🙂 it’s usually mixed bag or some random Spotify tunes.
Someone’s got to delete those annoying Christmas carols that keep popping up 🙂

Mac or PC?
Mac

An artist from Pune, a bit jocular, someone who would set Wi-Fi password to “what a beautiful house you have”. Her preference is making art that is chucklesome, mixed with Bollywood quirky dialogues and minimal. However, it keeps changing with the trend. She believes design is a unique perception of looking at everyday objects. By profession, Darpana is not only an illustrator but also a graphic designer who loves print and web equally. She documents her illustrations every day on her public journal — Instagram.

Why are you an Illustrator?
I feel illustration allows me to express my ideas and thoughts, even if they are vague or subconscious. I get inspired by things happening around. I believe anything can be made visually interesting and relatable. My work involves experimenting with different media and exploring the art field by integrating everything I learn into one frame. The process of design fascinates me — from a raw idea to a finished piece of work, the feeling is so rewarding!

Did you attend school for fine art or design?
Yes, I went to Abhinav Kala Mahavidyalaya, Pune.

You have a distinct style of illustration. How long did it take you to develop your style?
I don’t like to stick to only one style, it keeps evolving. I do prefer humourous, pop-colored minimal work but I also like to explore new styles and design trends. My designs are seldom minimal and seldom overcrowded with elements. Currently, I’m into illustrating over photographs.

Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?
Not really.

Who was the most influential personality in your career in Illustrations?
It has come to me from so many people and places: artists from platforms like Behance, Dribbble, Instagram or cartoonist from the cartoons that I used to follow. It is hard to name only one since it keeps shifting from time to time. It all started from Harun Robert, his illustrations and craft actually gave the wings to my dreams to become an artist.

What made you decide to become a freelance illustrator? When did you start freelancing? Do you illustrate for advertising?
Liberty! You get to choose your clients, set your own work ethics and rules and most importantly you can work from any corner of the world. I started freelancing when I was in my second year of college.

Are many advertising agencies getting illustrations made these days? Do you work more with agencies or publishers?
Yes, there are many such agencies. Though, I work at places where I get to learn something new and refreshing every day.

Was there any time when you wanted to quit Illustrations?
Every time the client asks for changes. Just kidding, never. There have been rough patches but I never felt like quitting.

Have you considered turning your illustrations into toys?
Not yet, but this does seem like a good idea.

Any other Indian Illustrators who you admire?
Loads! Sajid Wajid Shaikh, RK Laxman, Chirag Gander, Sameer Kulavoor, Ranganath Krishnamani, Chaaya Prabhat, Neha Sharma, Mario de Miranda, and so many more. Each one has their own distinct quality that I admire.

Do you have any favourite fellow illustrators or resources relating to your fields?
The ones I have mentioned above.

You have such wide experience as a top working professional. What advice do you have for aspiring creative professionals? Would you advise them to take on Illustration as a career option? Is it paying well enough?
It’s an exciting field. There is a struggle initially you have to market yourself properly, prove what you are capable of and with experience, you’ll learn a lot. Have faith in your work, love Mondays and fall in love with your passion. And the best part is people pay you for what you like doing.

What’s your dream project?
My dream project is to paint houses, wells and temples and make them look super attractive. It should burst with colors. Perhaps something like Zalipie (It’s a village in Poland that has been painted in the most vibrant colors) Want to put an impact over the society through art.

Mac or PC?
I use both. Can’t pick one.

Who would you like to take out for dinner?
Andy Samberg and Shah Rukh Khan

What’s on your iPod?
Gully rap as of now

What’s your Twitter Handle?
Not much active on Twitter. My Insta handle is – Bluephired