design

Codesign: Agency Profile

November 12, 2014Agency Profilescodesign, design, graphicno comments

Codesign : By Rajesh Dahiya and Mohor Ray, Founders of Codesign

What made you start Codesign?
What made us start Codesign, what has sustained it so far and what we continue to look forward to is the same – a desire to keep growing through the work we do, without being compartmentalised by scale, media and trends. The idea was to create a rich environment that encourages asking questions and rethinking briefs, with the rigor of hands-on ‘making’. An important thread that has always stayed strong, is the love of content—making sure that design is building on appropriate and rich content, and not acting as a prop for it.

Tell us about your designers. Did they go into fine art or design schools? How do you pick them up?
All the designers in our team currently are graduates from design schools. However this is not, nor has been, a pre-decided condition of working with people. We look at people’s work, and even more importantly how they approach it; build on it—and how they can inspire us back to push our own boundaries.

At the heart of our work is people, and that’s where we look for inspiration—in the way they live, the dreams they dream, the things they trust, the things that make them happy. Through conversation and observation, there is much that we learn which inspires our work. The composition of the studio is diverse by choice, brings several influences and interests, from music and food to crafts and calligraphy, into play with each other. This often brings surprising, new flavours into the way we develop ideas.

In short, there’s no checklist. It’s work, it’s partially gut instinct and it’s a shared dialogue between both a potential hire and us on expectations, responsibilities and the future.

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NH1 : Design and Brand Consultancy, Delhi

September 10, 2014Agency ProfilesBrand, consultancy, design, nh12 comments

We are a year old Brand and Design consultancy based in Delhi. At NH1, we believe design is not just a form or an idea, but an approach to creative problem solving. The journey is as important as the destination. The quality of an idea and its execution is something we refuse to compromise on. We work very closely with our clients, and they get to interact with the team directly involved in the actual design process – nothing gets lost in translation.

What made you start NH1?
My better half – my husband needed to re-locate from Bangalore to Gurgaon. With 10 years of experience under my belt working with R+K and VGC (which has been great), I didn’t want to start looking for another job… so figured why not give this a shot.

How did you get started working on brand building and corporate identities? Why not any other form of design?
So far it has been an organic process. Our first few projects were for branding – these were exciting and a lot of fun to work on. But we do focus on other verticals of design as well – currently the team is also working on Chocolate Packaging, Editorial & Web Design.

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Shashank Nimkar : Interview with a graphic designer / animator

June 30, 2014Illustration, Interviewsanimation, art, craft, design, graphuc, motion, Nimkar, Shashank, stop5 comments

Shashank Nimkar has just graduated from Symbiosis Institute of Design, Pune. Major in animation film design. Having a deep interest in craft since his childhood has inspired him to specialize in the technique of stop-motion animation. Nature, he believes is his biggest inspiration.

“I have been a craft lover ever since I can remember. The traditional method of creating something with hands, having various materials spread around, getting hands dirty with glue and the will to see something productive and innovative coming up keeps me going.”

Why are you a Graphic Designer?
I have been creating things since my school days just for my creative-satisfaction and today I get paid for that. What else could be better. Living my dream.

Did you attend school for fine art or design?
Yes, I have just completed my B Des. studies from Symbiosis Institute of Design, Pune.

You have a distinct style of Design. How long did it take you to develop your style?
I have always been fond of tactile creations than virtual ones. The most challenging factor about such creations is that there is no ‘ctrl+Z’, and you can actually feel what you are creating. I started doing paper quilling six years back from now, after I completed my 10th grade. Soon I started making hand crafted illustrations(and products) that can be used for print and digital campaigns.

Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?
I have always been open to any source of inspiration and learning, hence, I consider anyone who is passionate about work and creates an admiring work as my role model.

Who was the most influential personality on your career in graphic design?
Considering my quilling work Yulia Brodskaya has been a major inspiration in terms of medium, though her style is very different than how I use quilling.

When did you start freelancing?
Majority of my projects are self-initiated. Since this medium is new in India, plus I am trying to do something unconventional in that medium; I first make creations that I can relate to then I make them public for people to imagine what all can be done with this medium.
I did something similar when I started out, back in first year during college’s annual festival in 2011. I made 65 unique designs of my signature Finger Buddies based on which I started freelancing and today clients approach me for such customized finger buddies for their brand or people buy it for themselves or as gifts.

Was there any time when you wanted to quit graphic design?
As long as I am doing craft, NO WAY. I have never been bored or tired of it. When I get into the phase of serious working I don’t even realise that I have been working for 6-8 hours continuously.

Tell us something about your stop-motion work…
To be honest, I had no clue what animation is all about when I opted for the course. I just saw it as an opportunity to keep doing craft. Seeing my craft coming to life in animation was a feeling of immense joy and inspiration, it was no more a static piece of art to be place in a showcase. Since I love exploring mediums, till now I have made four stop-motion short films as a part of academics and each of them uses a very different medium. And they all have been nominated at various film festivals.

Are many advertising agencies hiring graphic designers? Do you work more with agencies or publishers?
I do not have much experience with that. I have just started collaborating with clients. I work with anyone who knows the value of the work and understands how much efforts are put into it, even if the client is an individual and not a brand.

Do you have clients who give you steady work or do you advertise for new clients often?
I have just started to build my relations with clients so cannot say anything for now.

Any other Indian graphic designers who you admire?
I do not have any names in particular but I keep looking for good inspiring work every now and then.

What advice do you have for aspiring creative professionals? Would you advise them to take on graphic design as a career option?
As of now I am one of those. But for those who are thinking about choosing a career and/or want to take their skills/hobbies into serious profession, I would just say that if you can’t live without art you should not live without it. Do what makes you happy and live your dream. And keep observing around, we are midst inspiration and opportunities.

Do you think Clients are opening up to keeping aside a decent respectable budget for design work? Do you think clients are understanding that they need to invest in Design as a communication tool and also to cut the clutter, and that good design comes at a price?
Yes, as many clients I have worked for they all have an understanding about the impact of design and the efforts put into making it. Also, they valued it well in terms of budget.

Mac or PC?
Frankly, doesn’t make much difference to me. Majority of my work is tactile.

Who would you like to take out for dinner?
Ummm… It’s a secret 😛 (just kidding, no such plans for now)

What’s on your iPod?
Complete Bollywood collection, from 90s to the latest. I am a big bollywood fan, Shuddh filmy. 😀

Rahul Singh : Interview with a Designer/Illustrator

May 26, 2014Illustration, Interviewsadvertising, design, designer, hb, illustrator, interview, rahul, singh, yadav3 comments

Rahul Singh Ydav has a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Media and he is currently working as an Designer/Illustrator at HB Design, Mumbai. Besides this he has started his own venture OZO apparel which supports Hip Hop culture and Street art.

Why are you into Advertising?
I always wanted to satisfy my hunger for creativity but I didn’t know which path to follow. It became more concrete when I took admission to BMM and specialized in advertising.

Did you attend school for fine art or design or Communications?
No, whatever I have learnt till now and whatever have been learning all these years is because of a wondrous thing called INTERNET. I started learning stuff from sites namely psd.tuts.com , photoshoplady.com, youtube and many others.

Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?
When I started designing, few of my friends helped me a lot. They were masters in their own right, I really look up to them. Another artist whom I have admired for his individuality and spirit is Banksy.

Who was the most influential personality on your career in Advertising?
There are many actually but the most influential personality in my career is my friend Sajid Wajid Shaikh.

Where do you get your inspiration from?
Inspiration is the most important part to keep you going in advertising and for my daily dose I prefer to surf on sites like behance.com, illustration served.comand ffffound.com.

Tell us something about the freelance work environment. We know lots of creatives would love to go freelance…
There are some creatives who are big on independence and love to work on their own terms. Though the income maybe uncertain i think freedom is very essential to the creative process. The market for freelance creatives is also very good but its the uncertainty and instability which may be bad.

What do you think of the state of Print advertising right now. At least here in India, the released work is most often too sad?
I think india is doing really well in print media and its going to do much better in future.

Do you think brands who’s advertising wins awards, do well in the market?
No, not entirely. Awards serve a completely different purpose. Creating brand awareness and making the brand a success among consumers are the two most important goals of any advertiser. Award winning ads may not always strike a chord with the masses. It can either make advertisers work very hard or it could result in them straying from their goals if they focus too much on awards.

What advice do you have for aspiring creative professionals?
I advice them to start early and chalk out a plan that they wish to follow. creative professionals should constantly up their game and update their skills. The most important thing is to develop a style of their own because they have to stand out and put something of their own on the table.
If you can dream of what you want in your life then you can achieve it too.

What’s your dream project?
There are many concepts going on in my mind but one of the best concept I would love to work on is illustration of all the gods coming back on earth and how the world would react. Ill name the project “Return Of Gods”.

Where do you see yourself in 15 years?
I see myself having developed my own venture OZO into a big recognisable name that promotes Hip hop culture. It will have joined the ranks of major brands that identify itself with hip hop. I also see myself working as an artist having honed my skills to perfection, because art is something I will never quit.

Who would you like to take out for dinner?
My lovely girlfriend.

What’s on your iPod?
I don’t have one. but on my player i listen to breakbeats, nu metal and hip hop tracks.

Mac or PC?
I am actually ok with both of them but ill rather prefer Mac over PC.

Chaiti Mehta Designs

December 5, 2011Interviewschaiti, desicreative, design, graphic, interview, mehta, param, paramvir, singh15 comments

Chaiti Mehta, founder of Chaiti Mehta Design (CMD) in 2009, discovered herself in the world of design when she began communicating a message both visually and conceptually. Calling herself as purely a designer, she creates forms and patterns out of brands, our of love, out of passion.
Her work spans brand identity and development, art direction, packaging, printed matter, interactive, art-projects and exhibitions. With her clientele in India, New York, London, and Dubai, she works closely and collaboratively with them who want their brands to speak. She allows a direct thought-process, approaching design holistically.

Her work has been awarded and published by curated design publication; Book of the Year, Volume Four (Praquin, France), Asia Pacific Design No. 7 (Sandu Cultural Media Co.,Ltd. Hongkong/Guangzhou/Beijing and Design 360°- Concept and Design Magazine). Featured on the front cover of India’s noted design magazine, The Kyoorius Design Magazine 7 and The Kyoorius Design Showcase 2011-12.

Why are you a Graphic Designer?
I usually stumble at being called a Graphic Designer and come up with all sorts of complicated explanations and words. I’m purely a designer. One who can define a color, a type and a form. The kind of graphic design majority of people relate to is not only about brochures, catalogs, logos and all of that. It’s about a Process. It’s how it works. Knowing the real power of holistic design and experiencing its maximum. In short every piece needs to have an Understanding of Design, a perception and experimentation. Hence I chose this path.
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Selwyn Bosco is a graphic designer based out of New Zealand

July 5, 2010Creative, Interviews3d, desicreative, design, graphic, interview, SELWYN BOSCO2 comments

A little about yourself:
A simple goan 🙂 that likes to design a bit.

Why are you a Graphic Designer?
I feel its a the best way i can express myself .

Did you attend school for fine art or design?
I did not attend any fine art school. I just did a short course at CDAC and to pursue 3d I did a course at Media Design School (MDS).

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