Jugmug Thela is our attempt at fusing the atmosphere for street side chai shops with choice, hygiene and quality of beverages served in airconditioned upscale chai/coffee shops. That said, we are more street side café than we are a coffee shop, since most of our menu is of beverages that are prepared authentically in manner they would be prepared on streets/small cafes of the country of their origin.

How did you conceive of the idea for Jugmug Thela?
It wasn’t so much conceived of, as it was a response to the need for one. Whenever you go out to public gatherings and events such as concerts, conferences, events etc, – you may get decent food – but the chai – coffee are always given no attention. If you are anything like me, you’d rather not drink vending machine coffee and tea-bag tea.

We like the brand building on Jugmug. Do you also work on brand building and corporate identities for other clients?
Thanks, we’re glad you it! My design career over the years has evolved into the role of Brand Strategist, so I would assume that understanding naturally seeped into Jugmug Thela. That said, we didn’t really have a brand plan when we started. We just put it out there without too much consideration on that front, and the aesthetic just evolved organically from what we did.

I’ve worked on several big ticket brands, but at Jamura Design Lab we’re not accepting any new clients. We’re moving our focus from a being a service company to a more independent self-initiated projects format.

Tell us about your designers/animators. Who designed your identity, packaging etc?
The logo was designed by the super cool Rohan Rajhans, who headed my design team at Jamura Design Lab then. Packaging I invariably end up doing myself.

How would you define the design style at Jugmug Thela.
Rustic-Elegant? Industrial-Desi-Chic? Vintage-farmhouse? Eco-Hipster? All and none of the above.

What does Jugmug Thela do which sets it apart?
Our commitment to exceptional taste without compromising on the naturalness of things we eat and drink. (No colours, preservatives or any chemicals of any sort go into our food).

Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?
Umm. Nope, not really. I am part of the generation that had its childhood in a socialist India, and there teenage was spent getting mind-blown by the stuff they hungrily consumed as Cable TV and Internet came into our lives. I didn’t completely understand what was going on to be able to identify role-models.

Who was the most influential personality on your career in Brand Building?
Early design school days I was a big fan of Oliviero Toscani for his work on the Colors magazine and some of his work on the Benetton brand. Also to some extent ErikSpikermann. In general I am Form-follows-function guy, and like to keep things as simple as possible.

How important is the focus on good design in Jugmug Thela?
Paramount. As should be for any young brand starting out in a highly competitive environment. We’ve realised that our uptake with un-initiated customers is higher than any other brand in the segment, because through our design they feel we might be a good fit into their lifestyle. This is a big deal. Most brands struggle to get a foothold in the market because their messaging embedded in the design language is either weak or unclear.

Are you working with any advertising agencies? Any brands?
Not currently, we aren’t working with any design agencies. Our design time goes into in house requirements and a few upcoming secret projects. :-p

What do you feel about the state of design in India? Do you feel that our collective aesthetics need to improve?
Mostly I am saddened by the modern commercial aesthetics seen around the country – because as a culture we’re buying into a copy-paste western style. And when we talk about Indian, it invariable starts leaning on to our rich visual arts heritage from textiles or architecture etc. But hey – where is the new India? Where is the design that not just reflects but inspires lifestyles?

Any other Indian graphic designers who you admire?
Sameer Kulavoor (Bombay Duck Design), Kriti Monga (Turmeric Design), Haneef Qureshi (St. Art Foundation) and Kunel Gaur (Animal) are some of the folks I know who’re shaking up the scene with originality and balance.

What advice do you have for aspiring creative professionals?
Phased roll out and dip-stick tests. Don’t labour your pet projects endlessly. Show them the light of day. Test it before your spend too much time on it. Get it out there – gain feedback and improvise-improve. The mantra is simple. Progress over Perfection.Oh and another thing – Make sure you spend more time at street side chai-shops than the time you spend in fancy coffee shops. Coffee shops are no match to the serendipity that street side chai shops offer.

Who would your design team like to take out for dinner?
Tanku, our favourite chai-wallah near IIFT. Tanku can list out the 4 P’s of planning, as he can narrate prose Kabir and Ramayan, just as well he can lovingly inflict you with the choicest abuses in 5 different European languages. Inspiration comes in different forms, it would be a shame if we only looked to the stars.

What’s on the company iPod?
Lots of Jazz and Blues, some downtempo electronic and of course, plenty of vintage Bollywood classics like Ena-Mina-dika!

Mac or PC?
Both my companies, Jugmug Thela and Jamura Design Lab are very DIY spirited – where we like to be able to change/modify and create stuff on our own. So PC’s offer that balance between the rigidity of Macs and the commercial-incompatibility of Linux.

Whats your Instagram Handle?
Personal: @jugmug , company: @jugmugthela & @jamuradesign