designer

Shruti Esto : Graphic and UI/UX Designer

Shruti is a Graphic Designer based in Chandigarh. She is born and brought up in Shimla and studied animation & design from Arena Animation Shimla. Specializing in Digital Marketing Collaterals, User Interface Design, info graphics and Graphic Designs. She builds clean, appealing, and functional interfaces which comply with the latest web standards. She is  working in the industry for last 3 years. As a professional graphic and web designer, she brings a range of art and design disciplines to every project she works on.

“I am a Graphic Designer based in Chandigarh, But that’s just a part of it. Design is my life. It’s my roller-coaster. Without it, my world would be black and white.  After completing my course, this love of creating lead me into various directions which included becoming a vfx artist and animator. As soon as I was introduced to the world of digital graphics however, I fell in love.” I’ve got one foot in the world of digital media one in UI/UX, and a love for both.”

Why are you a Graphic Designer?
I’ve grown up like any other kid watching cartoon network or pogo. That time I always wondered how does these things are created what’s the idea behind this but never thought of making it as my career. I always wanted to something creative but it was never clear to me what. So here I’m still learning and creating something creative every day.

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Maya Pillai : Interview With A Photographer/Graphic Designer/Artist

Part-time photographer, part-time cat-stalker. She pays her bills by training school teachers in the art of Design thinking and creative classroom techniques. She burns the midnight oil while trying to figure out how best to combine pencil with a roll of film.
Why are you a Communications Designer?
I have always loved to talk, take pictures and draw. In that order. So becoming a communication designer just sort of happened without my doing much.

Did you attend school for fine art or design?
I went to Symbiosis Institute of Design for their undergraduate program in Graphic design, following which I went to the National Institute of Design to pursue a masters in Photography.

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Yatish Asthana : Interview with a Graphic Designer/Illustrator

Yatish is an Illustrator, Infographist and Graphic Designer . He has a Bachelor’s degree in Animation and Multimedia from Birla Institute Of Technology, Mesra , Ranchi . He has grown up watching all classic cartoons which inspired him to chose creative career.

Apart from Sketching and doodling , he loves spending time with friends and watching movies.
You can see his works at his portfolio site online.

Why are you an Illustrator?
I have been sketching since my schooldays. I am really happy being into a profession which has still kept the “small kid” inside me alive. I am paid for doing what i love to, and that’s the best part for me being an illustrator

Did you attend school for fine art or design?
I attended Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi and studied animation and multimedia.

You have a distinct style of illustration. How long did it take you to develop your style?
I keep experimenting with my art style. I think its good to experiment. You always get something new and unexpected which adds value to your style. I have been sketching since long, but last two two years have been prominent in this aspect. I am still working on betterment and refining of my style.

Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?
My grandfather. He has always been an inspiration. Also the amazing colleagues and people whom i have worked with.

Who was the most influential personality on your career in Illustrations?
My family and friends. They have always supported me and my career choice. They have inspired and motivated me a lot. Besides them , the amazing artists whom I have interacted with on social media or personally. There is always a positive response while talking to any artist . I really appreciate them all.

What made you decide to become a freelance illustrator? When did you start freelancing? Do you illustrate for advertising?
Although there are plenty creative agencies out there, still very few offer illustrations in specific. So its big opportunity and option for illustrators to freelance. I have been working since last 3 and half years.
I have worked with Media groups like Mail Today (India Today group) and HT Media group.
I have worked on a number of projects varying from merchandising, custom artworks to commissioned sketches.

Are many advertising agencies getting illustrations made these days? Do you work more with agencies or publishers?
Yes, illustration design is getting popular day by day. Today, more brands want their promotion/advertising to be done in form of illustrations, be it digital or traditional. It catches more attention than normal trend.
I have been working with News Media groups since last two and half years.

Was there any time when you wanted to quit Illustrations?
No. I never get bored of illustrating.

Have you considered turning your illustrations into toys?
I would love to 🙂 It would be great to see my paper artwork turning into cool toys.

Any other Indian Illustrators who you admire?
I have grown up seeing cartoons by Mario Miranda and RK Laxman . They have inspired me a lot. I also follow artists like Dattraj Kamat, Amit Tayal, Abhishek Singh, Faisal Mohammad. I try to learn and gain most from these artists.

Do you have any favorite fellow illustrators or resources relating to your fields?
There are a number of amazing artists i follow. Pascal Campion, Kerby Rosanes, Mattias Adolfson, Chris Sanders are few of the superb artists i admire.

You have such a 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?
Practice and Patience !! Keep experimenting with your art style and most importantly ENJOY your work !
Being illustrator is amazing career choice ! It would surely pay you good if you are working hard .

Mac or PC?
I have worked both on Mac and PC, but PC is more comfortable for me.

Who would you like to take out for dinner?
Any pretty girl who would love to join. 🙂

What’s on your iPod?
Honestly, I don’t have any specific choice when it comes to music. I usually switch on the music at low volume and work. It adds a background and creates a peaceful environment to work.

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Sheel Damani : Interview With a Graphic Designer

Sheel Damani is a communication design consultant.

She loves telling stories. And tell them very fast. At work, she comes wearing a long chain of ‘Whys’ — her favourite pass time is to tell people how design can change the world. Not with Helvetica but with the overused jargon ‘design thinking’ which is another fancy term for thinking in context. She loves editing more than writing. Evidently, OCD to clean/align is one of her natural traits.

Why are you a Graphic Designer?
Because I wanted to be a designer. Graphic design just happened to be the discipline that I started with.

Did you attend school for fine art or design?
Yes. I have a Bachelor in Design (Fashion Communication) from National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi.

You have a distinct style of Design. How long did it take you to develop your style?
I don’t intend to have a distinct style. Its bad if I have one. Design is not meant to communicate about a designer. It is meant for the users. It should be in their style.

Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?
My role models were always people around me. My family and teachers. I always wanted to be like my (elder) sister. I copied her all the time.

Who was the most influential personality on your career in graphic design?
Just one name is insufficient. Words by Michael Wolff have lasted with me since Design yatra 2010. His approach to design, detail and human perceptions add a lot of perspective to a designer’s work. There are two people who made my work more exciting along the way. One used to be my creative head in Goa, Anurashi Shetty. She introduced me to the art and importance of writing. The second one is my current team’s head from New Delhi, Abhishek Rai (@Abhishek_Rai). He has introduced me to design as a discipline like no other. Designing for a user and talking about it are two different things. It is now that I have learnt to design for a user. Long way to go still.

When did you start freelancing?
I started freelancing in 2012 from Ahmedabad.

Was there any time when you wanted to quit graphic design?
Yes. When I had just started working. I always felt I am not good enough. Slowly, I realised the only way out was practicing more. Working on several projects and identifying where I fit in best to help people.

Are many advertising agencies hiring graphic designers? Do you work more with agencies or publishers?
I work with startups and SMEs. My strengths along with visual aesthetics are analysis and writing. I work on projects related to branding, info graphics, communication strategy and marketing for businesses. Currently learning a lot in the field of digital marketing. The team I work with from Delhi has launched a tool for brand managers — www.buildyourcommunity.co

Do you have clients who give you steady work or do you advertise for new clients often?
Fortunately, there has been no time to advertise for new clients. I have to share availability and follow up in most cases to get projects. I have been working with Shack Co. from New Delhi and their tool BuildYourCommunity for nearly two years. They have a fantastic way of working remotely.

Any other Indian graphic designers who you admire?
There are plenty. Orijit Sen, Nina Paley, Amardeep Bahl (Museum design), Kriti Monga, Broti Bhattacharya, Satwik Gade and most of my friends.

What advice do you have for aspiring creative professionals? Would you advise them to take on graphic design as a career option?
Most of the kids who ask me about design are attracted to some ‘cool’ factor associated with it. As all the people in this world say, it is a lot of hard work — I would say the same. But it’s the kind that gives you great joy. Now, I know why its a cliched. Yes, it is a good career option. Graphic designers are good storytellers and the world needs them 🙂

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?
Largely, yes. Startups definitely see value in it. ‘Good design is good business’ — an IBM belief, shared by many more companies now. Thank God 😉

Mac or PC?
Mac. Always.

Who would you like to take out for dinner?
Tough question 🙂

What’s on your iPod?
Khichdi of bollywood, soft rock, coke studio, devotional and instrumental. I am not kidding.

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Adil Siddiqui : Designer

Adil Siddiqui is a Mumbai based Pixel Builder aka Designer. He is currently working with a startup called Genii where he Designs User Interfaces and Build User Experiences, he also makes simple and fun illustrations in his free time. He is very creative and passionate in whatever he does, loves his friends, loves Mumbai, loves Mustang 1967 and loves Chicken(deep fried).

His personal illustration / graphic design work can be found on his Tumblr and recently he has started posting some of his professional work on his Behance.

Why are you a Graphic Designer?
Well honestly I don’t know, I never thought I will end up being one. I was one of those who never use to think about my future and what I wanted to do with my life. In college I studied Commerce and then Computer Science. I had no idea what I was doing until I stumbled upon Photoshop and Illustrator and all of a sudden I developed a keen interest in designing. ( I still can’t believe I became a designer)

Did you attend school for fine art or design?
Nope.

You have a distinct style of Design. How long did it take you to develop your style?
I’m still developing it, I normally scribble my ideas on paper and then develop them directly in illustrator. I’m horrible at traditional way of drawing so I use a Wacom tab to draw digitally which gives me the liberty of ‘ctrl + z’.

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Uttam Sinha : Graphic Designer

Introduction – “I want to be the best graphic designer in the world.” “I want to win every award that exists, from Cannes to D&AD.” “I want to be the next big thing.” Well, if you think all this matter to Uttam Sinha, you’ll be disappointed. Here’s a guy with no such ambitions. All he wants to do in life is to bring smile in people’s faces, with his work, or without it. His mantra in life is very simple: create work that’s loved by all.

Why are you a Graphic Designer?
Honestly, I never desired to be a graphic designer. It all started with the doodling on he back pages of school notebooks, and gradually one thing led to the other. Frankly, I still don’t consider myself as a graphic designer. I am more engrossed in the work I do, rather than the designation people give.

Did you attend school for fine art or design?
I did my bachelors from College of Art, New Delhi.

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Rahul Singh : Interview with a Designer/Illustrator

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.

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