Duration: Two years.
Location: Mountain View, California.
Education: BA in graphic design from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India.
Career path: Throughout my schooling, I took part in various art competitions and even represented my hometown of Mumbai at a national level. I decided to study at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad right after high school and majored in graphic design. I also spent a semester at the École Supérieure d’Art et de Design in Reims, France, where I started developing my personal style. In 2017, I was selected to represent India at the 44th Worldskills Abu Dhabi, where I won a medallion of excellence. Then I had the chance to work under Michael Bierut at Pentagram New York before I returned to India for graduation.
Favorite projects: I’m extremely happy with how well my typeface design project, “Vixen,” was received. It was awarded the certificate of typographic excellence by the Type Directors Club and it was a finalist for the One Club’s/Young Ones student award. In addition, I enjoyed working on the Miss U Month concept for Nestlé, which won a Kyoorius Young Blood Award; I got to work on the design, strategy, copy, art direction and presentation of the entire project. I’m also proud of my series of 3-D explorations, Galaxy. It started out as a sandbox to learn more about the medium, and now I get commissioned to create similar client projects.
Cultural influences: My relationship with color comes from the environment I grew up with in India. I am often drawn to bold, imperfect typography and diverse color palettes. I also enjoy challenging myself by learning new tools and taking up personal projects.
Work environment: For the past two to three years, my surroundings have been constantly changing. After I finished studying in France, I worked in Delhi, Abu Dhabi, Mumbai and Russia. In the past year, I had the opportunity to work in New York City, and now work has brought me to Silicon Valley. It’s been incredible to work with extremely diverse groups of people to create varied projects.
Approach: I write a lot to help clear my head. Whether it’s for design directions, strategy, ideas for touchpoints or concepts, I find writing helps me crystalize my thoughts. I also actively reach out to people I want to learn from and love being in situations where I’m not the most experienced person in the room.
Philosophy: Always be open to learning. Don’t give up. Never be afraid to ask or reach out to people for the things you want.