In this episode, we talk about how we relate to ourselves as creatives, how our attitudes affect our mental well-being, and learn about the mindsets and habits that can help us find balance. We discuss the need for finding our identity beyond the work that we do, though the two are often intertwined.   We unpack the phenomenon of imposter syndrome and all its implications for us as creative practitioners. We go into the issue of comparison and share a few personal learnings and mindsets...

In this episode, we talk about the external factors that affect our mental health as creatives, and learn about the mindsets and habits that can help us find balance. We reflect upon the ways in which in the events this past year (2020) has challenged us and explore ways to feel more in control of our lives and work. We lament the lack of work-life balance that most of us have as creative practitioners and Nithya tells us how we can be more intentional and present in our lives outside of...

Aditi shares about her experience of working with textile producer groups remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic and marvels at the resilience of Indian craft.  She shares her thoughts on the merits of unconventional fibers and manmade textiles, and also the issue of over-consumption.   We talk about some applications of technology in textiles and Aditi tells us what excites her the most about textile design. She gives us a 101 on collaborating with skilled craftspeople and the need for...

In this episode, we speak to Textile Designer Aditi Jain. Aditi tells us about her decision to pursue a career in textiles and the learnings picked up during her course. She takes us through the process of  designing and making handloom textiles at Gandhigram where she currently works. She talks about the subject of textiles as both art and science, and gives an example of the story beneath the surface of a fabric. We discuss the barriers that prevent traditional textiles from mass...

In this episode, we speak to recent graduate, UX designer and Co-founder of Cmd+J, Anshuman Dhar who shares how mentorship can help newbies as well as seasoned designers. Anshuman talks about how he moved from chemical engineering to UX design Angie and Anshuman discuss how the definition of mentorship is changing and the power of community mentorship. We note how design institutions have easy access to mentorship in the form of a rich network of different kinds of mentors to learn...

In Part 2 of this episode, Madhuri - Designer, and Host of the Hireworthy Podcast - gives us valuable insight about applying, positioning oneself and interviewing for a new career opportunity. We discuss in depth, about how developing product thinking skills and understanding business can enable designers who wish to move into product management. Madhuri also tells us why management may not be for everyone, and how to choose between IC and manager roles. We debate about the relevance of...

In Part 1 of this episode, we speak to Madhuri Maram- Designer and Host of the Hireworthy Podcast. She talks about her role as an enabler in design-in-tech recruitment. She brings out the various gaps in the process and tells us how D+P and Xperian were created to support the design community. She gives valuable insight into what designers at different levels should do to set the right expectations for their growth and employability. She tips us off about the non-obvious skills when...

In this episode, we speak to Akshaya Zachariah, who is an illustrator and conservation artist. We start with the beginnings of her interest in wildlife and nature and what led her to launch Elzac Doodles as a way to use art to raise her voice and also raise environmental awareness. She talks about her work as a WWF voices member and some of the work that she has done with WWF. We discuss the purposeful handling of social media as artists and how she has found community and opportunities...

In part 2 of our conversation with Manojna Yeluri - Lawyer and Founder of Artistik License, we continue talking through the legalities of being artists and designers. We talk about the ways she has used social media to make the law approachable and easy to understand and apply for creatives. She talks about entitlement in the form of discounts and freebies being a deterrent to the creative economy and industry as a whole. Among other bad practices in the creative industry, Manojna shares...

In Part 1 of this episode, Manojna Yeluri - Lawyer and Founder of Artistik License, walks us through the legalities of being artists and designers. She tells us what got her working with the creative community as a lawyer. We learn about the methods she has used to demystify legalese and make useful legal information more accessible. We power through those tough questions about how to handle difficult clients and projects and ways to make the process more structured. We also speak about IP,...

In Part 2 of our chat with Ragini Siruguri, Visual Communication Designer at Tara Books, we talk about her love for colours, her photography and visual inspiration.  Ragini shares her approach in her graphic design projects and how local context helps us design better. We discuss the state of Design Education today and Ragini tells us about her course at OwnPath. The transcript for this episode can be found at designlota.com Co-hosts: Sushmita Charlu and Angeline Bhavya Podcast Music by:...

In this episode we talk to Ragini Siruguri about her work as a book designer at Tara Books.  She shares how she got started and tells us about her interesting book projects while working there.  We also discuss her eye for visual communication and the ways in which she documents the world around her visually. Find the full transcript and references at designlota.com

In this episode, we talk to Aditi Agrawal who is the co-founder of Studio Gudgudee - a design studio that works on inclusive playgrounds. We discuss how designing for playful learning requires deep observation and getting out of the way and allowing it to happen. We re-iterate the power of play in the over all development of children and also to transcend the boundaries of age and ability. Aditi shares the challenges of designing for the differently-abled and what sparked the need to make...

In this episode, Sushi and Angie discuss productivity and how it’s about managing expectations and emotions as much as it is about managing time.  We discuss how emotions play a huge role in how we feel about our work and go about accomplishing tasks.  We share how high expectations can be counter-productive and keep us from taking the first step. We talk about how to tend to your to-do list often to keep it realistic.  We look at ways to take real breaks that actually energize us instead...

In this episode, we speak to Nitasha Sarangi, who is an experienced graphic designer and an Art Therapy researcher. Nitasha talks about what sparked her interest in Art Therapy and how art can empower people to deal with issues like stress, grief, personal tragedy and more.  She talks about the variety of art activities like drawing, pottery, music and movement that she uses in her workshops. She also elaborates on the science of Art Therapy and why it works. She also enlightens us on how...

Presenting Season 3 of the podcast! Coming this Friday, August  9th. We have some interesting episodes lined up - we’re talking about  Inclusive Design, Art Therapy, Productivity, Illustration, Visual  Communication in the Indian Context and more. Stay tuned!

In this episode we talk to Ripul Kumar, Head of UX at Tally and Ex-founder of a design research firm, Kern. Ripul talks about how he discovered User Research to be his forte and what led to him opening his own research firm. We discuss how research techniques must be creatively adapted to the cultural context to get meaningful insights. Ripul gives us some ideas on what to do when there is not enough budget or priority given for research in a corporate setting, and how to bring in a...

It's been year since we started this podcast. We're fondly calling it a Lota-versary! While most of our episodes are recorded remotely, for this episode we met and had a quick chat about how we started, what we learnt and some of our favourite episodes. We also video recorded this episode and have it up on our blog designlota.com

In this episode, Sushi and Angie discuss the inconvenient truths about design and sustainability, and what we can do about it. We talk about art and design as tools to educate people about sustainability issues. We discuss cost, convenience and customer psychology. We touch upon the dangers of greenwashing, and getting to the 'why' of the problem. We talk about the success of some symptom-driven solutions, and address the importance of thinking in systems. We brainstorm a few ideas on...

We talk to Pooja Saxena - A typeface designer who has worked with all kinds of scripts, and also works on collaborative type projects in public spaces. Pooja talks about what brought her back to India after finishing her Master's in Typeface Design in the UK and why she enjoys working in India and working from home. She takes us behind the scenes into the depths of the Type Design Process. Having worked on Indic scripts like the Ol Chiki project, Farsan (A Gujarati Typeface), and...

In this episode, we talk to Karan Patel, Industrial Designer and co-founder of Meshined Design, about what it takes to put a great product out there. Some of the points we touch upon: Engineers turning into designers, How the Engineering and Design fields inform each other, and how engineers and designers can work together. Balancing and learning from both product and service mindsets. The importance of understanding the intent and setting a context, by defining the constraints before...

In this episode, Sushi and Angie chat about designers and the tools of their trade. We attempt to define what design tools are, and what qualifies as a design tool. We reminisce about a time when design was more about thinking with your hands. We question if tools beginning to define the designer, and does knowing or owning tools ensure a superior quality of design work? We discuss the importance of a foundation of intangible and valuable design tools in a world where tools come and go...

Mydhili talks about her journey from a psychology major to an edtech entrepreneur and what caused the shift. She tells us about her interesting work with the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she did her Master's in the Technology in Education course. She also did a project with MIT Media Lab during this time, which she walks us through. We learn about qualitative user research techniques especially when you're working with children and young adults. She brings out the...

We chat with Martijn Van den Broeck, author of the Unofficial Design Portfolio Handbook, about putting our work out there, personal branding, and how helping others is as effective as portfolios in creating opportunities. We talk about Martijn's journey into design and his experience as a student at Umea institute of Design in Sweden. Martijn tells us how he got started writing about Design Portfolios and how his Medium articles on this topic got him onto IDEO's radar. He shares how...