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Creating beauty from junk

Mumbai designer Arjun Rathi creates some beautiful products from scrap, and says that his quirky products are finding several buyers.
by Rachel Tseng

Walking through the numerous by-lanes of the crowded scrap markets in Mumbai can be very exhausting and cumbersome. But for someone like Arjun Rathi, it is a creativity inspired adventurous experience. A casual walk through Bharat Bazar in Mumbai 2011 was what introduced Arjun to the world of product designing using scrap and recycled products.

Arjun RathiArjun (26) is a professionally-trained architect and a product designer by passion. After graduating from Kamla Raheja College for Architecture, Mumbai in 2010, Arjun took up a summer course in Switzerland and worked with a Swiss firm specialising in industrial buildings. In India, Arjun has worked with Indiabulls Real Estate and has been a part of their Panvel Greens township project and their mall projects in Jodhpur and Kota.

We interviewed Arjun and this is what he had to share with us about his quirky passion and new-found profession.

What inspired you to design products out of scrap and recycled material?
I was travelling around the scrap markets of Bharat Bazar in Mumbai and happened to stumble upon a retro Kelvinator refrigerator door. I immediately got an idea of converting it into a coffee table. Since then, re-using recycled materials for furniture design became a passion. The raw industrial look of recycled metal was very appealing to me.

Growing up as a child in the 1990’s, there are fond memories of a majority of the items we find in present day scrap yards. There is a lot of emotional connection to things like the Ambassador cars, retro fridges and the Walkman, as I have grown up with them. Re-using those items to give them functional purpose is great fun. Also, using scrap for functional design is a great way to recycle. Sustainable design doesn’t end with designing green buildings but zeroes down to micro-design of furniture as well.

How much money did you invest to begin work with?
I started experimenting with furniture and product design from my savings. More than the money, knowledge and good technical sense of what you’re doing is required. Furniture with recycled material is relatively cheap as your investment is in the core scrap product you want to design around. Negotiation is key at that point, if you’re purchasing them second hand or from scrap markets. The next step is either making the product yourself if you’re skilled enough, or getting it fabricated. Rates can vary from person to person.

How long did it take you to establish this business and make it functional?
As I lacked formal training in product design, I spent more than a year working hands-on with fabricators to understand the limitations of various materials like metals, plastics and glass. Knowing your material is key to designing a great product. It is also important to build multiple teams of different fabricators for orders of different scale and number. I am presently into my third year where I am professionally designing products, lighting and furniture.

Arjun Rathi Refrigerator TableWhat inspires you while developing/designing a product?
Usually by looking at the key recycled product you want to design around, one is able to give it a function. As a process it works in two simple ways – where you find an item and design something using it, or you look for specific items that fit your concept.

Most of the time when doing specific client work, it is important to understand the emotional and functional needs of the client before searching for the right materials or objects.

What is the approximate time frame to develop a product?
Designing a good product can sometimes take a lot of time. Working around a concept and finding the right recycled materials in the best condition is also a tedious task. Though once all the material is procured, we can generally assume two to five weeks for a project, depending on its size and complexity.

Apart from the Kelvinator fridge door converted to a coffee table (see featured image and pic on left), what are the other products that you have made using scrap or recycled material?

I have made desk lamps using Ambassador and Enfield motorcycle headlights. The natural casted form and raw industrial look of the headlights make for very interesting interior Arjun Rathi Enfield Lamp Product Design Desk Lampobjects, while the internal reflective surfaces of headlights are very functional for interior lighting.

I have also designed a shelving system using champagne bottles as structural supports. Champagne bottles, unlike most wine bottles, are made of much thicker glass, hence can be used as structural supports for a shelf if executed properly.

Another light installation is presently under production using 24 Ambassador headlights and pipes to create a very industrial look for a private client’s space.

You make very unique and interesting products. Who do you consider as your competitors?
Design is a highly competitive and saturated field. The market is flooded with designer products targeted at all income groups. Most of the products I design are due to self-initiatives or constant urge to experiment with processes or materials. Most of the products are a result of my emotional response to them. I design products for myself and if someone wants to buy them, they are welcome to do so.

Is there a growing interest among people for decor of this kind?
The trend for customisation is rapidly picking up in India. The client is able to get a unique product designed for their space at a fairly lesser cost than purchasing an expensive branded design. Also the fact that their piece will never be replicated again. There has been a lot of interest for lighting products through recent clients. Luckily all clients I have dealt with are open to experimentation with design concepts and materials. They have a clear understanding of what they want as well. Most products require some appreciation space in the apartment; hence clients so far who have commissioned highly customised work have larger homes.

How do you pitch for clients?
Most products are designed due to my emotional connections with recycled scrap. I tend to design them for myself, then approach design stores and websites if they’re interested in selling them. Many clients also approach me directly for a specific piece to be customised for their space.

Where do you retail?
Some of my products are being retailed at the design store Chromakey, opposite the Warden Road Church and on the website www.homehero.in. You can also view my products on my blog and the studio can be directly contacted on email for product inquiries.

We also do a lot of niche design work for clients who need specific pieces or furniture or accessories. These are usually exclusive lighting design or furniture customised and designed specific to their space.

Arjun Rathi Champagne Bottle ShelvesWhat is the price range of your products?
Most of the products are limited edition or one-off pieces as the same fridge door/ headlight sample or recycled item cannot be procured at will. Every product is handmade by fabricators and a unique piece by itself. Also, there is minimal interest in the studio for mass production as it deviates from the larger scope of urban and architectural proposals.

Limited edition products generally start retailing from Rs. 14,000 upwards. All client-specific jobs depend on the design and scale of the project.

What has been the most satisfying part of your work?
The satisfaction after a successful execution of a concept is unparalleled. The process of exploring materials, design and meeting new people is great fun.

What message would you like to give people wanting to start a product line like yours?
Be open to learning. I’ve learned a lot hands-on through the process of trial and error. Some technical knowledge is essential or you might get taken for a ride by the fabricator. I remember when I was making the Refrigerator Coffee Table, I changed my fabricator twice because I was unhappy with their quality of work. It’s also good to know the general market rates for materials, as sound budgeting is important for any business.

(Pictures courtesy Arjun Rathi)

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Touring India today

Entrepreneurs Harsh Sonawala and Abbas Slatewala talk about going from being travel junkies to running their own travel start up.
by Swaraj Dhanjal

We all know how big a pain it is to plan one’s travels! And if the trip happens to be to a foreign locale, the task becomes even more tedious. Some people might take refuge in the service of major tour operators, but don’t we all know how it feels to be part of a herd, moving together in packs and doing things which are pre-planned by the tour operator?

Now imagine the plight of foreign tourists when they think about travelling to a diverse and complex country like India! The good news is that they need not spend sleepless nights any more, as two Mumbaikars have teamed up to solve their travel woes. ‘India Someday’ is a travel start up by Harsh Sonawala (28) and Abbas Slatewala (29) that offers customised India tours to foreign tourists.

The great idea
Harsh (2)Harsh (in pic on left), who has tried his hands at many crafts like advertising, film editing and eCommerce before starting India Someday, was always a traveller at heart. “I would pick one State and travel across it for like one month, mostly alone,” he says. On one of his travels, he met Abbas (28), also a hard-core travel junkie, in 2008. A common love for trekking and travelling brought them together. They planned a trip to Bhutan and got along a few friends, too. “All our friends loved the trip, the way it was planned and the overall execution!” exclaims Harsh. “Also, I was unofficially helping a lot of friends plan their travels, so all of this got me thinking that it was a good business model.”

Starting out
They started off by creating a structured process for the work they were already doing – assisting their friends with trips. One of the first things that they decided was to call themselves ‘Travel consultants’ and not tour operators. “We assist people in planning trips; the clients play an important part in the planning. We don’t simply hand them an already cooked plan as a trip,” says Abbas.

Having the process set up was just the first step. Next, they needed partners, so they began with hotels. “Getting hotels to acknowledge us was a big challenge,” remembers Harsh. Building relationships with hotels proved to be a tough ask; some hotels, initially, just wouldn’t work without upfront payments.

What so special?
The USP of India Someday is that trips are all entirely customised, and the process is completely transparent, with a clear picture of services offered and the complete fee provided. “We even give people the option to book their own tickets if they want to,” says Abbas. The duo also does not recommend places or hotels to their Lauren and Kai used India Someday's servicesclients unless they have been to those places personally. “The biggest differentiating factor is that we are travel enthusiasts running a travel company and so our perspective matches that of our customers,” says Harsh.

Marketing the company
When asked about marketing India Someday, Harsh said that they haven’t spent a single rupee on marketing. “Our first customer was a friend’s friend,” he says. After that they set up a Facebook page and things just began to snowball!

The first year saw most of the customers coming in from their friends’ references. A unique and innovative step that they took was to give prospective clients the contact details of past customers so that they could get in touch with them and check about the service personally. “This helped us build a lot of trust with our clients,” says Abbas.

The decision to stay away from advertising was a conscious one. “We are a team of four and we don’t think that we would be able to handle all the traffic generated by any advertising,” foreigners travelling in indiasays Harsh. They say that they don’t need advertising right now as word of mouth has worked wonders for them thus far.

Harsh and Abbas, however, won’t just stay limited to word of mouth and are planning for international PR by hiring a few interns in France and Germany, countries which provide the bulk of their clients. They also plan to hire a few more interns to handle the increasing number of customers.

Going from strength to strength
Their three-year-old company has witnessed double digit growth, starting from 40 trips in 2010 to 100 and around 200 trips in 2011 and 2012 respectively. The company earned around $300,000 last year, a remarkable feat for a small start up.

The journey, however, had its fair share of problems. “We wish we could have expanded quicker but the nature of our business model doesn’t allow us to do that. And if we try to change the business model, try to become more formal, cut times, then we won’t be India Someday,” says Abbas. Finding good employees is another major challenge for them.
On the brighter side, meeting their clients and receiving positive feedback from them is very encouraging. “We recently met a large Columbian family and every member had liked something or the other about the trip,” says Abbas. It is always good to receive feedback and advice from clients, they add.

Many valuable lessons have also been learnt in these three years. “Partnerships are tough,” exclaims Harsh. He says they have learnt a lot about running a business in a partnership. “Finding the middle path is important, as is respecting each other’s thoughts,” adds Abbas.

What’s next?
EmilyIndia Someday recently got itself a new office and the duo has been spending a lot of time planning the firm’s future plans. “We are targeting 350 trips in this financial year,” says Abbas. “We will be marketing ourselves and also hire new people,” adds Harsh.

The biggest trick up their sleeves, however, is their plans to start a travel consultancy for Indian tourists as well. “We are looking at Asia for this, as both of us have travelled a lot across Asia and it is also comparatively cheaper than the West,” explains Harsh.

Both Abbas and Harsh, after having worked for different corporates, seem to have found their calling in entrepreneurship. “I never had a problem working for someone, but I hated being just a cog in the wheel,” says Harsh. Abbas feels that, “All entrepreneurs will eventually end up doing something because it either makes business sense or because they are passionate about it!”

Check out India Someday at http://www.indiasomeday.com/

(Pictures courtesy Harsh Sonawala, blogs.wsj.com, www.indiasomeday.com )

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The food blogger’s party

Reshmy Kurien, who started the ‘Bombay Chowparty’ food blog talks about her food love and what makes her blog popular.
by Medha Kulkarni

Our country, in the past few years, has really woken up to global cuisine, with even non-chefs taking an interest in culinary activities. Fuelled by the sudden popularity of cooking-based reality shows, a number of people across the world and in India have taken to experimenting in the kitchen.

Bombay Chow-party is a blog that has been started by one such food enthusiast based in Mumbai. In 2010, the Andheri-based Reshmy Kurien (in pic on left) started the blog simply as a place to record her encounters with food and share her recipes, thoughts and ideas with others. In time however, her blog had grown into a entity of its own – as she kept writing and cooking, the blog became a catalyst for her to commit more seriously to her passion for food and to learn more, whether about food photography or about her own relationship with food and baking/cooking.

While food blogging by itself is quite common, what sets Bombay Chow-party apart is Reshmy’s unique approach to it. Also, by sharing her love and passion for food and food based experiments in such creative and fun ways, Reshmy is providing passionate foodies in the city and the country with some fabulous ways to explore something new.

The blog’s popularity also served as a platform for putting her in touch with other foodies. “People wrote in with queries and comments and I discovered the pleasure in sharing my passion with other like-minded people and helping people discover new and exciting food and start experimenting in their own kitchen,” the 33 year-old says.

Setting up a food blog
Reshmy now works on the blog full time, and says that she has no formal training in cooking. “It’s all trial and error, and the occasional food workshop,” she explains. The blog has begun to get noticed more since last year when she started blogging more frequently, Reshmy adds.

The money factor
No money is spent on the blog. “The only money gets spent on cooking but that’s something one does anyway,” she explains. Her food workshops are reasonably priced at Rs 3,000 per head and are “more of a food party than workshops,” she says.

The ingredients
“I source my ingredients from various places. For the workshops, I try to get ingredients that are easy to find so that people can make these at home, too. Otherwise I like places like Nature’s Basket, and I often stock up on ingredients when travelling abroad,” Reshmy says.

Beyond food
Today, Bombay Chowparty has extended far outside the realm of the blog and has grown into an outfit that helps people discover experience and create new food through the CReatE Workshops and ‘foodventures’. “These are events that are organised with the aim of helping people discover and create new food and are about pushing the boundaries of how people engage with food. The ‘foodventures’ entail unique food trails around India, and are customised culinary experiences for tourists in Mumbai, Goa and Kerala,” she explains.

The guided food trails introduce participants to local cuisine and food culture through culture walks, visits to the traditional wet and dry markets, trails to the best eating joints, cooking classes and meals at family homes to sample authentic traditional cuisine.

Reshmy also organises gourmet workshops, that are about encouraging people to discover world cuisine in their own kitchen. “I see a lot of parallels between design and food. The creative process for both includes science and art,” says Reshmy, who is trained as a designer and who was the design head of a company till last year.

Thus the CReatE workshops, entail both creating and enjoying great food, and unlike most cooking classes/workshops, the focus of CReatE is not so much about recipes and is, instead, on introducing participants to what Reshmy calls “the guiding principles,” and thus equip them with the know-how to interpret/improvise with the concept and thus be creative with food. “These events are always a bit of a party and end with a feast. Because cooking/baking is a joyful activity and the greatest incentive for me and most other foodies is always the food, the food-talk, music, wine and fun,” says Reshmy, when asked about her workshops.

So what’s the response been like and which has been the most popular workshop till date? “I think the most popular offering so far and also our first one was the Breads Workshop. The people who signed up were an interesting mix of both men and women – from a musician to a film producer; a college student to a banker. What tied everyone together was a common love for food and in particular, bread. Given the popularity of this one, I am now planning a second one around whole wheat bread soon.” (See bottom for details)

What’s next?
A motorbike ‘foodadventure’ is also being planned and promises to be just as exciting as it sounds! The trail will follow the stunning Konkan coast and is being organised in partnership with Enfield riders. Starting from Mumbai and going all the way down Goa and into Kerala, Reshmy and her food adventurers will be covering the incredible variety of the fantastic food and breathtaking scenery that the western coast has to offer.

“We will be sampling a lot of amazing food at local eating joints and family homes, stopping by the best markets to buy local offerings of foods and ingredients (like the sausages and feni from Goa, vanilla, pepper and spices from Kerala) and conducting culinary classes on the traditional food of the coast – all the while riding down the coast on the Royal Enfield bikes. We are currently working actively on the exact itinerary with Enfield Riders and planning to announce the Foodventure ride soon,” says Reshmy.

Best compliment ever
“What delights me the most is when somebody tries a recipe. I once posted a recipe at 8 am and by 9 pm, someone commented on Twitter, saying they tried it and that everyone in their family loved it,” she grins. The blog Finely Chopped also praised Reshmy’s bread.

Do you want to be part of a bread-making workshop with Reshmy this month? Five selected readers will get the chance to learn to make different kinds of bread and have loads of fun while they do it. Write to editor@themetrognome.in for registration details.

(Pictures courtesy bombaychowparty.wordpress.com)

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A DIY filmmaker

Mihir Desai talks about making independent films and how overcoming several challenges makes the overall process that much more fascinating.
by Swaraj Dhanjal

When it comes to films, the first names of movies that come to our mind belong to Bollywood and Hollywood. In recent times, though, while these two mega film industries remain the largest producers of films between them, these aren’t the only sources of films in our country. We are increasingly seeing more documentaries, independent films and DIY films being shot and released by film enthusiasts.

In India, the indie and DIY movement is gaining momentum.  Lower Parel resident Mihir Desai is one such independent filmmaker, who has made short films that have been hailed at international film festivals.

Early beginnings

“I’ve been interested in the arts since my childhood,” Mihir tells The Metrognome, adding that he has always relied upon visual arts as a tool to convey his thoughts and stories. It all began when his father got a handycam for the family. Mihir used that camera more than anyone else in the family. “I would always play around with it, try and stage scenes with objects, friends and sometimes myself. I had found a new medium to tell my stories,” he says.

To pursue his interest seriously, he enrolled for some summer filmmaking courses at the Senseindia Foundation when he was 16 and directed a short film titled Fate and Dreams with a few friends. The film made it o the Miami and San Francisco International Short Film Festivals in 2004. Seeing his interest and quality of work, his family sent him to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Video in film making to the Columbia College Chicago (CCC) in 2006.

Learning to be a filmmaker

“CCC was an ideal film school because they allow you to break rules,” says Mihir. He says the school allowed students a great degree of freedom; students would literally be on their own with a handful of film equipment and a license to experiment. “At CCC I worked on all mediums, from 16 mm to digital,” says Mihir, explaining that this was crucial training as it ensured that students didn’t take the digital medium for granted.

“We were taught to make the best of limited resources, hence helping us make confident decisions at times of crises,” he says. CCC also taught him that filmmaking was not just about creativity, it also encompassed team building, trust and collaboration. Mihir spent most of his time at CCC doing practical work and picking up the key skills that he would need for future.

Why go independent?

The idea to start his own filmmaking company, Auteur Mark, occurred to Mihir soon after he graduated from CCC in 2009. Since its inception, the company has worked mostly on corporate ventures, PSAs and independent short films, with a thrust on being economical and resourceful.

“There aren’t too many resources at our disposal, like big studios and fancy equipment , so we make the best of what we have without sacrificing the quality of the final product,” says Mihir. Technology has made this possible for them. Currently they are looking to produce interesting short films and will venture into feature production in near future.

Great expectations

The independent filmmaking scene in India is very challenging, says Mihir, and he has faced numerous challenges in the initial days of setting up Auteur Mark. “The biggest challenge with going DIY is that either people don’t take you seriously or they bracket you as a person with a specific skill set,” he explains.

Corporate videos are a major source of income for Mihir. He has worked with clients like DHL, Acumen Fund and Teach For India. “Getting corporate clients is all about networking, it is either through social media or through references,” he says. Corporate videos take from a few days to a few weeks depending on the clients requirements. He believes that doing corporate films is a tad easier as most of the research is done by the client themselves as compared to independent films, which require you to read a lot of literature and talk to a lot of people.

Apart from doing corporate videos Mihir also works as a freelancer; shooting and editing films to raise funds for his independent   projects. “So far most of my projects have been short films which tend to be inexpensive, hence I haven’t had the need to raise huge sums of money,” says Mihir. He has invested from his own pocket for basic equipment and rents only stuff like lighting and sound systems. “Also, I like to keep my teams small and I usually work with just four people on any project.”

Current project

Mihir is currently working on a project called Common Thread, a documentary on cotton and how it brings people together. “It’s a hypothesis, based on the premise that the clothes we wear were probably made in another country and its raw material grown in another. “Somehow there is a connection between you and the farmer, Common Thread is an exploration of that,” he says.

Farmers from India and the USA were compared and contrasted for their lives, family tradition and history of cotton. The inspiration for this film came from his father, who was a cotton trader for a long time. The film features farmers from various parts of the country like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, as well as the US, and cotton buyers and traders. Common Thread has taken more than a year to shoot and is still a work in progress.

The most time-consuming aspect was the research, which required them to travel long distances to meet farmers. Another challenge was the fact that whenever they went out they would end up shooting a lot of footage, not knowing where to stop. “Finally we came to a point where we had to tell ourselves to stop!” Mihir laughs. The film is now under editing and Mihir expects it to be ready for release by end of 2013 or early 2014.

Learnings from DIY filmmaking

Social media has gone a long way in helping Mihir – he uploads his work on his website and blog and shares those links with people on social networking sites. Showcasing his work through Twitter and Facebook has helped him reach his work out to people. “In this industry, it’s also important to build a network and Twitter has really helped me with that,” he says.

His journey in independent filmmaking has taught Mihir to be a better listener and to be more patient. “Most importantly, I’ve learnt to ignore what is useless and stay focussed on the useful,” he says. He feels that other young and upcoming independent filmmakers like him should build a strong film community to keep their kind of cinema alive and kicking.“We need to learn to co-exist, be more open with each other as artists, share, cross-promote and learn to collaborate better.”

Mihir has a few ideas lined up for his company’s future. The first step, he says, is to rebrand. “We are also working on a couple of scripts, for two shorts and one feature film,” he says.

Auteur Mark welcomes short film scripts; if you’ve been writing a script, send it to them at contactus@auteurmark.com

(Pictures courtesy Mihir Desai)

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‘Feed your mind as much as possible’

Graphic designer Soumya Mohanty talks about the joys and the perils of working freelance, and how you can follow suit.
by The Diarist | thediarist@themetrognome.in

Soumya Mohanty (27) used to work full time as a graphic designer, before branching out on her own in 2009 and cracking the work-for-yourself code. The Bandra resident has done a wide range of work since then – she’s designed brochures, home pages for websites, company logos and even business cards. The self-taught designer tells The Metrognome about being a freelance graphic designer, and about finding the thing that makes you happy and doing it forever.

What prompted you to take up web designing as a line of work?

I always loved well-designed things ever since I was a kid. When I was in class eight and we got our first computer, I saw an interface related to Disney. I cannot recollect if it was a website or an application, but I thought to myself that whoever has done this, is so lucky to get to do this, it’s so much fun! I thought, I’d love to do this myself!

Of course, I never thought of it seriously then, because Graphic Design as a career was unheard of then. So, I researched and considered other options, never really feeling truly happy about any of those choices. Then finally during my graduation year, I saw an article about Graphic Design and I knew that was what I had been looking for. It turns out, the thing that excited me the most, which I then did not consider seriously, was the only thing that truly made me happy and I now had found a way to do it forever.

Where did you study to be a graphic designer?

In design, I’m self-taught with the help of online resources and books. There are many who benefit from classroom teaching and others, autodidacts like myself, who prefer to study on their own. I think the key is to follow your interest, so it is up to you to decide whether a structured programme can give you what you want or you would rather directly learn by yourself if you have the passion and discipline.

I did not find any programme which would have allowed me to practice the exact skills that I wanted, so I learned by myself. You’ll find many resources online and books as well from other professional designers themselves. It feels like being directly mentored by the people whose work you admire the most.

How long have you been in this industry now?

For about four years.

Have you noticed any differences in the industry now than the way it used to be before?

Computer-aided design is now almost a necessity. Of course, there’s a lot more demand for it now and it is increasing as companies slowly realise the importance of design as an approach altogether.

Who have your clients been?

As a freelance designer, I mostly work with small and medium-sized businesses, though I have done a few small projects for Radiocity and Viacom18 amongst the known ones.

What are the biggest challenges as a freelance designer?

Challenges appear phase-wise. For example, while starting out, the biggest challenges are finding clients and maintaining a steady stream of work, not knowing your own working patterns, and deciphering how to appropriately choose, estimate, and price projects.

For finding clients, these three factors help: 1) Applying to listings on job boards like Naukri and TimesJobs (having the ‘Freelance’ keyword) and on specific freelance related sites such as FreelanceSwitch Jobs and Elance or oDesk.

2) Promoting your work through an online portfolio (preferably your own website as that helps in search engine rankings), actively displaying your work samples on other portfolio sites such as Coroflot and Behance, and staying active on Linkedin. Facebook page and Tweeting will also help if you really promote yourself there. So, clients find you.

3) By referrals from your existing clients. You don’t have to do much there other than focusing on making sure your clients have a good experience working with you. Whatever you do, the key is to remember that you’re not just working on a project. You’re building a client relationship. So, the same clients frequently come back with more projects thus adding to the work stream.

Establishing a working pattern is important to estimate scope of project and pricing better. If you don’t know how long and how much effort something’s going to take you, fairly accurately, then you might over-quote or under-quote. If you over-quote, clients run away. If you under-quote, you feel like running away! Also, you might end up working all the time if you don’t draw a line regarding when to stop working, especially if you also have international clients in another time zone. So, keeping a work log helps identify patterns.

Please describe the one project you worked on that made you truly happy.

That’s hard to choose because every project I work on makes me happy. I try my best to create a more than satisfactory solution. However, I recently worked on a Music CD cover for an artist abroad, and I really loved doing the cover artwork for them because of having to convey an abstract emotion through my artwork.

What are clients’ expectations when they entrust a project to you?

Everyone wants something that ‘looks awesome’ and ‘great’ and ‘oooo wowww.’

Do you have a team (other designers, developers) working with you?

No, I usually only collaborate with a couple of developers when clients need the HTML/CSS done too.

What other things do you design, apart from websites?

I design logos, brochures, ad banners, emailers, business cards/stationery, CD cover design, and Power Point presentations.

What are your future plans?

Apart from Graphic Design, I’m interested, rather very excited, by some related disciplines such as Matte Painting, Digital Painting (commercial artwork for book covers, game covers, etc.), Architectural Visualisation, and Concept Art. I’m looking forward to sharpening my skills there. I’m also excited to be working on a couple of personal projects for sales and see myself taking that direction more along with client work.

What are your expectations from the industry for the future? Also, what is the level of competition among your peers?

Graphic Design is an all pervasive field from print to web to now mobile. With growth in the web and mobile sector especially, there’s a growing need for more interface designers. As long as information needs to be communicated through various media, this industry will only grow. I don’t have any expectations other than to just keep doing what I love doing and continue building my skills in Graphic Design as well as Commercial Art.

The design community is driven more by sharing and inspiration than competition. So, you could say it’s a very healthy competition. Designers constantly keep sharing valuable information and techniques on myriad sites such as PSDTUTS+, Smashing Magazine, Noupe, Web Designer Depot, Dribbble, A List Apart and many, many more.

Any tips for others wishing to pursue the same profession as you?

To be a Graphic Designer, I’ll say the clichéd: study, practice and get inspired every day. You need to feed your mental library with as many marvellous images and ideas as possible whether on print, online, TV, your environment, books or music. To be a freelance Graphic Designer, do all that AND set a financial target for yourself every month and plan ahead to fill in projects worth more than your target, as a buffer. The world of design is all about creating new, better, useful, and remarkable things that make life so much better. Have fun!

Check out some of Soumya’s work here:

(Pictures courtesy Soumya Mohanty) 

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She crafts beautiful door handles…

…and hardware that make a home’s interiors go from great to wow! Anagha Dandekar’s work is literally crafted by hand.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Anagha Dandekar (46) is beautiful, successful, and scion of one of the country’s premier business families – her grandfather, DP Dandekar, founded the Camlin Group of companies, and father Subhash made the brand a household name. Despite being an heir to a powerful business that has impacted generations of Indians, Anagha chose to chart her own route; she runs and manages Hardware Rennaissance, a firm that makes hand crafted hardware for homes.

She started her business at Santa Fe, US, where she resides, but the former Mumbai girl recently started retailing in the city of her birth and in Delhi, too. Anagha spoke to The Metrognome about the business that changed her life, how her early grounding with Camlin helped, and what it takes to be in a position of power in business.

What are your earliest memories of your father when he was with Camlin? 

From when I was a few years old, I remember going with my father to our offices and factory in Andheri. My brother and I loved going there, we would always be excited. My father would show us new machines and how products were being made. I especially loved watching wax crayons being made – the way molten wax was poured into the mould machines, and how the crayon sticks would start coming up like magic.

How far has the presence of Camlin been instrumental in honing your creative instincts? Also, how important has the home atmosphere been? 

Camlin and the home atmosphere have been pivotal in making me the person I am today, in awakening and honing my creative and business instincts. Growing up, my parents would take us to art galleries to see the best of Indian artists and we would often meet and talk to them. My mother is a very creative person and I was just five years old when she got me started on Bharatanatyam. My father encouraged me all the way through my arangetram and till I came to the US.

My guru, the great Sucheta Bhide Chapekar, instilled in me a love and appreciation of dance, movement, form, and expression. I also learned Indian classicial singing for some years, and I was active in school plays. I guess you could say that I was immersed in all forms of the arts while growing up!  But even through all that, I always knew that my career would be in business, and ideally combining it with art.

How did the idea for ‘Hardware Renaissance’ come to you? 

I happened to meet a creative, energetic person named David Coe, who used to make beautiful doors. Together, we explored the

idea of making a line of exceptional hand-crafted hardware as good as his doors, and Hardware Renaissance was born. I learned all the technical aspects of hardware from him. Unfortunately, he passed away from cancer several years ago.

What was your parents’ reaction when you started your own line of work and did not return from your studies in the US to join the family business? 

My parents were certainly disappointed, because that meant I would not be back home, and not be a part of Camlin. But I was always brought up to think independently and be my own person, so I guess that was the downside!  However, as they got to learn more about my plans, and as they saw the unfolding vision and strategy for Hardware Renaissance, they were very supportive and have given me their guidance and support throughout.

What was the initial period of setting up your business in Santa Fe and later, promoting it, like? 

Since our hardware line is so unique, and since it involved working with blacksmiths in India and the USA, it took about two years to develop the initial, small hand-forged iron range. We launched it through four dealer showrooms in Santa Fe and in neighboring Colorado. It was a very exciting time, full of creative energy and business planning. We had to really educate customers about the way the hardware was made, why it was unique and special, because it was totally new to the market.  Architects and interior designers were not familiar with hand-crafted hardware. They had never seen such unique finishes either!

How has the US largely responded to the ‘handmade’ concept that is such a big feature of your work? 

High end customers in the US appreciate hand craftsmanship tremendously. Labour being so expensive there, most items are machine-made. So the response to our hardware has been very enthusiastic. I have had architects and designers as well as high end homeowners tell me many times that they still cannot find hardware with such a high degree of hand craftsmanship anywhere in the world. It is a source of great pride to them to be able to have something made entirely by an artisan adorn their doors. And the fact that it works so precisely too is invaluable.

What were some of the challenges you faced in sourcing material and labour in the US?

We manufacture and distribute our hardware through 80 showrooms in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda. They are our dealers who display and sell the hardware. The main challenges were in getting the products developed to our satisfaction. Then we needed to hire and train patina artists in the US to develop and perfect our unique hand applied finishes for production. Creating something entirely new, involving a high degree of hand craftsmanship, and across two continents, was a challenge for sure!

Why did you feel the need to retail in India? What is the market like, for products such as yours? 

At this time there are no plans to open our own stores here, because we want to evaluate the best way to sell the hardware. Each market is different in the dynamics of customer tastes, of selling and distribution, and we are working closely with several top Indian architects and designers to ensure that we give the high end Indian market what it wants, and the way it wants it. The Indian market is maturing in the high end, with customers more aware than ever of world class luxury goods. I feel that our hardware offers a compelling choice since there is nothing like it in India. The concept of high end, exclusively manufactured hardware with unique finishes and precision working is exciting and new in India, and with our association with Camlin, the Indian customer has a high trust factor also.

Is Camlin in any way associated with the daily working of Hardware Renaissance?  

In the USA, where Hardware Renaissance is head quartered, there is no linking of working with Camlin. In India however, there is close daily working with Camlin Fine Sciences Ltd., my brother’s company. Manufacturing, as well as marketing and distribution activities for India, are all operated through this Camlin offshoot. That gives us a tremendous position of strength with deep resources and the implicit faith of the Indian customer in the Camlin name and legacy. My father, though retired as Chairman of Camlin, is my advisor and supporter, and my brother is also behind Hardware Renaissance all the way. I am extremely grateful for this family support that I have.

What keeps you motivated and challenged? 

My goal of creating a high end brand that truly stands for hand crafted quality world-wide is what keeps me motivated and challenged. Creating beautiful hardware is energising – it is something that customers touch and use in their homes all day long, it is the jewellery of their home. Yet for hardware to be exceptional, it not only has to look beautiful but it must also work with precision. The marriage of art and engineering is a constant challenge, but very satisfying when the result is a good one!

Where do you see yourself five years from now? 

I see myself working hard to take the brand to greater heights in design and in market reach. My vision is to add line extensions, and to see the brand launched in many countries around the world.

 

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