Hasta La Creative!

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A little about your outfit Studio Glyph. What do you do?
Well, simply put, we provide branding and communication solutions to companies. We’re media neutral, and we prefer not to slot ourselves in the ‘advertising’ or ‘design’ buckets. We believe those lines overlap, especially in todays age, where barring the giants, not too many people have budgets for conventional media and marketing.

What made you start Studio Glyph?
I’m trained in design from the National Institute of Design Ahmedabad. If one were to investigate the history of the institute, it was set up to boost industry in India. The very foundation of the school was to nurture entrepreneurship. So I guess it was something that was instilled in me then.

However, starting up is a big challenge, which requires maturity and experience. I did my rounds of working at design companies and advertising agencies in Mumbai, big and small, and reached a point where I found something lacking in the way that I liked to approach communication.

I like partnering with clients, thinking alongside them, experimenting and finding results. Most companies come to you with an output and ask you to create for it.

I decided to start Studio Glyph, not knowing where it would lead me, but knowing I could work with clients in ways that I never had. It came with its challenges, but every minute spent was immensely gratifying, and an education in itself. That convinced me to continue on.

Tell us about your designers/animators. Did they go into fine art or design schools? How do you pick them up?
Personally, I don’t believe your education defines you. The nature of my business gives me the liberty to assess individuals based on their work. I can’t say I don’t look at resumes, but ultimately the people I work with are selected because of their work, work ethic and attitude.
To answer your question, they may be from either.

Can you tell us the process of building a design language for a brand?
To tell you in a distilled fashion, brand language needs to begin with a brand truth. I find it particularly unconvincing when a brand speaks in a way that is not rooted in complete integrity to itself, intent, ethos, or benefit. So how I work it, is to start with the honest truth about the brand, the product and it’s people. Once that foundation is set, moving forward becomes more about creative manifestations and how one toys with perceptions.

An important point to consider is how people understand visuals. And while I don’t advocate using cliches, it’s critical to use cliches to understand how visual signs and pictures are interpreted. To deep dive into a psyche and mind set, cliches are a useful tool. Most creative people are afraid to utter the word, but in my opinion, it’s a ready-made legend – why not use it to gain deeper insights, understand boundaries of perception, and the science behind visual language?

How important is the focus on good design in Studio Glyph?
The focus lies on logical and thorough processes, exploring craft, sans academic bullshit – good design follows as a result.

What does Studio Glyph do which sets it apart?
Our collaborative methods make our output different each time. Working with different people is something that percolates down to our work. I feel clients feel a great deal of comfort with the amount we involve them in our processes. I find that makes everyone feel a sense of ownership for the work that comes out in the end, and its unique only to that set of people.Of course we ensure certain standards of aesthetics are met, and everyone leaves happy.

Tell us something about Design in the Digital Era.
The answer to this question would merit some discussion.
Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?
I’ve always found this question difficult to answer. I’ve always admired different things in different people, never everything about one person. So yes, I’ve had different role models for different things.

Who was the most influential personality on your career in Brand Building?
I would have to say they would be some of my teachers and employers – Vikas Satwalekar, M.P Ranjan, Sonia Manchanda and Alok Nanda. Although, everyone I’ve met along the way has taught me something that has been enriching.

Do you work with any advertising agencies? Or mostly directly with brand teams at clients’ side?
Brand teams and the client directly.

What do you feel about the state of design in India? Do you feel that our collective aesthetics need to improve?
Aesthetics is a part of design. Design transcends just that into many other aspects. Sadly, it is wrongly labelled as a purely aesthetic discipline.

It would be highly irresponsible to make a statement on collective aesthetics being poor – After all, historically, aesthetics are dictated by so much more than just subjective likes and dislikes a people.

For design to be successful in its true sense, it needs to understand aesthetics, their context, their meaning, and how visuals are interpreted. So discarding a particular aesthetic on a whim, would be to discard a significant tool for successful communication and problem solving.

Any other Indian design firms that you admire?
Sure, too many independents and firms that I admire across sectors.

What advice do you have for aspiring creative professionals? Would you advise them to take on graphic design as a career option?
Graphic design is certainly a great option, but no design discipline is lucrative if you aren’t interested in pushing the boundaries, and don’t have an inherent curiosity to experiment and challenge the norm. The field is very dynamic, and one needs to be as dynamic to survive it.

Who would your design team like to take out for dinner?
Steve Jobs, Alec Baldwin and Richard Dawkins. All Together.

What’s on the company iPod?
A complete mix of trashy pop, old-school rock, indie and electronic.

Mac or PC?
Mac.

Whats your Twitter Handle?
Allow me to get back to you (Makes a mental note to get on to twitter).

You can see more of Studio Glyph’s work here.

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Tanya Daniel Eden is an Indian Graphic Designer /Illustrator / Visualizer from Mumbai. She graduated from Sophia Polytechnic Institute of Applied Art and Design. Tanya is a visual storyteller and believes to squabble for a social cause and to open up to issues that matter to the society, her work and personality are two different things, like an alter ego. Art is something she can rely on profoundly, her pillar of strength she abides with, her consonance lies in art alone and is highly ambitious.

Apart from this Tanya is a professional swimmer, animal lover, fasionista, foodie and loves to travel, enjoys adventure sports and explore new people and places. She is fond of collecting local mask and exquisite antiques while she travels.

Why are you a Illustrator/Graphic Designer?
I believe one can do a good job on any position only if he likes what he does. And I love to design and create art, ther’s so much to do and explore in this field. So my job preference is obvious and decided to do this, period. People are visual beings and decide rather emotionally than rationally. I believe Graphic designers / illustrators have a different vision and tend to see and absorb things differently than others, which I find very interesting.

Did you attend school for fine art or design?
Never was I ever interested in any other field other than art carrier wise, after my HSC boards. I had the privilege to study and graduate from Sophia Polytechnic Institute of Applied Art and Design in Mumbai for five amaizing years . These years spent in this campus enlightened me and brought out the best in me as a person more than a student, seeing my willingness to learn and absorb I had great support and guidance from the entire polytechnic staff. I owe a big thank you to the design department teachers to push me and direct me and allow me to prove myself and excel.
Here I stood first in college as well as in all of Maharashtra (Topper) in the Applied Art final board exams 2014( All affiliated to the Directorate of Art, Government of Maharashtra),also bagged many in-house college awards, a silver medalist & Cub illustrator of the year CAG award 2014.

You have a distinct style of Design. How long did it take you to develop your style?
“Versatile is my style” but I’m yet a new bee and I’m learning and grasping time doing some constructive design. Design is all about the composition and layout with serious level of skill and idea requirement for the subject. I experiment a lot with my layouts and typo sometimes adding on to my Illustrative approach. My Illustration style is very bold and functional, I scribble Ideas in my sketchbook that come to mind and make rough layouts, it’s easier like that rather than just starting off directly on the software, focusing on the audience that i’am creating for, tend to stay away from the norms, add humor or imagination if subjective .Yes everyone has a distinct style but mine changes all the time, it’s never constant. Im the kind of person who would rather rely on facts than fluff, on practicality rather than theories. Having the uncanny ability to turn wishy-washy ideas into concrete action. Graphic design style is all business, I am logical, rational and utterly dependable. I demand a lot from myself, and I get it. I believe Design that’s meant to be experienced in an instant is the easiest to recognize and has been around the longest.

Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?
Going way back in time when I was a kid in school the classic old artist were introduced to us like Picasso, Dali, Van Gogh.Bosch was one of my favorite, they were the only patent role models back then for art .People evolve everyday with their abilities, it’s hard to choose role models in particular. Because of social media our art community is tight globally. Everyone follows each others work online and takes inspiration from it. I believe we take inspiration not only from peoples work but from everything we see around us, as of now internationally Tomar Hanuka and James Jean are my two favorite illustrator role models .

Who was the most influential personality on your career in graphic design/Illustration?
As yet, the awesome Lokesh Karekar.

When did you start freelancing?
After college I joint an advertising firm ,well obviously I wasn’t comfortable there as I have always wanted to focus on graphic design and illustration . So I switched to designing and I had the prerogative to work with Lokesh Karekar at his Locopopo design studio .With him mentoring I did absorb and learn a lot. The styles, clean layouts , typo, detailing fun illustrations, Interacting with the clients, using a pen tablet for instance ever since then I cannot function without it. I am glad to have started of here, After that i did get approached by new clients , people who were interested in my style and asked me to work on projects with them. So I did start freelancing, I also got time to do my own projects and artworks. With freelancing it’s never stable Sometimes there’s a lot to do sumtimes there isn’t. I don’t see myself freelancing for the long run. I want to work, study and explore more with other professionals and firms to get some more good experience.

Was there a time you ever wanted to quit graphic design?
Haha yes the days the clients take my idea and kills it, and make me redo it their way and then tell me to do it my way again. But on a serious note never have I called it quits.

Are many advertising agencies hiring graphic designers?
Now a days advertising agencies they use a lot of illustrative approach in their adverts and medias,so Yes they hire all the time. All kind of firms approach graphic designers and illustrators, wherever they require art oriented application on their medias or customized products.

Any other Indian illustrators/graphic designers who you admire?
Dattaraj Kamat, Jasjyot Singh Hans, Somnath Pal, Sameer kulavoor, Patel Saumin, Mira Malhotra, Rishidev RK, Kunel Gaur, Janine Shroff, Harikrishnan Packnikar are a few on my favorate list.

What advice do you have for aspiring creative professionals? Would you advise them to take on graphic design as a career option?
It’s never ever too late to seek what your good at and to give it a go. If u have the creativity in you and your just as crazy about art then what’s stopping you. Be confident in yourself as an author, designer, creative. Don’t work in a particular personal style. Rather, develop a personal approach to your creative work. Your work should never be about you, but it can certainly reveal your hand as the designer. As your work becomes more well-known, you will get hired for exactly that. For your personal work, don’t be afraid to tell your story. No one else is going to do it for you. People you work with and for will make your blood boil from time to time. Whenever possible, be a pro and take the high road. Avoid burning bridges, as people change jobs more often than they did a generation ago. Your paths may cross again in a much different situation, and having a good working history together will make rehiring you easy.
?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?
Clients do know the impact and importance to design and do keep a budget on investing in the quality of work they will consume from us, but the budget is never a decent one. They keep negotiating till u give up. It’s high time clients understand that good design comes at a price or we as graphic designers will lose our sanity. No matter however big the designer, clients always negotiate with the budget. Some of your best design business decisions will ultimately be saying “no” to clients or projects. Unfortunately, it usually takes a few disasters to gain the experience to know when to walk away from an impending train wreck.

Mac or PC?
-Mac always, but  congenial with PC as well.??Who would you like to take out for dinner?
-I would like to take Mother Teresa foundation orphans to a picnic along with my kitten.

What’s on your iPod?
I don’t own an ipod, but I do lsn to music constantly in the background while working, it creates a good environment and vibe. Lo tove, Major lazer, Queens, Randy Travis, EDM are some on my list. I don’t really have a favorite genre , my taste changes by the moment and mood.

Whats your Twitter Handle??
@tanya_eden

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DesiCreative – Indian Advertising Creative Blog and Community (beta 1.4)

Arushi a.k.a feed your head is a passionate thinker and an artist with a psychedelic adventure in her head. A design professional by practice, she is among the fresh eccentric talent our country is brewing today. An observer of people and the stranger with a muted inquiry, Sethi shares with all the dark side of her imagination through her diverse body of work. Mad is a fair word to describe her “if nothing, what you say would be drawn !”
Why are you a Graphic Designer?
I like to communicate visually and aurally. I craft perception and experiences. It could happen in the form of a brand or a conversation, a sketch or an interface. irrespective of the medium, I am not only a graphic designer but also an illustrator, a user interface designer, a home chef and a trooper. I like to swim in the ocean and eat the fish that comes from it .

Did you attend school for fine art or design?
“A school of art design and technology” we call it! OH SRISHTI! Also i am 2/3 rd major in psychology!

You have a distinct style of Design. How long did it take you to develop your style?
It took years of feelings, a lifetime of disappointment and hours of conversation that led me to draw and create the way i do! I collect boxes made out of leather and I am trained to live out of a 3727cm x x box. I am always on the move. Oh well, my thoughts run in a loop or linger around. I am not sure. But as far as inspiration and themes are concerned, my style attempts to bind a visual language. Working consistently is the key. The pieces I have worked on in the past do flint a fire in the work that is yet to come out of me.

Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?
Illustration for me began at the back of my books, rotting toilets in schools where I would go to play football, and in and around stacks of newspapers in my house. An inspiring environment ideally never existed for me; I tried to create it along the way by meeting people who I could draw and learn along side. That was probably what inspired me to feed my head. What intrigues me the most is that every artist irrespective of their medium cuts open a chunk of their mind. This chunk engages us all in this unspoken dialogue. My faith in design gets reassured as I see more people trying to engage in this very dialogue and interpret it their own way. The idea is to keep the feed coming.

Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?
INFLUENCERS I WOULD CALL THEM. YES, I do have people who have moulded me in the individual I am today .life keeps moving on and the spectrum keeps growing, I am jumping in and out of the well. People I admire and conversations i desire guide me and shape in my practice. Rohit, Taarika, Varun, Salim Ali, Alison, Pandy, and Suzan are the people who nurtured me in my formative years .

Who was the most influential personality on your career in graphic design?
Sean Tan and Tim Burton and Yuko Shimizu – Illustration.
Stanley Kubrick and Tim Burton – Film.
Banksy – Installation Art.
Robert Plant – Music.
The French People – Architecture.
Over all M.C. ESCHER’s treatment and precision of his tessellation’s!

Was there any time when you wanted to quit graphic design?
Yes, the thought of doing nothing does come to be sometimes in my action packed weekly schedule. If I could, I would throw parties. That would be the secondary occupation of my choice. I like to play the host!

When did you start freelancing?
At the age of 18, I had my first illustration project with Wipro which I did along side of some really cool people and imminent young designers of today. Never stopped ever since. Been 5 years now.

Are many advertising agencies hiring graphic designers? Do you work more with agencies or publishers?
everybody wants a graphic designer! This is this decade is the best time to practice design. Could be in any discipline, methods or medium. And yes agencies, studios, market everybody needs design.

Do you have clients who give you steady work or do you advertise for new clients often?
I am open to taking up new work and I also have people i consistently work with I am focused on tackling each project with artistic and intellectual potential that evolves endlessly with the project.

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?Clients are funny people. They make you launch and cry for reasons its hard to tell without humor. Some are aware and some refuse to be! People pay, some unethically don’t! Most pay late and the show must go on.
I particularly avoid people who are not interested to work with me but will still hire me.
Clients teach you a lot! Good bad and ugly.

Mac or PC?
BOTH. YES. BOTH

Who would you like to take out for dinner?
Oooh! that’s exciting! A stranger who could be a good friend. Milind Soman, can you read this?

What’s on your iPod?
No ipod. iTunes, yes.
Led Zeppelin, Tim buckley, CSNY, Air, Shlohmo, The quantic Aretha Franklin, Afrocubism, this will go on from all that i listen to.

Links to my work at Bechance, FaceBook, 

On Twitter @feedyourhead

Instagram @jollyinthezoo

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DesiCreative – Indian Advertising Creative Blog and Community (beta 1.4)

Poster campaign developed to promote the limited-edition Travel Sketches Calendar 2013, as there was a huge buzz, speculation, rumours about the Mayan Calendar ending in 2012.

Advertising Agency: Doo Creative
Art Director: T V Prasad
Copywriter: Viswaprasad Raju
Illustrator: Viswaprasad Raju

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DesiCreative – Indian Advertising Creative Blog and Community (beta 1.4)

By Avinash MB, Digital Marketing Leader| Ex-entrepreneur| Product Marketer| Growth Hacker | Content Marketer at Langoor Digital.

One of the challenges we faced in the beginning of the year 2016 was a big drop in quantity and quality of inbound leads which were generated at Langoor. This is a seasonal behaviour where business leads dry out during Dec-Jan due to the holiday season setting in. We decided to run some interesting experiments to see if we can improve our conversion rates for leads during this lean phase of the year.
Quantity of people visiting
Having already pinned down the ‘Digital Agency’ keyword on Google Local as well as organic listing, we knew that the quantity of people visiting our website is a function of market demand. It had dipped due to seasonality so we decided to improve the number of leads by focusing on improving conversions. The aim was to get the same number of leads with lesser number of visitors to the Langoor website.

Quantity of people Visiting

Improve Conversions – Exit Intent Popups!
We knew about exit intent popups helping companies to improve signups to their email newsletters. However, we wanted to figure out if the same can be used to improve conversions for getting leads from our website.
We selected the exit-intent popup wordpress plugin service called ‘Pop-Up-Ally Pro’ which allows us to show exit intent popup to people who have browsed our website and wish to leave the website. The plugin detects that you would like to exit the website by detecting closure of tabs by the user or by navigating to another website by addressing the bar. Normally these pop-ups are used to get email signups, but we wanted to get leads from them instead.
So we configured the exit intent popup with a message which normally is not seen on any website. We decided to show the photograph of our ‘Head of Digital & Web Strategy’ Vijay Shenoy , with his phone number. It is not common for a brand to allow you to contact a senior person in the team when a prospective customer visits a website. Due to this surprise element & also the credibility element of seeing the person’s picture along with his phone number, most of the clients ended up reaching out to call Vijay. About 30% of them ended up leaving their email id and name which would then be followed up by the business development team.

We configured the plugin to show this popup only once (by setting a cookie) , thus people will see this message only for the first time and it does not serve as a nuisance value to people who keep visiting our websites.

We constructed the plugin to show this popup only once by setting a cookie. Thus, people will see this message only for the first time and it does not serve as a nuisance value to people who keep visiting our websites.
Results Achieved 
The results which we achieved showed a dramatic improvement in conversion rate of website visits to leads and also improved the quality of visits by a mile as we started to receive calls directly from decision makers to Vijay. Based on this we were able to push the lead conversion ratio from 1.96 % to 2.75% from unique visits to leads.  The point to be noted is most of the visits that happen to our website are from prospective employees hence the conversion number ratio is a bit skewed due to which conversion ratio is much lower than what it is really. But we did see a 35% improvement in conversion rate from overall unique visits to leads.  But the main take away is that there was also a big jump in the quality of leads which we managed to get.
I would be more than happy to be connected with you over LinkedIn and have more discussions on Digital Marketing, Product Management, and Lean Startup & Entrepreneurship!. My LinkedIN profile is here and you can experience the exit intent popup at Langoor India website.

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