Hasta La Creative!

Dynamite is a full-service broadcast design and branding agency based out of Bombay.  It helps television channels brand themselves, their shows, and related properties. Dynamite also assists brands like Smaaash and the V-Spot build their identity.

Is Dynamite Design primarily into identity design and brand communication? What all services do you provide?
Yes, we are primarily a branding company for the media industry.  We provide full turnkey services for broadcast design such as channel packaging, show packaging, idents and promos (both live-action and animated), off-air design, and identity design.  We even have a list of talented directors who have a long-standing track record in producing award winning ad-films and promos.

Tell us about your designers/animators. Did they go into fine art or design schools? How do you pick them up?
We have a varied set of colleagues, most of them are trained in their particular skill set, some are self-taught, and all are passionate about what they do. Mostly, people have joined us from past associations and word of mouth.  Two of our designers were recruited with the help of headhunters.

How would you define the design style at Dynamite?
Dynamite’s design is driven by thought.  Our style is mature in design and fluid in its adaptations.  We use a method of collective explorations before filtering and refining our final options.

Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?
There were many role models, from writers, to cartoonists, to designers, to chefs.  What influenced me most about them was their ability to be so undeterred and passionate about their work.

How has digital affected your traditional print design work?
At this point it hasn’t but we are keeping ourselves abreast of evolving technologies so that we may utilize them to best of its ability.

Do clients see design as a value addition to their products?
Yes, increasingly so. Intelligent design is still nascent in India, be it clothes, print, motion, or products. However, we see more and more companies and individuals treating design as something more than just an aesthetic facelift.

Do you wish we had a design event in Mumbai?
Yes, especially something to the tune of Kyoorius’ Design Yatra.

Who was the most influential personality on your career in graphic design?
I am neither a graphic designer nor a student of design however the most influential personality in the field of design for me has been Dieter Rams.

What made you start Dynamite Design?
The need to provide Indian media companies with an indigenous broadcast design firm was the key reason for starting Dynamite and the fact that I found a fantastic business partner in Sheetal Sudhir.

How important is the focus on good design at your design studio?
Very, as I’m sure it is for all design studios.

Are you working with any advertising agencies? Any brands?
We have just initiated our foray into ad film production.

What do you feel about the state of design in India? Do you feel that our collective aesthetics need to improve?
I feel that design is a word very often misunderstood and loosely interpreted. For us it is a process, way of thinking; of taking a step back and evaluating, and hopefully finding solutions.  Design isn’t limited to a particular field instead it is agnostic and should be implemented by everyone. Design could range from helping people be efficient with their taxes to helping surgeons find innovative solutions.  Aesthetics is only one of the derivatives of design and as a whole; I believe that the state of design in India is evolving.

What advice do you have for aspiring creative professionals? Would you advise them to take on graphic design as a career option?
For any creative professional, the first thing to understand is himself or herself. Take up internships, work on pet projects, live and breathe the vocation that you want to be a part of.  See if you love the work (the good and the bad), make sure you are not counting hours, and ensure that you have something to add.  Post all of that, ask yourself if you could do this for many years and are so confident of your work adding value that you feel you can command a premium?  If yes, then you have your answer.  Also it doesn’t hurt to keep your ego in check.

Graphic design is a tough and (many a time thankless) career option and you have to be resilient if you want to survive in this field.

Who would your design team like to take out for dinner?
Our staff, our clients, and their families. To get to know them better and also let them know that they mean more than just numbers on a spreadsheet.

A dinner with a personality is fraught with unnecessary niceties.

What’s on the company iPod?
Oh, our iPod’s a kachumbar of music, from Ritchie Valens, to Sneha Khanwalkar, to the XX, to Nusrat.

Mac or PC?
Mac, because it’s better designed.

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