Hasta La Creative!

Grandmother is a design and communication studio based in Mumbai.

Is Grandmother India primarily into identity design and brand communication? What all services do you provide?
Grandmother India is a multi-disciplinary visual communication home. Grandmother nurtures imaginations to breed innovative creations that challenge conventional design standards. Strategic solutions, fresh perspectives and local designs with global aesthetics chalk out the best prescription to strengthen the aura of brands.

Our areas of expertise include:
•    Consultancy – Brand / Retail / Online / Way ?nding
•    Brand Identity Design
•    Print Design
•    Publication Design
•    Packaging Design
•    Environmental Design Solutions
•    Way Finding Solutions
•    Ambient Design
•    Event Design and Communication
•    Retail Design and Communication
•    Online Communication Strategy
•    Online Communication Consulting
•    UI + UX Design
•    Digital Content Generation(Video, 3D, Illustrations, Photo bank)
•    RIA Website & Interface Development
•    Interactive Multimedia Installation
•    Online Promotion (SEO, SEM, SMM)
•    Mobile + Tablet Web application
•    Sound Identity
•    Broadcast Design
•    Sound Design

 Tell us about your designers/animators. Did they go into fine art or design schools? How do you pick them up?
While most of our designers come from renowned design schools or applied arts institutes, we also recruit people with immense passion for great design, design oriented thinking and those who have an edge in innovative solutions. We conduct several rounds of interviews – virtual, face to face, with team leaders and then with top management. We look for a passionate and dynamic personality, people who are thinkers and equally good doers.

How would you define the design style at Grandmother India?
We believe that every problem is an opportunity and that every opportunity is a challenge, as we have very high standard of expectation from ourselves. We are our own competition so every project needs to be better than the last. We don’t box ourselves into a particular style as we believe in storytelling and every story has to be narrated differently. We deliver out of the box solutions for every industry and unique solutions for clients within the same industry.

Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?
I really didn’t have role models growing up. Having said that, during art school the city of Mumbai was been a great source of inspiration. The same can be said for the Himalayas as well as I am from Uttaranchal. Both are very contrasting spaces, but both had great positive impact on my thinking. Within the art, design & digital industry the few inspirations I can name are M.C. Escher, John Maeda & David Curson, amongst others.

Any International design workshops?
I have conducted several international workshops in Brazil, Portugal, Holland as well as India at design conferences, design institutes, architecture institutes and business schools. I also try to attend many workshops as a participant as well

How has digital affected your traditional print design work?
The Digital Revolution has inspired & influenced the way we think for print design and we at grandmother believe that both media can complement each other and borrow the best participant from each other.

Do clients see design as a value addition to their products?
Since our inception it has be an interesting journey as we have influenced our clients by making them understand the importance of design and what value design can bring for their businesses. Now the industry leadership has somewhat evolved and the handholding part has become less of a factor. Having said that, sometimes we still have to elaborate on what value design brings to the table for them.

Do you wish we had a design event in Mumbai??
Yes, Mumbai needs lot more design activities. Not just big design events but also smaller workshops, discussions and presentations.

Who was the most influential personality on your career in graphic design?
My mother

What made you start Grandmother India?
When we started back in 1997 there were no design studios but only advertising agencies. I really didn’t like the prevailing business model concept at the time of ‘buy media and get creatives free’. I wanted to create a studio that truly sells intellectual property. Also I wanted to work closer with clients rather than working in a system of layered hierarchy in an agency. Lastly, I didn’t want to influence my thinking with an agency experience so I started Grandmother straight after of college. It has been a tough journey but an enlightening one.

How important is the focus on good design in  Grandmother India?
We are in the business of design, so there is no question about the focus on good design. How our designs can drive greater business for our client is the most important factor for us at Grandmother. We believe good design should go much beyond just good looking design. We also feel responsible to create a better visual culture for people not just the clients, but client’s client and the public at large.

Are you working with any advertising agencies? Any brands?
In the past we have worked with very few agencies. Mostly we have worked more for brands.

What do you feel about the state of design in India? Do you feel that our collective aesthetics need to improve?
State of design in India is rapidly evolving and is taking great form but we have a long way to go to catch up to international standards. Designers can only be effective if there is a greater vision from the top down. Importance of good design needs to be understood by Influencers, policy makers, industrialists, government bodies etc. Lots need to done at grass root level.

Any other Indian graphic designers who you admire?
Locopopo and White Crow design.

What advice do you have for aspiring creative professionals? Would you advise them to take on graphic design as a career option?
Good Design skills will only prepare you to be standing in starting line of a race, but to run the race you need to be a thinker, observer, researcher, presenter, writer, and above all a sensitive person who understands emotions of other people. Design is a great profession but don’t restrict yourself to ‘a’ type of design field. If you think from your heart and emote from your head, design is the field to be in.

Who would your design team like to take out for dinner?
Themselves

What’s on the company iPod?
We don’t have one

Mac or PC?
Mac

Grandmother India can be contacted via their website here.