we built ICD with people who really want to be on the bus. we tend to look for curious, open, and thoughtful people who have a life that gives them some sort of edge or point of view. or soft corners, come to think of it. some of them aren’t in design roles, but once they get into client problems, the difference disappears.
Itu took a bachelor’s in architecture from School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi in 1984, but retired from that profession to pursue his interest in letterform and graphic design. After freelancing in this and that, he formed Itu Chaudhuri Design in 1997 to design for marketing, corporate and editorial clients. Itu is a lazy columnist, reflecting on design thinking, and the interface between design and everything else. He is a (reluctant) keynote speaker, has served as visiting faculty at NID. Deeply steeped in listening to classical Indian music, and selectively, science.
Lisa joined ICD soon after her graduation in 1997 from the National Institute of Design (NID), where she studied Visual Communication, and has been a principal for a decade. She has immense experience in graphic design, loves striking typography and branding. Lisa leads our UI/UX projects, both ERP and editorial, maintaining a keen, yet skeptical eye on novel developments: new isn’t always better, and content and functionality matter. Lisa has taught and judged at the NID and and has been a jury member, moderator speaker at UX events. And Lata is everything.
Ashok comes with 6 years of experience in packaging design, working with a packaging specialist design studio with multinational clients—he developed a sense of rigour, detail, and a savviness about the shelf. He is greatly moved by visual art, and his expert eye never misses the form, and finish of the pack he holds. A valuable perspective to our packaging and web UI projects.
Pradyut was a Computer Engineer. Looking at his sketches and concepts, a friend recommended he join IIT Guwahati’s newly introduced M.Des programme. He says it was the best thing to happen to him. His idea of a perfect evening is a cup of coffee and a session of craftsy hand lettering. A sports geek, he passionately follows football and tennis. He hopes to see Nadal’s famed forehand in action at the Roland Garros finals someday.
Sreeja got the best of the two cultures; Delhi and Kolkata. One brought her close to books, food, and art, while the other guided her into design education, graduating from Pearl Academy, Delhi. At ICD she has worked on large UI/UX projects ranging enterprise platforms, news websites and marketing.
Alok’s interest in computing started late, in the 11th Standard, when he saw his friends make cool applications in computer class and wanted in on the fun. The result—his first programme, a virus to hack his school’s computer network. He then took a BCA and hasn’t stopped making stuff since: a free library, a video editing software. Alok is a Manga addict, which got him interested in design, and working at ICD.
Only four papers away from becoming a qualified Chartered Accountant, Arpit decided to change tracks and become a full-time designer. He would find ways to sneak in design and technology wherever he was — helping design tax products for his CA overlords or making logos for friends and clients. His three great loves—gaming as a medium of story-telling (Disco Elysium, these days), history & politics (he credits 2014 and 2016 for kindling this) and dystopian fiction. Scary.
Born into a family of army officers, Saumya was on track for a career in the services. On track, literally—long distance runner and NCC level C cadet. How did she turn to art & design, then? She recalls the time her mother, an artist and visual merchandiser, made an aquarium out of trash for an art assignment, and says that’s when the love of making things took over. Saumya loves paintbrushes and guns. Handy traits, we think for a career in design. Civilians beware.
Abhishek, along with a school friend in Indore, discovered design quite late, from a newspaper ad for the UCEED examination. With just a week’s prep, he travelled to Mumbai. The friend got in, he didn’t. Abhishek then joined a computer science course but design was calling. Stimulated by chats with his newly minted designer friend, he joined the college’s fine arts club at his college—making charcoal portraits, teaching himself typography. His motion posters (on mounted monitors) created a stir, and Abhishek became the club’s ‘Design Head’ (manifestation at work). He skipped his placements, sat for CEED, and took an M.Des from IIT Hyderabad.
Shreya ‘Doogie’ Duggal can be spotted in the Delhi metro with her head buried into a book—either a mythological fantasy, a crime thriller or the rare classic. She credits her mom for her initiation into art and design. In school, an interest in clay modelling took hold and has stayed with her. A NIFT trained designer, she credits her college for introducing her to the wide world of design. Although, she isn’t a fan of dogmatic teaching when it comes to design (we agree). A sharp dresser, she brings a certain je ne sais quoi to the studio.
Shivani was in the 10th standard when she enrolled herself in a DTP course. She liked the thrill of working with digital tools to create her own stuff. But the underlying logic of these tools appealed to her more. Programming was the way to go—she had to overcome opposition at home, and convince them of its superior prospects over an Arts degree. A self-starter and creator, she took a digital marketing course, and now runs three social media entities: a Youtube vlog, an Instagram handle with programming tips and a reels page on the Josh app, adding up to 10k followers. Shivani is also a dancer, a member of hip hop and robotics dance troupe (we don’t know what that is, either).
Ayushmaan started out building a digital network for farmers in Nagaland. His time there brought him face to face with the realities of a different kind of life (and the possibility of losing it). An encounter with the agarwood tree in the jungle sparked his interest in the art of perfumery. He shifted base to Delhi, writing and editing a development magazine with a leftist slant. A hungry reader, his polymathic appetite extends to blogs—the Astral Codex Ten blog is a favourite, articles, ghost stories (true!), Reddit groups that prove we are but elements in a matrix. Unifying theme: none.
Our in-house political scientist, completed her BSc from Utkal University. From the time of her joining, Gayatri has handled the studio’s accounts. She makes sure everybody has what they need to work efficiently, from pens to salaries. She is happiest when she is reading books on politics and religion.
