Interview with Lollypop Design Studio
Lollypop Design Studio is a global UI/UX design studio that focuses on creating meaningful, scalable and award-winning digital experiences through research-driven design.
Design Legend Interview
15 May 2019
I have always been an artist by heart and designer by choice. In my early childhood days, the only thing I was ever good at was drawing and I chose to pursue it as my career. I tried many fields of design but got glued to digital design when I was first introduced to it in early 2000. Post my Masters in visual communication & arts, I began my professional journey of digital design. And in the year 2013, I returned to silicon valley of India with a vision to put India as a design destination on the world map and founded Lollypop - a dedicated UX UI Design studio.
Design is the only field that gives you true freedom; it is the nexus where creativity fuses with empathy and technology, the rarest combination ever and that is what motivates me to design. Why did I become a designer, because, this is the only thing I love and am good at.
Since, my early childhood, I found art to be my muse and continuing the same path, I discovered design.
I suppose all the digital designers are consultants and designs ‘Solutions’. I look forward to designing new domains that provide different challenges. The beauty of re-imagining the industry through power of design is what really ticks happy and creative side of me.
I don’t consider myself as a design legend and there is no one way of doing things. But, communication and persistence has definitely led me towards realizing my dreams.
The zeal to learn and unlearn is something that helps you always step up and move forward.
A good design is usable, functional and aesthetically pleasing. When design intelligence & technology embodies each other, great designs are produced.
Good design is the most strategic investment. It helps in attaining the vision of a company keeping users at the centre along with providing the shape to a concept. If you do it right the first time, it saves lot of time, money and energy of everyone.
I would design a Lollypop product in the field of health-tech
To start a design school
There is no recipe or secrets; it’s just iterations and many more of them, till you are happy with the design.
Mills form Ustwo
Respecting other designers and your own work.
Nothing. There was no other option, but design.
Design is always purposeful. It’s always seeking to provide solution and eliminating problems.
My wife, who supported all my abrupt decisions and dreams. I left my career as a creative director when I was at peak of my career and came back to India to start my own design studio
I don’t really know why you keep on saying that word. I am just a designer and I truly love what I do.
In India art was not very respected profession back then and I had to take up lot of small odd jobs to fund my career. None I know, supported my decision to be a designer, but, irrespective of all the adversities I continued to pursue my dream and passion.
Designers work should speak for itself. It should be like a story which unfolds at each step and sets a rhythm and tone in the hearts and minds of viewers.
Me and my team are working on many exciting projects from robotics to VR, let’s wait and unfold the new possibilities.
I envision to put India on a world map as a design destination.
Expectation is a funny word, people expect a lot but it is important to converse and set the expectations at the very beginning. Being honest with what problems can be solved through design helps everyone.
Design is like breathing but with awareness. With better designs, we have a better future that is systematic, planned and touching lives every day.
Can’t disclose the names but it’s to do with VR and robotics.
All the projects where we had freedom to research and design; naming just one would be difficult.
Working together with each other and strengthening design eco-system.
Design field is going to be working at the grassroot level and would be embedded in business strategies from the conceptualisation phase itself.
This is very subjective, it differs for each project and clients.
We begin with the founders as it is very important to understand the vision and business before kicking off with anything.
I want to travel to villages and teach children design.
This is the question like what comes before egg or the chicken! There are times when we follow trends and then there at times we go against the current to set a new trend.
Design & technology is like soul and body, none can thrive without another. Technology enables the realisation of design and design makes technology more meaningful.
We use Sketch for wireframes and adobe suite tools for UI design.
They set the language and personality of any brand. You need to be extremely aware of the vision of the founder and purpose of the product so that you can slowly translate them into design language through use of color, materials and ambient.
I hope, instead of a question, it is more of a reinforcement; when people come across a truly awesome interface they say that it must be by ‘Lollypop’
I would love to meet the designer and design team behind this product.
My entire team is my ideal design partner. Everyone comes with a unique set of skills and you should just learn to see that and instil people’s skill in yourself.
I am truly inspired by USTWO designs and its monument valley; they inspired me in setting up my own design studio.
There are many. But, I love to read about human psychology and smashing magazine articles.
I believe in learning the trade and not the secrets of trade; that’s why I have climbed up the ladder one step at a time, starting from being a graphic designer to creative director and now a design entrepreneur.
Good work speaks for itself and when you have a design team like mine, it is not that hard.
I guess the funniest one would be my in-flight conversation where my co-passenger who almost bullied me in designing the entire website during the journey itself; I felt like jumping off the plane!
Walking into the design studio and seeing the faces of my entire team energizes every atom of my body.
Yeah, I guess. Early signs from god, I would flunk in my subjects but always sketch beautiful.
I am scared; with the speed we are moving, I am not sure if we will be left with the planet earth.
These designs are contribution of every designer of team Lollypop and I would not like to take the recognition.
Designer Interview
17 April 2017
I have always been an artist by heart and designer by choice. In my early childhood days, the only thing I was ever good at was drawing and I chose to pursue it as my career. I tried many fields of design but got glued to digital design when I was first introduced to it in early 2000. Post my Masters in visual communication & arts, I began my professional journey of digital design. And in the year 2013, I returned to silicon valley of India with a vision to put India as a design destination on the world map and founded Lollypop - a dedicated UX UI Design studio.
Lollypop is a team of creative and professional heads bound by a common interest of crafting sweet experiences for simplifying everyday lives. It is an innovation hub where expressions & thoughts are strategically woven around usability & creativity. Our culture embodies responsibility and gratification by outdoing ourselves each time.
Design for me is 'Solution'. It is a purposeful route that one takes to strive for a best possible solution.
There is no work that I can pin-point at. But, something we really enjoy doing is finding a solution to a challenge; designs that demands extensive research and provides us with a chance to reimagine a field is extremely intriguing.
I am always at peace while designing. It is like my muse and my very own kingdom.
Ecstatic! Every single time, I see a design taking a shape, it feels like a stepping stone that provides us with a chance to improvise and learn more.
Usability, Functionality and Appeal.
The solution that design seeks to provide to all stakeholders.
There can be various ways of catering to society. But I suppose for me it is how we can touch everyday lives and make things simpler and more usable for everyone.
Design has evolved by leaps and bounds. In India it is still at nascent stage but is among the highest booming sector and this will become the most sought after service as it truly puts users into the fore-front.
I get inspired from everything, everyday, I meet someone new and have an opportunity to learn something, to look at a bigger picture. Reading is the fuel to my creativity and few sources of my inspirations are Ustwo studio, smashing magazine, medium articles.
I belong to the silicon valley of India, Bangalore. Every country is distinctive and designs are always driven by cultural and peoples perspective; so yes, culture definitely affects design. Pros are its vividity and colors and variations that India has to offer. And, cons would be unwillingness to spend time on research, everyone is in a hurry and expects a very quick turn-around time.
We believe in communicating and not selling. So, we just put forth our work and have a design workshop with every company; this helps us understand their requirement and also clarify what design can achieve. Once, this is done we proceed with formalities.
I suppose it is not only about skills but attitude. We believe we can train skills but right kind of attitude is extremely important.