Design to me is not arty flashy but a solution which can help people at macro or micro levels says Shruti Goyal Rawat, Founder and Design Head, Designembryo in interview taken by Dr. Akansha Jain

1) Please introduce yourself

 

I am Shruti Goyal Rawat, Founder and Design Head,  Designembryo - a multidisciplinary graphic design Studio. I'm a Visual Communication designer, a consultant, a blogger and an entrepreneur...an individual who believes in creating MEANINGFUL DESIGNS…

Design to me is not arty flashy but a solution which can help people at macro or micro levels. It is not just about making pretty pictures but to conceptualize ideas which strike just the right balance, can bring emotions, and a beautiful :) on the viewer’s face.

2) What is the motivation behind starting your venture?

I always dreamt of having my own space and studio up and running, since when i did my Masters in design from MITID, Pune and then worked with some excellent agencies and design houses in Pune.

That time, my passion was like gasoline in the tank, but i needed a steering wheel to help me go where i wanted to go. My training at MITID, Pune and work stint with agencies and design houses helped me gain the right experience, hone my skills, and channelize my energies in the right direction. 

Well!  i got the biggest kick to start of my own after marriage, as they say you do get one sometime in your life. Being married to a merchant navy engineer had its own ups & downs and hence began the journey of taking up freelance projects and eventually a real big push from my better-half to start a 'design studio'.

With more and more design maturity penetrating in Indian markets and the plunge of youngsters getting into their own start-ups, there has emerged a huge market in India for graphic design too. Well! If you are sincere towards your work and love what you do, this can be an enough reason for getting motivated to work on our own.

Also, I've been a person who always wanted some mind space & creative freedom to turn my ideas into reality else it reaped into frustration. My studio is like my child, that definitely provided me the right kind of atmosphere & space to deliver design solutions to my clients that are meaningful and functional at the same time.

3) Please provide information regarding the products/services you offer to world and state how are they beneficial for us. 

We are a small studio energized by the challenge of understanding business goals and design requirements and then translating them further into meaningful, profitable design solutions that exponentially improves an organisation's visibility, credibility and success.

We have successfully provided design services like Brand development, Logo Design , Print/ publications, Packaging, Web & social media, Space graphics, Events & exhibitions, and Signage/ way-finding solutions, to companies across varied sectors like Pharmaceutical, Wellness, Hospitals, Hospitality, Real Estate, Start-ups, Beauty, Education etc.

Some of our latest works can be seen at: www.designembryo.wordpress.com

4). What are the start-up challenges? 

Managing multiple things simultaneously and switching gears from one to another is one of the biggest challenge of a start-up. Staying productive can be tough at times. An entrepreneur has to stay productive and time after time, overcome the temptation to slack so that they can brainstorm new ideas, find fresh solutions, and get things done—all while hitting deadlines and keeping things under budget.

At the same time, i also feel that more than challenges, a start-up rather brings with it a lot of positives too... No 9-5 timing restrictions, Immense self-learning, being more self-reliant, personal as well as professional growth, learning to manage time, and finally making you a jack of all trades than being just an expert... are just a few advantages of owning a start-up.

5). Were there any challenges being a woman entrepreneur?

In India, we live in a Patriarchal society, where women still do face a conflict of performing of home role along with managing their professional responsibilities. This essentially poses as a very knotty challenge sometimes, as there comes an added responsibility and moral pressure over and above being a 'business entrepreneur', which in itself carries its share of challenges to run business successfully in today's hard-hitting competition.

Well! even now Indian family set-ups are such that the women do have to switch gears between managing home and office and incase the are unable to do so, they are not looked up respectably by the family members.

This no doubt remains as a challenge for almost all women in India. However, I would say the urge to stay 'SELF-RELIANT' and 'KEEP MOVING' should always be kept alive.

6) How your family reacted on starting a business? 

My parents & my family has always been quite supportive of me working on my own and running my studio. Infact, they have always dreamt the same with me... Nevertheless, another earning hand to the family is always a support.

Initial days of beginning were more difficult and i did took a while to make people understand that sitting at home may not work for me and i would like to utilize my skills whichever possible way. Well! this has to be learnt and comes as a by product of going up the ladder sometimes.

7) What are your future plans ? 

I would love to see Designembryo, growing from a small 10 people studio to a 50 people organisation, that  encompasses colossal capability to handle all sorts of design requirements offline as well as online and create more and more meaningful design solutions for the welfare of the society at large.

8) Any other information you want to share to world.

I feel if you have passion to do something and really want to do it...just let bygones be bygones. Rather, listen to your heart and 'Just go for it'. Swoosh.