Today we’d like to introduce you to Shruti Jeyakumar.
Hi Shruti, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Chennai, India. As far back as I can remember, I have always wanted to become a typographic or graphic designer without knowing that’s what people who did what I loved doing as a kid were called. As a 3 or 4 yr. old, it seems I used to replicate letters from newspapers and magazines just the way they were, when given a pen in hand, to name one of the many incidents.
Having come from a family of agriculturists, engineers, and doctors, there weren’t any designers in my family. I, too, focused on academics and also ended up being really good academically despite spending a lot of time making art and going for multiple drawing/creative brief competitions representing my school. In high school, I took computer science, physics, chemistry, and maths. But deep down, both my parents and I knew that I will eventually gravitate towards design, and I actually did with immense support from my family.
Right after high school I managed to clear the toughest design exam in the country and made it into the top design institute in India, the National Institute of Design (NID), Andhra Pradesh. It definitely felt like a dream come true to finally be at a place that I totally saw myself fit in. It was there that I met many wonderful mentors like J.L. Naik, Abhijith Keyaar, and Sekhar Mukherjee, who shaped my understanding of art and design. When I was a second year Communication Design student at NID, my institute hosted Chitrakatha, an international festival of Design stories. Chitrakatha is a student-led International Design Festival started in 2007 under the guidance of Festival Director Sekhar Mukherjee. To decide the event poster that will eventually guide the design language of that year’s event, famous Swiss Graphic Designer Niklaus Troxler was invited to NID for a poster design workshop cum competition. At the end of the 2-day workshop/competition, my poster was chosen as the winner, and the entire event’s design language for the year was thereafter inspired from my poster design. I saw my work in forms, big and small, from huge hand-painted banners to t-shirts and badges. I saw this as a very important recognition and breakthrough.
During the last semester at NID, as a Communication Design B.Des student, I got offered an internship at the Samsung Research and Development, Bangalore, where I interned as a UX Intern in the IoT and Wearables Team and on the SmartThings app in the exciting domain of Smart Homes and Internet of Things. Right after my internship, I decided to move to the US to pursue an MFA in Graphic Design at the Maryland Institute College of Art to broaden my horizons as a designer and find my voice as a design generalist.
Last year I worked at Studio Glendenning with Jeff Glendenning, as a Design Intern and worked on multiple publication projects and the studio identity refresh.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Both Communication design and graphic design are disciplines that are so open-ended and ever-changing that there is a never-ending urge to try and explore the humongous number of options and ideas every opportunity. Being a design student for 6 years, undergraduate and graduate years combined, I learned over the years that knowing when to stop is the key to having a balanced life, health, and workwise. As a creative, it is often easy to get engulfed in an ocean of thoughts and explorations in front of the laptop screen without proper meals and enough sleep, which is what makes things challenging. Especially when creativity demands a healthy and stress-free mind to function at its fullest capacity. I have learnt that the more you prioritize your health and take breaks/vacations, the more your creativity overflows.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My work spans across type design, advertising, generative AI, print & editorial, websites & app, experimental typography, and branding. My work has been recognized by Communication Arts, GD USA American Design Awards, AIGA Flux and Packaging of the World. Being a design generalist, I always enjoy trying new media and processes, both analog and digital. Just recently, as part of my thesis, I worked on multiple projects about Microplastics and explored the intersection of generative AI, design, and science.
A brief synopsis about my thesis project:
The shimmering allure of microplastics, resembling beautiful forms scattered around the world, conceals their insidious nature as environmental pollutants. Similarly, generative AI conjures landscapes that are both seductive and disquieting, blurring the lines between reality and imagination. Through analog and digital experiments, I aim to showcase the dangerous yet beautiful side effects of human innovation.
My design practice is deeply rooted in study, research, innovation and challenging myself to try and explore new domains each and every time.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Never shy away from exploring new things. Step outside of your comfort zone cause that’s where life truly begins.
Get inspired from nature, it’s an endless source of inspiration and magic.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shrutijeyakumar.com
- Instagram: @shrutijeyakumar
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shrutijeyakumar/
