Today we’d like to introduce you to Bhavani Sitaraman.
Hi Bhavani, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
So, the thing is, I’ve had kind of a wild ride.
I know that everyone who is an artist or designer has a story about being THAT creative kid, so I’m not really unique in that sense because I was very much That Creative Kid, too. I was always building something with scrap bits of paper, cardboard, and glue. I was always sculpting something with the clay I dug up from the playground. I was always hoarding cool-looking things I found in nature, like shells and leaves and rocks and feathers (yeah, I was kind of a hoarder), and painting over them swirls of bright and colorful patterns that I thought, at the time, was utterly groundbreaking. My flair for the arts carried on into my school years, where I spent a lot of time doodling in just about every notebook and adding some to my friends too.
I’ve made mistakes, and I’ve definitely experienced some ups and downs on my ride through life so far. While my heart lay in the arts, and I’ve had an affinity for design and English lit, I took the easy way out during my undergraduate studies. I’ve always been a problem-solver, and I used my love for it to gain a degree in I.T., which, while it interested me, never gripped me the way painting on my bedroom wall had. I realized too late that I was extremely dispassionate in what I was studying, and if I didn’t make the change, the rest of my life would look like the interface of a coding screen. Which would be fine, of course, if I loved what I did, but typing out line after line of Java just wasn’t for me.
So, I pivoted hard. I worked my butt off during those lonely COVID years, but it all paid off when I got into SCAD, and now, on the cusp of graduation, I can confidently say that every minute has been worth it. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and learn from a group of incredible peers and professors, and I can only hope I can keep learning through my career as a designer!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I touched on it a little before, but I really lost my way for a while during my undergrad degree. I’ve always loved solving problems in whatever way I could, but I realized too late that maybe struggling through lines of code wasn’t my calling. I’ve always been a drawn to visuals and words. Engineering was problem-solving, but it wasn’t engaging for me, and I didn’t have the motivation or the interest to keep me there.
I’ve never been able to fake interest in something I wasn’t passionate about, and as a result, my grades suffered, which was a new experience for me. I’ve always been a good student, but for the first time in my life I was struggling academically, which stung me deeply. I contemplated dropping out, but while I’m many things, I’m not a quitter. I didn’t want to throw in the towel, but at the same time, I was growing to loathe was I was doing. I felt like I was stuck in limbo. It was, to be honest, pretty miserable.
My moment of clarity was gradual. I was taking a class on HTML and CSS, and we were required to build a webpage for anything we wanted to. As an avid reader, I made a landing page for our college library. It wasn’t anything fancy. It wasn’t even well-designed. But where most of my classmates didn’t really care about the minor details, I found myself agonizing over every image, the roundedness of every card and button. I didn’t know how to use Photoshop, but I struggled with its tools in trying to get every image looking like parts of a whole. I shuffled through fonts, trying to pick the right one. I aced that class and left that semester feeling thrilled. It felt like I’d just found out what I wanted to do in my life.
I spent the rest of my time in college learning about web design. I taught myself Adobe software and started making posters, flyers, and social media posts for clubs in my college. My passion was back and in spades, and now, with something to focus on, I started to pick myself back up again. I put more effort into my studies and graduated with a respectable grade. I began to see the value in what I was doing, even if I was certain I wasn’t going to make a career out of it.
I was fascinated by the world of UI/UX, but when I talked to designers working in the field, they all told me pretty much the same thing: that designers and engineers were NOT the same. They worked differently. They THOUGHT differently. If I wanted to be a designer, I’d have to learn to think like one.
I came out of college with several job offers in tech that I turned down in favor of taking up a graphic design internship at a local design studio. The studio had about five other designers. They put me through the motions, had me brainstorm strategies for social media campaigns, and made me cut away backgrounds from images. It was absolutely grueling. I had the time of my life.
Ever since then, I’ve thrown myself headfirst into design. I’ve illustrated for an anthology of poems and for a children’s book. I’ve created mobile apps websites, and packaging for brands. And I’ve never been bored, not once. With design as my career, I get to live out my childhood dream of constantly creating. And, while it took me some going over some bumps to get where I am, I don’t regret a single thing about the journey.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’d describe myself as a visual designer and storyteller! Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always been creating things and telling stories that would provoke both thought and a spirit of fun. I wanted my audience to tinker and linger on what they discovered, and it’s a habit that’s stuck with me all the way ’til this day.
I never thought I had much of a distinct style, but I’ve come to realize I do! I like bright colors, quick and clever copy, and it’s the more the merrier that works for me. It’s a bit of a maximalist mess, but it works for me, and I’ve never NOT had fun while coming up with these creations.
I may not be important enough to rattle off an impressive quote (yet!), but as a designer, I think my motto is “I work so you can play.” Whenever I make something, I’m always looking to put a smile on someone’s face. I want to create designs that engage and provoke thought and spark DELIGHT. And I’ll be lucky if I get to do that for the rest of my life.
Any big plans?
I’m only a few weeks away from getting my degree, so the future’s very much wide open! I’d love to continue on in a graphic/visual designer role career-wise, and I’d love to travel anywhere my job takes me. I’d love to work somewhere where I get to dip my toes into a lot of different things because I feel like I’ll never be done learning. I’m definitely looking forward to NOT being a broke college student anymore, though. That’s for sure.
I definitely have no idea what the future has in store for me. All I can say confidently in this moment is that I’ve found my passion, and I’d love to be able to transform it into an actual career. I love design, and I love creating; it’s something I want to continue for as long as I live.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bhavanis.design/
