D'ART PVT LTD

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer D'ART PVT LTD ("DPL") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

DPL : With an architectural background in residential space core, we put our passion for designing as the contribution to beautifying this world to extend beyond imagination. The shift to designing commercial retail spaces was swift and directing our energy in that space helps us to achieve ‘BIGGER’ and the most ‘COVETED’.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

DPL : Besides passion, we love the course of designing the thought into a reality that’s the most difficult job, we think. Imagination doesn’t have limitations but to apply the same fundamentals in the practical world, that’s the challenge we accept and thrive for.

DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

DPL : Definitely by choice

DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

DPL : Our design range covers a wide space of deliverables including 10,000+ stores, schools, pubs, experiential stores, 20,000+ fuel courts, bars, restaurants, and villas. As D’Art we amalgamate Design+Manufacturing+Deployment in our multi-disciplinary design studio.

DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

DPL : It all comes from practice and consistency. Be in the game, stay in the game, and you’ll succeed against all odds. Like we know - success takes it all, so be ready for everything coming your way and bounce back in a hard manner.

DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?

DPL : At D’ART the first few pointers that we follow religiously to ensure great design output: 1. Client's skin is Designer skin so that we can feel the same pain. 2. Empathy is the biggest asset” without which we can’t design anything for clients 3. Rationale between the heart and brain defines the final and correct mix of the project.

DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?

DPL : A good design is one that creates a benchmark, fulfills the client’s expectations. We achieve it by keeping transparency with the client as we firmly stand on our belief that a design is a co-creation process.

DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?

DPL : We curate a design with an engineering perspective in order to drive desired (output) value. The desires are equivalent to the expectations which ultimately results in satisfaction. Also, the value of a design is simultaneously increased with the fulfillment of expectations. Investing in a good design not only creates the value for that design but also the appreciation for the brain behind it.

DL: What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?

DPL : At D'ART our core passion is to give a real and tangible contribution. There we would like to adopt a small village and transform that village into a better experience for all the villagers. Hence by working with sustainable materials and creating new models and materials with local resources around the place and people. We would like to set up a "Bench Mark Village" that could sustain more affectively. With the virtue of this project, we end up innovating or discovering something today our earth and people need the most.

DL: What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?

DPL : Water Park and Amusements Park

DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

DPL : We are not into flexing (mostly) but consider our passion and dedication to be the secret ingredient behind our successful designs. We go by the pedigree, from ‘WHY’ to ‘WHERE’. Analyzing the gaps with reference to the current scenario.

DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

DPL : We believe form, shape, and colors are too narrow definitions to arrive at favorite designs. We like concepts of “Fluidic Design” by Late Zaha Hadid truly an inspirational legendary designer. What I love the most in her thought ideology is that she was “CONFLICT” any things normal is normal but what is the change, that we bring in design with our wisdom is what matters the most to us.

DL: What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?

DPL : We believe form, shapes, and colors are too narrow definitions to arrive at favorite designs. We like concepts of “Fluidic Design” by Late Zaha Hadid truly an inspirational legendary designer. What I love the most in her thought ideology that she was “CONFLICT” any things normal is normal but what is the change, that we bring in design with our wisdom is what matters the most to us.

DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?

DPL : So Far be believe Studds is our greatest design which has made us Won A'Design Awards Project Uniqueness – As D’ART we always believe the design is a vision of the believers. We designed STUDDS to capture masses and classes under one roof. This store offers a complete phygital connect right from VR for an immersive product experience, Touch displays to maximize SKU’s and minimize inventory cost. Legendary and geometric design to ensure maximum eyeballs are captured to increase the probability of sales. Project Striking Feature in today’s context of COVID19 – Sameer always believes in keeping hygiene and sanitization in every piece that he creates. In the research, we found that people in India come to helmet stores by wearing sweaty helmets because of the climate, which may cause infection. Therefore, a new STUDDS store has a “Helmet Sanitization Machine “by the time you shop from STUDDS new stores you can keep your used helmet on the sanitization machine to ensure hygiene with a nice fragrance. Also, the fresh pieces after every trial get sanitized to keep the customer safe from COVID19 or any contagious infection.

DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?

DPL : Similar to our tagline ‘Designing the Change’, we constantly evolve ourselves with ‘Change’ as it is the key to survival. We treat every project as a new challenge posed to overcome.

DL: If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?

DPL : Photographer for sure

DL: How do you define design, what is design for you?

DPL : D’ART believes that design is an expression and the vision of all believers to allow sketching a beautiful story that is liked by brand, channel partners, and end-user. Finally, a soothing translation of the expression into the experience is the heart of design for us.

DL: Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?

DPL : "Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." D’ART is the story of three very simple friends yet highly aggressive. Sameer Khosla – Creative Director, Syed Shahnawaz Zaidi – Marketing & Retail Strategy Director & Deepak Kumar – Operations Director. Ours headquarter is in New Delhi, India. Our studio consists of many designers who are in the quest to create something new yet simple. In a very short journey of four years, serving 8 countries, significant share in blue-chip clients in national & international markets. We have a vision of expanding D’ART in more than 200 countries with our global alliances by 2030.

DL: What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?

DPL : Shifting from job to business was a very risky decision.

DL: How do you think designers should present their work?

DPL : Research and Design, Research and Prototyping, Research and Rollout, Research and Performance Audit, Research & Improvise, Research, and Final Design.

DL: What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?

DPL : Our Next project is how to help humans on earth to "MIGRATE TO EV'S" to save this world where we live and our future generations flourish. Therefore, this is our major agenda now. We are creating an experience center where will have every technology that you can think of like AI, Data Science, AR, VR & much more. This will help us to deal with future customers at three stages. A. Educate the customer - So that he or she can take "INFORMED DECISION" without any external influence. B. Engage with Customer - Age, location, behavior, Situation, and financials, etc. define our tools and models to deal & arrive on engaging with customers to trigger, aspire & influence them towards purchase decisions. C. Best ways in which we can capture & "CONVERT" the customer to give a "TRY MODEL”. Hence these models will help us to create larger milestones

DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?

DPL : Our thirst is quenched for perfection when we bring the latter to the table for the client. And after that our goal is to design for the laid purpose to benefit the society we live in.

DL: What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?

DPL : People can expect expertise, benchmark, and award-winning designs (that are capable to drive ROI), eco-friendly design to deployment, the legacy of our influencers, and the connection to our roots.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

DPL : A design helps in engaging and connecting to the world, navigates us through both ‘PHYSICAL’ and ‘DIGITAL’ spaces. It acts as a medium of communication to influence behavior and understand demographics. Also, the visual appeal of a design has the power to persuade the decision-making process.

DL: What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?

DPL : There are loads of interesting projects we are working on - 1. Live fish farming experiential farm for B2B and B2C audience 2. Pet Clinic + playground + pet feed and toy store 3. Live Digital Store - Replica of the physical store and operates digitally to drive better numbers. 4. Helping Mall to SURVIVE - Developing Future of Retail Formats in the malls - Modular stores which can change each day in the week and pay rentals for that day only. Hence the same retail shop will be operated by 3 brands simultaneously in a week. 5. And many more are in the pipeline.

DL: Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?

DPL : To work and develop a "BLIND SCHOOL" was always a "Dream Project". and contributing to the ones who need you the most always creates a feeling par everything. Therefore, this project offers everyone a great sense of satisfaction and (heartfelt) happiness.

DL: What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?

DPL : Designing something that never existed before has been our take for a long time. We work according to our three-point map - •Invite Future customers - Needs & wants are changing every day. pandemic on top has changed our interface with this world. •Mind Mapping Digi Tools - Perception Drivers, Influencers, Data Science, AI, AR, VR, and much more to ensure we get to drive the customer to every stage which is a pre-defined journey. •Development of 360-degree Integrated Ecosystem where B2B and B2C have complete freedom to operate without any "PUSH" but a huge "PULL".

DL: Where do you think the design field is headed next?

DPL : The design field is moving towards newer technologies like AI, VR, and AR at a very fast pace. We are also in the same run, as it helps us to create tens of thousands of variations and increase our productivity. Though we are capable but visual storytelling with these technologies would be an effective way to tell.

DL: How long does it take you to finalize a design project?

DPL : Depends on projects – 24hours to 1 year or more even

DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?

DPL : As per the client’s needs either HO or sub-location.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

DPL : All designers in today's world are emerging as "WARRIORS TO SAVE HUMANS & EARTH" and the role as a designer in society is getting much more serious and sincerer at the same time. Therefore, from a basic Covid-19 PPE Kit design or Elon Musk's reusable spaceship, everything must be translated to "SAVE NATURAL RESOURCES", "ZERO CARBON FOOTPRINT", "GREEN MATERIALS" and much more.

DL: Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?

DPL : The design of course. Extravagant designs become popular, because of their acceptance by the people. Therefore, acceptance becomes the trend but the trend-ious design is only possible when it has the power to create a change in society.

DL: What is the role of technology when you design?

DPL : Technology plays the most important role in our design process. Though we sketch it out initially. But without the design software, it is not possible to make it a real thing. Further, technologies like AI are used in creative ways to achieve the trendsetter design.

DL: What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?

DPL : The software we use are SketchUp, Revit, 3D Studio Max, AutoCAD, V-Ray, Photoshop, InDesign, etc. and the equipment is VR {virtual reality} platform that dramatically transforms design collaboration and communication experience.

DL: What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?

DPL : Color is one of the visual elements that have a powerful role in any design. A good design will always feature a good color combination/contrast. And our take on materials is always ‘Green Materials’ primarily, though we use traditional materials extensively the former one is our first choice. All the visual elements amalgamated with materials create an ambiance needed for the design and hence the story is narrated in a way to feel it.

DL: What do you wish people to ask about your design?

DPL : We appreciate people's opinions as they help us to improve and communicate in a much better way. The most important question we would like to be asked about our designs is - Did the design intervention improve "HUMAN LIFE ON EARTH" or not?

DL: When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?

DPL : WOW, how they thought about this idea.

DL: Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?

DPL : All the Directors of D’Art - Syed Shahnawaz Zaidi (Global Director Marketing), Sameer Khosla (Global Director Design), Deepak Kumar (Global Director Operations) play their part while we are finalizing any of our designs. Great teamwork is another key to thriving in the industry and we all back each other in times. Yes, of course, we believe in co-design and we welcome great opportunities.

DL: Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?

DPL : Researchers Insights and End Users

DL: Which books you read had the most effect on your design?

DPL : We don’t read as much, More of Ted talk shows, AV of real project case studies, etc.

DL: How did you develop your skills as a master designer?

DPL : Through the practice of years has enabled our skills to get polished. Also, the new challenges posed help us to nurture our expertise even more. Industrial competition is the third key we always make our designs stand out.

DL: Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?

DPL : God, Family, Friends and Me time

DL: How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?

DPL : We are truly humbled and honored on receiving the A' Design Award which is World’s largest, most prestigious, and influential design accolade. After god & family blessings, we thank our clients and people who work for D’ART because of whom we have reached here on a short journey of 4 years. As a retail design agency, you always cherish winning such a global award. "Make In India" and "Making India Proud" is a different feeling altogether. Keep tuned for some thrilling future projects in the pipeline to witness the next level “CHANGE”

DL: What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?

DPL : White color, India, all types of food as long as the taste is amazing, winters is what we like the most, the brand I like is Apple.

DL: Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?

DPL : In our struggling day's people don’t pay us and we end up creating a free portfolio. This is funny and painful too.

DL: What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?

DPL : New Challenging work motivates us as a company.

DL: When you were a little child, was it obvious that you would become a great designer?

DPL : Not really, I need to check this from my parents.

DL: What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?

DPL : Alvin Toffler said the world will witness the last wave before the end “THE THIRD WAVE” – “IDEA WAVE”. 1. We all are in this stage design idea comes like a bubble, makes money, and bursts. Future designs will be. 2.Phygital – Right Mix of Online and Offline 3.Design Adaptability – Space/Climate/People/Culture 4. Multi-Utility – One utility will be a dead design 5.Flexible & Scalable – Diverse yet cost-friendly 6.The notion of tech in it will be built-in. 7.The design will try to build all 5 senses in every piece of product.

DL: Please tell us anything you wish your fans to know about you, your design and anything else?

DPL : Our second consecutive A’Design Award win has made our follower base stronger. Catching the eyes and feelings at the same time is an emotion par anything. Though we vision many great opportunities in the future, we still want the people to know our journey to the top, and that’s the course.