top of page

Good Design is a Language. Not a style.

What better way to engage in language than writing, Right?

 

I love to write. Always have.

In fact, long before it became a cool methodology in design process popularised by the likes of John Maeda, I have always designed through writing. Right from the age of 17 in 2005, I used to commence the task of designing products and features by writing ideal narratives. It is a tool most convenient for expressing myself accurately, imaginatively and communicating design experiences. Also, I find it to be the medium that best showcases how I think. I am that guy who still writes long letters to people in hand. I try to bake in my writing in all design projects by making tools, applications and software more human. As Simon pan, a designer I like says, "When we dismiss or delegate the responsibility of crafting the copy in our designs to anyone but ourselves, we are doing a huge disservice to our users." Conversational User interfaces with proper content strategy and microcopy for me is vital in shaping delightful user experiences. Below are some of the essays / articles I have written on Medium. Do check them out. 

Personality → Design chops & challenging zombie correctness

I have long held the belief that your personality is strongly linked to your design skills. This type of link may well extend to other professions too. Sure, a doctor may demonstrate care and attentiveness which may percolate into her daily personal life and perhaps a lawyer chose the path as an extension of her natural proclivity for perseverance and diligence while another professional may display analytical skills as a habit. But the personality — occupation proficiency link is, I believe, most pronounced and evident in the design space; A space that requires you to demonstrate all those qualities mentioned above plus some more. As simple as it may sound, it may yet come as a surprise to some that what kind of a person you are determines how you design ...

A proud Generalist on

‘Acche din’

I had an interesting conversation with a local activist who is empowering communities in the area of participative governance and sustainable living. We spoke about how, even just a hundred years ago, the majority of Indian people — especially in villages — knew how to make things on their own; Even build a lake or a house that could stand strong for a thousand years.

​

Now we require engineers, architects and what not to help us make even the smallest of things. How exactly did we lose all this know-how? If infrastructural and intellectual development is a real thing, how exactly did we become so unable and dependent on so called specialists?

An Anthem Out Of Place 

Recently, my beloved mother, who is a huge fan of spiritual Guru Jaggi Vasudev, shared a video on Facebook of him giving yet another piece of tiresome Gyaan. Jaggi, for the uninitiated, is extremely successful at what he does and admittedly a super cool chap. He is a hipster Godman that rides motorcycles and expensive SUVs and one who can be seen on every Television channel giving Gyaan on just about every topic under the sun. He replies to questions with a signature smirk seeking to make our queries appear banal & decidedly mortal. But most excruciatingly, he offers an opinion on everything from God, politics, education, and Inner engineering, to Virat Kohli, Rivers, Marijuana and Sunny Leone. “Well, why shouldn’t he?”, I hear you scream. It’s true, scores of people love to listen to him. At one point, I did too.

Not anymore.

Why That Barca is unrepeatable 

I know that you might have seen a gazillion versions of the same headline in many papers and websites. 'The greatest ever' is, almost always, a matter of debate and opinion and entrenched position. I myself, have never debated it because for me, there was simply no proper argument against it to begin with. However I am now going to pen some thoughts to try and justify, what for me, is an obvious and indisputable truth, not to convince you because I couldn't care less, but for the sheer pleasure of documentation. In no particular order, these are some of the aspects of Pep's Barca that put them beyond comparison against any of the other contenders that make a claim for the title of the world's best football team ever assembled.

Carry on now baby for you’ll carry me no more. 

It is with a heavy heart that I write this goodbye note. Heartfelt as it is, it may yet seem silly to many. Hell, it probably is pretty silly if you think about it and God knows I have derided myself many a time for being a sentimental fool; For feeling everything so goddamn deeply. Many a time I have wished to be a cool cat and a cold blooded badass. I have wanted ice water running through my veins and the ability to, without regret or remorse, use things and people for the sake of using ‘em. I’ve envied those that can leverage situations to the fullest, squeeze the most out of people, things and transactions and simply move the f**k on. Alas that is but a quality inaccessible to me.
This should really be a straightforward case of ‘out with the old, in with the new’, one that should give joy and cause for celebration to most for upgrading. Then why doesn’t it feel like that? 

bottom of page