For me, a typical day at work is incredibly diverse. One day, I might be feverishly sketching out a multitude of logo options and putting together mood boards, while on another day, I could be crafting animated icons or designing a high-impact pitch deck for one of our clients. All in all a mixed bag of design challenges.
6:30 AM
PUMP UP THE JAM
Before diving into the creative chaos of the day, I put my headphones on, have a nice long stretch, and get fired up for the gym session.
8:35 AM
RELOADING
Before I leave, I have to collect all the loose pages I was sketching on the night before, pack up my laptop, wires, Wacom tablet, and, of course, my lunch. Then, I leave on time to catch my train. One of the highlights of my day is getting to share food with my coworkers at the office during lunch. Today, Srishti, my colleague, promised to bring some awesome Rajma-Chawal, so I’m really looking forward to it!
9:15 AM
TO CHAI OR NOT TO CHAI
I usually contemplate having a cup of chai from the tea stall outside the Metro Station before catching the train because I might get late. However, I almost always give in because what good day begins without having a cup of chai, am I right?
09:38 AM
READING BOOKS AND PEOPLE
In addition to sitting and observing the people of Delhi Metro with their diverse personalities and antics, I also like to read this book on my list for a while “How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul.” It’s a must-read for anyone in the industry.
10:35 AM
MUSIC AND MUSE
As soon as I reach the office, my design lead, Shubhendu, sets the mood for the day with his fire playlist. It gets us right in the zone. Once I’m feeling energized, I rummage through the books at the office for some extra inspiration. I’m looking at type design books to get ideas for logo inspiration. There’s something so satisfying about flipping through the pages and discovering new ways to approach typography and design.
11:15 AM
ALERT: TEAM CHECK-IN
We have a morning huddle where we share our plans and bounce ideas off each other. Today’s schedule is a bit jam-packed for me with a couple of client meetings lined up, logo ideations, packaging prints, and a moodboarding session being our top priority.
12:10 AM
MOODBOARDING
I go through our client’s briefs and references and create mood boards that capture their vision and aesthetic. I need to keep in mind that this will become the common reference point for both the team and the client.
1:40 AM
LOGO SKETCH OUT
The next task for the day is to start iterating logos for one of our other clients. I developed some ideas last night, and now I need to get feedback from the team and work on iterating a hundred more sketches. TIP OF THE DAY: Always use pencil and paper because it frees up my mind and hands, leading to some amazing organic, unique, and lively designs.
3:34 PM
PING PONG ROYALE
After having a lovely lunch, it was time to try to defeat my boss in an intense ping-pong match. He has remained undefeated for far too long. Maybe today is the day when I’ll finally dethrone him and become the new champion. UPDATE: It wasn’t my day.
4:15 PM
ALERT: CLIENT CALL
After facing a brutal defeat, it’s time to redeem myself by giving a great presentation to our clients. After exchanging pleasantries on the call, I jumped into explaining our approach for their brand revamp. I explain the inspiration for the mood boards, various themes, and visual elements to describe the brand’s identity.
Their first reaction to the mood board is quite reassuring, but we’ll wait for a couple of days for them to review it thoroughly and get back to us.
5:42 PM
VISITING THE PRINT SHOP
Next up is a quick visit to the print shop for my packaging designs. One of the perks of working on a packaging project is that you get to see your designs come to life in tangible ways. In addition to our ongoing project, we have to get prints for the office decor as well.
7:10 PM
CHAI, SUTTA, AND MORE
After the call, we go out to our terrace garden to stretch out. I make myself a cup of chai in the office while my colleague lights up a cigarette. We walk around on the patio, look at the weather, talk about the latest show on Netflix, and chill for a bit.
As I wrap up another day at work, I feel grateful for the experiences and opportunities that have come my way. I look forward to the next adventure and the chance to continue pursuing my passion for design.
