Kriti Dubey

Kriti Dubey, I have been doing graphic designing since the last six years. I graduated from Shristi, Bangalore, in 2018 and after that, I started my journey at an ad agency, Ogilvy. And I think it exposed me to the culture of what working like it is in an ad agency. I worked there on really big brands like Max Life Insurance, Mother Dairy, where I created a lot of creative campaigns for them. And also, I worked on really tight deadlines. Everything that we would design would end up showing up on the screen the next day or on billboards, which was pretty amazing. And I also got to work with a lot of people. There were larger teams. I worked with client servicing people, I worked with creative heads. I worked with clients directly, so it actually exposed me to that world. After that, I actually ended up working at Ishan Khosla Design in New Delhi, where I worked on a lot of publication designs and UX/UI websites. I designed coffee table books, did a lot of creative collaterals for social media, and curriculum designs and reports. I got an in-depth understanding of layouts, color theory, and all of that. And then after that, I started freelancing. So I decided to take up freelancing where I did a lot of consultancies and worked with independent organizations, NGOs, and international organizations as well. I got to explore photography. I went around the outskirts and interiors of UP/Delhi, covered interviews of people, and did a photography session with them. Along with that, I created a graphic design book, which was shared publicly with everyone. The other thing that I started doing was a lot of UX/UI. I got more inclined towards that. So, yes, curriculums, reports, books, and also working with NGOs actually helped me understand the need for women's empowerment as well. So, yes, that was my recent work that I've been doing so far.

How do you approach color palettes for brands that have limited or no defined color guidelines? I think it's very important, firstly, in graphic design or general design, for a designer to understand color theory. And I feel like every color represents a certain mood, for example, red reflects a food industry or urgency, while blue reflects calmness or subtleness. So, I feel like with so many years of experience, I've gained an understanding of how color palettes work and what colors are supposed to be used in different aspects based on the branding style. So, the possibilities are endless, but also every color has a certain mood. It's just important to understand that and keep it in mind when using color palettes and colors with brands, as it reflects the branding.

Alright. So a lot of times it has happened that because I'm also a freelancer and I've worked as a freelancer and have done a lot of consultancy work with clients where I personally have not liked the end product myself, but that is something that they were looking for. So it is not something that I would always enjoy designing. However, it is important in the end to create something that your client is also satisfied with. But having said that, it's also important to make sure that the design you're creating is also something that you love and something that you can also showcase on your portfolio or contribute to at your maximum level. So it's essential to come to a situation where you're able to push your boundaries, while also keeping in mind the brand guidelines. At the same time, the client is happy with the product because in the end, they are our customers, and they are who we're catering to. So we can create endless designs, but the client has to be happy. And, you know, being in that situation is the biggest difference between being an artist and a designer. When you design, you design with a purpose. It's not just limited to creating beautiful visual designs; it's also important that it has an impact. It represents what we're trying to say. So it's overall important as a designer to take responsibility to make sure that the bigger problem of the brand is being solved by creating this design, as opposed to just making it look pretty.

Can you provide examples of your experience with user interface design for web applications? Yes. So, can you provide examples of your experience? So, like I said, since very early on, I started working on UX/UI projects. And to be honest, my final year project of college, which was interesting in 2018, was also a UX/UI-based project where I created a website called Farmers and an app Farmers, which was about delivering vegan products to people all around India, and that was actually my beginning to the world of UX/UI. Right after that, I worked on several websites. One of them being the 6 senses, which was a health and wellness website where I created the landing page, used photographs based on what was right for the design, and then I also worked on several software like XD, Sketch, and eventually started working on Figma, which gave me a lot of possibilities for working in a collaborative manner, as XD and Sketch, although they are great software to work on, they're not as collaborative as Figma. I feel like Figma is a really nice software where you can work with UX/web people and you can show stuff to clients, and it's a very good collaborative site to work on. Along with that, I also worked on a lot of app designs, including the Girl Rising app, which gave me an idea of how I've worked on very different projects when it came to UX, whether from the food industry, health industry, or NGOs. As a designer, it's very important that although you have a certain personal style, when it comes to designing, it's important that you design keeping in mind the brand guidelines first, and secondly, to make sure that your personal style does not come across in every design you make. So, they have to be very independent and unique in their own way. Overall, my experience with UX/UI has been pretty good. I'm just learning and learning, and there's still so much to learn. But at the same time, I think, like, with over the years, I've become more fast-paced and I can work on tighter deadlines. I've seen myself create designs that I would take a few more hours to complete. Like, say, I would take 5 hours. Now I take 3 hours, but that's just because of working on so many projects.

How do you ensure that text elements are readable in an Instagram story ad? Well, the first and foremost thing you do is when you create a design, the first thing as a designer we've been taught even in a design college is to make sure that the text is legible or readable. So you always have to create prototypes. See, first make a prototype and put it out there without exposing it to the audience, you always have a trial round where you see if the size works fine. In case the size is smaller or bigger, you always have the time to go back and make those changes. But having worked in the design industry for so long, I know what sizes work. However, I still feel that a trial is always important before putting anything out there. I feel that even a small thing can make a huge difference in terms of how people perceive your work. And the thing about being a graphic designer and the work that you put out there, it's important for people to instantly get attracted towards it. And if there is a text which is small or not readable, they're instantly going to go to the next story or the reel. So I think that's the first and foremost thing to make sure that what you want to say comes across well in the right size, the right text font, and also the font that you use. Because, I mean, when you're working online or digitally, it's good to use sans-serif fonts as they have better legibility and you can read them better as opposed to serif fonts, which take longer to read on digital software. But serif fonts work really well on print. So it depends. I mean, there is no one particular size. If it's a headline, it can be bigger. If it's a body copy, it can be smaller. So I feel that everything requires creating a design and then seeing it in that aspect ratio to make sure that this is what you have in mind looks exactly like that and not less or more.

How do you handle tight deadlines when multiple design projects are due at the same time? I think I answered one of these before, but I feel like something about tight deadlines is, I learned that very early on because I worked in an ad agency where we had to work on really tight deadlines where we were working on several projects, like social media stuff, print banners, and UX/UI. How do you make sure to get all of it done on the same day? I feel like it's really important to start your day by having a list of things and making sure you give time to every project. But also, they don't necessarily require the same amount of time. You need to prioritize based on what needs to go out first. And especially when you're collaborating and you're working with other people, you need to know how to work on certain things and also how to delegate work because in the end, making sure that the product is good and it reaches on time is most important. So I think having a good schedule, waking up, and creating a list of things and prioritizing work is the most important.

Which element do I prioritize when incorporating bright guidelines into a design? So, I feel like you can't just say one element as there are so many elements that are important when it comes to designing brand guidelines. I mean, be it aspect ratio from the logo to the color palette, the color theory, the font that you choose, the do's and don'ts that show how a logo is supposed to be used in your brand, how a photograph will be used in your brand guideline. I feel like all of these elements make a brand guideline book. So, you can't just say one element is important as all elements together make up a great brand guideline book. So, having said that, if you ask me, I would say the color palette is important. How do you work on photographs and text? The rights and wrongs of working with the logo, and how you use your logo on different collaterals? And if there are any other elements that you would want to add along with the logo, be it like iconography that you use on packaging. So, all of these elements are equally important. And, of course, it's very subjective to what brand it is and who you're working with and what's your end product. But I would say it's not one element, but different elements that make up a brand guideline book and a good design as well, or a successful one.

When I ensure consistency across different design projects for the same client, I mean, I make sure that the core brand guidelines are intact. So, for example, I have worked with Ogilvy where I worked on different brands, and there were different brand guidelines. But I've also worked with organizations like Girl Rising or Global Health Strategies with every design I created. Of course, I had the creative freedom to explore designs, but at the same time, I had to make sure the brand guidelines were adhered to. The basis of it is content, and it is what it is. So, you just have to make sure that the code doesn't get shaken up. And the things that you're designing, you have to make sure that it reflects the brand for what it is and you don't start changing the brand image by changing the design of it. So I feel like there are always certain brand guidelines which you have to adhere to no matter what. And then there will be some flexibility in working with other aspects of design within that. So, for any brand to be timeless or consistent or good, it is very important to have all the design collaterals that you're designing when you're representing a brand to have that consistency. So whether it's a certain color palette that you use that you make sure you use it throughout your designs, a certain font that you use, make sure you use it throughout. Or say when you're making a social media post, there could be a border that you use constantly. So it just is also important. Although people may think it's repetitive sometimes, but then it's also important to create that sort of a thing because there are endless brands in today's time. And it's very easy for people to forget brands. So brand recognition is very important, and to have their own unique factor and having that consistently throughout different collaterals helps the brand. So being a brand designer and visual designer myself, I feel like that is the first and foremost thing when it comes to creating any design. And then the second thing is how can you push the boundaries of other aspects of design, be it in terms of advertising or promotional stuff or creating newsletters or. I mean, I feel like it's a mix of both. And there is anything extreme can go bad. So I just feel like you need to keep sure that your brand guidelines are intact when designing stuff. But at the same time, don't limit yourself when designing other aspects of the work that you are doing.

I would create a cohesive design series for a client's marketing campaign with varying asset styles and dimensions by setting a brand guideline for all collaterals. When working on different collaterals, it's easy to get swayed away by different themes. However, I have to make sure that the brand guideline is intact, and everything I design looks cohesive in the end. Whether I'm working on a social media post or designing a website banner, they will be different in their own way, especially when working with different aspect ratios. I also have to use different photographs when it comes to different aspect ratios, as the same photograph might not work on all platforms. There should be an understanding that the color palette and fonts I use must be consistent. This is a prerequisite of working with any good brand. The rest of the design style and visual language depend on what the client demands. If they want me to explore a new design style, I will give it a try. If they want me to stick to their existing visual style, I will do that as well. The first thing is to listen to the client carefully so they get what they want and the client is happy. The second thing is to make sure I'm happy as well.