ISSUE: 133
Ananya Khaitan’s projects range from creating brand identities to designing publications, and each of them comes with a steep learning curve that prepares him for the next
What led you to pursue a career in visual communication design?
AK: For me, not unlike many others, it all began with an affinity for drawing. Then, in middle school, I took a shine to Adobe Photoshop and (the now obsolete) PageMaker, and I spent the rest of my school years regularly creating digital art, which ended up forming the portfolio I showed during admissions to the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad. While I have very many gripes about the formal design education I received, what it did do was give me enough exposure and plant enough seeds of curiosity that I was able to teach myself a lot of things, and that’s held me in good stead in my career.
an exhibition against fascism
What was the most challenging brief you’ve ever worked on?
AK: A few come to mind. My work with Neha Singhal, a criminal justice researcher, is always challenging – how does one take dense research on gnarly subject matter like drug addiction and violence against women, and make it approachable and engaging? Or my collaboration with Sukanya Baskar on the antifascist exhibition she curated – how can one make some good trouble with exhibition graphics without overwhelming the artworks themselves?
published by a film podcast
What’s next?
AK: It would take a particularly cock-eyed optimist to make future plans in such uncertain times. On the work front, I know what my next few months look like. Beyond that, I really don’t know. Just getting by more or less unscathed feels plenty aspirational to me right now!
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