During the year in lockdown, when people had more time to spend indoors and less options of entertainment, most having internet access, turned to social media to entertain themselves. Many started posting their workout regime to encourage others to stay home, stay fit. Others posted their kitchen endeavours on social media. However, when scrolling through these updates became monotonous after a while, the illustrations by the artists and digital designers brought a fresh breeze on social media with a constant underlying message – to encourage their followers to stay positive amid tough times.
For the latest issue of Insights Success ‘Impactful Individuals in the Indian Industry’, we had a chance to interview Simran Tapadia, Designer at Lakme’ India who has been on a mission to spread positivity among her followers through her artwork.
To encourage her followers, Simran has started a series on her Instagram handle (@tapsiiee), where she has been posting watercolour paintings and pixel art animation with a message to stay positive. “I am currently working on body positivity quotes for both men and women. My next series will be releasing in March, which is inspired by all the events that took place in 2020.” Simran shared with us.
Read the following interview where Simran shares her journey right from how she found her passion for print media to working for Lakme’ India and publishing her book ‘How to Survive College’.
Brief our audience about your journey as a graphic designer and author/entrepreneur.
My journey as a graphic designer started when I was working as illustrator for The Juice Magazine, Jabong. I was ecstatic when I first saw my name published in the magazine. This was when I discovered my passion for print media and decided to pursue my career as an illustrator.
Becoming an author was never in the books but everything just clicked during my last year at Whistling Woods International (WWI), while I was brainstorming for my graduation project. I have always believed in creating work that my audience can relate to. It struck me that I should write a book on how one can survive college. It was a unique idea of creating a non-fictional, illustrated book. And that is how ‘How to Survive College’ came into being. I am also in the process of publishing another book with a renowned publisher.
Enlighten us on what it takes to be a successful graphic designer and author?
Persistence and smart work are the essentials to a successful life. One needs to compete with themselves and try to be better every day. I am constantly creating and exploring different mediums, be it pen-and-paper or digital software. One needs to study their audience, understand what they want, and give it to them without your audience realising they have been wanting this all along.
How do you avail edge over others?
I can’t say whether I’ve an edge over others. I believe; however, my work ethics and versatility has helped me stand out in my field. I have closely studied different art styles from Vincent Van Gogh to Henri Matisse, Kalamkari to Jackson Pollock, and Kerala Mural art style. My passion for learning and understanding the mindset behind these art styles has helped me improve my work and grow as an illustrator. I like creating artworks with a subtle message in it.
What are your plans to optimize the user experience? What are the business lessons that you have learned?
I want to create designs that are easy to understand and leave a lasting impression, which makes the viewers want to share it with everyone. While working on outdoor banners for Lakme’ in Hindustan Unilever, I experienced the power of simplicity in the artwork. When you create designs with a message attached, you need to create it in such a way that even a layman can understand what you are trying to communicate. You need to put your consumer’s needs first while creating your content. At the end of the day, they will be the ones consuming your work.
Share your opinion on the role and potential of technology in improving graphic designing solutions?
Technology has played a crucial role in taking graphic designing to the next level. Be it from various software that aid in creating artwork to platforms where you can share them, technology has helped designers create high-quality work smoothly. I can firmly say this as I had struggled with my output due to lack of proper machine. But when I got my hands on the right technology for designing, it was a game-changer for me. Currently, we are highly dependent on technology for creating quality work.
Kindly shed some light on the challenges that you have witnessed and how you have overcome them.
The biggest challenge for me was deciding which way to go ahead in life. I have always wanted to get into publishing, which led me to my book ‘How to Survive College’. Once that came into fruition, the challenge was to get the right publisher for it. So, I planned to finish the book and then pitched it to various publishing houses for seven months straight, along with attending college full-time, working as a freelancer, also working on my graduation film.
The struggle of finding the publisher continued until I found Scholastic. They loved my pitch, and the rest is history. Throughout the process, I have learned that these ups and downs are part of life, it just depends on your attitude, how you tackle them.
How do you see the impact of COVID-19 on the industry and what are the best ways to adapt to challenging times?
When we were affected by COVID-19, there was a lot of uncertainty in the industry. But as we all know, ‘change is the only constant’. So, everyone started adapting the new normal and work became easily accessible. As people were spending more time home and most of the audience had access to the internet, the viewership for my work grew. I also started adapting and changed the topics of my online comic novel, Memesaab.
What would be your advice to designers/authors who want to venture into graphic designing or those who aspire to be authors?
There is no point in doing work that your audience enjoys but you don’t. When it comes to designing or writing there are no limitations. You need to set yourself free and just focus on creating. Work every day, have that consistency of creating something new every day. And when days get tough, take it one at a time. I am workaholic. I can’t let a day go by without working or creating something new unless I’m in a rut. When that happens, I take a break for a few days to recharge myself, so that I can get back to creating content with revived enthusiasm.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run and what are your future goals?
I see myself by the mountains with a river flowing beside my cottage, while I’m working as a freelance illustrator. I also want to get into teaching and give guidance to students, as I see many aspirants confused about what career path to choose. I have seen many choose the path they end up regretting.
