readymag daily routines

I am 36-years old and I’m a graphic designer, visual artist and illustrator. I run an independent professional design practice, Studio Kohl, based in Mumbai, India, by day. My personal practice tends more towards brand and image-making.

My interests lie in everything encompassed by D.I.Y. culture: self-published zines, indie music, politics, activism, etc., and more particularly gender and mental health. My visual style is colourful, humorous, bold and witty, with a visceral use of line and movement. It is informed by the combined experience of being an Indian and the experience of looking at Indianness as an outsider.

I am especially fascinated with traditional Indian women and their daily lives, from the ornaments they wear to the items they shop for in the bazaar. I’m an active member of Kadak Collective, an ever-expanding group of South Asian, women-identifying graphic storytellers.

(fighting the fear of a blank page)

If there’s no brief, I try to give myself some time to read up on related things. If there is a brief, I usually read and reread it a lot, trying to grasp exactly what the client wants. If I’m doing a personal project, I usually make a brief for myself.

I also tend to start by finishing up little bits of work rather than approaching the whole thing: over time, it feels more and more unrealistic to go over a white page and then just fill it up miraculously, so I don’t try to do that anymore.

Originally from Estonia, I’m a New York based interaction designer with a background in architecture. My career spans over 17 years in the industry building a variety of products, digital experiences, and brands, as well as simply having fun and engaging with things people love to use. For over 8 years, I served as a creative director at Fantasy Interactive, living in Stockholm, Sweden and New York City. For the past 6 years, I’ve been creating things at the Anton & Irene studio I co-founded in Brooklyn. I’ve spoken at over 50 conferences around the world. I also teach on a regular basis at Harbour Space university in Barcelona, Spain.