Dr. Jayadevi Venugopal is an accomplished architect and industrial designer. She earned her PhD from Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, supported by Australia Postgraduate Research Scholarship Award. She is a gold medalist in Industrial design from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, and completed her Bachelor of Architecture at Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai. Additionally, she holds a diploma in Traditional Architecture of Kerala from Vastuvidyagurukulam, Aranmula.

With over 15 years of industry experience, Dr. Venugopal has worked with architectural and product design firms, as well as manufacturing companies in India and Australia. Her project expertise spans architecture, product design, exhibition design, and graphic design. She began her academic career in 2012 as sessional staff at Queensland University of Technology, later joining KMEA College of Architecture, Kochi. As the Dean of Research and Academic Development there, she successfully secured research, innovation, and entrepreneurship funding from organizations such as the Council of Architecture and Kerala Start-up Mission.

Dr. Venugopal’s research focus is on the transition of  design practices from Indegeneous origin to Eurocentric imitations. Her work has earned her international and national design awards, including a merit award at the 16th International Bicycle Design Competition in Taipei and an Australian design patent for a picnic bag design. She was also shortlisted for the Oasis National Architecture Design Competition. Alongside her partner, Ar. Sabari Girish Ravikumar, Dr. Venugopal runs Studio Design Shasthra in Kochi, a design practice that emphasizes research-based projects tailored to climate and culture, with a focus on cost-effective construction methods.

Sharmila did her Masters in Textile Design from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. Art and colours were always a passion for her. After completing her Bachelor in Arts, she also did her Bachelors in Visual Art from Government College of Art & Craft in Kolkata. She has worked with Textile corporates like Mafatlal and went on to do many other corporate jobs as a Designer in Sunanda Industries, Arvind Mills in Ahmedabad. She has also worked in the unorganised sector of the synthetic market in Pratibha Syntax as Chief Designer, Rachana Exports as Export Manager. She also did projects with Mrignayani of Madhya Pradesh and Gurjari of Gujarat. She then explored entrepreneurial ventures like opening up a boutique of her own as Antara Boutique in Ahmedabad. Thereafter, she joined academia and became an educator. Starting with being a HOD in Wigan & Leigh, then teaching at Indira Kala Sangeet University as a Textile Professor in Chattisgarh. She has also worked at Viswanikaten Institute of Design, Raigad, Maharashtra as design foundation faculty. Her last stint was at College of Architecture, Trivandrum where she worked as a professor in design foundation.

An alumnus of IIT Guwahati, he received his training in Strategic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). He has collaborated with distinguished clients such as Volvo Finance, the Government of India, Toyota, HSBC, and the Government of Kerala, to name a few.

As a Lead Experience Designer at Infosys, his work experience spans 3.6 years, during which he has designed and delivered end-to-end multiple products and services.

Highly proficient in design research, material selection, and the creation of concepts and storyboards based on client requirements and user needs, he excels in enhancing existing products and analysing competitors’ offerings to ensure quality and performance parity.

His skill set extends to translating design concepts into functional prototypes, as well as coordinating with fellow designers to ensure precise communication and efficiency during the design phase. He demonstrates effective People Management skills by collaborating with teams and engaging in productive discussions with other professionals and clients. His passion lies in the overall aesthetics and user experience/user interface (UX/UI) elements of a product, coupled with a comprehensive understanding of industry trends and market conditions.

Roin’s passion for design is a result of his underlying knowledge in Mechanical Engineering combined with a Master’s degree in Product Design from MIT, Pune. Having worked in the industry with top brands like Panasonic, he’s had exposure to understand the relevance of design and creativity in business as well as in our daily lives. Being a professor of design in multiple universities across India has given him the edge over the rest, as he blends his creativity and logic to make user friendly and emotionally pleasing designs. Roin wishes to uplift design in all possible ways by encouraging others to visualize as well as understand the beauty and purpose of design and to imbibe it in their day-to-day life and lifestyle.

Avinash had done his Bachelors in Fine Arts (BFA) from JJ Institute of Applied Art, Mumbai. He specialised in Illustration and Character design. Further exploration led him to attain Masters in Design (M.Des) from IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay, where he studied Animation and Film making. He is a cheerful person who has a keen interest in observing the world around him and capturing it in his sketchbooks. Being interested in Art from childhood, the world of Art and Design was his place to escape and dream about. He loves to travel and likes to keep his fascination for art alive and breathing.

Avinash has a working experience of 5+ years in the design industry and has worked with Animation Studio ‘Broadcast2World’ as Concept lead, Ed-tech Industry ‘Dalham Learning’ as AVP- Visual Communication and Web-3 platform ‘CETS’ as Senior Visual Artist. He has worked with International as well as domestic clients during his time in the Design industry. Seeking for answers further led him to Teaching and he hopes to contribute to building Future Leaders in Design our Country and the World deserves.

Sidharthan (b. 1994) is a photographer, writer and visual artist based in Kochi, India, who works primarily with still images, text, and mixed-media outcomes. His work explores a wide variety of themes ranging from personal family archives, to post-humanism and the future of computation. His fine art projects have been exhibited at the Technische Sammlungen in Dresden, Germany (Mind Over Matter, 2021) and the Max Mueller Bhawan in Mumbai, India (Responses, 2020).

Formally trained as an architect at the graduate level, and as a visual communication designer at the postgraduate level, he graduated from the National Institute of Design in 2022. Sidharthan is a recipient of the NID-MNF Award for Outstanding Photography Project in the year 2022. His commercial photography work has been featured in print and online publications including ArchDaily and Design Detail Magazine. Sidharthan led the Indeed India content marketing campaign from May 2021 to August 2023, contributing over 750 published career guidance articles on the Indeed IN website.

Jithindas K (b. 1997) is a Graphic Designer, Videographer, Photographer, and Visual Artist. Graduated with a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Journalism from Calicut University, Kerala, appeared for a Diploma in Cinematography at Government Film and Television Institute, Bangalore, Karnataka, and pursued a Master’s in Design in Photography Design from the National Institute of Design, Gandhinagar.

Vikram, a contemporary visual artist, graduated from the College of Fine Arts Thrissur, Kerala, and post-graduated from Hyderabad Central University in 2011. Trained in sculpture; after Post-Graduation, he joined a study program in Marseille, France at the University of Lumini under the Krishnakriti French embassy scholarship for art students. At Lumini University, he participated in several group shows and camps around Marseille. 

Vikram is also a recipient of a student scholarship from Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi. After returning to Kerala, he worked as a guest lecturer at major government fine art institutions. His notable exhibitions include Hanging Terraces (2013), curated by Kavitha Balakrishnan at Kalakriti Art Gallery. In 2024, Niv Art Centre Delhi invited Vikram for an artist residency program, which culminated in an exhibition titled ‘Possible Land’.

Krishnan completed Exhibition design from the National institute of Design where he found his calling for designing spaces, be it physical or virtual. The years following that, he fine tuned his interests and focused more into a virtual space, specifically in games. He was also part of multiple startups in India like Design Epithet and Xequalto doing more innovative design practices in India. After working in a plethora of fields like game design, new media design, films, advertisements, system design and other core design projects working with prominent companies and people from the likes of Quicksand, Ultraviolette Automotive and Lijo Jose Pellissery, he went on to do his MA in Digital Direction from the Royal College of Art, London. His main passion remains in gaming and bringing the games industry and core design practices into the Indian context. Krishnan’s philosophy in learning and teaching design is to be a “Master at being jack of all trades”, and having a holistic approach to problem solving.

Raisa is a passionate game designer and graphic designer with over seven years of experience. She holds a Master’s degree in Digital Game Design from the National Institute of Design (NID) and a Bachelor’s in Visual Arts, specializing in painting, from Stella Maris. Raisa has enjoyed working as the Art Director for the games Fairside Stories and Makkalin Mudhalvar, and was the creative force behind the visual design of the Disney BYJU’S Early Learn app. With a love for storytelling, character design, and user experience, her skills span visual arts, gamification, and crafting fun, engaging narratives. Known for weaving humor and fun into her work, Raisa brings a fresh perspective to game design and visual storytelling.

Shameer Ahammed is an award-winning sound designer and sync sound recordist with over 8 years of experience in the Indian film industry. Passionate about capturing the raw essence of sound, he specializes in location sound recording, foley editing, FX editing, and dialogue editing, ensuring that every auditory element enhances the storytelling experience. His dedication to preserving authentic on-location audio earned him the prestigious 54th Kerala State Film Award for Best Sync Sound Recordist. With notable projects like O.Baby, Bhramayugam, Sunny, and Nishiddho, he continues to push the boundaries of sound in cinema, bridging technology and creativity to craft immersive sonic landscapes.

After earning a degree in Animation Film Design from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, he’s worked for a large variety of clients. He and a handful of friends ran the animation studio ‘Ghost’ in Kolkata for several years, and is now running ‘Nalloru Studio’ in Thrissur.
He likes to experiment with mixed media, including traditional and digital techniques of animation, illustration, 360 videos, projection mapping, interactive media, etc. He’s interested in finding ways in which technology and art can mix, and telling stories rich in local contexts.
Made the animated short film ‘Watchmaker at Time’s End’ using only open source tools, and developed workflows using them. Currently making the hand-drawn video game ‘I Can Human’ about a robot reconnecting with his feelings and with others.

Vinod is a dynamic individual who has traded the corporate ladder for the academic one, driven by a passion for learning and sharing knowledge. He believes in creating a two-way street in his classroom, where both he and his students explore the cutting edge of design, embrace new tools, and constantly reimagine the learning process.
His journey began with an engineering degree in material science, but curiosity led him down a fascinating path through filmmaking, photography, animation, theatre, and ultimately, the worlds of experience and interaction design. In the process he achieved a diploma in Film Direction and a masters in Creative Arts. He honed his skills through stints at IBM and EY as an experience designer and consultant, adding corporate experience to his diverse creative toolbox.
Vinod doesn’t limit his creativity to the classroom. He brings it to life in interactive installations, showcased at events like Serendipity arts festival and Set Reset. He even collaborated on a large-scale projection mapping installation to celebrate a major milestone.
Driven by a belief in exploration and playful experimentation, Vinod finds joy in diverse fields and practices. When he’s not designing experiences, you might find him cycling, biking, swimming, running, practicing yoga, curating films, or delving into the exciting world of AI.
In essence, Vinod is a lifelong learner, passionate educator, and creative explorer who believes in sharing his knowledge and pushing the boundaries of design, both inside and outside the classroom.

Sudhith, a self-taught designer and multifaceted consultant in branding, product development, is a passionate individual with a profound interest in technology, art, economics, history, and various other domains. Currently, he operates the design studio Pixel Nirvana and manages the research platform Route Cochin, while also venturing into the development of a climate-positive platform named AWA.

Sudhith’s journey in the field of design commenced 15 years ago, and his ongoing evolution and learning have been instrumental in shaping his extensive expertise. Armed with an academic background in Sociology and Social Psychology, he brings a holistic, human-centric approach to his design work, deeply understanding the mechanics of society and culture. His abiding passion for design, art, and technology extends beyond the digital realm, encompassing architecture, urban design, and retail experience design. Sudhith’s self-taught journey has enabled him to collaborate with visionaries across diverse industries, from art and fintech to SaaS and hospitality.

After graduating in Electrical and Electronics engineering from the Government college of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram and post graduate degree in Industrial Design from the Industrial design center (IDC) of IIT Mumbai, Hari set off on a journey of exploration into various techniques of animation production through his studio Bang Creative Solutions, Mumbai. A hands-on animator to the core, this quest enabled Hari to gain expertise in wide array of production software and animation techniques such as hand-drawn Cel animation, Stop-Motion Animation, 3D Character Animation, Architectural visualization, product modeling and process simulations, Motion graphics, Visual effects, Video based film making, stereoscopic 3D content creation, Mobile Application and Game Development, Development of E-Learning software etc. He has good exposure in all areas of animation production from conceptualization, scripting, storyboarding, production planning, team training etc. For more than a decade, Hari has also been serving as an external examiner at IDC, IIT Mumbai.

Ravikiran is a photographer and a writer based out of Auroville. He has studied Photography Design from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad in affiliation with the University of Creative Arts, Farnham, UK. He has done photo features for various travel magazines and has a desire to pursue work that includes combining visuals and words to explore stories from around the world. He brought out a set of Postcards with Photographs clicked by him titled ‘Spiritual & Traditional India’. Ravikiran has also diversified into Textile and Product/Fashion Photography. He has authored books titled ‘46+14=06, A Story of a Genius’ and a fiction with photographs titled ‘Camera & Conversations’ with his mother Sapna. He also wrote a fiction for children titled ‘Traversing Through Dreams’. Ravikiran also teaches photography at design schools and institutes where journalism is taught.