Design priorities have shifted quite a bit in the last decade, with a strong focus on climate change, ecology, social justice and sustainability. 

Vrinda Mathur, our next pathbreaker, Independent Design Consultant at Altimeter Design Group, works with a range of clients across diverse industries, to address the larger humanitarian and ecological concerns of today and the future, from a design perspective!

Vrinda talks to  Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about working on a collaborative project between RISD and Hyundai Motor Company during her master’s at RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) where she explored biomaterials as an experiment in circular design.

For students, draw your inspiration from the world around you and let your imagination run free, and you will not only have fun but also feel a sense of purpose in your work !

Vrinda, Your background?

I was born and raised in New Delhi, India and lived together with my parents, older brother and paternal grandparents, and my dog – Fisto. I did my schooling at Springdales School, Dhaula Kuan. 

Early age proclivity towards the arts led me to pursue different interests as a child; I learnt Hindustani classical music for many years, enjoyed participating in dance programs, learnt Bharatanatyam for a short period of time, and loved to draw and paint. So much so that I would force art competitions on my friends by simply showing up to their homes with my drawing book. 

What did you do for graduation/post graduation?

I studied Lifestyle Accessory Design at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi and went on to pursue my masters degree in Industrial Design at the Rhode Island School of Design, United States.

What were some of the influences that led you to such an offbeat, unconventional and unique career?

Becoming a designer felt like the most natural progression for me as an eighteen year old. At school, I studied the Humanities; Sociology, Psychology, Economics, Fine Art – I wasn’t the best artist, but I was creatively inclined (as you may understand from the above response). My family had a great influence on my artistic side even though neither of my parents were trained in the arts or design, they sure had a creative spark. They ran a furniture manufacturing facility where they collaborated with interior designers and architects to produce custom furniture pieces for institutions, restaurants, hotels, and retail spaces. Perhaps a penchant for entrepreneurship comes from being exposed to it as a child. I focused on preparing for design entrance exams for NIFT and NID, the two most esteemed schools at the time. I was guided by a close family friend and designer-professor Indrani De Parker who also happened to be a NID alum. Parallely, I considered getting a degree in Psychology but didn’t end up applying for any such programs. My XIIth Board and NIFT entrance results came around the same time and I was ecstatic! Going to design school seemed more real than ever. 

That was 2009 and I haven’t looked back since. I have continued to mould all my interests into the projects I do, including behavioural science, a topic in human psychology. 

How did you plan the steps to get into the career you wanted? Or how did you make a transition to a new career? Tell us about your career path

2023 marks ten years of my professional career in design. In the last ten years, the definition of “design” has changed dramatically, for the industry and for me. It is challenging to explain what it is that I do, and sometimes it isn’t a one-line answer, but it is my responsibility to articulate the many layers of creative work for people to look beyond its aesthetic capabilities. 

In 2013, I began working on a collaborative project with Swarovski India and Shimera Project Lighting as part of my graduation project (six month internship as part of my undergraduate degree). In this role, I was exposed to the inner workings of the luxury lighting industry and learnt all about designing lighting installations with Swarovski crystals, the structure and make of crystals, how they are pieced together to form large scale objects, technical details, and market trends. I went on to work with Swarovski as an independent designer for a year after the successful completion of my graduation project. The objects I designed during my graduation project were physically built by the production team and were showcased at the graduate show at NIFT, New Delhi. In the six months I spent there, I worked alongside the company’s lead designer on custom lighting projects.

Subsequently, when I began working as a freelance designer, I was commissioned to design lighting pieces that would be included in their custom design catalogue for clients to choose from. From the first concept sketch to development of the 3D model to orthographic drawings and pricing, I am so fortunate to have gotten the opportunity early in my career to take my ideas to fruition.

From 2014 to 2021, I co-founded and led Studio Wood, a boutique design studio creating furniture, objects, and interior spaces in collaboration with craftspeople including carpenters, metal workers, resin artists, and upholsters. We (my co-founders and I) were fresh graduates with a few months to a year of “experience” but that didn’t stop us from taking this massive leap. To be honest, we didn’t know it was going to turn into a business when we got together one summer on a furniture upcycling project titled Re-love. We were all from a design background with no business degree in tow. As cliche as this may sound, many mistakes were made, many challenges faced, but we stood strong and conceived over a hundred projects (unique furniture design collections, custom furniture projects and interior-architecture projects) in the span of seven years. We represented the company at national and international platforms, media channels, exhibitions, etc. The highlights certainly took precedence over the low points. I learnt everything on the job – how to pitch a project, what gaps our products could fill, how to design for the modern Indian home, how to reduce material waste through our designs, how to re-use material waste. The list is endless. This is also where I got a chance to lead a passionate and nimble team of designers and architects, manage tight project timelines and budgets, and deliver a great project at the end of the day. We maintained an active social media presence through Instagram and Facebook and gained many patrons and supporters. We would launch furniture collections bi-annually and put our heart and soul into designing a curated experience for our clients. 

2020 marked a big year of change for me personally and professionally. I had previously considered a master’s degree but with Studio Wood in action it seemed like a distant dream. The Pandemic too had a part to play in this change as it did for many other individuals and businesses. Long story short, in August 2020, I made my way to the Rhode Island School of Design to pursue a masters in Industrial Design. Leaving behind what I had known as home, family, work for all these years.

This academic leap paved the way for my role today as a Designer – Researcher – Storyteller – Strategist. These multi hyphens are now a part of my identity.

After a rigorous two year program at RISD where I deepened my knowledge of design, research, making and writing, I pivoted my practice to one with the earth; with a focus on climate change, ecology, social justice and public engagement. 

In the first year at school, I was awarded the prestigious Maharam Fellowship bestowed upon students whose work responds to sustainability and social justice issues. As an extension of my studio project based on urban forests and community engagement, I worked with the Providence Tree Plan Committee, Tree Equity Score, and Social Enterprise Greenhouse to design a project around tree canopy equity. This project illuminates the disparity in tree canopy cover (density of tree cover) between different neighbourhoods in the city, exposing neighbourhoods of colour to have lower tree canopy resulting in negative impacts to health, wellness, and safety issues. The project concluded in an experiential walk and talk gathering participants from across the city to physically experience the effects of varying tree canopy cover and opened the dialogue to community led action for the maintenance and care of urban forests.

Furthermore, I was able to direct the masters program by choosing courses and working with professors who were visionaries in the field and inspired me to continue my efforts in designing for the climate crisis. A research fellowship with Hyundai Motor Company opened up new opportunities and led me to focus my thesis on the intersection of design, ecology, and public engagement. 

My masters’ thesis titled “A Fleeting Landscape: Resurrecting the edges of the estuary” is a project based in Providence, Rhode Island that invites the city dweller to experience a mixed media microcosm of the marshes and discover what has been obscured through the encroachment of urban development. This project brings a transformative experience for Rhode Island residents to engage with forgotten landscapes that much of the city stands on today. It is an invitation to look closely, find the connecting dots to the marshes, take a pause, and ground oneself in the environment that surrounds them. You can read more about the project here: https://vrindamathur.com/A-Fleeting-Landscape

RISD and Hyundai Motor Company run a research collaborative to promote student work and thinking as a guiding light for the future of innovation. The best part about the fellowship was that I had free reign over my research topic and experiments. I branched out from my thesis subject to focus on material play and exploration with Phragmites australis or common reed, an invasive species of grass found toward the upland end of the marsh. I explored biomaterial creation using this material as an experiment in repurposement and circular design (simply put, it refers to using resources from the earth and looping it back in the system in a sustainable way). This helped me bring the intersections of design and ecology into the public realm as we (other research fellows and myself) shared and exchanged recipes to create different biomaterials, thereby making them collaborative and open source.

Since graduating in the summer of 2022, I have worked as an independent Design & Storytelling Consultant to support the work of organisations such as Altimeter Design Group for the International Atomic Energy Agency and Council on Strategic Risks, RISD-Hyundai Research Collaborative, Mount Sinai and the New York Community Engagement Alliance, and Rosarium Health, a health equity startup that is reimagining physical space as care. My portfolio of work has diversified in the fields of public health, ecological risks, and social impact initiatives, all through the lens of design. 

As a Creative Strategist with Rosarium Health, I worked with the leadership team on the brand vision, voice, and messaging. For instance, if Rosarium were a person, how would they talk to you? How would they speak to their clients or domain experts? Again, very different from my other work, but it gave me a jumpstart into how design can inform strategy and the importance of creative thinking in the field of healthcare. My responsibilities included developing and implementing design thinking workshops, uncovering insights, and applying them into the communication strategy and brand narrative. 

How did you get your first break?

I wouldn’t call it a “break” as much as it was a seed of an idea, enthusiasm, and passion to create. None of this would have been possible without the infrastructure support I received from my parents’ humble furniture manufacturing workshop and the readiness of my fellow designer friends to collaborate. Our first break as the Studio Wood Collective was when we launched our collection of products – Re-love. These pieces were designed using furniture scraps and samples from the workshop, deconstructed in both form and function, and exhibited at the Brewhouse Gallery in New Delhi. Over 200 people visited us, bought our pieces, and placed custom orders. We even bagged our first interior-architecture project from that one showcase. And, overnight we became entrepreneurs.

What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?

There were many. I would like to highlight three major areas of learning as a young business.

Learning about the trade – Everyday was a learning experience. Understanding furniture manufacturing techniques, material knowledge, finishing and quality checks. It felt like I was starting a new book every single day.

Bridging the gap between design and manufacturing – Understanding that what we as designers create on paper has to be production friendly and that our work goes beyond providing drawings and renderings. Furniture design is a very hands-on field and required for me to consistently collaborate with the carpentry team and think on my feet. It meant spending hours in the workshop observing, learning, modifying and simplifying.

Wearing many hats at once – Realising that I am a designer and entrepreneur which meant I was representing the brand in client meetings, creating project pitches, social media strategy, team leadership, budgets and negotiations, culture, client servicing, account management, all at once.

Where do you work now? What problems do you solve?

Because I work with a range of clients across diverse industries, my work day looks different everyday and I absolutely love that. I am able to move between critical thinking and heads down research to designing immersive experiences and artefacts. I spend a lot of time with incredible thought partners and collaborators which makes space for idea sharing and brainstorming, two essential aspects in design; I understand when to lead and when to listen. 

Altimeter Design Group works with some of the most trusted International agencies as a creative voice and thought partner to support their efforts across themes to include future foresights, governance, and ecological risks. Through my collaboration with Altimeter, I have worked as the lead designer for the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Safeguards symposium held in Vienna, Austria. In this work we created exhibit designs set in the year 2057. “Each room invites the viewers to experience and question the future of politics and governance, information, and climate.” (https://altimeterdesigngroup.com/13/)

I am currently leading another project with Altimeter for Democracy 2076 “Visioning what the constitution will need to look like in the year 2076 for us to live in a better future.” (https://www.democracy2076.org/)

My portfolio of projects also include a design and storytelling initiative with Mount Sinai and NYCEAL as well as Creative Direction for RISD’s latest strategic partnership with Terra Carta Design Lab.

What skills are required for your role? How did you acquire the skills?

My skills in design-thinking, product design, spatial planning along with communication and storytelling abilities have helped me carve a niche for myself. I also highly value leadership and organisation in my practise to become a better collaborator, leader, and expert when needed.

This mixed bag of skills is a sum total of my education, work experience, and myriad conversations I have had with fellow designers, mentors, and academics through the years. 

All to say that skills are ever evolving and you have to be open to learning something new everyday.

How does your work benefit the society? 

In a recent panel discussion surrounding “Engendering Climate Equity and Justice” as part of Climate Week, New York, the room echoed with the belief that every job, every project is a climate job, every job is a social justice job and as a designer I carry this belief forward. Ever since I decided to pivot to design for impact, my goal was to bring design and its tools to the forefront. Design as a discipline ought to be seen for its strengths in storytelling, engaging communities, co-creating workshops and testing larger systems. I see my work as a portal into these larger conversations; A way to engage audience members who may be distanced from the subject in question and give agency to those who are directly affected by climate change, racial, social, and gender injustices. 

Art, creativity, imagination are all tools in our books and bodies that can propel real change.

Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you!

There are a few from different stages and times in my career. I take immense pride in our work at Studio Wood as part of Kochi Muziris Biennale 2018 titled “The Objective Basket”. We worked in collaboration with Anagram Architects who were designing the main outdoor pavilion in Cabral Yard, Kochi. This space is typically used for performances and acts as an amphitheatre-like experience for viewers. Our role was to design all furniture pieces in the pavilion as well as in the surrounding open public spaces that housed a cafe and art room for children. This was our first time designing on such a large scale with hundreds of users experiencing the pieces in real time over a period of three months. We designed chairs, stools, tables, and community seating areas inspired by the craft of basket-making with local weavers from the town. Not only were the pieces designed keeping in mind durability and weather conditions, they were also constructed with materials that could be reused or recycled after the biennale. This project brought together intentionality, design, craftsmanship and circular thinking.

A recent project I am excited about is a collaboration with the New York Community Engagement Alliance (NYCEAL) and Mount Sinai Health Systems. I conceptualised the Hope Bodega; A participatory project that encourages community members to gather stories of resilience through objects, photographs, scents, and sounds for a multi-sensorial exchange. These objects are meant to hold meaning for the community members, of peace, grounding and upliftment. 

Bodegas are special to New York City, and to those of us who call New York Home. We go to bodegas for snacks to bring to our park visits with our friends and family. We go to bodegas for early morning coffees on our way to work. We go to bodegas for toilet paper when we realise we only have one roll left. Bodegas are always there for us in a pinch. Many of us have come to know that we can rely on our favourite neighbourhood bodega for life’s necessities.

The objects in this exhibit showcase the people, places, memories, and wisdom that the participants know they can rely on: they are objects of hope. The “Hope Bodega” invites you to learn more about where your neighbours find hope. Our hope is that learning more about where they find hope reminds you of what brings you hope.

Your advice to students based on your experience?

For everyone interested in practising design, you should spend time learning from different media. A visit to the craft museum, podcasts on design, art, technology, business, books, and music, a walk in the park, or setting the dining table. Surround yourself with things that feel inspiring, be it the most mundane activity in the day. Write, draw, make. Anything. Let your imagination run free without thinking about the level of perfection of the output. Patience and perseverance will make things better. Whatever you choose, do it with passion and have fun with it so you can make it your own. 

Future Plans?

Over the next few years, I want to continue to build an action-oriented design practice embedded in intentionality, social impact, and innovation. I am deeply interested in designing for public health, ecological risks, gender equity, and education and hope to expand my work to a global audience that can engage visually, emotionally, and experientially with larger systemic problems that surround us today.