about us

Emerging from the ethos of the National Institute of Design, studio carbon is the vision of nine passionate designers, each having their own diverse skill sets that complement each other. Studio Carbon has its roots in India, and a seed in The Netherlands, slowly growing strong.

Studio Carbon is committed to stretch the boundaries of design, and explore its potential. We aspire to make design a fundamental part of how people think and create. We aim to tell captivating stories through our work, and in doing so, leave a mark, on the story of humanity.

why carbon?

Carbon is the basic building block of life. It is the most versatile element and seamlessly integrates with many other elements. It is omnipresent. An integral part of everything we see, yet invisible to our eyes. Just like design. You see, the element perfectly describes what we are as a studio. Fundamental. Flexible. Affable.

Similarly, our studio logo is the basis of everything we stand for. Designed and officially adopted on 25th August, 2018, the carbon logo is derived out of the letter ‘ka’ from the Devnagiri script. It brings a sense of Indian-ness to the brand, yet keeps it contemporary. The logo shows spectrum of colours from a cool blue to a warm red. Being a team of very diverse individuals, each colour represents a different variant of the studio. The blues show dynamism, the yellows stands for a childlike curiosity, while the reds show an adventurous streak.

meet the carbons

Our team comprises of nine dreamers and design enthusiasts. We are NID batchmates and friends, who resonated really well together, the moment we met. Back in July 2018, Studio Carbon was just an idea. A mere word. But it was an idea shared by a team of passionate designers. Since then, we have come a long way. We have grown as a studio and as individuals.

No matter what each of us does, we are all story tellers at heart, and try to tell captivating stories through our work. We like questioning everything, and constantly attempt to do disruptive innovation. We are a bunch of curious minds, and if you happen to visit our studios, you might catch us tinkering, or in one of our intense discussions about life, tech or anything in between.

Neel Mehta | C1

Researcher | Contrarian thinker | Space buff

Known as the local Ahmedabad boy, his goals are anything but local. With systems projects in Space debris and space exploration, Neel finds himself at home in the stars above. Being a person who statistically disagrees the most in our discussions, he plays the role of a much-needed devil’s advocate to perfection. Neel loves reading, and is our inhouse research and analysis expert on any topic we decide to venture into. Apart from designing, he enjoys watching anime, documentaries and playing videogames.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/neelmeht9/

Mani Teja | C2

Brainstormer | Peoples Person | Empathy expert

If he walks into a public gathering, chances are that he will walk out with more friends than before. Having a charm and comfortable air about him, Teja finds it easy to interact with people from all ages and walks of life. His project on Design for special needs, a currency identifier for the visually impaired, gained renown, and is a showcase of his empathetic skills. Teja enjoys working with his hands and is quick in moving ideas from paper to prototypes. When work isn’t keeping him occupied, he is a big cricket aficionado and follows the sport passionately.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maniteja/

Christopher Richard | C3

Visualizer | Form Expert | Sweet tooth

“The world is nothing but a high quality render of someone’s imagination.” This thought emerged in our discussions, and it is just the perfect way to explain how Christopher sees the world. His attention to details and finesse in modelling do justice to his visualization skills. Having worked with organic materials in multiple projects, Chris adds the ‘able’ to ‘sustainable’. His sense of CMF adds a sense of flamboyance to any material he lays his hands on. When he is not humouring you with the fallacies of human language, Chris can be found cycling, photographing or gyming.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-r/

Itika Gupta | C4

System thinker | Big picture girl | Team catalyst

Ever wondered what would happen if kids never stopped questioning everything around them? Itika Gupta is a live specimen of how it can help us reinvent everything. Having worked on the all-encompassing system of Quality of Life, Itika is every bit a curious child, whose questions just changed from ‘whats’ and ‘hows’ to ‘whys’. Equipped with years of professional experience, she brings in a very unique perspective to our ideations and discussions. During times when she isn’t inspiring us with her efficiency and energy, Itika likes to spot airplanes, sketch lines and reflect on things, inside as well as outside the human consciousness.

‍https://www.linkedin.com/in/itikagupta/

Shubham Raut | C5

Illustrator | Content creator | Kaleidoscope

In a world of laws and reasons, a bit of fantasy and magic can go a long way. Adding his touch of stories to each product, Shubham makes them many times more interesting. Fantasy art and creative writing are only some mediums to get a peek through his lens of seeing the world. An absolute logician, he can help make sense of any grey areas in a decision-making process. Shubham loves to solve big life problems with simple solutions. Afterall, aren’t products just elaborate magic devices that simplify your life? Between his sessions of daydreaming and designing, Shubham likes to read fiction and learn new languages.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shubhamraut/

Jitesh Devadiga | C6

Prototyper | Researcher | Conspiracy theorist

For some, the fascination for physics and mathematics never dies. They use it as a tool to make sense of the world around them. Jitesh likes a good puzzle. He likes to challenge himself with new problems. Because what are they if not some intricate puzzles? While he does enjoy prototyping and testing out his concepts, his true skills lie in his ability to host intense discussions and ideation sessions that often blow our minds. He likes stretching the boundaries of rational thinking and doesn’t mind stepping out of his comfort zone. Jitesh loves feeding himself on a good movie, a good book or a good debate.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jitesh-devadiga-4393b0a1/

Manikanta Polisetti | C7

Experience Designer | Function from Form | Product Pokedex

Imagine a catalogue of hundreds of products, materials and brands in the world, set on auto update and available at any time. That’s Manikanta. He loves to read about current trends as well as future pointers in all fields. He helps us get a head start in any project and strives to match global standards in design. With years of experience in manufacturing and designing products, Manikanta adds some essential realism to our ideas. He always tries to better the experience of using products, and prioritizes it above all. When not reading about the latest new rage in the design world, Manikanta likes to go on long bike rides, travel and critique food.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/manikantapolisetti/

Gonga Naveen Kumar | C8

Interaction designer | Camera expert | Storyteller

Stories influence emotions, and emotions guide our decisions. One would argue that stories are the very thing that people live for. This is where Gonga really shines. His skills behind the camera, as a photographer or videographer make our ideas look truly photogenic. Besides the camera, Gonga is also a great ideator and sketcher. He has the charm to entice people from all ages and sections of the society. It would thus not come as a surprise that he is good at managing people, making him our go-to guy for conducting workshops. Gonga loves practicing various art forms such as dance, singing, painting, meditation and photography.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gonga-naveen-kumar-05a209105/

Swapnil Soni | C9

Product Architect | Composer | Design Connoisseur

Innovation requires a bit of unadulterated, unhindered creativity. One that isn’t bound by set rules and conditions. Swapnil is the crazy spice to our soup of ideas. Being from an architectural background, his ideas are more often than not, very different from the rest of us. His flair for clean and minimalistic design, coupled with amazing representation skills, makes for some really good designs. Swapnil is proficient at digital design of elements, making him an expert graphic designer. His taste in design spills over to his hobbies, such as collecting antique and fancy products, sketching and photography.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sswapnil321/