This week we're excited to ask five questions to Shivani Parasnis. Shivani, originally from India, recently graduated in Baltimore / Maryland. Her experimental, colorful and lively designs paint emotions in your mind, and combine fun typography in vibrant compositions. The young designer is already working for Spotify and her artworks are receiving lots of attention.

NAME: Shivani Parasnis

WHERE ARE YOU FROM: Mumbai, India

BORN WHEN: 23rd Sept 1992

WORK FOCUS: Graphic Design & Typography

Chaotic yet minimal. Vibrant yet subtle. Typographic and illustrative!

For most projects, whether commercial or self-driven, I usually start from a point of familiarity. It could mean revisiting old pictures, picking a “safe” colour palette or using my go-to fonts. The magic happens (not so easily) once I start pushing those familiar things into newer and experimental perspectives. I often find it daunting to step out of my comfort zone, but I have come to realise that exploring newer visuals and aesthetics is definitely a work ethic I try to follow for every new project.

More accessible, more ethical and definitely more cross-pollinated in terms of cultures and communities.

My childhood, old Indian music, my family and my culture. A lot of the work I do roots from my experiences throughout these areas of my upbringing, and trickles into my visual language and design aesthetic. Since I moved to the USA 2 years ago, my mind has been opened up to a lot of western culture and design which was very novel to me in every sense; and I can rightfully say that my practice today shares influences of the east and west while trying to stay true to each of them individually too. :)

Never stop learning + Be patient. Always strive to make yourself better at what you love doing, and be gentle toward yourself as you stumble and evolve along the way. Patience and consistent effort WILL lead you to greater things in your life!