I trust my instincts, follow my curiosity, and have a lot of fun desinging. This has helped me build a design practice rooted in experimentation.
Hi, I’m Ella—a senior studying Visual Communication Design at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. While I didn't always know I'd become a designer, I’ve always loved stories. I've always searched for meaning, questioned relentlessly, and moved with intention.
My earliest lesson in strategic thinking came from soccer. Growing up in India, I played at the national level. I started out on my school's boys' team, not to make a statement, but simply because it was the only opportunity to compete. Navigating contradictions became second nature: strong yet approachable, competitive without being aggressive. Soccer taught me how to read the field, find the gap, and move decisively.
I approach branding in the same way. It is defying convention, challenging expectation to spark positive change
When COVID cleared the soccer fields, I stumbled into design, creating brochures and decks for a corporate training company with no formal training. I relied on intuition and curiosity, cultivating a practice that was exploratory, messy, and distinctly mine. At SAIC, I learned to turn that instinct into insight, pairing emotion with rigorous research and the ability to transform my big ideas into compelling visuals.
Branding quickly became my passion, from concept to execution to outcome, I loved it all. It gave me the space to combine my strengths in communication and empathy with my drive to create. While soccer taught me that practice makes perfect, design revealed that it leaves little to no space for innovation. Great design isn’t simply rearranging what exists and what works, it's about sensing what's missing, what's needed and bringing it to life.
I believe unforgettable design connects us to something bigger. It moves us, surprises us, and makes us think, “I wish I’d thought of that.” That kind of impact doesn’t come from data alone. It comes from nuance, storytelling, and human insight. It recognises that what matters most isn’t always tangible, but rather felt.
That’s what I strive for, and it's why I create.