SONAL GADRE-SHINTRE

GRAPHIC DESIGNER/FOUNDER KALAKATTA DESIGN STUDIO, LLC, BRIDGEWATER, NJ

Sonal Gadre-Shintre, is an award-winning graphic designer and founder of Kalakatta Design Studio. Kalakatta has been serving a wide range of clients in real estate, luxury perfumes, hospitality and the technology industry. As a visual story-teller; she helps brands achieve their goals with impactful creative solutions delivered in her thought-driven minimalist design style. Her work encompasses brand identity, websites, print and digital designs, packaging, and event graphics. She is skilled at conjuring striking typography that is notably eye-catching. Sonal loves to travel, experience local cultures and indulge in photography. Nature is her biggest inspiration. She is plugged into the latest design trends and always catches the pulse of the client to convey a meaningful story through her on-point creativity.

Before starting her own venture, Sonal worked for 15 years for agencies and design studios in India and the USA on projects for a wide range of global clients in real estate, FMCG, pharma, fashion, entertainment and non-profit industry including Johnson & Johnson, Cushman & Wakefield, Unilever, P&G, PepsiCo, Grazia, Aditya Birla Group, and Artists for Peace and Justice. She has also created graphics for grand events at Pre-Oscar, Toronto Film Festival, South Asian Excellence and IIFA - Indian International

Film Academy. Sonal has won various awards from GDUSA - American Graphic Design Awards and IDA - International Design Awards.

Looking forward to 2023, are you optimistic about the role and impact of Graphic Design and Visual Communication in Business? Culture? Causes? Why do you feel that way? Have the events and disruptions of the past few years changed the role or trajectory of Graphic Design?

Visual communication is universal and timeless. Often great brand campaigns, logos and designs become synonymous with culture. It is a designer's job to effectively harness the innate benefits of visual communication to their best advantage and leave a mark on the success of a brand as well as the local culture.

Post-pandemic, remote work culture has opened up a whole new world of opportunities across the globe. I am curious to see how the technology industry and creative industry evolve together in the coming years, taking the contemporary design movement to the next level. Digital design has become a natural extension to graphic design to take brands forward and increase reach. Both play a vital and indispensable part of business.

Most influential graphic designer(s) or art directors(s) of the past 60 years? Of today?

Paula Scher, Milton Glaser, Michael Bierut, Louise Fili.

Most influential graphic design firm(s), ad agency(s), or inhouse department(s) of the past 60 years? Of today?

Wolff Olins, Pentagram, Ogilvy, Ideo

Favorite or most influential design project or campaign in any medium for the past 60 years?

Public Theatre | Posters and environmental design | NYC, USA. Amul, Taste of India | Outdoor Hoarding Campaigns | India.

Most influential design products, services or technology of the past 60 years?

• Printing technology and typography has evolved to a different level in the past 60 years with advancement in technology and resources.

• Advancement in cameras from manual SLR to digital SLR is amazing to see how technology has come up with user friendly features making photography tools accessible for everyone.