6 months ago I joined 17D North. I had just a couple of exhibitions of my artwork and I felt like I was doing well! I walked in on my first day at work and was told I could design something fun to paint on the walls of our new-york-studio apartment-style office. I was honored and we ended up with some really fun illustrations on our walls.

The days that followed – redefined me.

I learned that no matter how much I had studied and assumed I knew – I had not delved even an inch deep into the world of design. Between Sandeep and Sayalee – I was brushed, polished and schooled like never before. They challenged me constantly. Every assignment that came my way was like playing a level of God of War and MAN! – I have never felt more alive than the way I felt after designing something I never even dreamed I could have designed.

I’m Pranati Khanna. I’m short,curly,obnoxious,dramatic and one helluvan illustrator

Which brings me to part two of my blog – ILLUSTRATION!

I will never forget – “CREATIVE SATURDAY” at 17D North. We had 10 people come down to the office and I held a small workshop on cartooning. It was so much fun and I feel like everyone went back after having learned something new about drawing a funny face. I must say – 17 D really gives me some funky opportunities.

How about I show you some of what I taught them? It’s the basic of ANY drawing, really.

Take a look at these easy steps to drawing a silly cartoon!

Step 1 – Shapes are the most basic thing to use. Adapting them to suit your cartoon’s exact shape is what you need to master.

Step 2 – The body of a cartoon needs to look exaggerated. It needs to be rubbery and funny! People want to laugh!

Step 3 – Ah. EYES! You can make a cartoon out of JUST eyes if you like. They’re the most expressive part of a cartoon. Don’t forget – in a typical cartoon of this style – eyes are blurbs. They’re like rubber-rounds. This brings out not only a comic touch but also makes molding them to form expressions, more easy!

Step 4 – Here are some typical expressions you’d see on a cartoon. Like I said – the eyes work magic on a cartoon’s face.

Well, I hope you experiment with what I’ve blogged about and try making your own characters!

Take it easy

- The Resident Drama Queen of 17D North

It was always like I was working from home, sitting in my room. Felt like I was doing something I loved, just like some hobby. The best part here is you are never treated like an intern. They always consider you like a full time employee, taking opinions, asking for suggestions, brain-storming, etc. Yeah, sometimes you have to do those traditional intern jobs like making chai, which on the brighter side is a good way to pass time, especially whenever you run out of ideas. You can take a break and make chai for everyone! There are noodles too The team lunches are awesome. These people know some of the finest food places in Hyderabad!

And yeah about the work experience, I was almost working on all the projects that we got in those 2 months. Worked on illustrations, logos, websites and many others. For me the experience was simply great, way more than what I expected I will be getting. Happy for that!

Because I am from an engineering background, many people ask me why and how design. The same question was running through my mind before joining here. And the only answer I got at that time was the love and interest. I never had the confidence to say something like I think I am good at it, so I am doing it and stuff. Of the many small and big things I have learned here, the one thing I will cherish most is the confidence I have gained. So, a message to all of those who are in a completely different field and want to take up design as a career, Never back down! I’d say you can go for it if you seriously love it!

Coming to the people here at 17d. They are not just a team, they are like a small family. Sandeep, the man behind 17dnorth, one who has the perfect eye for colour and design! Sayalee, the backbone of the company, taking care of all the presentations and stuff, bringing ideas to life! Malvika, the energy, enthu of 17d! The day she does not come to the office, you will see the difference. Arjun, my fellow intern, one hardworking lad, with whom we all had an awesome time and Shikha, though I did not get to know her better, I had a good time working with her and I can say she made a good move joining 17d !

If there is one message for a guy/girl who is applying for an intern or a job here; trust me, it is really tough not to fall in love with this company! And yeah, if I was not studying at BITS right now, I would not mind dropping out of college and join you guys! Thank You 17d for everything!

- Satyavihar Kothamasu (Baba Vihara)

The last four weeks have been a blur and an extensive exploration of my own design perceptions and how they have changed thanks mainly to the people here. This is a team that believe in being extremely blunt and brilliantly analytical about any step they take. Also, they believe in concept over anything else. But more than anything else, they believe in chai and conversations which are the perfect catalyst and secret to most of their brilliant portfolio.

17dnorth has been an enriching and spontaneous learning experience for me. The place just has that good vibe and anything which you hear from the rest of the team( no matter, how harsh sounding) ends up being constructive at the end. Not to mention getting an opportunity to work on such a diversity of projects. It’s every student’s dream to get his/her hands into aspects of graphic design like branding, public awareness, info graphics etc. right? Well imagine getting to do all that and much more over a period of 4 weeks. I’d say it’s as good as it gets. The work environment is pretty chill. The team lunches are awesome and the music, chai and conversation go along with any project you would be working on. Not to mention the constant group feedback which is brilliantly practical and unbiased.

So to sum it all up, here’s to 17d North. A design studio which teaches you more than it drains out of you. Oh and the teaching can range from that tweak in Adobe or that perfect client presentation to the telugu song called, “aa anta, amlapuram!”

For aspiring interns and job applicants, this place is a perfect blend of the right stuff. Just be warned that the kettle in the office is pretty tricky. It is not ON till you see that yellow light blinking on it. J

Thus, I will conclude this blog entry with a hearty thanks to all in 17d, Sandeep, Sayalee, Malavika, Vihar and Shikha. Thanks for the experience, the insights, the lunches and coffees and mostly for letting me be me! Cheers!

- Arjun Arunkumar ( A Tamilian Brahmin 19 year old who does not move his hands like a dj when there is good conversation happening)

Learning, teaching and sharing experiences are an integral part of our lives. Pecha Kucha Nights is an incredible platform to do so, with a global agenda to get people to talk about what they love and enjoy. In a format of 20 slides with 20 seconds per slide, one gets an insight into numerous adventures and passion of people that are actually living it. With its presence in almost 300 cities and over 60 events a month, Pecha Kucha serves as an excellent platform to network with like minded creative people.

We at 17dnorth are proud to be an organizing partner with Pecha Kucha Nights Hyderabad chapter. With 8 volumes and a wide variety of speakers having showcased their passion from Photography to Biking, advertising, Automobile Design, Travel Adventures and much more, PKN hyderabad is a platform bringing together passionate and creative people to bond over a cup of Chai and Samosas.

Organizing the event is an experience in itself, right from interacting with people wanting to present, to designing posters and actually watch them spin magic has been an enthusiastic ride for us so far. The recently concluded volume 8 had an eclectic mix of speakers which created an amazing environment of Individuality. An IT consultant spoke about the importance of knowing your tools to create better graphics, a woman biker presented on her biking adventures, a theatre personality showcased his passion for performing arts. Then we had a game designer who lives, eats and drinks only games educate people how gaming can bring about a social change, an architect who shared his experiences in Italy, an another theatre personality presenting on popular 5′s of life, a user experience designer presented why we do what we do? and finally a photographer who shared his journey and how photography happened to him. It was an amazing evening for the audience and there was something for the each one of us to take back as an individual.

Pecha Kucha Nights as an event has really helped us know about new things, discover new talent and also grow along with it. Every event is something we always look forward to, meeting new people, sharing experiences and understanding their passions. Organizing such an event has also helped us immensely in honing our skill sets as Individuals and also as a Design Firm.

Do watch out for the event and if you do want to share something your passionate about…here is a chance!

One of the most fulfilling experiences we as a team had was when we recently interacted with the children from NGO Make A Difference. When we initially said yes to conducting a design workshop for the children, we were completely clueless as to how it would happen and what to expect. The day we arrived at the camp, by just looking at the smiling faces of the children, we realized what an awesome experience it was going to be for us.

The children being between the age group between 6 to 14, we started tentatively with basic shapes and colors, but soon realized that the kids were much smarter than what we had anticipated and extremely intelligent. They were such beautiful human beings! Full of laughter and fun! The coloring workshop was a hit and right from pineapple cake to black forest, we could see lots of colors and feelings.

But the best day was the next day when we had T-shirt painting as a part of the workshop. The children were told to paint their dreams, what they want to be, what they want to do. And the designs that came out were simply brilliant! From butterflies to balloon sellers to tigers, the metaphors were amazing. At the end of the day we left with a heart full with joy and smiles of the children who despite being under privileged had so much life and so much to give.

Looks like we are on a roll! Right on the backdrop of the anti-corruption movement, this is our contribution in a small way. Our new T-shirt designs “Ironman” and “Kaiku” want you and me to fight against corruption. Be the IronMan, ask questions!! Ask Kaiku!

Its time you “Iron out” all the issues, BE THE IRON MAN!

Why??? Kaiku re??? How often do you say that? Ask questions! Be Curious! Make the Change happen!

The Design is inspired from the towering Charminar which is the Heart of Hyderabad!

The day still remains fresh when I approached this group of uber talented people who were willing to make me a part of their team seeing my enthusiasm. Right from creating the first poster for Pecha Kucha Nights Hyderabad to naming cocktails for a restaurant to creating graphics – There is always that freedom given to you to explore and create. Every project is executed after it is well researched and crafted with élan – that’s what sets us apart as a Design Studio. Like creating kitsch graphics for “Nautanki Gali” a restaurant by Ohri’s actually got us to do a lot of street photography, explore the city, study graphics on trucks and auto’s to create a fun filled restaurant, where people could not only have food but interact with the ambiance. And each of our work gives each one us the ability to explore our creative side to the maximum.

We also plan to come up with our t-shirt collection showcasing the spirit of Hyderabad. As for me, making mistakes has not become a fear but a learning experience. I’ve grown up to be a confident and better person! And the togetherness at 17d helps each of us strengthen our skills and achieve all our endeavors with ease. We are still growing with each project and want to make a mark as a design studio who innovates design!

- Malvika

It’s been 3 months and it’s been great undoubtedly. I never thought I would fit into the design field but they don’t ever make you feel left out and sure it’s all been a learning experience and a stepping stone each day. You get involved with anything and everything you show interest in right from managing finances, content writing, business development to giving ideas for concepts and designs. From the day I joined till today 17dnorth has grown drastically in terms of confidence, work standards, time management, the works and almost everything else that I can think of. We surely are proud and it still is just the beginning for us.

We have branched our works very clearly into Branding & Identity, Interiors and Products. We recently did branding for Ohri’s 3 upcoming restaurants, smyle switches, and its definitely the kind of work that keeps the entire office on its toes lashing with ideas and concepts helping in hitting the bulls eye at last! Not only that since there’s more this team has come up with.

Sandeep, our creative head along with Harish, a close friend and an entrepreneur (Hands Media) himself started the Hyderabad Creative Network to instigate all the sleeping creative fellas in Hyderabad to light their bulbs and come together through a Japanese platform “Pecha Kucha” which allows enthusiastic and passionate individuals to share their ideas, works and network with one another and build the group. From me talking about me, it became me talking about US and that’s how every endeavor of ours is planned and carried out. We build relationships and hone perspectives. We discern our capabilities and direct our efforts to the betterment of the Company.

- Hansika