Who the hell is Somosuta Mandal?

We’re lucky to work with some pretty incredible people. And we think it’s time you got to know them. So, we’re speaking to the people of DixonBaxi to find out what makes them who they are. We caught up with Somosuta, a design intern with a background in content writing, about creativity, purpose and emotional design. This is what we talked about:

Who are you and what do you do?
I am a graphic designer and content writer. In short, I enjoy telling stories and nurturing varied perspectives whilst tackling diverse design challenges.

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What’s your story?
Born in the year 1996, in a city called Kolkata (West Bengal, India), which is also known as the ‘City of Joy’. Being born and brought up in a city where creativity rules the roost, you by default end up being a creative person. So, I started off as a cartoonist for a web-magazine for children. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I did content writing for some time. I  travelled to different countries to develop an in-depth understanding of the world of design and to learn more about people in different cultures and contexts.

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What are you working on right now?
Currently, I am immersing myself in the world of online gaming and the ways it could be integrated into the norms of day-to-day lives. In short, I am looking into how digital gaming experiences could be made easily accessible for all, and hassle free. What really interested me whilst devoting my time to this project is that we are aiming to transcend a brand experience into a 360 holistic experience which goes well beyond the boundaries of the digital world.

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“As a designer, I believe we are endowed with the unique opportunity to bring diverse perspectives to the table and, in turn, foster the growth of minds that question.”

Describe your working style in 3 words.
Purpose, prototype, feedback.

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Tell us about some of your interests. What are you into?
I am more into literature, history, music, food and travelling. I thoroughly enjoy travelling to new places and, most importantly, I am a loner so enjoy passively observing people and their behaviours in different contexts.

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Do you think design can change the world? How?
I strongly believe that design can change the world through designing for purpose, being empathetic towards the needs of the end user. As a designer, I believe we are endowed with the unique opportunity to bring diverse perspectives to the table and, in turn, foster the growth of minds that question.

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If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
Being overly dependent on the things that are already in front of us. I think it would help people develop an individualistic, unbiased mind that questions.

What’s the last song you listened to?
Hall of Fame by The Script.

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Why do you do what you do? What motivates you?
Being a designer, you get an opportunity to know the world better through branding. What really intrigues me is the fact that the world of branding transcends from product and services to personal branding, to the point where today we live in a world surrounded by brands. So, whilst working for these brands, it gives you an opportunity to introspect into varied minds and ways of seeing.

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What’s your definition of good design?
Much inspired by Dan Norman’s theory from Emotional Design, the definition of a good design is if the mental image of a product for a designer matches with the mental image of its audience.