In today’s episode, we’re delighted to bring Neetica Pande, an acclaimed industrial designer and the founder of NOOE. Known for her minimalist yet detailed design philosophy, Neetica has garnered prestigious awards including the Red Dot Award, Lexus Design Award, and IF Design Award. Her design journey has led her through studios like Norman Copenhagen and Studio Sebastian Holmbach, and she's honed her skills at the Stratt School of Design in Paris and the MIT Institute of Design, where she graduated with top honors.

In this episode, we cover:

(03:34) Becoming a Complete Designer:

"Having skills of actual designing, aesthetics, presentation, and storytelling." Neetica emphasizes the importance of being a well-rounded designer, mastering not just the technical aspects but also the art of presenting and narrating a compelling story.

(02:08) Embracing European Design:

"In Paris, design is so aesthetic and proper; it’s where design evolves." She highlights the contrast between functional, engineering-oriented design in India and the aesthetic, evolved design culture in Europe, which shaped her perspective and skills.

(07:54) Your Brand Reflects You:

"Your brand is just you; it represents the best form of you." She believes that a brand is an extension of oneself, representing the pinnacle of one’s capabilities and vision.

(10:49) First Product Validation:

"If they said it’s getting 3D printed, that means it’s getting made." The validation of her first design being chosen for production was a significant milestone, reinforcing her confidence and setting the stage for future successes.

(15:29) Prioritizing Quality:

"My primary focus now is to build a strong design culture and a cohesive team." As a co-founder, Neetica prioritizes quality and innovation, understanding that the success of her team and brand depends on maintaining high standards in design and execution.

(24:06) Leveraging Experience:

"Leveraging ongoing trends and consumer behavior makes good design good." Leverage trends and consumer insights to create designs that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional.

(27:25) Continuous Innovation:

"Break the mold and move into building the next great product." Neetica believes in constant innovation, always striving to surpass her previous achievements and create new, groundbreaking products.

(29:58) Collaboration for Impact:

"The See-Through Toolkit facilitates learning and inclusion." Through collaborative projects like the see-through toolkit, Neetica aims to create products that have a significant social impact, fostering learning and inclusion.

(35:16) Trusting Your Instincts:

"Trusting your instinct early on is very necessary." Neetica underscores the importance of trusting one’s instincts in the design process, as it often leads to the most genuine and successful outcomes.

(41:06) Building Credibility:

"Building trust and credibility comes with a lot of storytelling." She highlights that storytelling is a powerful tool in building trust and credibility for a brand and its products.

(45:42) Sustainable Innovation:

"Quaper was a simple idea of a watercolor palette made from paper mache." Through innovative and sustainable design, Neetica created Quaper, a watercolor palette that reduces water wastage and promotes environmental responsibility.

(48:41) From Commodities to Trusted Products:

"Every product needs a story to deepen understanding and trust." Neetica believes that a compelling story behind a product transforms it from a mere commodity to a trusted and valued item.

Where to find Neetica Pande:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neetica-pande-697346163/

• Email: neetica@bloxandpix.com

• Behance: https://www.behance.net/neeticapande

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blox_and_pix/
  

• Where to find Naya:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/studio-naya/

• Instagram: @naya__studio

• Twitter: https://x.com/naya_app

  
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  Start Creating on Naya

In today's episode of Journey with Naya, we dive into the journey of Derek Cascio, a designer, teacher and entrepreneur. He shares his experiences from mentoring students at Wentworth and discusses the changes he's witnessed in design education. The conversation also covers the challenges and opportunities AI presents in design, the importance of traditional skills, and the evolving landscape of higher education.

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Career Evolution - "There's a certain skillset and a certain mindset that's important to have as a designer." Lessons from Derek’s journey highlight the adaptability and diverse skills needed in creative careers.

(03:24) Benefits of Teaching and Mentorship - "I really enjoyed helping people kind of unlock potential." Exploring how education and mentorship enrich both the teacher’s and students’ skills.

(07:41) The Role of Physical Making: “Model making and physical crafting are still crucial because they connect us to the reality of the objects we design.”

(08:43) Balancing Innovation with Tradition - "One foot rooted in tradition and the other foot looking forward." The importance of maintaining core traditional competencies while embracing innovation.

(13:33) Responding to Educational Shifts - Adapting to the changing landscape of student expectations and technological advancements in educational settings.

(15:08) Real-world Design Applications: “You are making a physical thing that a human being is going to use, all of that other stuff doesn't matter if you go to make the thing and it's terrible or it doesn't work.”

(19:26) Editorial Role of Modern Designers: "We are becoming more like editors... AI helps us generate options, but the human designer shapes these into final products."

(21:47) What is GT1 Multi-Tool? - “A tool set in your pocket. That's very capable and durable, but elegant, and fun to use! ” Find out how this tool was made on Naya.

(23:56) Anticipating Future Tools - "Embracing new technologies is essential for staying ahead in the design field." How designers can prepare for future tools and technologies.

(25:01) The Importance of Historical Context: “It’s very important not to lose sight of where all of this stuff came from.We have to know what was there before we move forward.”

(28:27) Community Impact - "Running IDSA Boston allowed me to engage deeply with the design community, enriching both my personal and professional life."

(30:37) How to Find Your Niche? - Key lessons for designers looking to innovate and stay relevant in a rapidly evolving field.

(33:48) How Has Naya helped in Building GT-1 Multitool?: “We've been able to send them stuff through this tool and they've been able to get things rather than just sending, certain links or, other drive files and things of that nature.”

(35:06) The Importance of Feedback - "Put your work out there, ask people, get feedback. Some of it may be brutal. You may get the worst feedback ever, right? But who cares?"

Some Takeaways:

• Design isn't just about pixels; it's about people.

• AI isn't here to replace designers; it's here to enhance our creative capabilities.

• Don't forget the timeless design principles that have guided us for years.

• Collaboration is key!

• More than skills, equip yourself with the mindset to adapt in a world where AI is increasingly shaping our landscape.

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  Where to find Derek Cassio:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekcascio/

• Email: derek@niche.industries

• Instagram: @findcarvefill
  

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  Where to find Naya:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/studio-naya/

• Instagram: @naya__studio

• Twitter: https://x.com/naya_app

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  Start Creating on Naya

Hi there,

We're excited to announce that Naya's dedication to outstanding user experience design has been recognized globally. The Naya software has won the iF Design Award 2024 in the Product UX category. Naya was amongst over 10,000 entries from across 72 countries!

History of the Award and Why it Matters

Since its start in 1953, the iF Design Award has shone a spotlight on the best in design, including Apple, BMW, IKEA, celebrating works that are creative, bring about change in the world, and are inclusive in their functionality.

Winning this award deeply connects us with the global design community and lifts Naya higher to a more prominent status, increasing our visibility and credibility.

It's also an affirmation of our mission to make design accessible to all and our hope to redefine industry standards.

Thanks to our users! This is a milestone, not the finish line. We're still refining, learning, and growing. Thank you to our users for every bug report, every feature request and every moment of support. We share this award with all of you. We'll be sharing our story, challenges, and victories along the way. Keep an eye out for updates and join us as we pave the way to the future of design.

Curious how Naya can help you design your journey? Explore the software and discover the possibilities!

Try Naya

Stay creative,
The Naya Team

Our previous branding and identity were created well before Naya’s current direction was defined. Although our previous identity was well received, we felt that it was the right moment to evolve. Before we get into describing the new identity, we wanted to cover the intricacies of the rebranding process. Finding the right collaborators to support this undertaking and managing the development was no small task — and for an early-stage company, an evolution of this scale can command some serious resources. As both entrepreneurs and designers ourselves, we learnt a few insights through this process that we wanted to share.

“A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or a company” — Marty Neumeirer

“Brand” is difficult to scope. Placing a tangible dollar value on a logo, slogan, font choice, or color can seem like a hard thing to do. With this knowledge, our approach was to break down the scope into stages (research, sketching, illustrations, production assets) and pieces (logo, website, brochures, slogans, colors, fonts, mock-ups, etc.). We asked for hourly budgets and estimates for how long each task would take. It is not unreasonable for a designer to spend 100 hours or more on a full branding package; however, miscommunication has muddied this fact. The process is rife with misunderstandings, as clients ask “Why does a logo cost so much?” and designers wonder “Why doesn’t the client understand how long this actually takes?” Having well-organized steps and timelines for each stage will support this process.

Having well laid out steps and timelines for each stage will support this process.

Save room for the unexpected and feel free to experiment. You should know your key values, have references for brands you like, and communicate your own timelines. You should never try to do these exercises on a tight timeline; ensure you give yourself several months, as the creative process takes time. You also want to save time for feedback from your team, advisors, partners, and — of course — customers! Try to run collaboration sessions with the designer and various stakeholders to ideate and accept critiques throughout the process. Don’t be afraid to pull out the red pen or stickies and make notes on the design concepts yourself. Remember: you know your customer better than anyone and have a design intuition of your own. Don’t be afraid to experiment — push the boundaries of what you may be comfortable with, especially during the initial stages.

Remember: you know your customer better than anyone and have a design intuition of your own.

Find the right people to complete your team. There is definitely an element of luck involved in finding your dream team, but it primarily comes down to the effort you put into finding them. During our own branding experience, we probably connected with 15 or so companies and individuals. Marketing firms are known to charge exorbitant prices, as they need to include their overhead; meanwhile, independent college students might charge next to nothing. Depending on the stage of your business, you likely fit somewhere within this spectrum. We would encourage you to chat with both sides and a few groups in the middle to find the best fit. Ask for portfolios and conduct several meetings to really get to know someone, how they think, and whether you can collaborate together. Asking for an opinion on a current design asset is a great way to successfully find your team.

Ask for portfolios and conduct several meetings to really get to know someone, how they think, and whether you can collaborate together.

To bring a new identity to life, we worked closely with furniture and graphic designer Ajay Shah from ASDS Mumbai, as well as Mia Zaidan, former architect at Jean Nouvel, designer at the Harvard Innovation Lab, and Sosolimited.

Our vision for our identity was centered around making Naya a timeless brand that goes beyond furniture, focusing more on the creative journey than on the product itself. The brand’s visuals should evoke the idea of making something your own.

The Naya visual identity reflects a visual flair, confidence, clarity and vocational expertise.

Our new logo, created by Ajay, does exactly this and playfully integrates the idea of personalization. Ajay says:

“The symbol is a visual representation of a proprietary process Naya follows towards translating an idea from concept to realization. The adaptive ’N’ is derived from an understanding of the stages of realization. The final symbol is the culmination of the process to a product like a signature of approval or better still a mark of a well deserved engagement output. The signature is not restrained or crammed but has an expression of an unknowing confidence that comes from a creative person. The symbol silently communicates the lightness of the process, the ease and the joy of creation.”

To further the connection between creative expression and Naya, Ajay chose the “Rand” font type for the wordmark and website.

“It is a tribute to Paul Rand — a visionary graphic designer — which finely balances a creative expression with a strict adherence to projecting a professional seriousness. The wordmark counterbalances the symbol and emphasis that Naya is an organization that will not sway with fashion, trends and creative idiosyncrasies in its values towards it’s objective of providing a service of democratizing creative endeavours.”

When it came to colors, we approached this as an opportunity to convey the pillars of diversity and newness that contribute to Naya’s foundation. Naya sees itself as a brand that is constantly evolving, growing, and adapting to the world while creating agency for a diverse set of people. The colors presented in the branding will represent its current identity: an identity that is open to the forces of change.

Naya sees itself as a brand that is constantly evolving, growing, and adapting that creates agency for a diverse set of people.

Our new website is designed to showcase this new identity. Mia, along with Rebecca Oesterling and our development team, brought this to life.

One of the biggest changes you will notice is how the onboarding flow has been incorporated into our homepage. Mia’s bold decision to make this change was to reduce the friction of submitting an idea and getting started — a critical problem that we had found based on user feedback. People were often nervous about clicking on the “Get Started” button, irrespective of how simple the onboarding process was. Now, we have seen a 20% increase in user-submitted ideas through our homepage!

Mia also managed to balance the fine line between being a design & fabrication studio and technology platform. She says:

Naya’s identity is somewhere between a design company, and a tech startup. When designing the website, we wanted to reflect that hybrid identity by integrating technology aesthetics and interactions with a design sensitivity. We introduced a playful element to the landing page to engage our users and have them interact in a fun and light way!”

Discovering our new identity has been an exciting and enlightening journey. In the end, we had an incredible team of 10 people working hard and collaborating to bring this amazing vision and experience to life. If you need intros to Mia or Ajay, please reach out. Remember to stay bold and experimental. We hope you enjoy our new experience!