Design'ed for success

At 28, he possesses a body of work that reflects a range of awe-inspiring projects and applause-worthy accomplishments. Meet architect and design strategist Raja Arjun, who’s now added another feather to his creative cap by bagging an opportunity to design the stores for cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s new lifestyle brand.

Talking about the project, the design entrepreneur says, “Architect AdishPatni and I are working on it together. We came up with a unique concept,which will immediately tell the customers which shoe is the most popular and also give feedback to the company. Based on the number of times a particular model is sold, there will be an LED light display platform which will change colour.”

Some of Arjun’s other notable projects include expanding a popular restaurant’s iconic white and marker interiors,doing production design for a popular TV channel’s mini-series and creating a new exhibition format for a company in Spain.

As someone who’s driven by design, Arjun has been putting his talent to use for the last ten years. When graduating from RV College, his thesis was chosen by the Council of Architecture among the top 50 in India. Post this, he worked in Tokyo, Melbourne and Ahmedabad for some top architects in the world.

“Later, I went to Mumbai and joined a company that works on restaurant and hospitality design. Coming from a real estate family, I am sensitive to the process of business and don’t make my clients spend unnecessary amounts of money,” he says. His love for design propelled him towards a Masters in Design Thinking.

“I did the course in Barcelona, where I worked on a project for the world’s largest producer of natural food colouring, which went on to do a turnover of more than 50 million Euros,” reveals Arjun, who graduated at the top of his class.

After moving back to the ooru, he set up his own firm called OCD (Office of Cognitive Design). “We take a research-based and human-centred approach. If you want a house, we will study your habits and aspirations and do a design based on that.In fact, we worked on a high-end apartment which caters to seniors. We re-invented the kitchen, toilet and beds so that they’d work for aged people.”

This design buff is also a fervent food connoisseur.  His passion for food drove him towards starting a go-to-market strategy firm called ‘Hunger Management’ with his friend Vaibhav. “We fund food entrepreneurs and give them a platform to pursue their dreams,” he says.

With three companies under his belt, how does this busy youngster keep himself motivated? “I enjoy problem solving. I like interacting with people; design pushes me forward. I want to enrich a billion lives through design,” he signs off.