Kimya Gandhi is a type designer whose journey began with a love for calligraphy and lettering during design school. From her graduation project to an internship at Linotype in Germany, she realised drawing letters daily was her calling. Now based in Berlin, Kimya’s practice is rooted in honesty, independence, and South Asian design philosophies, celebrating identity, culture, and authenticity.
Can you tell us a little about your first few steps in your career. Was there a moment or experience when you realised this was what you'd do as a career?
Early on in design school I was interested in calligraphy and lettering. I enjoyed the typographic assignments more than any other, but it was only later that I learnt about the world of type design. I worked on a typeface for my graduation project and the more I learnt about letterforms, the more I loved it. It was when I was doing my internship at Linotype in a small town in Germany, that I went to work every day, drew letters and felt happy doing the same thing every day — that's when I realised this is what I wanted to do!
What lessons from your career have most shaped your style and approach?
When I was in my undergraduate design program, the design syllabus was focused on western design principles. Growing up in the 90s I was also heavily influenced by American TV shows and music, and the idea of what being an Indian designer meant had not crossed my mind. It was only during my Masters that I met Prof. Kirti Trivedi, who opened my eyes and mind to South Asian design philosophies. It was such an incredible experience and I finally started looking inwards and thinking about my design identity. This experience has most shaped me and I still carry the lessons I learnt from the several conversations I had with Prof. Trivedi. I don't mean that I only appreciate the lessons from Asian design, but this gave me a holistic outlook and not outweigh one philosophy over the other.
Tell us about the core values or philosophies that guide your creative practice.
From an early age, my father encouraged me to be independent, honest and an explorer. I am extremely grateful that I was also encouraged to do the things that I believed were good for me and take responsibility for my choices. Fifteen years ago I only knew I wanted to try typeface design, I was honest in my pursuit and worked towards learning more — those two values I still uphold dearly.
What needs to change, so emerging and under-represented creative professionals have more opportunity, are seen and heard?
I believe it is not only the external circumstances that need to shift but also internal dialogue with creatives. I truly believe in the beauty of Indian letterforms, I draw them and I want to share them with the world. It is also upon creatives to understand their role in celebrating identities that may be overshadowed and appropriated. I think support for such creatives can take various forms — working with them not only for projects that involve their cultural input, educating oneself about other philosophies of design, sharing the work of someone, financially supporting design education, or just silently listening to what others have to say, there's a lot to do!
How important is it that creative professionals find their unique voice?
In a world with Pinterest images, trending audios and thoughts generated by large language models, it is increasingly difficult to search for individuality. But we are all made up of the choices we make. At every step, there is an internal world in all of us, and every now and then it is important to listen to that world rather than what we see on the outside. The music we hum, the flavours we savour, the colours we prefer, all these make up our unique identity and it is only when we understand ourselves first, can we understand the world outside of us. Design practice is born out of lived experience and context, and without the understanding of these, one would not be able to create meaningful work.
Looking ahead, what do you think are the key factors that will influence change for creative professionals?
In a world filled with so many voices, I believe authentic experiences are here to stay and make a difference. It is important to celebrate diversity and collaborate with people from various backgrounds, learn from each other and create a plural visual landscape. Participating in design education dialogues, assuming roles that can drive change in the industry and encourage representation, helps shape a more inclusive design community.
How much does your city influence your work?
Immensely! The visual landscape of India has had a huge influence on my design choices. Mumbai is a city of chaos, colour, lines and sounds. I feel my interest in drawing bold, display typefaces has a direct connection to street lettering and signs from not just Mumbai but all over India. But now I live in Berlin, and being here has also had a great influence, meeting people from various parts of the world is enriching! I share experiences, learn about different visual cultures, visit museums and some new shapes find their way into my typefaces.
How much does your culture influence your work?
I grew up in a Marathi household where my father listened to a variety of Marathi and Hindi songs. My mother was a teacher and I would go watch many local plays with her — these were profound early influences. But then being in an English language school and college meant I slowly started losing touch with my native language. The colonial hangover is real — being proficient in English seemed more important and relevant, so my teenage years were filled with watching American sitcoms and listening to British music bands. It was only several years later, when trying to understand my identity, that I went back to the early influences. I took a course on Indian Aesthetics to learn more about South Asian art and architecture. Travelling within India also exposed me to the rich visual landscape of India and this is a huge inspiration. So of course my culture influences my work, but as you see it's not very straightforward — there are global influences as well, a multitude of experiences living in harmony inside my brain.
Tell us some of your favourite, creative professionals and inspiring places in your city!
Uff, that's a difficult task to name a few, but I'll try. Starting with interesting places in Mumbai, I loved living in a city next to a water body (I miss that dearly), so I like various spots around the city where you can turn your back to the chaos of Mumbai and stare at the deep ocean. And once you’ve had a moment of peace and quiet, you should be ready to dive into the chaos of the city! I love the street vegetable market in the neighbourhood I grew up in (Vile Parle), walking around the quiet lanes in Bandra, Dadar flower market, Khotachiwadi, Bhau Daji Lad Museum… there are so many!
There are also so many visual artists and designers whose work inspires and excites me: Studio Bigfat, Tara Books (not from Mumbai but I love their work), Shivani Parasnis, Lipi Raval, Locopopo Studio…
There are also so many visual artists and designers whose work inspires and excites me: Studio Bigfat, Tara Books (not from Mumbai but I love their work), Shivani Parasnis, Lipi Raval, Locopopo Studio…
What should emerging creative professionals keep in mind as they begin their design career?
It can feel overwhelming to start and know what you want to do, how you find your unique voice. My biggest learnings from being a typeface designer are to be patient, honest and kind to myself from time to time. These values, I feel, extend to life itself. I think it's easy to get caught up in the small things, so it's good to remind ourselves to keep seeking the things that excite us and keep working towards them.