Manasa Krishnan is a brand and visual designer whose work blends strategic thinking with playful storytelling. Beginning her career at a branding agency in India, Manasa quickly found herself immersed in the full creative process — from discovery and strategy through to building complete visual systems. After gaining experience across agencies and in-house teams, her practice has evolved toward thoughtful, system-driven design infused with wit and cultural insight. In this interview, Manasa reflects on brand building, developing a personal point of view, and why storytelling and systems remain central to meaningful design.
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?
Right out of my undergraduate studies, I pursued an internship at a branding agency where I had a chance to learn the end-to-end process of branding for different kinds of clients. My mentor was positive and encouraging, and trusted me to interact with the client, one of the largest lifestyle brands in India. Being the lead designer on the project, the learning was immense—from designing robust visual systems to thinking strategically, and handling and processing feedback. I discovered that I was excited about every part of the creative process: from the non-design parts involving discovery, strategy, and concept deck to the design explorations, iterations, and refinements.
In my subsequent roles at startups, I learned the bearings of working in an in-house team and building a brand from the ground up. A common thread across these contrasting experiences was the idea of brand building and creative storytelling. I knew I was headed on the right path, as no matter the context I was designing for, I deeply enjoyed problem-solving and creating visual systems.
What lessons from your career have most shaped your style and approach?
Gaining experience in both in-house design teams and agencies helped me understand the strengths and challenges of both worlds, while raising a question—what kind of designer do I want to be? A generalist or a specialist? Through inquiry and exploration in my graduate studies, I discovered that I enjoyed creating work with a lens of wit and humor, be it something specific, such as an embroidery-inspired typeface or something broader like a magazine cover. Unearthing this process felt liberating as I no longer felt the need to be in a box, I could apply this to any project I worked on.
I believe that as a designer progresses in their career, their style evolves based on influences, trends, and culture. What truly distinguishes their work is their point of view and approach—a learning I had from my exploration during graduate studies and by following the work done by inspiring designers.
Tell us about the core values or philosophies that guide your creative practice.
At the core of my creative practice is a simple belief that design should be made for people. I start every project by understanding the cultural context of who it’s for and what it needs to do, and I let that purpose inform my visual decisions. I’m drawn to simplifying complexity—turning dense information or abstract ideas into simple visuals that feel engaging and memorable.
I apply that same mindset to how I think about systems and structure. I’m inspired by Matthew Carter’s idea that “type is a beautiful group of letters, not a group of beautiful letters,” which emphasizes the importance of relationships over individual elements. Rather than designing in isolation, I enjoy building flexible, thoughtful systems that work together as a whole. By drawing from foundational visual elements like shapes, lines, symmetry, and typography, I create visual systems that are both functional and expressive.
What needs to change, so emerging and under-represented creative professionals have more opportunity, are seen and heard?
I think the credibility of designers in current times leans heavily on recognition. Most respected designers in the industry, whose work I look up to, are recipients of esteemed awards and are endorsed by established publications. These publications and design awards often have a high entry fee for submissions, which is a barrier for most students and emerging creatives. Events and conferences are ticketed at high costs too, which filters out many talented but financially constrained designers. These coveted awards, publications, and events should be free or have low costs for entry to open up opportunities to a wider audience of under-represented designers.
How important is it that creative professionals find their unique voice?
I think having a voice and point of view in your work is essential to stand out and make an impact in a space saturated with generic, trend-driven design. Finding your voice isn't just about developing a specific visual style—it's also about discovering your approach to each project. Do you draw inspiration from the stories of people around you? Do you nerd out and dig into a brand's history to find interesting hooks? I personally enjoy a systematic approach that varies from making extensive mind maps to noting "feeling" keywords to guide my visual exploration. I don’t think a designer’s voice can be constant—it evolves over time with contexts, processes, and explorations as you grow in your career.
Looking ahead, what do you think are the key factors that will influence change for creative professionals?
Learning to work with AI will likely be one of the major changes for designers moving forward. While it's important to stay authentic and true to the context of the work, knowing how to leverage AI tools can make the design process smarter and more efficient. Design will continue to be an influential business driver as brands scale their efforts to differentiate from competitors. More designers will adopt a "T-shaped" approach as the need grows for highly specific roles within design. As collaborative tools and software evolve to make design processes more efficient, the emotional impact of design—drawing from history, culture, and shared experiences—will still hold value and shape our society.
How much does your city influence your work?
I draw inspiration from my daily life, so my city plays an important role in my creative process. Every city I've lived in has influenced my work in different ways—from the quiet charm of Baltimore to the bustling streets of New York. Museums, parks, galleries, architecture, theater, even the subway system—NYC is teeming with inspiration. It's also home to a vibrant creative community that hosts talks, events, and workshops I routinely attend. While my surroundings feed into my work, I also draw inspiration from lived experiences, personal anecdotes, and creatives from around the world.
How much does your culture influence your work?
Growing up in India shaped my design approach as I was exposed to complex linguistic and cultural systems from a young age. This taught me the nuances of designing for diverse audiences and showed me that design must be both functional and compelling. Emotion and function work hand in hand, one fails without the other. I also learned to find common patterns—even the most diverse audiences in India share threads that connect them. This has shaped my design approach as I break down complex information systems by finding storytelling elements that can be woven together in novel ways through language, typography, and visuals.
Tell us some of your favourite, creative professionals and inspiring places in your city!
I'm drawn to work that tells a compelling story through wit. Artists and designers like Christoph Niemann, Malika Favre, Matt Willey, and Chantal Jahchan inspire me—their work often has more to it than meets the eye. I'm also inspired by Zuzana Rogatty, who uses expressive typography that pushes the boundaries of legibility, and Ellen Lupton, who breaks down and explains typography in creative ways. A few of my favorite spots in the city:
Poster House,
The Met, and
the American Museum of Natural History—I always find gems there. An unusual one is
Goods for the Study, a quaint stationery store with beautiful creative and writing supplies.
What should emerging creative professionals keep in mind as they begin their design career?
Don't hold yourself back. Whether it's exploring a visual style, going down a research rabbit hole, reaching out to your favorite designer, or posting on social media—you'll never know what could happen until you try. Stay curious, inspiration can spark from anywhere, whether you're learning about the world or experimenting with a new tool, technique, or medium. Not everything needs to be your best work— some projects are simply lessons that sharpen your skills.
