Hello, London

A few weeks ago, Ajith & I packed up our home and left behind the comfort and familiarity of Bengaluru for the wide-eyed newness of London. It's a move we've been planning for over a year, and it marks the next big step in my journey as a designer. In a couple of days, I begin my Master’s in Design for Data Visualisation at University of the Arts, London.

The decision to pursue another Master’s degree took shape after introspecting my work over the past three years at Gramener’s Storylabs team. Storylabs solidified my interests in data storytelling and opened me up to the creative potential of this space. I developed an inkling of my style: richly multi-sensory and rooted in physical space. I am proud of some of the work I have done here & I will carry the learnings with me as I dig further into these veins of possibilities.

UAL’s Design for Data Visualisation program is unique and compelling. They take an unapologetically design-first approach to data visualisation and are wholeheartedly open to experimentation with diverse media & techniques. The print and creative computing labs here are second to none and I can already imagine getting my hands dirty (literally!) with toners & transistors. As someone looking to deepen their practice, I look forward to going back to the rigour & intensity of an academic space.

And, I can’t wait to immerse myself in London’s art & design scene! It’s genuinely exciting and scary to jump into a thriving community of data vis practitioners & creative coders that I’ve admired from a distance and try to carve out a little space for myself. All I know is that there’s ample opportunity for creative work here and for telling the kind of stories I want to tell.

I’ve got all my books & my pen plotter and I am ready to go!