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Tag: The Minimalist

  • The Minimalist to go global; invest in in-house video production capacity

    The Minimalist to go global; invest in in-house video production capacity

    MUMBAI: Started a little more than four years ago as a Facebook page, The Minimalist today is one of the most sought-after digital agencies within the country working with brands like Google, Coca Cola, Saint Gobain, HDFC, Kotak Mahindra, etc., and now the founders are planning to embark on a global expedition. Co-founder Sahil Vaidya in a telephonic conversation with Indiantelevision.com revealed that the creative solutions company is already working with a number of start-ups based in New Zealand, Australia, and Singapore, amongst others, and is willing to expand its footprints across the globe.

    Talking about how the global industry is more evolved when it comes to advertising and marketing, Vaidya said that though the Indian brands are quite similar to foreign ones when it comes to a hard-core focus on customer experience, the latter subjects are much advanced when it comes to technology. “The approach essentially differs depending upon the size and nature of the brand and not because of geography. Working with hi-tech startup industries abroad, we have noticed that they have a very similar approach as Indian startups. It’s just that they are pretty much new-age and their usage of technology is very advanced.”

    The Minimalist is also looking forward to investing more in its in-house video production capacities to capitalise onto the surging trend of video advertising. Vaidya believes that even when some brands do not have enough money to create large-scale TV campaigns, they are willing to spend on tactical video efforts that give them the required reach.

    He said, “Transition into videos was a big trend in 2019. People realise that videos are the next big thing and that too not high-budget, large-scale productions but snackable content that can be rolled out on a day-to-day basis. That’s where we have our own propriety called ‘Mideos’, short form for Minimalist Videos. We have our own in-house production arm that helps the brands in creating short videos to generate engagement and virality.”

    Vaidya is of the view that another big thing that is going to rule the roost in the coming times is geofencing that will help the brands to deliver targetted ads based on the consumer’s location. This is going to especially help those brands who have an offline retail presence.

    He was also excited about the creative opportunities the rise of audio-based apps is going to serve the marketing and advertising community. He said that the skills required to create good voice spots are going to be the same as creating good radio ads.

    Vaidya concluded, “I think a lot of creative strengths needed to create good ads are going to remain the same but the mediums are going to evolve.” 

  • The Minimalist wins social media duties for Sudarshan Chemicals

    The Minimalist wins social media duties for Sudarshan Chemicals

    MUMBAI: The Minimalist, a design and digital company, has been awarded the social media mandate for Sudarshan Chemicals Industries, a colour and effect pigment manufacturer with experience of over 60 years, post a multi-agency pitch. The Minimalist will create and implement innovative social media campaigns targeted at driving employee engagement, strengthening brand presence while aiming to attract fresh talent.

    The Minimalist will play a pivotal role in effectively using the company’s social media presence to help establish Sudarshan Chemicals as a digital focussed brand.

    Speaking on the win, The Minimalist co-founder Sahil Vaidya said, “Considered as an innovator and responsible for driving growth within the sector, Sudarshan Chemicals is one of India’s largest pigments manufacturer and fourth largest in the world. It is an honour for us to be associated with Sudarshan Chemicals as their social media partner. We will leverage the company’s social media presence to consolidate its position as a market leader while percolating its business and communications goals to various stakeholders and employees. We look forward to adding significant value to the company’s communication objectives and building a strong foundation for a long association.”

    Sudarshan Chemicals innovative and vibrant work culture, values, vision, mission and goals will be highlighted through clutter breaking digital strategy to strengthen its digital presence in India and globally.

    Sudarshan Chemicals Industries deputy general manager human resource Ranjeet Singh said, “We are excited to engage with The Minimalist as our social media partner. The strategy, energy and enthusiasm they bring on board is highly admired and unique. Social media is an important part of our overall communication strategy, and a means to engage with our existing employees, connect with stakeholders, and attract new talent. The Minimalist will hence play an important part by amplifying our reach and simultaneously help us communicate effectively. We are confident that their expertise and novel approach will add value to our business and look forward to working with them.”

    Recognized for their thought-provoking communication, ‘The Minimalist’ has been aiding brands across India enhance their social and digital presence through innovative and unique techniques.

  • The Minimalist strengthens leadership team

    The Minimalist strengthens leadership team

    MUMBAI: The Minimalist, one of the fast-growing design and digital companies, has boosted it leadership team with the appointment of head of interaction design Rohan Saraf, lead, user interface Amit Rajapurka. The appointments also come at a time when the company is looking to expand its presence globally and become an organisation recognised for its domain-specific expertise and thought leadership. 

    Speaking on the appointments, The Minimalist co-founder Sahil Vaidya said, “We are excited and welcome both Rohan and Amit to The Minimalist. Over the past year, The Minimalist has successfully acquired a wide range of clients across the globe for all three business units. With an increasing level of digitalisation and product focus in the Indian business ecosystem, there is an immediate need for high quality and experienced product design services. Both Rohan and Amit bring very rich sector-specific experience and this will definitely amplify our ability to deliver intelligent products that provide seamless and unique experiences.”

    “Most importantly Rohan and Amit share our vision of delivering sterling quality digital products and experiences. In a bid to become the most sought-after player in this space and with the addition of Rohan and Amit, we are sure we are on the right path,” he added.

    Speaking on his new role, head of interaction design Saraf said, “I am excited on my new role and to be a part of a team that is diverse and dynamic. The company has a unique energy and the environment is conducive for design thinking to grow on a larger level. We are focused on strengthening our foothold for interaction design services and will continue to invest our energies here. I am excited on this new journey and look forward to solving problems strategically with simple design solutions.”

    Rajapurkar added, “The Minimalist is a young organisation overflowing with creativity and fresh ideas. The culture is encouraging and allows one to be vocal about their thoughts and ideas which makes it easy for teams to work with a central objective thus achieving stellar success. The UI/UX domain has been growing rapidly with brands learning the importance of product usability. I look forward to delving deeper into this market, contributing towards the growth of the organisation and working towards achieving our larger goals.”

    Saraf who will overlook the interaction design business unit will also lead user experience projects within the SBU. He is a certified usability analyst and a graduate in product design from MIT Institute of Design, Pune. He has worked extensively on user experience assignments for HDFC Bank, Future Group, Standard Bank (South Africa), and Sunlife Insurance, Philippines.

    Rajapurkar, on the other hand, brings over 18 years of experience to The Minimalist. Going forward, he will lead the operations and design for UI. In his previous roles, he was responsible for designing UI for leading companies like Axis Bank, Maruti, Hungama, IRCTC and Microsoft. Prior to joining The Minimalist, Rajapurkar was associated with Fractal Ink. 

  • Understanding the design industry in India

    Understanding the design industry in India

    MUMBAI: Often, brands have less than a second to make a first impression. Even the best campaign will only get noticed if it’s able to stand out in the first few seconds. A good design helps a brand differentiate itself from all the noise of competing messages.

    Design can make or break a brand’s strategy. Clients often expect design teams to be able to interpret their brand’s strategy but don’t really believe that designs are capable of creating a staggering effect. Maybe that’s why they hold back from investing on a great design team.

    Design is to business what evolution is to nature: it helps companies to change and survive. With digital revolution, shorter attention span of the audience and shortening life cycles, brands need to break through with increased dimension and vitality.

    However, technology, consulting and financial companies are taking note of design and acquiring design agencies at an unprecedented rate. Albeit design being huge in the western world, it has only started to catch up in the world’s fastest growing economy, India. Back here, clients are now opening up to have a conversation about design, its importance for the brand and how it can help them in connecting with Gen Z. One such design and digital agency in India that’s helping shape up the design industry is, The Minimalist. Founded in 2015 and run by two alumni from IIT Bombay, the agency has worked for Coca-Cola, Minute Maid drink, Flyrobe, ICICI, Airtel, Xiaomi among others.

    Contrary to how most business for advertising or media agencies comes from retainer clients, design agencies can only work on project basis. Once the agency has created a design for a brand, it tends to work/maintain it in-house thereafter.

    But what are the key things to look at while rebranding or creating a design across all mediums – UI/UX, web interfaces, products, etc.? The Minimalist co-founder Chirag Gander lists down his key pointers:

    •    Brands need to have design guidelines as per recent trend. They have to keep up with the changing trend.

    •    The logo/design should be scalable. The design and logo should be made in such a way that it fits into a mobile screen as well as a desktop screen without pixelating or give different user experience.

    •    Identity should appeal to target audience. The revamped brand identity should resonate with the brand’s core target audience.

    •    Brands should be very consistent. They need to regularly monitor the design and change it if and when required.

    Gander says, “It was difficult earlier but clients have now started to appreciate design. Though design was considered a first world thing, its everywhere you see now.”

    Brands should not underestimate the value of a good design for their business and promotion as good design is not optional but critical for success. Whether a viewer is looking at a brochure, website, graphic or the full brand identity, if the design is not professional, a brand may loose the reputation that it has worked so hard to build.