Interview with Nalisha Chouraria
Nalisha Chouraria is a multidisciplinary designer and illustrator who specialises in play & design for children.
Interview about The Curious Gastronaut Interactive Game Design Interview
Designer Interview
18 February 2021
Ever since I can remember, I've loved drawing and making things. I knew pretty early on that I wanted to pursue design. I studied visual communication design at Srishti School of Design in Bangalore, India. Soon after I joined, a lab called Interactive Toy Design was introduced. YAY! It was supposed to be a side project but I loved it so much that by the time I finished design school, I had spent more time as a toy designer than as a graphic designer. I enjoyed making objects which led me to pursue a Masters in Designed Objects at School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the United States. When I realised I was directing all my briefs towards play and children, I decided to pursue another Masters in Child Culture Design at HDK in Gothenburg, Sweden. Professionally, I've had the opportunity to work with some of the best agencies and design studios around the world. I'm grateful for having had the privilege to go wherever my curiosity led me.
Studio Oddball is a one woman creative practise specialising in play and design for children based on the Gold Coast, Australia. I create unorthodox tools and experiences to stimulate and empower children, and encourage them to step out of their comfort zone through play. Studio Oddball is my playground!
My work includes but is not limited to illustration, play design, graphic design, digital and physical toys & games design.
Characters for an online game.
I let the project define the medium. It could be anything from digital illustrations to working with materials like wood, hair, tea bags or taxidermy. Whatever the medium, I try to insert the odd and unexpected.
I'm a morning person.
Research. I'm a very curious person and love learning. I also spend a lot of time making and refining because I enjoy it but more importantly because I was born with the curse of perfectionism.
Playful and often uncomfortable.
It's always exciting to see a design go from a sketch to a finished product. I feel proud.
It should embody and inspire creativity, playfulness, empathy, goodness and guts.
Does it challenge perceptions? Does it stimulate the imagination? Does it inspire playfulness?
Be a good human being, designer or not.
I'm interested in what children do when no one's watching. I stay inspired by constantly learning and taking in as many new experiences as possible, outside of design.
During my early education, all my designs were termed as ‘cute’. This led me to question the very attribute and break out of it through experimentation with the unconventional. A recurring theme in her work is the uncanny. My work is a push and pull between the cute and not cute.
Although I currently live on the Gold Coast, Australia, I've grown up in India and lived in the United States, Sweden, Italy, and the Netherlands. I've travelled a fair bit and have had unique life experiences, including being a Bollywood child actor and marrying a tree. All my experiences influence me in some way or the other, irrespective of where I live.
1. Work with people that share the same core values as you but constantly challenge you.
2. Trust them.
3. Pay them.
2. Trust them.
3. Pay them.
Don't be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. Try to take in as many new experiences as possible, outside of design. Don't be a dick.
It's better to be odd than boring.
Curiosity, empathy, playfulness and guts
I repeatedly tell myself "It doesn't need to be perfect, it needs to be tomorrow!"
You're a children's designer, why don't you have children?
After working at an ad agency, I was sure I never wanted to go back to doing advertising. It is not only important to figure out what you like to do but also what you don't like to do.
The ones that give me full freedom within tight parameters and the ones where I learn something new.
Website: https://curiousgastronaut.com/
Instagram: @curiousgastronaut
Email: nalisha@curiousgastronaut.com
Instagram: @curiousgastronaut
Email: nalisha@curiousgastronaut.com