Meet Bhoomi Mistry | Visual Designer
We had the good fortune of connecting with Bhoomi Mistry and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Bhoomi, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I have been drawing since I was four years old, and all my life, I have felt like I am meant to do something creative. I did not necessarily plan to become a graphic designer but it makes sense that I am here now.
I enjoy the act of creating, and I am naturally curious. This is why I have taken my career as an opportunity to explore many of my interests. After trying my hand at fashion, film-making, advertising, writing, and visual design, I know now that I enjoy world-building regardless of medium.
Like many designers, I have always been obsessed with turning my imagination into tangible objects, images, and experiences, which is why graphic design makes sense to me.
It is the perfect playground to channel all my diverse interests and practices. As a former communications professional, graphic design is a good challenge because not only do I owe it to my audience to communicate precisely, but I also need to make sure that my message is visually engaging. This keeps me on my toes and pushes me to do better each day.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I currently work as a web designer with Fastspot, an award-winning design studio based in Baltimore. As a web designer, I get to put my world-building skills to use. I work with the design and strategy team to build modular design systems for our clients. To me, my job feels like solving a puzzle. We focus on creating cohesive and engaging digital brand experiences for our clients.
I am very grateful I get to do this, especially because it has been a wild ride. Because I wanted to professionally explore my interests so that I could actually discover what I liked before spending years building a consolidated practice, I started interning while I was an undergrad. Based on the positions I was interested in, I would up-skill in the downtime between these jobs.
In those three years as an undergrad student, I held two internships, and two freelance jobs and I got a diploma in fashion. After graduating, I got a postgraduate diploma in journalism and filmmaking. This is when my interest in design started to take form. Two years and two jobs later, I decided to move from India to the USA to pursue my Master’s in Graphic Design at MICA. It wasn’t an easy journey. It has been stressful to constantly push myself out of my comfort zone to learn new skills, to move to another country, but it has helped me realize my adaptability.
And I am proud of my ability to be a self-starter. It took a lot of courage to constantly put myself in a position where I’m most likely to fail, but it has helped me learn. I now go by the motto of failing fast and iterating faster. This point in my life is a culmination of all my past experiences. All the jobs I’ve ever held have taught me valuable skills and lessons, and I feel like they are reflected in my personal and professional practice now.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I just moved to New York a month ago, and have come to realize what people mean when they say that there is never a dull day in this city. Well, I would take them to all the tourist traps for sure (it’s the rite of passage, in my opinion).
Then I would take them to some of my favorite spots in the city. MoMa on a Friday, so that we can attend a Drop-in drawing session (for free!). Henrietta Hudson for on Saturday so that we can dance our hearts out. Bibliotheque NYC if we’re working from home on Monday and then Angel in Jackson Heights for delicious Indian food.
And how can I let my friend leave NYC without thrifting? I would take them to Other People’s Clothes in Bushwick for fun accessories, and L-Train Vintage in East Village for cute clothing finds.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am blessed to have very supportive parents and grandparents who have encouraged me to pursue my dreams and have done everything in their control to support my efforts. I moved here from India three years ago, and even though we are not on the same continent anymore, they make sure I feel loved and are there to give me a boost when I am having a bad day.
As far as my graphic design career goes, I have to thank my former faculty Suresh Venkat, and his friend Rajesh Dahiya. A year after graduating from Sophia Polytechnic in Mumbai, I reached out to my teacher for advice on how to pursue graphic design. He was so kind and helpful, he recommended a few colleges to look into for my Master’s and connected me with his friend.
Looking back, I cannot believe that Rajesh Dahiya gave me the time of day. He is one of the most prominent design voices in India, many designers that I look up to now have worked with him at some point in his studio Codesign. When I approached him, I barely had a portfolio to begin with, and it was pretty obvious that I had never formally explored design before. But he was so kind, he gave me honest advice that pushed me to lean into my strengths as a communicator. He also strongly recommended that I go to MICA if I want to study graphic design. This advice changed my creative practice, and I cannot thank him enough for his time and invaluable advice.
Website: https://www.bhoomimistry.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhoomi-mistry-3a31a41b2/
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