Paul Sandip is a renowned industrial designer whose work has captivated the design world. He is listed among the Top 30 Global designers. With an eye for detail and a passion for innovation, Paul has established himself as a force to be reckoned with in industrial design.

Born in Kolkata in 1979 and brought up in Bhubaneshwar, Paul grew up fascinated with all things design. After completing his studies in Electrical Engineering at Nagpur University, he pursued his post-graduation in Product design at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad. It was during his time at the institute that he discovered his passion for appliances design, and he went on to hone his skills further by interning with Whirlpool, where he created the iconic “Utility Drawer,” a unique design feature in refrigerators which has been adapted by almost all brands in the appliances trade.

During his final year of post-graduation, the Bulb holder designed by Paul in 2004 for GM Modular is estimated to have sold over 5400 million pieces…and still counting! He went on to design several iconic best-seller electrical products for the same brand, including the Amazon Best Seller Angular Multi-plug.

After completing his studies, Paul began his career as a Product designer with LG Electronics, one of the largest home appliance manufacturers in the world. Here, he developed his skills in designing products that were aesthetically pleasing but also functional and practical. In 2013, Paul decided to start his own Design and Innovation consultancy. Thereafter, he designed for several other companies, including Havells, Orient, Tata Croma, Syska, ITC, GM Modular, Halonix, Polycab, and many more.

Paul won over 34 design awards, including the LiteOn Merit Award from the President of Taiwan, Mr Ma Ying-jeou, in 2010, the Japanese Eyewear Design Opus Award 2006 and 2009, Elle Decor 2011 Young Talent Award, and was a Finalist at the 2009 Index Award, Denmark.

His works and thoughts have been extensively published by major design and business magazines, aired on radio/TV, and exhibited internationally, including the Triennale Museum in Milan, Ambiente Fair in Frankfurt, Red Dot Award Show in Singapore, Avenue of Stars Hong Kong, Lite-On Awards Show in Taiwan, Index Design Exhibition in Denmark, Thailand International Furniture Fair in Bangkok, Design Korea Exhibition, Design Olympiad in Seoul, Alliance Francaise in Delhi and several other exhibitions.

The Disposable Toilet Mug designed by Paul to be used in Indian Railway lavatories has been held in the permanent collections of the Danish Design Museum, Copenhagen, since 2009, as an example of Design to improve life!

His work shines bright for its simplicity and original design “thinking,” as cited by industry experts, which led him to be featured in Forbes Life India Jan’16 editions for Re-imagining Everyday Objects! The same year, K-Mart commissioned him to design lifestyle products for their 191 retail stores in Australia.

In an interview with CIOLOOK INDIA, Paul, the Co-founder and Chief Designer at Paul Studio, spoke candidly of all things design.

Please brief our audience about your firm, its USPs, and how you are currently positioned as one of the best Product Design and Development Companies. 

PAUL STUDIO is a red dot award-winning Global Product and Toy Design studio based in India. We serve our global clients across 20+ Countries: Australia, Canada, India, China, France, Korea, Singapore, UAE, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, UK, Lebanon, Poland, Turkey, USA, Thailand, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, and New Zealand.

We have designed over 1000+ Products and Toys, successfully selling in the Indian/Global market. Our clients include Orient, Havells, Syska, ITC, GM Modular, Halonix, Polycab, KinderJoy, Disney, Kizoo, and many more.

Tell us more about your firm’s offering and what makes it stand out in the cutthroat competition.

With our design expertise, creative engineering, materials and processes know-how, and 18+ years of experience in creating Iconic Best Sellers for MNCs, MSMEs, Startups, and Inventors, we can assure you high-quality design solutions that are cost-efficient and easy to manufacture.

Design Research and Strategy: We look beyond the obvious and immerse ourselves in the context to generate insights and offer unique design solutions to enhance your business goals.

Design Thinking Workshop/Seminar: We offer Design Thinking Workshop to sensitize you towards creating user-centric solutions using empathy and observation as key tools for innovation. We have practiced it since 2005 to deliver a unique solution for over 1000+ projects.

Concept Design/New USP Creation: Genuine needs are often felt but seldom slept. Using observation as a key tool, we identify consumers’ latent needs/pain points through frequent home/market visits and ideation sessions to create innovative products with new USPs.

Product and Toy Design: We help brands differentiate and generate business growth through our unique and innovative Design Thinking methodology. Good design = Good business. Design is the only differentiator when technology is at par. We create Iconic Best Sellers!

Packaging Identity Design/Product Graphics: We help brands create memorable identities through visual storytelling. We create photo-realistic 3D images of your products to create an everlasting impression on your customers through catalogues, brochures, cartons, and other digital/print material.

3D Product Visualisation: We specialize in visualizing high-end 3D product animations for retail videos and Social Media advertisements.

Mechanical Engineering Design: Creativity is integral to the engineering design process. All the details, such as ribs, locks, and fitments required for the internal and external components, are added to the selected design in 3D CAD. Our electrical engineering background is a bonus!

Tooling and Moulding Co-Ordination: A product’s 3F (Fit – Feel – Finish) depends on the quality of the tools and moulds.

New CMF (Colour/Material/Finish): We also introduce new materials and processes to create that WOW! factor, which helps create an everlasting impression on your customers.

Rapid Prototyping/3D Printing: Quick and accurate physical prototypes are built to check the internal and external part fitment and other engineering details before making the tool. It also helps in evaluating scale and ergonomics.

Aesthetic Mock-Up For Exhibitions: Wow your customers at trade shows and exhibitions with high-quality hyper-realistic aesthetic mock-ups. We use traditional and digital techniques to simulate the product’s colour/finish/material/texture.

Batch/Mass Manufacturing Liaison: Our wide network of manufacturing partners will help you find the right vendor to fulfill your low and high-volume production requirements. We can help your “Make in India” dream come true!

As an experienced leader, share your opinion on how adopting modern technologies like AI and ML impacts your niche and how your company adapts to the change.

Here are some of how AI and ML are impacting product design and development:

Speeding up the design process: AI can generate design options based on user inputs or perform simulations to test the performance of different designs.

Improving product quality: ML algorithms can analyze user feedback data to identify areas of the product that need improvement.

Personalizing products: AI algorithms can analyze user data to recommend products or features tailored to the user’s needs.

Enhancing product functionality: ML algorithms can optimize product performance based on user data.

Streamlining manufacturing processes: AI algorithms can analyze production data to identify bottlenecks or inefficiencies in the manufacturing process.

What would you advise budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into your space?

For the aspirant entrepreneurs, here are some pieces of advice:

• Understand your target market.
• Focus on user-centred design.
• Build a strong network.
• Develop a clear go-to-market strategy.
• Be adaptable.
• Seek mentorship and guidance.

Building a successful product design and development venture takes time, dedication, and perseverance. Stay focused on your vision, remain agile, and don’t fear taking risks. Product innovation is no rocket science. If I can do it, so can you!

How do you envision scaling your firm’s operations and offerings?

We believe in expanding our expertise in various product domains. We have already designed 1000+ products and toys in 121 categories for clients across 20 countries. We have established our expertise in Product and Toy design industry. We are now focusing on strengthening our Branding and Packaging design service wing.

Paul Sandip’s Hall of Fame

Winner of the Red Dot Award (twice!) and 34 other International/Indian Design Awards, Paul was honoured by Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi as a Designpreneur in 2005 & President of Taiwan Mr.Ma Ying-jeou in 2010 with a Merit Award at LiteON Award Show in Taiwan. The same year, he was awarded a 100% scholarship by Domus Academy, the home of Italian Design in Milan, and also won the Elle Deco Young Talent Award to exhibit his works at Ambiente Fair in Frankfurt, Germany. In 2003 he received the guidance of Prof. Ezio Manzini, a world-renowned expert on sustainable design from Italy. Paul’s work has been held in the permanent collections of the Danish Design Museum, Copenhagen, since 2009, as an example of Design to improve life! In 2018, Paul was selected to represent Industrial Design at the India-Italy Tech Leadership Roundtable in the August presence of His Excellency Mr Giuseppe Conte, the Prime Minister of Italy, and Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi.

2022

• Paul Sandip was felicitated by MIT ADT University, Pune

2021

• Paul Sandip appointed as Chairperson of Corporate Advisory Board of School of Design (Interior & Product Design), LPU
• Rotary Club of Calcutta invited Paul Sandip as Guest Speaker on their 30-Yrs Celebration of Service to Mankind.
• Conferred with Global Honorary Membership by Della Leaders Club.

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