At JD Institute of Fashion Technology, true learning is not confined to the classroom, assignments, or software usage. It is truly derived from real-life conversations, which help young designers understand the concepts of think-impact, how creativity merges with discipline, and how personal stories lead to professional success.
JD had the privilege to host four industry experts this week whose professional journeys were a perfect mix of technology, interiors, architecture, branding, travel, and culture. It is an understatement to say that their experiences only informed the audience; in fact, they transformed them. For a group of students, this experience has been a milestone in their vision of the future.
1. Prajwal Kashyap: Designing Experiences, Not Screens
The day’s first speaker, Prajwal Kashyap, Senior UX Designer at Samsung Electronics, was able to establish a connection with the audience almost immediately. Moreover, with only three years of experience under his belt, Prajwal is already the face of the next-generation designer – adaptive, empathetic, and forever inquisitive who is able to make a difference in sectors like aviation, technology, and healthcare with his contributions.
What the students found attractive in him was his modesty and lucidity. He broke down the mystery around UX design by presenting it as not just wireframes or user-friendly interfaces – rather, it involves understanding the user’s mindset, behaviour, and interaction. He talked a lot about inventing such experiences that users may not be aware of, but still, they inherently trust them.
He took them through user research, design journey, partnership with engineers, and user testing importance in the form of an easy-to-understand exemplification of the way to tread a path in the UX world that is booming rapidly. His most significant teachings, however, were of the easiest yet most powerful type: “Good design disappears. Great design feels natural.”
This interaction was like an open gate to students at JD dreaming of a techno-driven design career.
2. Jagadish & Sowmya: When Vision Meets Execution
The follow-up session was the power couple – Jagadish, Sr. Project Lead (Civil & Interiors), and Sowmya Srinivasan, Senior Architect at YV Architects – representing the entire cycle of design: from conceptual imagination to on-site execution.
Jagadish: The Ground Reality of Getting Things Done
With his experience of 17 years in various metro rail projects, corporate offices, institutions, and residential interiors, Jagadish came with the field’s unvarnished realities. He discussed topics such as timelines, material limitations, labour coordination, site issues, and decision-making under pressure with the students.
His message was absolutely understandable for the students: One design can be considered valuable only when it is carried out properly. His accounts of the actual challenges in problem-solving were an eye-opener for the students in terms of accuracy, self-control, and the necessary spirit of collaboration among the team members.
Sowmya Srinivasan: Designing With Purpose and Sensitivity
Sowmya supported Jagadish’s practical knowledge with her design philosophy, which was based on the concepts of sustainability and human-centred thinking. Being a detail-oriented architect who has been involved in institutional, residential, sports, and master-planning projects, she impressed upon students that excellent design is a result of intention first.
The point she made that most strongly resonated was: “A space fails the moment it forgets the people it serves”.
Together, Jagadish and Sowmya helped students see the full journey of a project — from creative vision to real-world impact.
3. Samrat Som: The Curious Traveller Who Turns Life Into Design
The last conferee, Samrat Som – a name associated mostly with the label “curious traveller” – changed the entire audience’s vibe with his storytelling approach. Despite his formal training in economics and design, Samrat has been involved with textile mills, craftsmen in Sikkim, global brands, and even the establishment of the apparel business for the world’s oldest continuously running motorcycle company.
However, it was not his professional portfolio but his perspective on life that enthralled the students. Among many other things, he was talking about his bike trip across the Himalayas while recording the craft heritage of the region, learning from the weavers, creating brand identities, leading creative teams, and taking inspiration from those places no one cares to look at.
His point was that: Creativity flourishes when the person grows. Design gets richer when life gets richer. He urged students never to lose their curiosity, to delve deeply in their exploration, and to be respectful towards the subtleties of culture, craft, and people, for it is there that the most original ideas are born.
What Students Took Back: Lessons That Stay
There were four very different speakers whose talk was linked by one theme: Design is not a single skill — it is a way of thinking, observing, and responding.
Prajwal gave them empathy and effortlessness.
Jagadish gave them discipline and execution.
Sowmya gave them purpose and sensitivity.
Samrat gave them curiosity and cultural awareness.
For JD students, these sessions weren’t merely talks; they were the future glimpses they were working towards. They were going out of the room, stirred, more perceptive, and more self-assured, hence capable of not only successful careers but also meaningful creative journeys.
