Anush Malik.

Long before I knew what branding meant, I was already drawn to brands. I still remember being in Class 10 when I sketched RAY-BAN typography on a newly painted classroom desk. My teacher was not impressed. I was punished for it. At the time, I had no idea why I was so fascinated by a word, its letters, its shape, and the way it looked. I certainly had no idea that this small act of rebellion was an early glimpse of the career I would eventually build.

In 1994, my maternal grandmother gifted me a computer. For me, it opened an entirely new world. Colours. Graphics. Typography. Visuals. I did not really understand what I was looking at or where it would take me, but I knew I wanted to keep creating things on that screen. Something about the world of graphics felt instinctively right. A few years later, like many of my friends, I joined an MCA programme. Everyone around me seemed interested in coding. I tried to be interested too.

But while my classmates were busy writing code, my mind was somewhere else. I was thinking about brands, how they looked, how they were structured, how they communicated and, most importantly, how people perceived them. Eventually, I stopped trying to force myself into a path that didn't feel natural. I made a rather unconventional decision — I left my MCA midway and joined MFA (Master of Fine Arts) to pursue what I was genuinely passionate about: design. While my friends were talking about the booming Indian IT industry, software and coding, my conversations were about design, branding and beautiful packs. I was beginning to realise that this was not simply an interest. This was the world I wanted to build my career in.

Over the years, I had the opportunity to work with and learn from businesses and brands, including IndiaMART and Microsoft, among many others. Every experience added another layer to my understanding of business, communication and design.

I kept learning. I kept experimenting. And I kept carrying the same dream with me.

Working across India, Australia and New Zealand exposed me to different cultures, business environments and ways of thinking. I learned that good design is not simply about aesthetics. It has to understand the business behind the brand and the people it is trying to reach.

In 2003, that belief became the foundation for two ventures: DesignerPeople, created to serve Indian small businesses, and LDNZ Ltd., serving businesses in Australia and New Zealand.

In the early years, one of the biggest challenges in India was convincing businesses that brand development and packaging design were not expenses, but investments.

The market changed. Businesses evolved. And gradually, the value of design became more understood.

In 2014, DPPL Works Pvt. Ltd. was formally registered in India, giving DesignerPeople an even stronger foundation to build from.

From the beginning, my thinking has been simple:

Give Value Proposition

Not just a beautiful logo.
Not just attractive packaging.
Not just creative work.

I have to create something that helps your business sell more. Because when your business grows, we grow with you.

Over the years, DesignerPeople has worked with a wide range of Indian and international brands, including businesses across food, FMCG, health, cosmetics and other consumer categories. The agency has grown, the team has grown, and the scale of the work has grown.

But the fundamental question I ask has remained the same: Will this design help the brand win in the real world? That question continues to shape how I look at branding, packaging and communication. And perhaps that is the connection between that school desk in Class 10 and where I am today.

I did not know then that I was discovering branding. I only knew that I wanted to make things that people would notice. Today, after decades of working with businesses and brands, I know exactly why.

Looking back, the line connecting that defaced Class 10 school desk to the agency I run today is perfectly clear. I didn't know back then that I was discovering branding; I only knew that I wanted to create things that people could not look away from. Today, after decades of building brands, I finally know exactly why.