Hello A Color Bright.

Hello Sarah and Sven!

My name is Bharadwaj Kulkarni, but my friends have called me “Bawa” since I can remember. So please, call me Bawa. I’m very excited to be applying to the Digital Product Designer position at A Color Bright!

Three years ago, I moved to Munich to do my masters in industrial design at TUM after having studied mechanical engineering in India. The course was challenging—especially because the medium of instruction was German that I had to learn quickly—but it was life-changing. I’ve seen myself evolve from a mechanical engineer to an industrial designer to an experience designer to what I can only call a “holistic designer”. Aside from the regular lectures and courses, every semester we were encouraged to work with real world start-ups and companies, on real world problems. During the evaluation of our projects, the question asked was often not what we designed, but why we designed it.

In the last three years, I’ve worked on multiple projects that have been wide-ranging in terms of their deliverables. Each project had its own requirements, and I was encouraged to push past the competencies I came in with. I’ve worked on a film/augmented reality museum installation, the industrial design of a robot arm, an animated product explainer video for a robotics company, the user interface of a web app for an IoT startup and developing a methodology for researching the emotional aspects of sustainability. I’m currently working on the UI/UX design of a podcast app for “power listeners”. I had to learn most of the hard skills required for these projects on the go. But when I look back, I realise that the common thread was that it was always about communication. Design is all about storytelling. I translate this passion for storytelling into clean, intuitive design that clearly illustrates functionality and brand aesthetic.

The author of Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk writes: The job of the creative person is to recognise and express things for others. This is something that I truly believe in and want to do. During the pandemic, I took the time to finally realise a passion of mine—my own documentary-style design podcast called Cognitive Snap. With it, I explore projects that traverse the fields of design, science and philosophy. My goal with the podcast is to give even more meaning to these wonderful projects by talking to wonderful people.
(I see you’ve been getting into the podcast space with ACB Stories. How cool! Another reason I really want to work with you.)

Q&A

What am I hoping to get out of a position at A Color Bright?

I would like to learn from the great designers at A Color Bright, work on the really cool projects you have going and make more friends. I’m also thrilled about ACB Stories and want to continue my podcasting journey with you too. A little more specifically, I’m looking forward to working on multiple, very different projects—something that I wouldn’t be able to do in a product company. You’ve worked with companies that I really like, e.g. Ableton and Spotify, and I’d be delighted if I got to work with names like that.
Also, ever since I’ve moved to Germany, I’ve wanted to live in Berlin. So I’m looking forward to that too.

What’s my favourite digital thing, and why?

Tough! I first wanted to say “my Kindle” but I didn’t know if that’s what you meant by “digital thing”. I’m assuming you mean fully digital things instead. I have three contenders (I’m sorry I couldn’t pick one):
1. Concepts App on my iPad: Has completely changed the way I approach the first part of the design process. It is now where every idea I have starts.
2. Bear: My favourite journalling/writing app. It’s so clean and easy and minimal that it’s sometimes literally the most efficient way for me to think.
3. Notion: You probably know all about this, but it’s another thing that’s changed me fundamentally. I used to not like documentation, but now I look forward to it.

As a bonus, here’s my reading list on Notion.

What’s the one thing I can bring to a group of people?

Analogies.

I know that sounds weird, but hear me out. I’m usually the guy who’s saying “you know what that’s like…” or “you know what that reminds me of…” This could then take on many forms—jokes, questions, openings to discuss more sensitive or important topics—but it’s almost always a new link, a fresh perspective. I collect stories and metaphors, references and anecdotes so I can bring them up to make a point concisely or ask a question more clearly.
I like to think that this also makes me easier to talk to. But you can judge that for yourselves when you talk to me. :)

All of these projects that I’ve loved doing were done in multi-disciplinary teams. I’m a naturally curious person, which I find almost always leads to empathy. I enjoy seeing patterns in other fields and spotting the same ones in my interests. This means that I’m drawn to not only understand other points of view but also to help people voice these points of view. I like being in a culture where everybody looks to succeed together. From going through your website, this is the culture that I expect to find at A Color Bright, and I’m very excited about it.

I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you soon, and hopefully bond over some Spätis (once it’s safe, of course). Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

Best regards,

Bawa Kulkarni