I was born in a typical Indian middle class family nothing fancy about it. Brought up with decent schooling I was never a bright student, in fact I was more interested in sports. Right after schooling was done, Being from a family full of Engineers i was expected to become one and I did (Eventually). My dad being a Civil Engineer was is a tech freak, so I from the early days i was always fascinated by new gadgets , I always felt it made our lives much easier. By the second year of my IT Engineering i came to know it was nothing what I expected it to be. I often wondered how come by just knowing how to code can one certify one as an Engineer. I badly wanted to pursue sports as my career but by that time it was purely not possible so I had to continue with it.
In your own words what is Eidolon Design Studio?
Eidolon Design Studio is a mad and crazy design studio like no other in our country. We carry out campaigns for brands with completely absurd (at times) ideas and design approach. You can describe as a rebellious design studio who are here to change the design scene of the country and elevate it to another level. Its about sending the message of the brand “Loud” , “Raw” , and “Fearlessly”. Our designs portray our image more than anything else.
How did you come up with the idea of Eidolon Design Studio?
It was in the pen ultimate semester of our engineering when my friend and now co – founder Vishakha Rajput suggested that we should start up something that would make things look good and cool, we were pissed of by the pathetic design scene specially in the non-metros of India. The name “Eidolon” is her brain child which means Ideal in ancient greek as the idea was to make things ideal.
Could you walk us through the process of starting up Eidolon Design Studio?
When we stared up we wanted to as many things as possible with our limited start up investment. we started out with the only service of website design and development. Our first Investment was a Domain name and hosting of our own website. So when we started up it was just the two of us and a website. Our first project was website for an event management company. We both never stopped learning and by the next 2 years i had been a great designer ( that’s what people told me), while Vishakha had pursued various social media and digital marketing courses. It was early last year when we started up as a full fledged branding agency with services ranging from Creative branding to Advertisement designs and 360 campaigns including photography and collateral designs and execution. Our social media marketing, Digital marketing and identity designs remains our primary services and what we are known for. also these are the major part of our revenues.
Did you encounter any particular difficulties during startup?
We did not encounter any specific difficulties, just the days when we were to constantly learn Design / Branding in simultaneously with our studies and also the already started website development work. But in the end its all worth it, all those long nights pay off eventually.
What kind of feedback did you get for Eidolon Design Studio so far?
To be very true it was not always positive, we never wanted that too. Amidst 10 clients who love our work and designs there is always a one with whom it doesn’t work out. we are learning from our mistakes and we try not to close the deal with someone who is not someone which can match the frequencies with our branding approach for their brand. We are happy to have a positive response for some of the MNC’s and big brands we have worked for and we are proud of it.
What is your strategy against your competition?
In today’s time there are a few industries where the competition is not fierce. we are lucky enough that not many design and branding agencies are budding up in our demography. But on the other hand in our Industry where the “big three” with hundreds of Cannes have the most big brands of the country under their belt. So breaking even with local players and getting start up clients works fine but getting an MNC or Big famous brand to put faith in us for their promotions is always hard.
Have you developed any industry insights that you could share?
Advertising Industry is always portrayed as a flashy, fun, creative place to work. It is, but there is also the other side of it which consists of insane working hours, creative block issues, hard to handle clients and what not. Its sort of food industry, like people are going to stop to eat, brand will always need creative agencies for their storytelling reaching out to their desired audience. Time is changing fast and with the ever increasing digital marketing budgets of the brands, the whole industry is moving digital.
What is the future of the industry and how do you plan to stay relevant in this industry?
The Future of the industry surely seems going digital but there is no denying that it cannot work without traditional marketing channels. For me I think Chief Creative Officers or Creative directors will be in league of the CEO’s. Moreover mobile marketing is the way to go with more and more people assessing their smartphones for most of their needs.
What do you think about being an entrepreneur in Asia?
Being a Entrepreneur in Asia comparatively harder in my opinion completely based on the deep roots of tradition culture and practices carried out in most countries of Asia. Especially in India a salaried job is considered as a more safer option compared to entrepreneurship.
What is your opinion on Asian entrepreneurship vs Western entrepreneurship?
The market and audience which we get in Asian markets are far more in volume compared to the western markets for most of the products. On the other hand nothing can beat the great startup ecosystem and collaborative atmosphere of the western countries, Its much more easier to grow there.
What is your definition of success?
Success is a very relative thing for me. Based on situations the meaning of success changes for me. For me someone who can conquer themselves is successful, it cannot be measured with numbers.
Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?
The answer is simple, because i always wanted to. I never wanted a 9-5 job where there is nothing new to learn each morning. Though it was not easy for me being an Engineer coming into creative field and finding success, I never gave up and that is the key.
In your opinion, what are the keys to entrepreneurial success?
Entrepreneurship is not just setting up a venture or doing what you love. Its always the numbers and revenues that you thrive for. I have seen many people start their venture and then drop it due to low revenue numbers or some other reasons, Its not that you will succeed each and every time, its just about not giving up and doing what you love.
Any parting words of wisdom for entrepreneurs out there from your personal experience?
Its not a easy path to reach even somewhere around the top of your vertical, but its always about trying to reach there. There may be 100 ways for that and there are chances you will fail each of the 100 times, But also remember you need to succeed only once.
