Meet Anjum Mariam | Artist and Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anjum Mariam and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anjum, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
The everyday world I live in within is brimming with colour, with books and art, textiles and travel, prose and poetry, wildlife and wilderness, beneath trees, under the stars, in the warmth of sunshine and in the cacophony of rain, a sphere away, in daydreams and imagination. For as long as I can remember, I have lived in this creative cocoon. I used to spend time as a child flipping through books by Eric Carle or Quentin Blake just for the feeling of warm happiness the illustrations gave me, or sorting a box of crayons into the colour groups, collecting leaves of different shades of green or drawing happy things. What drew me to them, was how they made me feel- an inexplicable feeling of calm, happiness, warmth and wonder. And I have carried this feeling with me to this day. I seem to be on a constant quest to make things feel better and somewhere along the way, a creative career happened to become the natural path. Over the years I have understood that I want to create design experiences that are woven into the everyday of our lives, ones that make a difference to how people feel, to bring happiness and joy in the seemingly mundane- to elevate the everyday.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As an illustrator, designer and writer, I craft design experiences and create visual narratives. I work on brand design, creative strategy, packaging design, book design, illustration, textile design, even a few interior design projects and more. The core idea of my work is storytelling- bringing unique and well thought out ideas to life, that add immense value to who a brand is, shape their DNA, guide brand and business strategy. In a world of fleeting trends, derivates and imitation, I aim to bring the most authentic, thoughtful and profound ideas that bring out an artistic flair. Through design for the brands I collaborate with, my mission, is to ‘elevate the everyday’.

One of the most exciting and large scale projects I have been working on is for Cafe Coffee Day, which is India’s largest chain of cafes. I am redesigning the visual language and narrative to enunciate the roots of India’s coffee, introducing a whimsical world of coffee plantations and cafes.

One of the most significant projects I did was a series of illustrations for the chemotherapy bays of India’ largest hospital group. This established my interest in design for healthcare and enhancing hospitals and care spaces with the power of design, to help one feel at ease and calm.

I have had the privilege of collaborating with brands and projects across industries- home and wellness, cafes and coffee brands, luxury and wildlife resorts, wildlife conservation, sustainable livelihood projects, travel and hospitality, hospitals and healthcare, which has has given me the opportunity to truly make an impact through design.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The historic district of Savannah is a picture book. We would spend the week beneath the canopy of Oak trees and Spanish Moss, strolling through the many squares, the tree lined avenues and Forsyth Park. We would start our days with coffee at Art’s on Bull Street and begin our walks exploring the city. We would pop into SCAD’s many historic and restored buildings and SCAD’s Museum of Art. The light and colour in Savannah have a mystical charm to it- the sun dappled streets of summer or the dance of light in winter, the vibrance of blossoms in spring or the fading leaves of autumn paint the ‘forest city’ in the most beautiful way. And as designers and illustrators in a city with such charming light and colour, we would very simply walk around the historic district to soak in the light, nature, architecture, people and the sense of place in this picture perfect city.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Far from the world of structured classes and classrooms, tests or grades, my years at school were spent in creative environments- schools with an alternate form of education. Abacus, a school based on the education philosophy and design of Maria Montessori, sparked my sense of wonder and shaped me into the artist I am today. My later years at The Valley School, in India, with a unique education philosophy, nurtured my creative outlook. An intense and invigorating four years of undergraduate design school at the Srishti School of Art and Design equipped me with the skill that has allowed me to call myself a designer today. And the past two years at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia has given me fresh perspective, refreshed and renewed my creative journey and set the tone for the next chapter of my design career.

Website: https://www.anjummariam.com

Instagram: https://oleander.crow

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anjum-mariam/