It was the last day of Kyoorius Designyatra 2019. We were told that David Carson – the legendary graphic designer who was one of the speakers at the conference this year – is giving away his personally signed prints for all delegates in the main hall. Five hours to this announcement, and after braving the thick of hundreds of excited students, I got a spot in the queue. In front of me stood London-based industrial designer Tej Chauhan, dressed in all black with red and white sneakers, who was laughing, shouting and was completely full of beans. It seemed as if we were on the same boat to get this close to Carson's work.

A few minutes into our conversation, Chauhan shared insights about his practice, work and inspirations...

04 mins watch Conversations on the Contrary with Tej Chauhan Video Credit: Courtesy of STIR

Chauhan helms his eponymous design studio, which is known to create emotive products that suit broad audiences. Before setting up Tej Chauhan Ltd. in 2005, he worked with Nokia and created the daring teardrop design of Nokia 7600. Over the years, he has created an oeuvre that is diverse and involves cutting-edge technology at the forefront. Some of his designed products include television, eye wear, furniture and kitchen accessories.

For him form, colour and texture have a profound effect on the way we feel, where he uses this understanding to elicit joy. His approach to visual language, combined with efficient production techniques, creates value and differentiation for brands that help them express themselves vividly and engages with people on a deeper, and more profound level.

Chauhan, whose pieces are as practical as they are beautiful, advocates the idea that emotions have a distinct place in the future of industrial design. But future for him personally is to keep things real and authentic and in continuing to do his work.