Viewpoint
The Collaborative World!
The Power, Pros, and Pitfalls of Collaborative Projects in Today’s Creative Industry.
Collaboration has become a cornerstone of creativity in today’s fast-evolving industry. Whether it’s a global project involving many artists or a tight-knit team working on a digital launch, the importance of shared ideas, diverse skill sets, and teamwork has never been clearer. In this feature, we sit down with three industry leaders—Kunel Gaur, Rahul Bhogal, and Nikunj Patel—to delve into their experiences, insights, and advice on how to navigate the rewarding yet challenging world of creative collaboration. From managing egos to overcoming communication breakdowns, they reveal the secrets behind some of their most successful projects.
Can you share some of your experiences working on collaborative projects? What types of projects have you collaborated on, and with whom?
Kunel: My first collaborative project was in 2012 when I curated a deck of playing cards called the 54 Project. I worked with 54 global artists, each designing a unique card in their own style. The experience of bringing together so many creatives around a single concept was incredibly rewarding, and it set the stage for future collaborations.
A few years later, at the start of Animal, we invited about 10 artists to use our logo to visualize an animal of their choice. Within weeks, the number of participants grew from 10 to 100, and we named the project “Species.” It remains live on our website.
At Animal, we often collaborate with multiple artists on brand projects. For example, we worked with Adidas Originals, commissioning six artists to design surfboards for Pharrell Williams’ Pink Beach collection. We also curated sticker packs with 10 artists for Google’s product “Allo.” When Instagram launched Stories, we partnered with OnePlus to create the Insta-Stories-Film-Festival, where over 500 creators submitted ideas, and we showcased the best films on OnePlus’ page.
Our love for collaborations led to the launch of a side project called Indianama in 2016. Each year, Indianama explores a single question through themed editions. In the first edition, we invited 69 artists to pay tribute to the 60 years since independence by depicting significant events in India’s history, each using the shape of the Indian map. The following year, we had 70 artists create animated tourism posters for India. In 2018, our most ambitious collaboration saw 71 graphic designers develop identity systems for 71 street-side shops in Delhi. The project garnered widespread attention, travelling to the London Design Festival, and Jerusalem Design Week, and even featured in a TEDx talk.
In 2019, just before COVID-19, we completed the last edition of Indianama. Titled “A Study in Alternate History,” this edition had 52 artists reimagine famous events with a twist. Though the pandemic temporarily paused the project, we’re gearing up for a comeback with a 2024 edition of Indianama launching in just a few days.
Even during COVID-19, we curated projects with creators around the globe. How do you host an Insta-Meet during a lockdown? You rebrand it. We called ours The_Living-Room-Tour and partnered with Pursuit of Portraits in New York to curate a virtual photographic adventure with 15 models posing for over 300 photographers worldwide. During the era of NFTs and Web3.0., I collaborated with 30 artists to curate a series of NFTs along the lines of the Kohinoor.
My most recent collaborative attempt has been AR.IVAL is an augmented reality platform working with creators and brands like Nike, Levi's, and Kanye West's Jeen-Yuhs. We are also in talks with Registered Graphic Designers (RGD) in Canada to showcase over 10 artists at the Design Thinkers Conference later this year in Toronto.
Nikunj: Being trained as a 2D Animator, collaboration was really at the heart of my education since 2D Cel Animation is very hard to pursue as a solo endeavour. I also participated in various art residencies across India, Sri Lanka and Berlin, which further gave me insight into the power of collaboration and working in collectives. It was eye-opening and humbling to work with creators who had skills and outlooks that I didn’t. It was a process to accommodate each other to create results that were truly unexpected and unique. These early experiences formed the basis of my collaborative approach towards my work.
Numerous memorable projects come to mind. The “Exit Strategy” music video in collaboration with Sandunes is an old favourite. Animated Screen Titles for some of the most impactful designers of this age, created for Design Fabric Festival 2018 in Collaboration with Shiva Nallaperumal. A collaborative art film with Karsh Kale on the “Delicious Design Project” for Glenmorangie, an ode to India’s “Modern Maharajas”. An immersive A/V 5-star dining experience created by Michelin-Star grade chefs for Ardbeg Whiskey in Collaboration with Noni-Mouse, Amitabh Kumar and Art & Found.
Communication design for Dialled-in, London in Collaboration with Shweta Sharma and Nishika D’Silva. Branding for Kyoorius Designyatra’23 (Virtual) with Nishika D’Silva. The Bordermovement Visual Lab at Colombo. A passion food film with Mizu in collaboration with Chef Lakhan and Nihar Desai. The list is long but fun!
The projects range from Music videos, ad films, and branding projects to projection mapping on Palace Walls and having the chance to contribute to videos for The Weeknd and Iron Maiden. My Collaborators have ranged from Graphic Designers, Typographers, Animators, Musicians, Film Directors, and Painters, to Chefs, music festivals, cultural institutes, top brands and many more.
Rahul: I believe that every project involves collaboration, whether it’s working closely with clients or teaming up with other creatives. I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with a diverse range of talents, including illustrators, developers, copywriters, entrepreneurs, and visionaries. Recently, we worked on an exciting stamp project—details are still under wraps—but it’s been a pleasure collaborating with Reena from Humble Raja, a talented illustrator. This project is one to watch, and we can’t wait to share more in the coming months.
Can you describe projects where collaboration was key to success? What were the pros and cons, and how did it enhance the work? What challenges did you encounter?
Kunel: While every collaborative project has its measure of success, the 2018 edition of Indianama was our most ambitious and intensive collaboration yet. It required seamless cooperation from everyone involved—from the 71 talented graphic designers across the country to the shopkeepers they were designing for. We also relied on the vendors who executed the designs on-site and the many people who supported us with logistics and paperwork.
Pros:
• We had the chance to do what we love 71 times over.
• Three shopkeepers who initially declined participation later approached us, eager to join the project.
• The widespread recognition we received in the global press, media, and publications was incredibly rewarding.
Cons:
• The project was entirely self-funded, and despite reaching out to various brands, we couldn’t secure any sponsorship.
• Some shops had to remove the new branding elements we created due to unrelated bureaucratic issues.
Nikunj: One project that stands out to me is the first project I worked on right after college. It was a prestigious project - creating a title sequence for the movie “OK Kanmani,” directed by Mani Ratnam and scored by AR Rahman. When Vijesh from Plexus Motion offered me this opportunity, I knew I couldn’t pass it up. However, as a recent college graduate, I knew I couldn’t do it alone. I enlisted the help of my talented friends Upamanyu Bhattacharyya and Kalp Sanghvi.
The challenge was that we had only 2 weeks to complete the project, and none of us had ever finished a 3-minute animation in such a short time frame. We flew to Mumbai to work with Vijesh in person and worked tirelessly day and night. Together, the four of us, with some assistance from others, managed to accomplish this seemingly impossible task. It was a powerful reminder of the impact of collaboration and it made us all feel incredibly proud of what we had achieved.
Pros:
I always find it thrilling to have a clean slate and a group of incredibly talented individuals to share their ideas. It’s amazing to work with creators who can all contribute equally, and together, we become greater than the sum of our parts.
One hidden benefit is the variety of additional skills that people bring to the table. Even though they are already skilled in their main area, some are better at writing, some are better at project management, some are better at communicating with clients, and some are better at managing people on a set. There is a lot to learn from others in terms of their perspective, how they interact with people, their temperament, and more. It is important to create space for each other to express creativity by taking our responsibilities seriously.
Cons:
Sometimes, egos can clash. Creative work can often blur the lines between professional and personal, so maintaining boundaries can sometimes be difficult. Taking breaks from each other in real life after a demanding project can be necessary. Sometimes, you realise that you’re better off as friends rather than collaborators.
Rahul: One of our recent successes was the launch of a website for Litheum. We were brought into the project by Meat Studio, a local brand design studio that had beautifully crafted Litheum’s brand identity. Since website design and development weren’t their primary focus, they trusted us to bring their client’s vision to life digitally. Our role was to understand the brand’s vision, communicate effectively, and take the lead on the digital launch, advising on strategy and direction.
This project involved two layers of collaboration: one with Meat Studio and another with our development team. It required managing expectations, problem-solving, and ensuring we had the right mix of talent to achieve the vision. These collaborations were vital to the project’s success.
While there were challenges, I wouldn’t classify them as cons—just part of the process. For instance, our development team faced some hurdles in executing complex interactions and animations. It required patience, ongoing communication, and a bit of trial and error, but we got there in the end. Ultimately, the collaborative spirit drove us to deliver a standout digital experience. You can explore the final result at Litheum.com.
Have you faced any challenges when collaborating with other creatives or agencies? How did you overcome them?
Nikunj: There was a high-stakes event at one of Mumbai’s largest indoor venues that was on the verge of falling apart because there wasn’t a proper line of communication between agencies. There was an assumption that, because everyone was experienced, there was no need to have a prior catch-up, which led to a lot of confusion during the run-through on the previous day. The only way to fix it was for all of us to spend a sleepless night, all the way up until the event started, to fix the error. We were all zombies by the end of it, but we managed to make it work in the end. A key learning was to have clear communication from the very beginning and for every key stakeholder to have access to each other. My overall advice in this regard is to learn to be light on one’s feet and to develop workflows that leave enough room for other people to come in and have a say.
