Jeet Dholakia, Ahmedabad : “People pretend, Art reveals” and that caught the creative mind of Saurabh Chandekar and hailing from a family of artists, creativity came inherently to Saurabh Chandekar. Saurabh Chandekar is the Creative Director, Brand Consultant, Illustrator, painter and Founder of AAIBA designs. He has worked with giants like O&M in the advertising sector. His work is based on thorough analysis and reflects cultural sensibilities, which has been recognized on multiple platforms like Cannes Award, AFAQS Foxglove Award, IDA Design, and NYX Marcom Award. Saurabh Chandekar has elaborated about his life journey as well as the journey of AAIBA and the same shared with the Journoviews.
How did you get the idea to start AAIBA design?
In my professional journey, I have worked with the reputed advertising firm Ogilvy and brands such asLifebuoy, Gulf Oil, Unilever, Vodafone, Absolute, Isuzu, and Vespa.Over time, I understood how there was a gap in the availability of agencies that could help startups in rural and urban areas with their communication and branding. For instance, a brand that has just started may need help to afford a significant entity as its communications and branding partner. This is the gap that I wanted to address with AAIBA. My market credentials helped fuel the purpose of the brand further.
How is AAIBA unique compared to any other creative agencies?
The primary USP of AAIBA design is that our work is analytical. We undertake thorough market research and understand the client’s psychology to develop a complete project report on their requirements and the approach we need to take. Once this is done, we define the communication and design language. Unlike other agencies, our communication and design plans consider all facets of the client’s business. This enables us to suggest what will work and what won’t for their branding strategy, thereby helping them save costs.
You also work for women empowerment. What is your mission?
At AAIBA, we work purely based on talent and the ability to do things from the heart and give the best to all projects. Thus, there is no differentiation based on gender. My wife is the Director of AAIBA, and we have been working with other partners and clients, many of whom are women. Of the 18 employees at AAIBA, about 15 are women. Despite this, the only consideration is work ethics, which is all that matters to us. Women of AAIBA work with the same authority as everyone else and are independent in terms of makingtheir own project-related decisions.
The advertising sector is more challenging; how did you cope with the challenges?
Advertising as an industry has evolved a lot, and today, it is all about a toolkit. There is a need to create multiple narratives for brands or people. The agenda-setting for a brand is what matters today. Agencies now have to create content for narratives, and we have been able to overcome this transition well.
How AAIBA designs can help people, society or youth?
AAIBA’s motto is to take the initiative and work to further art and youth. For instance, we funded a short film called Oh Frida!,which was selected at the Alexandra Festival in Spain. Another film we produced called Shutterwas chosen for the Cannes Festival. It is essential to appreciate art and help it in other ways, including funding as far as possible. We are working on many such initiatives for the future, includingevents such as the Pune Heritage Festival. I have also done an exhibition called Mumbai in Frames. The aim is to make people aware of the heritage of a city through design.
What will be your advice for aspirants who want to pursue their careers in the creative field?
It is imperative to have patience and passion in the creative field. These two are the most fundamental requirements for anyone. Only those who do not bend to peer pressure but follow their path can become successful in this field. I follow the motto of Inspire or Expire!
