AIR -1 ( Product Design)
NID Ahmedabad
Pranav’s journey from mechanical engineering to product design wasn’t an overnight decision. As a child, he was always curious about how things work. His academic path in engineering gave him technical insights into mechanisms and manufacturing, but it was his fascination with the WHY behind everyday objects that nudged him toward design. While working in a mechanical design job, he encountered an in-house industrial design team that inspired him to dig deeper. That spark led him to prepare for top design exams like CEED and NID.
His biggest shift wasn’t just career-related, it was mindset-related. From being trained to solve for function, he now had to think creatively, observe deeply, and imagine alternatives. This transition taught him that design isn’t just about aesthetics but about identifying problems and crafting purposeful solutions.
Despite his technical background, Pranav’s early design prep days were filled with uncertainty. Sketching, in particular, felt like a hurdle. He tackled this not with talent, but with training. He developed his own drills: drawing light lines and redrawing with precision, practicing curves, cubes, and proportions of the human figure. He didn’t aim for perfection but clarity, his sketches just needed to communicate ideas well.
What truly stood out was his discipline. Juggling a full-time job, he mapped his schedule based on energy levels: design thinking in the morning, sketching after work. He even split his week into Part-A (MCQs, logic, aptitude) and Part-B (drawing and creativity). He stressed that the secret lies not in how much time you have, but how you structure it.
Pranav emphasized one truth: cracking product design is not about fine art, it's about thinking. He built the habit of problem identification daily, like listing 10 issues he observed in a bus ride or analysing how door hooks differ from crane hooks. These small mental exercises helped him in studio tests, where he applied real-world mechanisms (like gym equipment wheels) to new use-cases (like portable barricades).
His preparation wasn’t just about practice; it was also about momentum. Even on tired days, he’d sketch for 5 minutes just to stay in touch. He also discouraged quitting jobs to prepare, saying, “If you leave your job, the stress of not having one can overpower your thinking.” A relaxed, balanced mindset is key to creative problem-solving.
Learning from Kaphal Studio never felt like we were attending a class to crack some exam but felt more like we were learning how to think holistically. The detailed feedback on our work really helped us to work on our weak points and identify our strengths.
I am very thankful to all the mentors and the team at Kaphal for such a comprehensive learning program, and for all the guidance throughout the journey!
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Pranav’s journey shows that cracking design exams isn’t about being a born artist, it’s about observation, consistency, and building a brain that connects ideas. His story reminds us: Design is not decoration. It’s about decoding problems and imagining better answers.
Rachit Mandal
Jun 6, 2025
5 min read
