Avanti Phumbhra

Having collaborated with over 150 clients globally since 2009, its journey from a modest two-member setup did not emerge overnight. Much of this thinking emerged during Avanti’s early years in communication design. Working at agencies like Rediffusion DYR and J.W. Thompson introduced her to the inner workings of brand-building, shaping an understanding of design that extended far beyond simply responding to a brief. Over time, Avanti has come to treat design less as a niche creative service and more as a unifying language capable of moving across vastly different sectors, something relatively uncommon in an industry that can often silo itself into certain aesthetics or categories. That becomes evident in the studio’s unconventionally varied client list, which moves between global names like Johnson & Johnson and The Hollywood Reporter, alongside legacy brands and emerging businesses. In Kolkata, particularly, her studio has also become closely tied to the city’s F&B landscape, having worked with names like The Red Bari and Olivia Creamery, among others. Besides a multitude of names, the range of industries is equally telling, stretching from fashion, beauty, FMCG and jewellery to sectors like hospitality, heavy industries, education, and finance, amongst others.

What leaves a deeper impression, however, is Avanti’s understanding of branding as cultural and strategic infrastructure. She does not view it as something reserved only for industries where aesthetics are expected to sit front and centre, but as a way of shaping how any business communicates itself, even those not instinctively associated with branding or visual culture. Every project, regardless of scale or visibility, is approached with the same degree of rigour and creative intent. What also surfaces through Avanti’s work is her tendency to approach communication design as something more layered than a purely commercial exercise, particularly at a time when branding is often reduced to visibility, speed, and surface recall. For her, storytelling can also become a way of creating participation, reflection, and at times, even social impact.

A telling example of this was the Remember Why I Started campaign conceptualised for Shankara. What began as a relatively straightforward giveaway initiative gradually evolved into a larger social media movement, with people sharing the personal motivations and turning points behind their journeys. Over the years, this body of work has brought Phumbhra recognition through honours, including the YFLO Young Achievers Award 2023 and the Agency Reporter She Awards, alongside nominations from Social Samosa, YFLO 40 Under 40, and the Sanmarg Aparajita Awards. Yet more than the accolades themselves, what lingers is the consistency of her approach, observant, inquisitive, and unwilling to reduce design into mere industry shorthand.