Graphic Design Teacher
Manchester

Lovish Saini

Lovish Saini is a Manchester-based teacher and visual designer who works on brand strategy and human-centered design. He’s worked as an in-house music photographer, interactive exhibition designer and since 2016, founded a freelance practice for StudioRuffian. In his client work, he aims to be socially responsible and inclusive.

What do you love about design?

I love the fact that you can never know everything about design; you’re always learning something new. New tools to be used, new ideas to be implemented and there are still stories to be told.

Why do you teach?

The famous Mr. Miyagi once said “Lesson not just karate only. Lesson for whole life. Whole life have a balance. Everything be better.”—I felt that. I teach so I can share with future designers the lessons and strong principles my teachers shared with me.

Tell us about your design career outside of Shillington.

I was only eight years old when my dad introduced me to the world of graphic design starting with Photoshop 7.0, and fourteen years later, I am a Manchester-based visual designer, shifting my focus towards brand strategy and human-centered service design.

My work is influenced by socially responsible and inclusive design and through my work, I aim to serve a diverse and better-represented landscape of people—something I do through various research and development techniques I’ve adopted into my practice over the years.

Over the years I’ve worked in various different roles in Manchester, such as In-house Music Photographer at Night and Day Cafe, Interactive Exhibition Designer at People’s History Museum.

In 2016 I started my freelance practice StudioRuffian and have been lucky enough to work with some household names such as People’s History Museum, Boohoo.com, Pizza Hut and more.

What or who are you loving right now?

Right now I’m absolutely in love with the work of Hundred Rabbits studio. They are reinventing what it means to be a design studio in the modern world—working out of a world-travelling sailboat and creating tools, games and publications and much more.

I’m also really interested in alternative storytelling, specifically how the community on itch.io are currently using the Bitsy Game Maker tool developed by Adam Le Doux to tell beautiful, short stories.

If you were a typeface, what would you be?

I wish I could say Baskerville Italics because that’s one of my all-time favourites but I’m more than definitely Formula Condensed—reliable, bold and unapologetically me.

What’s your favourite blog?

Technically I’m cheating a little here but I am absolutely obsessed with Archive.org—it’s a giant library of books, movies, legacy software, music, websites and much much more! Inspiration for years.