A way with illustrations

Have you ever walked into a gift shop and tried to look for a card that is unique, only to realise that no matter what you select in there, chances are someone is going to have the same? Whether it’s a poster, card or invitation, the item becomes more desirable once it is a unique and personalised piece. 

This is what drives ‘Illustration Much’, a start-up founded by Gaurav Hablani, Taaneya Balaji, Sruthi Das and Soma. Ian Crasta is the newest member of the team. As the name suggests, they have an inclination for illustrations and make it a point to be as innovative and creative as possible. Whether it’s a greeting card, wedding invitation, poster, booklet or menu, the group will illustrate it for you in their own unique way. “What makes us different is that we are illustration driven,” says Gaurav.

The four (Gaurav, Taaneya, Sruti and Soma) were initially batchmates in Symbiosis Institute of Design. Gaurav says that they moved to Bengaluru in search of jobs but ended up starting ‘Illustration Much’. “Within two to three months of starting our jobs, we realised we weren’t doing enough. We were all interested in illustration so Taaneya suggested we put out a few of our works at ‘Kitsch Mandi’,” he adds. At the flea market, they got a good response and some business opportunities.

Soon the four were overloaded with work from ‘Illustration Much’ and decided it was a good time to make it a full-time business. Gaurav says they all waited until they had six months work experience before quitting their jobs.

It has been two-and-a-half-years since they began and the journey has been a long one. When Soma decided to part ways with the group, it was Ian who stepped in. And although they have different specialisations, they use it to their advantage. “I’ve studied animation while Taaneya and Sruthi are graphic designers and Ian is a product designer. While each of us can adapt to any style of design, I draw a little more flat and adult-like, Taaneya’s work has more texture to it and Sruthi does cute and adorable things,” says Gaurav.

How did they come up with the name? “It was the night before ‘Kitsch Mandi’ and we were prepping. If it’s a single person, you can identify them with their name, but that’s not the case with a group. A friend came over and suggested we have a name. He suggested ‘Illustration Station’ but it was too long. Instead we decided on ‘Illustration Much’ since we wanted the word ‘Illustration’ in the name,” says Gaurav. Ironically, it was the friend who created the logo for the designer bunch. “We weren’t in a mind frame to become a start-up...we were just thinking about showcasing our work,” he adds.

While they have worked on a number of products, Gaurav says wedding invitations are their favourite because they give them creative and artistic freedom. “We want our cards to have a certain personality, reflect the people they are made of and tell their stories,” he ends.