Women With Impact #1 - Deepali Kavalani
Welcome to Women With Impact, a newsletter all about the journeys of ambitious women and how they have a positive impact in our world.
I’m Clara and this is the 1st edition of Women With Impact. If you enjoy this issue, please share it with a friend and like it above.
For this edition, I interviewed Deepali Kavalani, Founder of We Design Global, who is based in Dubai. Deepali is an educated graphic designer with a strong entrepreneurial background. For over two years, she has been growing her impact-driven design agency, We Design Global.
Wishing you a pleasant read!
Best,
Clara
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The Journey
Who are you and how do you spend your time?
I’m Deepali Kavalani, the Founder and Lead Designer behind We Design Global. I created We Design Global with one goal in mind: To help passionate founders and business owners to amplify their efficiency, and profitability through strategic design. I often spend my time engaging in a variety of activities that allow me to express my creativity and explore new ideas through different mediums. Recently I’ve been reading a lot of design blogs and books in order to stay up-to-date with design trends and to learn new techniques, as well as understand other established designers journeys through their career.
What does impact mean to you?
Creating a creative impact means using creativity as a force for positive change, whether that's through art, design, music, writing, or any other form of creative expression. It's about using your skills and talents to make the world a better place, and to inspire others to do the same. To create a creative impact, it's important to have a clear sense of purpose and to be passionate about the work you're doing. It involves using creative skills and talents to generate new ideas, solve problems, and inspire others.
How do you make a positive difference in the world?
I believe that graphic design can make a positive difference to a myriad of brands and businesses globally. My goal is to help businesses and brands to establish a strong visual identity, communicate their message effectively, and connect with their target audience in a meaningful way. By investing in good graphic design, businesses can increase their credibility with customers, and in turn increase their profitability.
The Lessons
How has your journey of making an impact changed you?
To make an impact, I feel that one has to have a clear vision, and a strong sense of purpose/desire to make a difference. At the same time, the process of making an impact can be challenging and sometimes frustrating. It can require a great deal of persistence, hard work, and resilience, and there may be setbacks and obstacles along the way. However, these challenges can also be opportunities for personal growth and development.
What's a challenge you have encountered most often and how did you tackle it?
Over saturation has been a challenge within the graphic design world, along with the lack of understanding and appreciation for some of the services that are provided. In terms of understanding, some clients see services as a purely creative endeavour, without realising the technical skills, research, and problem-solving that goes into creating effective design solutions. A good way to tackle that is transparency within the process, and to keep them in the loop every step of the way.
What's the biggest lesson you have learned on your journey so far?
To continue expanding / learning new skills within the design world in order to compete in an oversaturated market, and demonstrate the ability to provide clients with unique design solutions.
To stop constantly comparing myself to other designers and spend that time on strengthening my skillset and building a strong brand style that helps me set myself apart in an oversaturated market.
The Inspiration
Who did you recently inspire to create impact? How?
Recently I inspired a client to make a positive environmental impact through the use of sustainable packaging solutions! Sustainable packaging solutions are important because they reduce environmental impact, meet consumer demand, result in cost savings, and fulfil corporate responsibility. The client chose to use recyclable cardboard, which enabled customisability from a design point of view, as well as increased consumer appeal as recyclable packaging can help businesses appeal to environmentally-conscious consumers and differentiate themselves from their competitors.
What advice would you give to other women who want to have a positive impact?
To identify your core personal values and goals first, find out what sort of changes you want to bring about, and put in the time, effort and dedication to create real change through action.
Enjoyed this or have any feedback? Let me know in the comments!
If you know someone who fits my mission and should absolutely be featured on Women With Impact, please nominate them here.
An awesome interview with an inspiring leader. Having met both Victoria Coleman and Nelson Mandela in person several times, the humble quote from Nelson “Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front" resonates with me most!
Very inspiring!