In 2015, Prakhar Ojha, Swati Sharma, and I started M56, initially as a design collective envisioned to assist with product design and enhancing experiences for their customers. Our journey has been filled with challenges, from clients who needed to appreciate the relevance of design to refining our vision. Nevertheless, we have persevered. Our unique backgrounds and areas of expertise - Swati's contrarian and lateral thinking, Prakhar's focus on storytelling and psychology, and my expertise in computer science and mathematics - have enabled us to approach design from various perspectives. We have evolved from consultants to practitioners, recognizing that everything has a design process. Our vision is built on our developing personal goals and interests, and we understand that when we collaborate, our collective efforts are more impactful than what we could achieve individually.
As a design collective, we strive to create work that pushes boundaries and challenges conventional thinking while balancing business objectives and ethical considerations. Throughout our journey, we have had the opportunity to connect with new people who bring innovative ideas and perspectives. We are excited about taking on projects that challenge us and expand our practice's impact. We want to work at the intersection of ideas and interests that can merge into a coherent vision. We are eager to explore more combinations to expand our horizons as we grow. Despite our challenges, our interest in developing M56 was rooted more in working together than anything else. We've come to understand that culture isn't always on our side, and it's useful to construct our own, piece by piece. We are excited about the future and the potential it holds for us to continue creating meaningful work and building a community.