Meet Navya Jhunjhunwala: A Food Blogger-cum-Graphic Designer Who Got Awarded For New York City's 'Pandemic Favorites'

“Life is like a harp string, if it is strung too tight it won’t play, if it is too loose it hangs, the tension that produces the beautiful sound lies in the middle”. This quote by Gautam Buddha holds much relevance as far as our current lifestyle is concerned. 

We often come across quotes about following our passion and not giving in to societal pressure when it comes to choosing the right career for ourselves but, to be honest, we all know that only a few are able to make a career of what they love to do. However, life is not always about polarities. If one is willing and passionate enough, a middle path can be taken. A Foodie by day and Graphic Designer by night, Navya Jhunjhunwala is the epitome of how one can pursue one’s passion while keeping your professional commitments intact. 

Raised in New Delhi and currently, a New York-based Graphic Designer, Navya Jhunjhunwala, has taken an unconventional path in order to pursue her passion. She is a Foodie-cum-Graphic Designer who synergized these two different aspects of her personality to find a niche career path in the industry in order to bring out the best on her own.

A Graphic Designer by Skill

Being a creative person since her childhood, Navya always had an inclination towards Design. During her schooling at Vasant Valley High School, she discovered her passion for art and took visual arts as a subject in classes 11 and 12. At school, she displayed her creative exuberance in various projects and activities but, her eyes were always set to the ‘Mecca of Design Schools’ i.e. Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. After school, she attended FIT to earn a bachelor's degree in communication / graphic design. While there, she learned communication to get an associate degree, after which she decided to specialize in bachelor's degree package design.

One of the outstanding achievements at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, was that she was on the Dean’s List from February 2018 onwards until today. She was also invited to be a member of the coveted Honor Society (Phi Theta Kappa). 

A Foodie at Heart

What drives her typical day is not only her passion for graphically representing the reality of today's culinary Instagram world, but also her long-standing obsession with food. Having been a foodie throughout her adult life, Navya started a food blog as a stepping stone for entering the industry. Her Instagram handle is flooded with dishes and cuisines from restaurants all across New York City and is a paradise for food lovers.

 

 

 

 

 

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Sharpening her AXE

Navya was always passionate about a career in design, especially graphic design, helping to creatively build and reinvent the brand identity. But as the story goes, Navya sharpened her axe to perfection before going all out in the industry. During her training at FIT, she completed several graphic designing internships and freelancing projects at a New York-based company to gain relevant experience which worked wonders when she started taking projects for established companies. 

Synergizing Passion with Prowess

Navya synergized her passion for food with her knack for design and began networking with professionals within the food industry. She connected with new and upcoming restaurants and start-ups to broaden her scope in the industry. This allowed her to meet several entrepreneurs as well as industry veterans who joined hands with her for two reasons: their shared love for food and their need for her design services.

She started running multiple projects for famous restaurants like Junzi Kitchen in New York and helped brands build a unique consumer experience with strong brand identity and interactive packaging design. Her deep understanding of the food industry as a consumer made her a perfect fit for the other side of these companies as a designer.

Accolades and Achievements

Navya's major breakthrough came during the 2021 pandemic, one of the most difficult times New York faced. Last year, New York City's ‘Pandemic Favorites’ bakery - “Best Damn Cookies” approached her to lead their rebranding campaign. While staying true to her design sensibilities, Navya revisited key elements of brand strategy, understood everything from colour palettes to font choices, and created a unique brand identity that resonated with customers. Driven by passion and ambition, the young graphic designer has worked on several projects in the hospitality industry, including "Sorso" and "Arki".

A Promising Future

What Navya has achieved remains a far-fetched dream for many, by combining passion and skill and making money out of it. But according to Navya, it's just getting started. She believes that companies can only offer their products and services but it's the brand that makes people buy. She believes that graphic design is a field that connects creativity, commerce and common sense to influence and shape our surroundings. 

From the aisles of your local grocery chain to the large billboards that you drive past, the work of Graphic Designers like Navya can be seen everywhere. Not only do they capture your attention but also instil the key message in our consciousness and build brand identities. The evolution in the world of graphic design and the creative spirit of young designers like Navia is a testament to the future of the digital age in which we are living.

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