
About this Event
Harshal Duddalwar is a designer and art director from India based in New York City. He’s currently a senior designer at 2x4 and has previously worked at The New York Times, Pentagram, and Microsoft, alongside other studios, and has collaborated with brands, creatives, and startups, primarily focusing on branding, editorial, systems, and product design. He holds an MFA in Graphic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and has taught, lectured, and critiqued at schools in the US and India. At RISD, Harshal’s focus shifted from a commercial practice to a conceptual one, nudging him to make a body of personal work. While he continues to engage in client projects, he is also co-developing a studio practice that explores ways to integrate the person and the personal.
In this talk, Harshal will share how he’s finding a balance between his professional and personal projects, how they both shape each other, and how the latter has helped him slow down and make sense of the world. He will talk about how instincts, intuition, and “a gut feeling” play a big role in making design decisions and his efforts to create work that feels authentic and intentional at a time when things are headed toward predictability and standardization. Harshal will also share his efforts and struggles in finding and making his space in the industry and the city he finds expansive and overwhelming, the many other skills one needs beyond a good portfolio, and how there’s no finish line.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Steuben Hall S417, Steuben Street, Brooklyn, United States
USD 0.00