Pooja Rathi (she/her)
Experience designer by training, problem-solver by instinct, and someone who finds as much joy in the process as in the result.
I'm as interested in why a space needs to exist as I am in what it looks like. Before a layout or a material palette, I'm thinking about the brand, the memory, what someone should carry out when they leave, and why they'd come back. The visible work is what that thinking looks like when it's built.
My approach is equal parts strategic and creative. Every brief gets a fresh lens and the brand at the centre, not a pre-existing visual formula. I'm endlessly curious about what makes a space feel inevitable, the small decisions that nobody notices but everybody feels.
That curiosity doesn't switch off. Rather, it shapes everything.
Work Experience
Design Consultant
Aug 2023 - Present
Restore Design, Bangalore
Feb 2022 - Jul 2023
Studio Lotus, New Delhi
Aug 2019 - Sep 2021
Display House, Mumbai
Feb 2019 - Apr 2019
Lokusdesign, Pune
May 2018 - June 2018
I partner with brands to translate their identity into spatial experiences that are strategic, functional, and emotionally engaging.
Retail Design for Ather, Boutique Living, Chupps, Eustress, High Star, Motovolt, Optimist, Park Avenue, Parx, ColorPlus, Partnr, and Subtract
Hospitality Design for Baker's Fun and Haveli Hari Ganga
Workspace Design for Kabra Group
Senior Designer
I led a small creative team, navigating projects through strategy, concept, and detailing phases to create holistic brand experiences.
Retail Design for Arrow, Beauty & Beyond, EasyBuy, FableStreet, Flying Machine, Furlenco, Kisna, Snitch, and Spykar
Exhibition Design for IndoCount
Workspace Design for Prolance
Designer
I adopted a hands-on approach to every facet of a project which facilitated substantial growth in my design and technical knowledge.
Retail Design for DesignCo, Ekaya Benaras, Jaypore
Hospitality Design for Park Inn
Workspace Design for Trilegal
Exhibition Design Intern
I worked on concepts for several trade fair exhibition booths, including stall designing and visualisation, and overseeing fabrication and installation.
Museum Design Intern
I was closely involved in the narrative development, conceptualisation and exhibit design of the Palakkad District Heritage Museum, Kerala.
Education
Jnanapravaha Mumbai, Mumbai
2021 - 2022
MIT Institute of Design, Pune
2015 - 2019
Postgraduate Diploma in Indian Aesthetics
This course offered a comprehensive exploration of Indian art, focusing on the meanings and ideas behind it, rather than just its history or visual style.
Bachelor of Design in Retail and Exhibition Design
This multidisciplinary programme comprised a year-long foundation course in design, followed by three years covering system design, retail design, events and exhibition design, visual merchandising, design for film, and museum design.
Volunteering
AND Academy
Aug 2025 - Present
Conservation Optimism
Jan 2022 - Dec 2024
Guest Lecturer
Teaching design fundamentals and sharing industry insights with learners.
Designer at India Hub
As a part of a community of optimists in India, sharing stories to inspire people to make a positive change for nature, I designed social media graphics and plan feel-good events fostering interactions and activities centred around conservation.