We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Srinivasulu Reddy ("SR").

Srinivasulu Reddy, founder and CEO of Skykrafts Aerospace, a startup building drones and drone infrastructure for applications in agriculture, forestry, research and emergencies. Drones encompass all aspects of engineering besides design and artistic elements, this calls for a team of professionals working in iterations till the drone works the part and looks the part. Popular open source projects and tools in the domain have cut the time to market, therefore embracing open source ecosystem and building a community around commercial drones is seen as a healthy way to develop drones.

Srinivasulu Reddy Designs

We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Srinivasulu Reddy.

Designer Interview of Srinivasulu Reddy:

DI: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?

SR : At Skykrafts Aerospace we build consumer drones, drones encapsulate all disciplines of engineering including design engineering. Being a product person, I am exited to make products that bring great user experience, therefore design and engineering are a part of the process that I am exited about.

DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?

SR : Skykrafts Aerospace makes consumer drones for applications in agriculture, forestry and research applications.

DI: What is "design" for you?

SR : That which works and looks the part.

DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?

SR : Functional machines like drone and robots made using corrugated board and 3D printed components as a structural material, this combination accommodates iterations even in user-usage phase, which bring the end user into the design act.

DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?

SR : The corrugated paper board used to make ahaDRONE is my most favourite design. We reengineered corrugated technology and made paperboard fit for aerospace structures.

DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?

SR : I have taken a liking for corrugated board and 3D printed medium.

DI: When do you feel the most creative?

SR : As soon as I get up I feel most energetic.

DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?

SR : The purpose why we are doing it.

DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?

SR : I feel frustrated through the design phase.

DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?

SR : I feel relieved when my designs are realized.

DI: What makes a design successful?

SR : If it serves the intended purpose.

DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?

SR : Designer's attention to details and focus on the purity of purpose.

DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?

SR : Well made products are expected to be sought after by many people, it is very important that designers focus on sustainability as their creations are made in large numbers.

DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?

SR : Although end user has always been part of the design, it was never as apparent as it is now, desktop 3D printing and corrugated engineering puts the end user right in the middle of design and engineering process.

DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?

SR : Bangalore Tech Summit was our last exhibition, we would be exited to showcase at CES.

DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?

SR : Anything from automobiles to coffee mugs, although good designs inspire me and earns my respect for the designer, it’s the bad designs that bring urgency to the motivation.

DI: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?

SR : My style is objective-subjective, I find this approach mental-energy efficient, my approach is to do that, which fulfils the objective and responds subjectively.

DI: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?

SR : I live in india, for me every design begins and ends for its own sake, it is its own genesis and creation, what we call heritage would have once had its own genesis and creations, having one creation influence another adds a lot of baggage, it would steal the purity of purpose of design and creation, India is a pandora box of culture and heritage, which is a testament that many creations have dodged their predecessors, therefore it is easy for me to stay away from all influences.

DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?

SR : Pick your designer wisely and let them lead you.

DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?

SR : It all starts with a clear objective, this clarity defines the very purpose of effort. I design and at some point brush the whole thing away, and re-design all over, I iterate this way several times.

DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?

SR : 1) Foldable bamboo computer desk 2) Mini cane chair 3) Polo neck t-shirts in general

DI: Can you describe a day in your life?

SR : I start working as soon I get up, while I use the first couple of hours of the day to prepare myself for the rest of the day, I use this time to address mental-energy demanding tasks such as designing and writing, some clarity would have dawned upon me by the time I am ready for the day.

DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?

SR : If you don’t see flaws in your design, other’s will.

DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?

SR : It’s not a job, but if you are skilful enough you can earn a living by being a designer.

DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?

SR : There are infinite ways to achieve the same objective, there is no absolute right or wrong way.

DI: What skills are most important for a designer?

SR : Learn by deconstruction.

DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?

SR : Pencil and paper.

DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?

SR : First couple of hours of my day are crucial to my design, this is the time I find most energetic and creative, what appears to be spent on daily chores, but in reality is spent on the most creative activities such as designing and writing it provides me the slow think time, probably the most productive time of my day.

DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?

SR : Even though it is never really done, it took us over a year to get to this stage.

DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?

SR : How did you do this?

DI: What was your most important job experience?

SR : Commitment to work hard matter more than credentials.

DI: Who are some of your clients?

SR : End users of our designs include graduate students, educational institutes and recreational drone users.

DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?

SR : Engineering design.

DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?

SR : We will continue to engineer corrugated technology, explore the applications of the resultant boards in aerospace and other applications.

DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?

SR : At least two other flying machines are in the making, we also have an underwater drone, a rover and a robotic arm. We are also working on few concepts such as telescope, microscope and weaving machine. It would be interesting to design these and make them available as do-it-yourself kits that can be made using cardboard, simple electronic, and 3D printed parts.

DI: How can people contact you?

SR : srinivas@skykrafts.com