Siya Golecha's journey to establishing Siyart, her independent design studio operating between India and London, was far from conventional. The designer's path wound through fine art, mixed media, and printmaking before she discovered her true calling in graphic design during a foundation year at Central Saint Martins. A pivotal moment came when one of her tutors, whose opinion she deeply valued, recognized her unique combination of artistic skills and business acumen.
"One of my tutors, whose opinion I strongly valued, encouraged me to think seriously about graphic design as I had a good balance of artistic skills and business understanding, and kept up with global trends," Golecha recalls. "This insight went on to completely shift my perspective on what I would do next." That next step led her to pursue a Bachelor's degree in Graphic and Media Design at the London College of Communication, where she immersed herself in editorial design and completed eight publications while developing a growing fascination with brand identity.
The transition to independence happened unexpectedly when her first client reached out through an Instagram direct message. "Working on that project end-to-end made me realize this is what I wanted all along – to build a practice from the ground up that enabled me to explore myself and my interests," she explains. This serendipitous beginning marked the launch of Siyart, a studio that would eventually span two continents and serve as a platform for culturally-rich storytelling through design.
Operating between India and London presents logistical challenges, but Golecha views this dual-base approach as essential to her creative energy and professional growth. "Having a practice in different geographies is not the easiest to balance logistically, but it's something I really enjoy and benefit from," she says. In India, she draws inspiration from traditions, vibrant colors, and local crafts that naturally influence her work, while London provides exposure to global design culture, mentorship opportunities, and cutting-edge creative studios.
Rather than treating these locations as separate worlds, Golecha moves fluidly between both environments, allowing each to inform and enrich her practice. "Moving between places makes me adaptable, and opens the doors to travel, to attend events, and to collaborate with clients across different regions," she notes. "Rather than relying on a single environment, I get to absorb contexts from both, which keeps my practice evolving." This geographical flexibility has become a cornerstone of her creative philosophy and business model.
At the heart of Golecha's design ethos lie three fundamental principles: storytelling, culture, and empathy. She believes these elements are essential for creating work that truly resonates with audiences. "For me, good stories deserve to be told in creative and engaging ways," she explains. "Storytelling is about owning your story and sharing it in a way that feels real, while culture adds depth and makes a design feel personal instead of generic. Empathy is what allows the work to connect emotionally, not just visually."
In an era where artificial intelligence-generated visuals risk saturating the market with surface-level content, Golecha sees these human-centered qualities as more crucial than ever. "I think with AI becoming more present, there is a real risk of losing your voice," she adds. "Having a strong sense of your own story and culture gives you an upper hand, because it keeps the work human." This philosophy has guided her approach to every project, from client work to personal explorations.
Among all her projects, one stands out as particularly meaningful – a brand identity she created for her hometown of Jaipur as part of an internship application to Designwerk London. Rather than approaching it as a conventional city branding exercise, Golecha drew from her own lived experiences and emotional connection to the place. "Rather than beginning with the city as a whole, I decided to begin with my own experience. Jaipur is the city that shaped my childhood, and it felt important to design directly from my own perspective," she explains.
The resulting identity was a warm, textured celebration of Jaipur inspired by traditional block prints, hand-painted signage, and the distinctive colors of home. Typography presented particular challenges, as Golecha sought to balance tradition with modernity. "I wanted something that carried a sense of tradition but still felt modern and unconventional, so balancing nostalgia with freshness became the defining task," she says. The outcome served as both a personal love letter to Jaipur and a universal representation that avoided clichés while respecting the city's rich history.
"The goal was to create something heartfelt that represented what Jaipur means to me personally, not just how it appears on the outside," Golecha adds. "It showed me how design can hold emotion and memory and not just look good." This project became a defining moment in her career, demonstrating how personal narrative and cultural authenticity could elevate design work beyond mere aesthetics.
For Golecha, empathy extends far beyond buzzword territory – it fundamentally shapes how she approaches every client relationship and creative challenge. "With clients, I try to go beyond the brief and understand not only what they want to communicate through their brand, but also what this story or project means to them and how they want others to experience it," she explains. This deep listening approach allows her to create solutions that resonate on multiple levels.
Her personal projects are equally rooted in cultural context and emotional understanding. Her reinterpretation of Lotería, the traditional Mexican card game, exemplifies this approach. She carefully studied the game's cultural symbolism and reimagined it in a way that felt both celebratory and deeply rooted in tradition. In both the Lotería project and her Jaipur identity, the aim was to create work that makes people feel "nostalgic, proud, or understood."
Running an independent studio has provided valuable lessons about the broader scope of design practice. "One of the most important lessons that working independently has taught me is that design is bigger than the creative aspect – it's about people, their story and the collaborative process of bringing a vision to life," Golecha reflects. She has also learned to embrace the unpredictable nature of creative entrepreneurship, finding that some of her most rewarding opportunities have emerged from unexpected sources.
"Some of the most rewarding opportunities arrived in the most ordinary and mundane ways, like an unexpected DM in response to a post, or a passing conversation," she notes. This experience has taught her that patience and persistence often matter more than pursuing quick wins, and that authentic connections frequently lead to the most meaningful projects.
Looking toward the future, Golecha is eager to take on more projects that combine culture, storytelling, and identity work. "Working with lifestyle, fashion and food brands particularly interests me, as they often carry strong narratives ripe for innovative portrayal," she says. She's equally excited about experimental work that crosses disciplines and challenges conventional boundaries, viewing such projects as opportunities to push her practice in new directions.
Ultimately, Siyart remains a vessel for Golecha's curiosity and a platform for amplifying stories she believes deserve to be heard. "Over the long term, my goal is to find stories I believe the world can benefit from, and build identities around them that feel authentic, emotional and durable," she concludes. Through her commitment to empathy-driven design and cross-cultural storytelling, Golecha continues to build bridges between communities while creating work that honors both tradition and innovation.
