This story is from Prattfolio’s feature “Pivot Points,” on Pratt alumni navigating moments of uncertainty, change, and transformation in their life and work.
For some, a pivot is a natural shift on what was always a mutifaceted path. “I knew I would eventually find my way to design,” says Shikha Subramaniam, who first studied English literature in India. “My undergraduate experience turned out to be very multidisciplinary—combining literature and storytelling with history, art, sociology, psychology, politics, and philosophy. Social clubs like the music and film photography clubs provided me with more creative outlets.”
Knowing she wanted to eventually switch gears, Subramaniam had been building her portfolio—but coming to Pratt to study in the communications design MFA program still felt like a long shot, she says. Nevertheless, making was part of her routine, and she looked for opportunities to practice her skills as well: “I was constantly drawing and working on crafts like mixed media collages, and repurposing bottles into art. I also freelanced as a graphic designer, offering to work for free at first, which eventually led to two internships,” she says, and when she was accepted to Pratt, “I jumped at the opportunity.”
She found echoes of her experience in her fellow students’ stories. “Pratt encouraged students from diverse career backgrounds, so I wasn’t alone in pivoting to design,” Subramaniam says. “It was great to have writers, doctors, fashion designers, engineers, film makers, all at the same table talking about design.”
It was one of her professors, Mike Newcomb, then a director at design agency Code and Theory, who planted the seed of UX design as a possibility for Subramaniam. With his encouragement, she applied for an internship at Code and Theory and would go on to work there for four years before moving to a role at The Washington Post—in the Lede Lab, a small research and development team within the newsroom that she says had a “cohort” or “project pod” feel similar to her agency work.
“In my role, I find myself pitching stories, reporting, strategizing, designing, making illustrations, and art directing, and I love being able to play so many roles in one job.”
The focus of the work was wholly new, but Subramaniam found that she had all the fundamentals to dive in. “I was very forthright about not having worked in news, and they welcomed my agency experience,” she says. “My UX skills were very transferable, though—a very thorough process from brainstorming, to sketching, to creating user journeys and wireframes for every story, before making detailed mockups, and working closely with an engineer who would code the article.”
The Lede Lab eventually merged with the greater news design team, which was large but still close-knit, with designers from across disciplines, and room for Subramaniam to spread her wings. “At agencies, sometimes you start to hyper specialize,” she says, “but in my role, I find myself pitching stories, reporting, strategizing, designing, making illustrations, and art directing, and I love being able to play so many roles in one job.” Last year, Subramaniam was part of the Washington Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting, for “Terror on Repeat,” part of an investigative series on AR-15 violence in America.
Her words of wisdom for fellow designers considering their next move: “Be transparent about what you know and what you don’t know, and definitely about what you want to learn more about, but don’t underestimate how much of your existing skill set could be applicable and be valued in other roles and industries. Definitely focus on the strengths you bring from your prior experience, rather than on the things you don’t know (yet)—oh, and be ready for a learning curve the first few months.”