Hello!
I’m Karishma and I run a multidisciplinary design studio - Karishma’s World. I founded my studio in 2014 and after initially focusing on print and accessories design, my practice has expanded to being truly multi-disciplinary - including digital design and podcasting - and through my work I’ve had the chance to meet and work with lots of brilliant individuals and companies.
My work falls into 3 main areas: Design, Podcasts & Education:
Design
As well as devising new products and services, I love supporting businesses to develop new concepts in a wide range of design specialisms. Recent projects I’ve worked on have been in the areas of outdoor fashion, farming, re-imagining spaces and modern museums.
Podcasts
I’ve co-created, hosted and released podcasts on entrepreneurship, creative industries and sustainability across 8 series and reviewed over 450 podcasts to date for BBC Radio Ulster’s The Ticket. I’ve co-developed and co-hosted workshops and courses on podcast making.
Education
Since 2011, I’ve worked with people to skill-up and build their confidence through design, entrepreneurship and creativity. I’ve delivered sessions remotely and in person with attendees in informal settings as well as with further and higher education spaces and with local and global companies.
If you’d like to discuss a project, please get in touch!
A sample of projects:
Fields Good
Northern Ireland’s first Regenerative Agricultural Festival “Fields Good” took place in September 2024 with almost 500 attendees.
I was commissioned to create a wide range of designs for their conference, from branding design to pattern work, social media assets and print media.
Conversation Beneath The Trees
Through The Curated Pod, The Irish Agroforestry have commissioned me to create the second series of the Conversation Beneath The Trees podcast featuring farmers, researchers, scientists and activists involved in agroforestry. Season 1 peaked at #1 in Ireland in the Nature and Science categories and #16 in the UK Nature category as well as charting globally. Season 2 will be released in Autumn 2024.
Design Your Life
I have been commissioned as part of The Design Salon to create a project for British Council’s SPARK 2024 Programme this year in collaboration with Christine James and Kylie Chan Illustration. Under the theme of “Healthy Futures,” we are exploring how design can impact people through interactive workshops and installations. We will be showcasing the project at AIRSIDE, Hong Kong in October 2024.
britishcouncil.hk/en/programmes/spark-2024
Dishing About Food
Working in collaboration with WhyFi Productions through The Curated Pod, our new podcast Dishing About Food will feature food entrepreneurs that have made their home in Northern Ireland travelling from all over the world to set up pop ups, restaurants, catering businesses and takeaways. This brand new 4-part series is now out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and all of your favourite podcasting apps!
A selection of features:
Design Council Experts
“The Design Council announces the new cohort of Design Council Experts, an active community of design pioneers working towards a planet-positive and regenerative future.”
THE DESIGN COUNCIL
Living the Dream
“It’s a melting pot of creativity, featuring interviews with people from worlds as diverse as comedy, architecture, jewellery making, virtual reality, design, music and events, where freelancers and entrepreneurs share the secrets of their success.”
SUNDAY LIFE
In the making
“Designer, podcaster and co-founder of Belfast Design Week are just a few of Karishma Kusurkar’s many hats. A range of experiences early on in her career and a willingness to step outside of her comfort zone have resulted in a truly multidisciplinary and collaborative approach.”
100 ARCHIVE
How can your design sector put the planet at the heart of its work?
"As designers, we are inherently problem solvers, but designing “for the planet” can seem a daunting prospect — where do we even begin?”
THE DESIGN COUNCIL
Let’s talk about living progress
"Based in Belfast, Kusurkar runs a design studio, which tackles a wide range of projects at every stage “from ideation and design thinking to product and storytelling”"
THE SUNDAY TIMES
24 Hours in Belfast
“If you know Karishma, you’ll know she loves finding out what’s going on in her home city and that she talks to a lot of local creatives, movers and shakers. Karishma welcomes you to Belfast with a curated list of how to spend your time."