Built by designers. Not by a coaching business.
Avnish Priya Gautam
Dezign Habitat is founded by Avnish Priya Gautam, an NID alumnus with 20 years of experience across industrial design, UX, product design, design leadership, business strategy, user research, design thinking, brand systems and innovation.
Avnish has worked across companies such as LG, Samsung, EY and Tata 1mg — leading design teams, building design systems, conducting user research, facilitating workshops, mentoring designers and solving real-world business problems through design.
This academy brings that experience to students much earlier — so they do not just prepare for design school, they begin becoming designers.
Kedaar Naik
Kedaar Naik is an alumnus of the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad and Sir J. J. School of Arts, Mumbai, with over 20 years of experience at the intersection of design, business and brand building.
Throughout his career, Kedaar has led design and brand initiatives across retail, consumer products, exhibitions, digital experiences and marketing communications. His professional journey includes leadership roles at Pepperfry, VIP Industries and HomeTown, before founding The Turtle Story, a design-led branding consultancy based in Mumbai.
With a strong belief that design is a strategic business tool and not just an aesthetic exercise, Kedaar helps organizations create meaningful brands, communicate with clarity and build lasting customer connections.
At Dezign Habitat, he brings an industry perspective that bridges design education with real-world business challenges, ensuring students develop not only creative skills but also the strategic thinking needed to thrive in the design profession.
A note from the founder
When I was preparing for design, I wish someone had told me that design is not just drawing.
Design is noticing how people sit, wait, buy, cook, travel, complain, repair, remember and dream.
Design is not decoration. It is empathy, clarity and imagination.
After 20 years in the industry, I have realized that the best designers are not always the best artists. They are the best observers.
Dezign Habitat is my attempt to help young students build that power early. Not just to crack NID, NIFT or UCEED. But to become original thinkers.