NYUCT Design Labs

15/08/2026

When a collection of handmade stories are designed and developed for the digital-first world, it walks a fine line. Between curation and code.

Each such story is custom-designed and tailored for the chapter it holds. Each is an immersive experience. Responsive and experiential across devices and interactive for audiences, House of Stories allows you to reimagine content mindfully.

From the making of the Indian Constitution to the billion years of the diamond and from 100 years of Art Deco to the reimagined, rewind of India’s OG timekeeper. There’s lots to discover, learn, browse and interact with. And many more to come. Each is designed with love and coded to care.

From epics to business and from biographies to heritage, stories remain some of the most powerful & influential artefacts for brands and institutions to present their journeys and adventures. And take their audiences along.

Stories leave lasting impressions. They transcend eras. And when such stories take “trance-formative” form, it makes possibilities special for storytellers.

Links on our bio.

09/08/2026

In branding and brand building, being the tail of a lion 🦁 is better than being the head of 🐑

In the marketplace, that sees new products & services everyday, nothing damages your brand more than homogeneity. Lack of character and more of sameness simply don’t make the cut. Fit in, for sure and that’s good but do so with character.

Originality, especially relevant originality has always been the most powerful character of brands. Being templated and playing safe can be very counterproductive when you are launching your startup, pitching a new business or entering a new category. If you are building a business or embarking on a venture, it pays to not treat brand development as an afterthought. It works best as part of your foundation building while you begin your journey.

While it is understandable that in the early phases there are other parameters that are critical like product market fit, desirability is a non-compromiseable. Your brand has got to be exciting enough for audiences to pick from the shelf.

What are some simple yardsticks to follow? What should you be paying attention to?

There are three attributes or markers that can help you build a brand of distinction.

1. Character & peculiarity of character
2. Optimising appeal for the head, heart and gut (second-brain)
3. The customer journey and experience.

Each of the above is a nuanced process. While not complex, they do have a method to them.

For a deeper examination click on the linktree link.

09/08/2026

In branding and brand building, being the tail of a lion 🦁 is better than being the head of 🐑

In the marketplace, that sees new products & services everyday, nothing damages your brand more than homogeneity. Lack of character and more of sameness simply don’t make the cut. Fit in, for sure and that’s good but do so with character.

Originality, especially relevant originality has always been the most powerful character of brands. Being templated and playing safe can be very counterproductive when you are launching your startup, pitching a new business or entering a new category. If you are building a business or embarking on a venture, it pays to not treat brand development as an afterthought. It works best as part of your foundation building while you begin your journey.

While it is understandable that in the early phases there are other parameters that are critical like product market fit, desirability is a non-compromiseable. Your brand has got to be exciting enough for audiences to pick from the shelf.

What are some simple yardsticks to follow? What should you be paying attention to?

There are three attributes or markers that can help you build a brand of distinction.

1. Character & peculiarity of character
2. Optimising appeal for the head, heart and gut (second-brain)
3. The customer journey and experience.

Each of the above is a nuanced process. While not complex, they do have a method to them.

For a deeper examination click on the linktree link.

06/07/2026

Today’s founders and shapers in the Food & Culinary space don’t just need a great recipe. They don’t need just sharp products or a clear positioning. They need all of it together. A compelling brand, exceptional experiences, an efficient kitchen, memorable spaces, profitable operations, engaging content, digital capabilities, and a business model that can help scale.

Yet these pieces are often built in isolation—different agencies, different consultants, different timelines, and disconnected thinking. True, that’s how the cookie crumbles many times.

But what if they were designed together from day one? By an integrated, turnkey cell that understands the food and lifestyle business and has living practitioners across decades to help you build?

Edible Ventures is a full-stack design and development cell built for the makers of the food world. It helps entrepreneurs, restaurant groups, hospitality brands, hotels, institutions and consumer food businesses incubate concepts and transform ideas into ventures that people love— delicious businesses that endure.

The biggest advantage isn’t simply having every capability under one roof. It’s ensuring that every decision—from the menu to the space, from the service model to the brand story, from operations to digital—is connected by one strategic vision.

That means fewer iterations, faster ex*****on, lower development risk, stronger customer experiences and ventures that are designed to scale.

Whether you’re creating a neighbourhood café, a national restaurant brand, a food-tech concept, a hospitality experience, or the next great packaged food business, the journey becomes faster when strategy, design, food and operations evolve together.

This is what Edible Ventures helps with. Accelerate your founder journeys in the business of all things food.

06/07/2026

03/07/2026

Experiences are best…well.., “experienced”!
And no, not just on cold, flat, digital interfaces to be moused over. But across real, tactile, sensorial and physical environments.

There is something visceral about being in the real moment and in the midst of real experiences, with real culture. And increasingly so, it’s happening in the high value luxury space where digital homogeneity is being countered with real, immersive experiences. For consumers who have overdosed on touch & tap.

Exceptional experiences tend to stay with you, linger much after the moment of discovery or engagement. And such experiences have their recipes. They could be complex or simpler varieties.

1. One realises that the longer-staying experiences in fact, tend to be multi-sensorial. They are designed to have multiple memory anchors.

Vision+Sound+Smell+Touch+Taste+Sense can be a potent combination if blended right and around participation.

2. And then there are the other set of experiences. They are simple experiences but designed around emotional spikes/peaks or profundity and raising the level of anticipation. They revolve around “What’s THE moment that people will share about, because the experience resonated with them in profound ways.”

Across both, one fact emerges - the customer today, journeys and toggles between media, spaces, environments, on ground and on cloud.

Experience design, when tailored around real customer journeys and a unique narrative, amplify memorability for brands.

06/06/2026

Exciting news popped in recently. hit the Conde Nast Traveller Editor’s list of top 10 new hotels in 2026. For a debut venture and the fact that it was led by naturalists and not hoteliers, makes it extra special. For founders building passion ventures, it offers beautiful insights.

Outpost 12, a unique safari bio-lodge in Kanha is a venture where Design Labs worked with Sinali Private Limited as an integrated venture design, product & brand development partner. What started as a leap of collective faith and an off-the-grid adventure with a team of inspiring founder-naturalists, transformed into an experiential innovation. With more adventures to come in the coming seasons.

The journey of OP12 and the listing is a vindication of many things. But primarily about longer term vision and the unreasonable power of passion. It underlines the values of good old hard work, diligence and commitment to excellence that the founders and the energetic team at Outpost12 demonstrate every day.

Read about this adventure and what went into its making on the linktree link in bio.

19/05/2026

Rhum’s the word. Right? Or wrong?

Yes you read that right. With that little additional ‘h’. Well almost, had the rules of usage applied beyond the French Caribbean territories. But that’s a debate for another day. For now there’s another reason for celebration.

“Neoli” from Himmaleh is an Agricole styled rum made entirely from fresh sugarcane juice and distilled in a double retort pot still - a first time in India.

The brand, bottle and packaging were literally designed to manifest this transparency and “clear of molasses” proposition. With its see-through design.

The brand recently secured a silver medal at the London Spirits Competition 2026. And thereby added more metals to the Himmaleh cabinet, following the earlier success of Kumaon&I and Bandarful.

Himmaleh Spirits as a venture has been designed around sustainability and a 100% farm to bottle Himalayan promise. Sustainability is central to Neoli’s ethos. Himmaleh Spirits works closely with local farmers and artisans, ensuring 100% traceability and ethical sourcing.

Neoli carries the tradition of its sibling brands by honouring both the land and the hands that cultivate it.

And the name? Well that’s just a bird-call away. Transparency demands, you see :)

Read the full case study on our linktr.ee link.

17/05/2026

02/05/2026

For thousands of years the Himalayas have held a profound significance for people in the Indian subcontinent, as their literature, mythologies, and philosophies reflect.

Himmaleh Distillery has been an edible venture that brings in a beautiful world together around this esteemed territory. Nature’s orchards, passionate grower communities, glacial sources, wilderness, Tiger tales, brave foragers, artful distillers and consumers who seek the unordinary.

This has been a Himalayan pursuit that has fetched global awards for the best spirits in their category for Kumaon & I (Gin) and Bandarful (Coffee Liqueur) and critical appreciation.

This is a reminder on how indigenous heritage & culture can shape and inspire modern day brands in the edible space.

For founders in the food space and all things food, the India story and hyper local themes within it are great opportunities for edible ventures and brands seeking to captivate the global palate.

distillery