Growing up in Karachi, Purnia Farrukh spent hours visualising and reimagining the design elements she would see throughout her city. Striking colour combinations, font variations and shop front designs would swirl in her mind – all as various possibilities. Today, in her sleek, sunny studio, Farrukh is doing what she loved to do as a child, but now as her profession.

Farrukh is the powerhouse behind Itereight, one of the leading design studios in Karachi, responsible for shaping the brand identities of some of our favourite brands.

In her own words, she is “an independent designer who merges architecture and branding.”

Farrukh was born to parents who worked in corporate pharmaceutical jobs and did not fully comprehend her passion for art. Regardless, she dabbled in art throughout her adolescence. From a very young age, she recognised the merit of pursuing a degree within the field of art because of its capacity to equip individuals with an arsenal of transferable skills along with providing the foundation of formal training.

After obtaining a certificate in design from Türkiye’s Sabancı University, she completed her bachelor’s in architecture at the California State Polytechnic University in the US. Upon graduating, she worked as a visual and architectural designer at a prominent creative agency in Los Angeles before moving back to Karachi.

On her return, Farrukh started small. The funding was low and the belief in her vision among her family and friends was not that high.

“At first, no one understood what I meant by design. I had to educate people on branding; that was a significant part of it.”

Despite the process being daunting, Farrukh’s vision was clear from the beginning. Despite having studied architecture, she held a deep interest in branding. As it turned out, establishing a studio in Karachi that offered both disciplines ended up hitting a sweet spot among her clients, who appreciated the cohesiveness of this clever marriage. “I always knew I wanted to combine elements of architecture and graphic design and offer both services.”

Farrukh set up Itereight in 2021. Her first client was a friend eager to launch a scented candle company and she entrusted Farrukh with complete creative control, enabling her to curate a distinct brand identity for the company. She then went on to make her mark on various design projects that came her way, and people in the creative sphere began to take notice of her work.

As part of her creative process, Farrukh draws up customised plans that encompass different areas of design, such as logos, product design, social media graphics and architectural elements. She is not one to rely on trends or what is popular to guide her process.

“All I ask from my clients is to let go and trust me,” she says with a smile.

Soon after setting up her practice, Farrukh took on the added role of contractor for her projects in order to ensure an optimised and seamless process. Since architecture and construction in Pakistan tend to operate in an archaic way with layers of complications, Farrukh wanted to find a solution that would make the process easier for her team and enable her to oversee all aspects of the process. As a studio involved in the consultation and the construction process, she believes that their final product reflects the cohesion she seeks.

Three years on, Itereight has gained quite a reputation in the field of architecture and design and accumulated a diverse portfolio of clients. Farrukh divulges how smaller companies are sometimes easier to work with since they allow her more creative freedom and the approval process is quicker. Larger companies, although exhilarating to work with, are slower in their approval processes and there is always the added pressure of maintaining the integrity of the brand. For Farrukh, the best kind of client is one who separates business from design. “My team’s job is to make a brand visually interesting and cohesive, although their success in the market eventually comes down to their product and the business decisions they make.”

When asked if she considers herself successful, Farrukh says, “I never think the firm is perfect; I always push myself and my colleagues to grow and be in a constant state of learning.”

For her, the most rewarding part of being a designer is contributing to the urban landscape of her city. “The world is shifting towards a certain type of design aesthetic and local brands need to keep up, and my studio can help with that.”

In her opinion, designers should learn to leave their personal preferences at the door, as that is the biggest mistake they can make. “I love the colour green, but I don’t incorporate it in all my designs. A designer is a planner and execution specialist; our job is to breathe life into the client’s vision,” she explains.

Farrukh categorises good design as having as “little design as possible while getting a point across” and bad design as overflowing with flounces and being distracting.

“When I revisit my earlier work, I feel a sense of pride at what I have accomplished, as those experiences have served as building blocks in my career.”

She, however, laments the lack of institutional resources available for young entrepreneurs and believes that state funding is necessary to support promising designers through initiatives like local design festivals and collectives.

On how she has evolved in her role at Itereight, she chuckles, admitting that her colleagues will probably say she is friendlier and more like a colleague than an employer compared to when she first started and had to embody a certain level of assertiveness.

She is adamant that Pakistan possesses immense untapped potential, like a tree brimming with fruit close to ripening. “There are so many things one can do here. I would love to see more creative studios that cater to different markets.”

In this vein, Farrukh says she hopes to expand her studio and broaden her operations. She also hopes to generate more design systems that are sustainable in an ever-changing commercial landscape and contribute towards standardising these processes.