Vikas Sethi: A Career That Didn't Follow the Map
What struck me most about Vikas' talk wasn't a specific project or piece of work, it was the shape of his career. Starting out in New Delhi, moving through design education and professional work in the United States, and eventually landing in the UK, his path is anything but linear. He's crossed industries and cultures, and his willingness to talk openly about that journey (rather than present a polished highlight reel) made it one of the more memorable talks we've had.
Verne Robotaxi which Vikas worked on.
As someone who's fairly passionate about cars, I'll admit one detail caught me off guard, despite having worked on the CMF team at Aston Martin (one of the most iconic names in automotive design) Vikas mentioned he has no particular interest in cars. To me, that was almost as thought-provoking as anything else he said. It challenges the assumption that you need to be obsessed with a product to do exceptional work on it. Great design, it seems, can come from curiosity and craft rather than personal passion for the object itself.
As Product Design students, we're often fed a fairly tidy narrative: study design, build a portfolio, get a graduate job, work your way up. What Vikas's story illustrates is that the reality is messier, more international, and arguably more interesting than that.
