“When we think about the future, we definitely do not want to work for anyone else,” says Makarand Narkar. “We want to start something of our own that is based around our culture, our roots, our country.”

Narkar is one-half of Boomranng, the Mumbai-based studio he founded with his partner Sonal Vasave in 2020. Together, the duo create maximalist illustrations inspired by their love of storytelling, Indian mythology and comics, working with an impressive array of global brands, ranging from Spotify to Starbucks.

Growing up in Mumbai, they were both obsessed with drawing and telling stories from a young age, although a creative career wasn’t an obvious choice for either of them from the outset. “Especially in our country, where people would be doing engineering or becoming doctors, it was difficult for our parents to understand how the profession would work for us,” Vasave tells CR.