Raring to go

These days when youngsters barely wait to finish their graduation or post graduation to migrate to the U.S. for further studies or to seek job opportunities, it is heartening to come across a group of youngsters who have set up a multimedia unit in Chennai and are hoping to make a mark in the field of advertising and communication.

Olive is the brainchild of Dhwani Nanavathi, M. Tilak, M. M. Narmada, R. Sivakumar, M. Sreeram and R. Pavitra. All of them are from different disciplines — Dhwani and Pavitra are diploma-holders in Fine Arts from Stella Maris College. Tilak and Sreeram have studied business management.

Sivakumar is a B.A. in History and Narmada a B.Sc. in Chemistry. These youngsters disprove the common theory that only those who have studied computer science or engineering can be technology savvy.

The six met at Arena Multimedia, from where they did an advanced diploma in multimedia. After finishing the course in April 2001, they hit upon the idea of freelancing and were guided by faculty member, R. Lakshmypathy.

Their first venture, a sleek CD on Michael Jackson which gives information about his songs, life, successes and clippings of his performances, is ample proof of their abilities.

According to Dhwani, the team leader and design expert, ``Design is a wide-ranging term. In the multimedia context, it refers to adding aesthetic value to any presentation from a visiting card, invitation, CDs etc.

Theme related designs enhance the presentation further. And Olive specialises in it''.

How do they cope with competition? Pat comes the reply, ``By understanding the strategy, approach and attitude of the client and offering suitable solutions.''

So, it is their imaginative design applications that may impress clients. The group feels that most of the old firms do not realise the scope and advantages of a well-designed presentation. And Olive tries to advise them on the challenging possibilities of effectively combining technology with aesthetics.

Elaborating on the point, Dhwani describes the recent project undertaken for a petrochemical company. ``The client wanted to present a corporate profile and a folio of products to the global market through the web to increase business.

Instead of just talking about the company, we gave a sophisticated, yet the right corporate image. We are now busy redesigning the company's logo, visiting cards, letterhead, CD presentation etc''.

Olive takes up both small jobs and major projects. Olive's strength is its young team, which is always full of ideas.

Vasanti Sankaranarayanan

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