Meet the SHEROES - Ami Gandhi

Ami Gandhi, founded Fabrigamie, a venture designing and producing personalized photobooks and photowalls for personal and corporate use. Before Fabrigami, Ami worked for Stones2milestones, where she held a flexijob and was responsible for designing branding, e-mailers, leaflets and posters for marketing their educational programmes. She holds a BFA (Applied Arts), MS University and has attended Academy of Art, USA, for a Computer Arts course. Ami loves life for the challenges it brings, get to know more about here-

Tell us more about yourself and what you do. 

I have been in the field of graphic designing since 20 years. Initially, I used my degree in Applied Arts to design logos, brand identity and other marketing print material for clients. In 2009, I ventured into designing and creating photobooks and photowalls for personal and corporate use.

In the digital age of photography, such books are replacing photo albums. Personalized books celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and friendships. Corporate books tell a company’s story with pictures in the short time. They are also great give-aways.

A typical project starts with the client giving me a bunch of photographs in digital and print form. We discuss themes for the book/wall and special moments, people and incidents that they want to add. The photobook is then created with photos and appropriate page titles and quotes. The photowall has a combination of photos and a few quotes along with photographs. What the client gets, is a beautifully design hard bound personal photobook or a framed to perfection and well laid out photowall.

I am a self-taught origami artist and have folded complex flowers and boxes out of paper and fabric. I hold workshops for children.

One for Peace is an origami project close to my heart. 18 schools participated to fold 18000 origami cranes with a prayer for peace. This was done in collaboration with Aura, A learning space, in 2009. We taught the 10-13 year olds to fold origami cranes in workshops for the need of peace. Each school made an installation with 1000 cranes for a display at the Laxmi Vilas Palace Museum. The Maharaja and Maharani of Vadodara supported the cause and graciously inaugurated it.

I volunteer at Shram Mandir Trust, a leprosy treatment and rehab centre, as a designer in the handloom department that weaves home and kitchen linen.

What ignited the idea of fabrigamie?

Technology has advanced so much that we can instantly share our photographs and comments. But this sharing is short-lived as it gets saved in the memory of a hard drive, and forgotten.

One day, while browsing through photographs on the computer, I realized that I missed going through them in print albums with family and friends and reliving memories.

I decided to create photo books for my children and save the memories of their childhood. The first one I made was for my daughter. It has 10 years of her life, from little poems to photographs of times spent with her family and friends. Her face still lights up whenever she browses through it up.

As a memento, I gifted books to my extended family with photos from holidays together.

The word spread and I got opportunities to create albums for special birthdays, anniversaries, friendships and travel. Infact, a client gets one done on each of her son’s birthday, right from the day he was born. She says that this is the most precious gift she will give when her son turns 18!

A corporate coffee-table book was created for Rockstar Creative Academy, a local music academy on completion of its first year got good reviews. Turning each page in the book, one can sense the feeling of walking through their studio, enjoying their events and meeting with team members. It also serves the purpose of introducing the academy to potential investors.

Recently, I created a personalized wall for a loving father’s daughter. The wall has photographs of her childhood, with her parents, brother and husband. Appropriate quotes framed with the photographs added sentiments of the father.

What are the challenges that you faced when starting up?

Production challenges were a few as I was already well versed with the designing and printing industry. The challenge was and still is, to create a necessity for this kind of product in everyday life.

When I share my product concept with people, they love the idea and want to get such a book and wall. But find it cumbersome to select the photographs from the many clicked. So unless it’s a special occasion or need to gift, they need to be cajoled to get one of personal photographs. I have friends who are amateur photographers. They click amazing compositions which are shared on social media. I have been constantly after them, to get to create coffee-table books of their works. But I am yet to create one for them!

Being an entrepreneur, each aspect of business is challenging. With each challenge is the curiosity to learn. I have learned the ropes of creating and managing a website, using social media for marketing advantage and dealing with suppliers. I have learnt to use my time well to be able to give home and work gets equal priority.

A message to all the SHEROES out there. 

Keep your passion alive. Dream your own dreams. If you believe in yourself, it will happen. But you need to put in your best, face each challenge with a smile and hope. Keep learning and evolve as you grow.

Check out Ami’s work at www.fabrigamie.in