Lingeswaran
Marimuthukumar
(a.k.a. Mali)
Life at Zoho
What is your current role within the company?
Presently, I work as a Creative Director. I head a dynamic team of product designers, content writers, marketers, video producers, and a diverse array of creative designers (visual and motion graphics) who work on web and mobile apps.
What does your work space currently look like?
My desk reflects all of the things I’m passionate about, like miniature bikes, cool character figurines, cacti pot, and a gadget organizer.
What were your expectations when you started and how have they changed over time?
The previous company I worked at was extremely process oriented. So much so, that meta work and statistical, data-driven processes like Six Sigma were taken very seriously! I had heard a lot about Zoho’s company culture—the creative freedom, flat-hierarchy, flexibility, dress code, etc. All this motivated me to be a part of this organization and I’m glad all my expectations have been met beyond doubt.
What role does Zoho’s company culture play in your identity and the work that you do?
There is something appealing about Zoho’s friendly and cheerful atmosphere. The energy from colleagues enjoying each other’s company translates into efficiency and collaboration at work. A person can be moulded well into playing any role in the team. In fact, one’s academic background holds almost no relevance here. This provides an avenue for cross-pollination to help individuals transition from say, a developer to a designer or a marketer.
At Work
Your most embarrassing blunder?
At an event in Dubai, one of the partners pointed out that the certificate read ‘Chennai’ instead of ‘Dubai’. The certificate’s content was proofread before it went for printing in Chennai, but it didn’t strike any of us to change the location mentioned in it! Although I stayed back with a colleague two days after the event ended and printed new certificates for distribution, this is one fiasco I won’t easily forget.
Is there a project or an accomplishment at Zoho you’re proud of?
It’s hard to single out just one project, but here are a few accomplishments that make my heart swell with pride.
Zoho Desk promotional video (in Tenkasi)
Every aspect of this video, from beginning to end was a true team effort. This received immense appreciation from our viewers.
Zoho Puvi
It took months of immense research and hard work to hand-craft this unique typeface for Zoho. Puvi, means ‘Earth’ in Tamil, and its angular cut at 23.5 degrees is inspired by our planet Earth’s axial tilt. Puvi is an ode to the continuous symbolism of Zoho’s down-to-earth ethos over the years.
Tell us about a time you overcame a challenge you didn’t think was possible?
Until I joined Zoho, I was a hard-core techie. Having worked as a developer until then, the biggest challenge for me was the transition to managing an entire creative team. My affinity for aesthetics and desire to do everything artistically helped me handle the transition.
I was initially a bridge between product managers and designers/marketers. I processed project requirements and communicated them to my team in terms they could understand. Fortunately, I've had the instincts to provide creative input and I would like to believe that has worked out well for us.
Zoho Mail UX revamp
We redesigned the product in terms of experience, visual interface, feature-sets, personas, and use-case. This was well-received by customers at a global level.
Logolinism
We came up with the ideology for a new design language to rebrand all Zoho product logos with an element of consistency using lines. From a visual standpoint, we executed this by using minimalist designs and shapes. This has enhanced the appeal of our marketing collateral and made our product logos resonate with modern trends in logo design.
Getting Personal
Any memorable moments of your journey captured?
Our team had the opportunity of creating a dream workspace for ourselves. We got together and designed the space from scratch; the walls were adorned with funky and modern artwork, hanging succulents, posters, calligraphy, and so much more! We called it ‘The Woodspace’, and it simply had an amazing synergy to it.
Are there any habits or routines you take part in, to refocus or to keep yourself motivated?
The sight of happy employees frolicking through the hall, and then transitioning seamlessly into a productive work sprint helps me refocus and keep myself motivated! Most of the time we’ve had this routine at office where we stop all work, just to chit-chat, have fun, play games, etc. Breaking away from the monotony is important to me and I’ve never considered it to be a waste of time. It greatly enhances our interpersonal relationships, and when we become close friends, our work environment becomes more stress-free, and our social lives become meaningful and interesting.
What are some of your favorite activities outside of work?
I love positively impacting anyone who would listen to me, on how to admire everything around us in an aesthetic manner. My passion for gadgets, trends, photography and sharing spills over into the subjects I handle for Zoho Schools.
What are the top three books you recommend that everyone should read?
Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness. It discusses the importance of going beyond simply satisfying the client and making them feel joyful instead.
Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration. This talks about how creativity in business and leadership can produce word-class output.
The Runaway Species: How Human Creativity Remakes the World. This is a deep dive into the mind, a celebration of the human spirit, and a vision of how we can improve our future by understanding and embracing our ability to innovate.
Words of Wisdom
Sharpen your axe before you start cutting wood. Do not start working on an assignment right away! Take a day’s time to do your research and plan your work. You can add more value to it if you make it look creatively different from your competitors.
Patience is golden! Good designs take time. Patience provides us with the required energy, strength, and zest to achieve our goals and objectives.
Have loads of fun! Living a fun life inspires creative thinking!
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