🎉 Canvs’ 2022 — A Reflection 🎉
Working at Canvs in 2022 was a unique experience. The portfolio of top-tier clients in the banking and finance sectors was a testament to the quality of the work being produced by the dedicated and tightly-knit team. This year, the team demonstrated resilience and growth in the face of adversity. This was enabled by their remarkable individuals, whose qualities shone in difficult moments and enabled them to produce innovative solutions that met the needs of their clients (and their own product, alike).
As this year closes, we thought it appropriate to share with the world what our team members have to say to shed light on the kind of year we’ve had the kind of work-life that we share.
To open up a small note from our Founder, Debprotim Roy:
We had a good year, a happy year really. We saw last year’s new folks become this year’s A graders. We welcomed some amazing new people to our team. On the business front we achieved unprecedented growth this year. 2022 marked the 5th year since we started seeing regular revenue for our studio, Canvs Club. Our revenues have grown literally 10 times in these last 5 years.
Of course, this is a reflection of the hard work put in by a small group of extra-ordinary people. But I’d personally never fail to acknowledge the lack of sheer bad luck. If our efforts bear fruit, we are lucky. We could have been unlucky and seen failures despite our hours, but we didn’t, so we are lucky. In the name of growth we could have compromised on the type of clients, projects or the type of team mates. But we were lucky we didn’t.
While we grew on the Studio front we also worked hard on a remarkable new product in-house. We’ll release more details on this soon. We have put a lot of soul in it and I promise you’ll notice that when you use it.
This year was growth year 1 for us. There is a lot of even better stuff to come in 2023. We sure hope we stay lucky, nonetheless we’ll do what we do best.
Debprotim,
Founder / CEO, Canvs
Let’s get into what some of the team have to say. Keep in mind, some of us are more serious with our answers than others, as is made abundantly clear in the stories you shall read.
Give us a few words about the past year at Canvs and how you have grown since. Please share any stories, anecdotes, reflections or any unique thing that stood out for you.
Abin Rajan (design ops) — I feel in my stint at Canvs, this has been an eventful year. I joined in Feb 2020 and then the world shut down for Corona. This year was comparatively better, although it had some initial scares of outbreaks. The interesting thing about working at Canvs is to be able to involve in multiple projects from varying domains. It not only helps to bring in that diversity in your work but also helps explore different domains and interact with experts from the field. Even at the moment, Canvs is involved in domains like Banking, Fintech, Forex, Edtech, Project Management and the list goes on. The research process building up to these projects and even though the project helps massively to make informed decisions and also build a strong knowledge repository for internal teams too.
Mansi Bakle (associate designer) — Definitely got better with time management and came close to getting bullied into cycling. Someday I will try and fail, but I will try
Arjun Rajkishore (senior designer) — 2022 was very different. I’ve worked with Canvs long enough to recognise the stark differences, and this year it was amazing — I’ve worked with more designers and project managers in general. Till now it was just a few people — now the team is much bigger, and the growth has been incredible. Personally, this has required a lot of changes and it has been an amazing challenge.
Akshata Gawas (software developer) — When I joined Canvs, I’m not aware of the react framework, and after that, I started to learn react-related courses and SCSS. I got good guidance from my teammates. I have learned multiple aspects of coding. Now I’m here as a good react developer. I have learned a lot of new things.
Sidhant Tibrewal (associate designer) — My year started with Canvs. I went through the application process and interviews in January, followed by a swift onboarding in February. Although I had been involved in design for a few years, I had not yet experienced what it was like to work in a highly dynamic, remote team. The months that followed were full of learning, not just in applied design, but also in how to practice it. I often found myself out of my depth, but I was surprised by what I could create with guidance from brilliant people. I also got the opportunity to work on multiple design projects across different industries, improve my design skills, and write about design and tech (shout out to the Content team!). All in all, it’s been an incredible year at Canvs, and I’m excited for what’s to come.
Himanshu Patil (software developer) — The past year at Canvs has been a great opportunity. We created multiple serverless applications for Cassini, such as URL capture, and added static testing for code maintenance. We also switched from Webpack bundler to Vite, which improved the build speed for the Cassini product.
Aalhad Joshi (principal) — The past year has seen accelerated growth in what we do well, and how we do it. Our work has become more confident, and our people seem to be growing into who they are personally, and professionally to an inspiring degree.
Tell us about your workspace, routines and how you find it living the remote work life with Canvs.
Abin Rajan (design ops) — Remote work was a concept completely new to me when I joined Canvs. We switched to remote work on a Sunday evening and have been running smoothly ever since. I learned through the process. The core team at Canvs was highly efficient with remote work, but I had doubts and confusion. They had weekly and bi-weekly catchups to get me up to speed and check on the general state of affairs. I believe one reason remote work operates smoothly at Canvs is the frameworks already in place. Documentation is a big part of it, allowing everyone, even those not involved in a project, to have a view and provide pointers.
Mansi Bakle (associate designer) — I did move around my desk from room to room to see what feels better. Back to my original spot and hoped my roommate isn’t annoyed. Had some fur buddies when I was fostering and I should mention their equally important contributions to my design work
Arjun Rajkishore (senior designer) — My routine is a little earlier than everyone, but I work from home, I follow a very strict routine and I absolutely LOVE working from home. I would not be opposed to a once-a-week office thing with people in BLR though.
Akshata Gawas (software developer) — Regarding my routine, mostly my working time is 11 am to 8 pm. Before that, I spent a little bit of time studying. Remote work life is beneficial for me in the case of travelling. It is getting easier for me to handle family and professional life.
Sidhant Tibrewal (associate designer) — Transitioning from a full-time in-office job to a fully remote one was something I was looking forward to. The difficulty of initially transitioning to remote work was eased by the help of everyone on the team. Everyone is available and always ready to help out. If you need help at Canvs, they will not only point you in the right direction, they will do their best to solve it for you (this extends beyond work too!). The flexibility that comes with it is unparalleled. My routine usually starts around 10 am, working either at my home or a friend’s home. I like to work in my own space, with music or YouTube playing in the background. I devote most of my time to working on multiple projects, with breaks for routine calls, writing, and making coffee.
Himanshu Patil (software developer) — I have a comfortable chair and desk in my workspace. I usually get up between 9 and 9:30 in the morning, then go to the gym for 1 to 1.5 hours. I start work after lunch, around 1:00 pm, and work until 10:00 or 11:00 pm. I enjoy the flexibility of remote work.
Aalhad Joshi (principal) — The workday at Canvs has been rather regimented, after a long run or gym session in the early morning (6:00 am-8:00 am) I get to work by around 9 in the morning and close up shop by around 7–8 pm.
Tell us what you feel the culture is like at Canvs, what do you like the most about it? Tell us about some instances that you would like to highlight.
Abin Rajan (design ops) — Culture fit is crucial at Canvs! Over the years, I’ve noticed how closely the team looks into recruiting any new member and how not just experience and skill set, but even culture fit is closely looked into. To be able to work and collaborate closely, it’s also important to have a level of connection with your colleagues and culture fit plays an important role. I feel the culture at Canvs is really progressive and open to allow for open discussions and woke conversations. It is also important as we often engage in conversations in our end-of-week calls. Yup, those do not work calls cause “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”
Mansi Bakle (associate designer) — It’s almost like an episode of The Office; everyone is very different and it’s chaotic yet neutral. After 6:30 PM, I get blamed for things I’ve never said on calls, but I think that’s fairly compensated with really nice Diwali gifts. There are a lot of heartwarming moments and nothing feels forced. After all, we are a family.
Arjun Rajkishore (senior designer) — The main thing is that it’s honest. No good team is built without conflict. If we have an issue with another person, we address it — and move forward from there.
Akshata Gawas (software developer) — Our Canvs culture is good. people are more friendly and helpful.
Sidhant Tibrewal (associate designer) — Canvs’ culture is both easy and difficult to describe. It’s a group of creative people who value their craft and opinions, and use them to turn “pixels into dreams”. Everyone at Canvs is in sync with the design ideologies. Everyone’s motivation when designing any product is the same. Everyone has similar ideas of aesthetics, respect for consistency, and a commitment to perfection. This doesn’t mean there aren’t opposing views or disagreements, but they are all resolved by finding the best possible solution. Discussions and decisions are truly democratic, involving everyone involved in the project.
Himanshu Patil (software developer) — It is beneficial to have faster development/change movement, flexibility in work, and freedom to explore/work on new technologies.
Aalhad Joshi (principal) — We work on a simple principle of honest, intellectual work. If it works, it works, and if it doesn’t, the same. People are all driven by a ruthless curiosity while maintaining a formidable, human nature about the constraints of work. It’s tough on ideas, but easier on people.
Tell us about your interests and hobbies. Additionally, have there been any new interests you may have shared with a coworker or vice versa?
Abin Rajan (design ops) — My interest is mostly in music. I sing and post occasional videos on Youtube and other social platforms. I have been trying to learn guitar on the sides, need to make be disciplined and particular about that.
Mansi Bakle (associate designer) — I enjoy painting and other forms of fine art in my spare time. It’s something that will always be a constant for me. I also love rollerblading, but I haven’t done it for months. Swimming is another activity I enjoy, although I’m not very good at it. I like to dance, too, and I’ve tried hip-hop, salsa, and bachata. As a way of apologizing to my friend Arjun, I promised to buy him a potted plant every time I make a mistake. So, if obsessively buying and caring for plants counts as a hobby, then that’s what I do.
Arjun Rajkishore (senior designer) — I ride my bike a lot. That’s basically it.
Akshata Gawas (software developer) — I like to spend my free time reading. My favourite novel is ‘Deh Zala Chandanacha’. Other than that I also like books by Amish Tripathi. I’m also a nature lover. In my hometown, I like to enjoy gardening.
Sidhant Tibrewal (associate designer) — I am a tinkerer with some design or tech obsession at any point. I am very nerdy about new apps, tools, web technology, etc. Here at Canvs, I have found people covering all my interests and then some. Almost everyone at Canvs pursues their hobbies passionately, so I always learn something new and grow my interests. Most of the people at Canvs are enthusiast gamers, and I feel that is something I am getting into very soon.
Himanshu Patil (software developer) — Playing box cricket and solving coding problem statements.
Aalhad Joshi (principal) — Most of my interests centre around marathoning and electronic music production.
Could you tell us about how the team has evolved in 2022?
Abin Rajan (design ops) — The last year has been pretty interesting from a team perspective. Added new members and each of them bringing with them their own views, interests and expertise. It’s always good to learn, grow and collaborate with such talented folks. I’ve been closely working with Sidhant (associate designer in the team) for one of the projects we handle. He’s been a great addition to the team. Brings in new ideas and approaches which make us better at what we do. He was also quick to understand the dynamics of the project.
Mansi Bakle (associate designer) — I’ve never been thanked so much for literally just doing the bare minimum of my job specifications(this one is you Harleen) but I’m really glad for everybody in this team. Everybody has something I wanna try to be good at. We’ve definitely gotten more in sync as time has passed, and working with everybody is super smooth.
Arjun Rajkishore (senior designer) — For me the biggest moment this year was Mansi (associate designer in the team) being able to create new screens from scratch by herself — with minimal intervention from me. Whether the screen(s) got accepted is neither here nor there, but it’s the confidence and intellect that she’s shown that has been one of my best memories of this year.
Akshata Gawas (software developer) — As a team, we are in a good state. We regularly introduce new rules and experiments to help the team. We have random discussions with teammates about other projects, which has improved our awareness. We have also been given the opportunity to do individual work, making us more responsible.
Sidhant Tibrewal (associate designer) — This past year has been a time of learning and growth for me. As a relatively new product designer, I found two key things at Canvs that have helped me grow: opportunity and mentorship. As a self-taught designer, I knew what needed to be done, but I lacked access to real-world projects. My design experience felt empty because I didn’t feel I was doing something meaningful. Sure, making quick changes and providing a new icon is part of the job, but that’s not where true design happens. Working with top clients at Canvs and being part of the process from brief to handover has helped me apply my skills. The other key aspect is mentorship. Everyone at Canvs is incredibly talented. The experience the team holds is only as valuable as how it’s shared. I have been in companies with brilliant individuals before, but in those environments, I often acted as an extension of them. The mentoring at Canvs is supportive, not dictatorial.
Himanshu Patil (software developer) — When I joined Canvs, the Cassini workspace app was being developed. Today, we have 3 plugins, more than 5 SAMs, a landing page, numerous POCs, and a standardised deployment process. Additionally, Rovin (Canvs CPO) has been instrumental in standardising and guiding code maintenance.
Aalhad Joshi (principal) — From my perspective, the team really seems to have found their own in the past year. Everyone is stronger, more resilient, and significantly sharper with each passing challenge that’s been coming our way — and that excites me greatly.
What are your key takeaways from this year at Canvs?
Abin Rajan (design ops) — Some things that stood out for me at Canvs were the work culture and the efficient collaborations. To meet the expectations of our large clients, it is essential to be on time, produce high-quality work, and meet expectations. This requires close coordination with the team. To improve, I should diversify my interests, invest time in learning new skills, and have regular catch-ups with the team to discuss outside interests and hobbies. I should also be disciplined in continuing my learning experiences and meeting new people.
Mansi Bakle (associate designer) — Record your calls to avoid misunderstandings. Don’t give your bosses weird nicknames and definitely don’t accidentally reveal them on a call. Take more screenshots from work conversations. Waking up early can help you be productive. You don’t need to like matcha just because it’s green; you will be judged, but you’ll survive.
Arjun Rajkishore (senior designer) — Another year in the books. I look forward to the next. It’s always an incredible challenge every year, and I look forward to it.
Akshata Gawas (software developer) — Grow from good to great — Be Friendly & Responsive — keep learning
Sidhant Tibrewal (associate designer) — I would say one thing that I’ll take away from this year is to fail faster to move faster. Avoiding mistakes takes more time than fixing them (in design at least). Apart from that, I am really excited to start the second season of Canvs!
Aalhad Joshi (principal) — A learning this past year with the team is that there is no such thing as a golden boy in any project. It's always better to find a few facets to excel at while having a good generalist mind. Smooth work is also many-a-times better than smooth talk.
And that closes our year! We hope you’ve had as fruitful and exciting a year as we have had and we hope you and yours have a wonderful end of the year. Take care, and we’ll see you on the other side!
