Comm Arts Magazine
Featuring, Hugo & Marie

03/2023

Sheena Bhattacharya, senior art director at Hugo & Marie, also highlights the agency’s work with FFORME—a project on which she drove almost the whole creative development from its inception. “The brand takes a foundational, focused approach to modernist design; the clothes tell stories around well-considered shapes and volumes that create space around the body,” she says. “We were constantly deconstructing and reframing to reduce any noise that served little-to-no-purpose. It was a rigorous, rewarding exercise in synchronizing brand principles with expression—minimalism and function.”

Prior to starting at Hugo & Marie almost two years ago, Bhattacharya began working as an independent art director and contractor in Toronto, working on high-profile projects like the creative direction for the city’s 40^th anniversary of Pride. What attracted her to work for Hugo & Marie was its ethos to dive deeply into clients’ brands to develop well-crafted brands and messaging. “Spending hours researching to come up with the right feeling [for client work] is an important principle I share with the team at Hugo & Marie,” Bhattacharya affirms. “There is a certain depth and thoughtfulness that is required to thrive in the work here, and that challenge keeps me motivated and grateful to contribute every day.”

In Conversation:
Hatecopy x Tulika Studios
MOCA, Toronto

05/2022

A public programme at the Museum of Contemporary Art showcasing exhibiting artist Maria Qamar and art director and designer of Tulika Studios, Sheena Bhattacharya, for an informal conversation within Qamar’s installation Dhamakedar, Superstar!  The duo spoke about their own artistic practices as South Asian creatives and their collaborative work while expanding on the development of Qamar’s practice including her installation at MOCA and future projects.


Biographies

Maria Qamar (b. 1991) is a first-generation Canadian from a Gujarat and Bangladeshi upbringing. Qamar’s Bollywood-beautiful women paintings with ironic cartoon speech bubbles speak to the trials and tribulations of 21st-century Desi life. Her exhibition Dhamakedar, Superstar! has been commissioned by MOCA and is on view until May 15.

Sheena Bhattacharya is the director and designer of Tulika Studios, which specializes in Art Direction and Design in Toronto and New York City. She recently completed the creative direction for the 40^th anniversary of Pride Toronto. And currently works with clients including Yves Saint Laurent, Google, and Dreamville Records at Hugo & Marie in New York City. Her decade-long design practice applies a versatile combination of creative disciplines to realize comprehensive and impactful brand experiences.

Tulika Studios is the Creative Director for Qamar’s brand Hatecopy.

Mario Hugo
Hugo & Marie, New York

04/2024

I've had the great pleasure of working with Sheena over the course of the last three years. Sheena originally spoke with a variety of individuals at the organization, but I hired her during our first phonecall. I don't remember what was on Sheena's CV, nor do I care - I found her to be thoughtful, sensitive, communicative, with a quiet confidence in her sensibilities and her aesthetic. I felt the spark of true creativity that I seek in my colleagues, and I believe quiet confidence is a form of wisdom.

Sheena has been the primary art director and lead designer for the Hugo & Marie agency over the course of her time with us (and she continues to freelance with us today), where her clients have included established businesses with codes and practices including Saint Laurent, Clinique and Aveda, but she truly shines when she is building or reimagining brands and campaigns from the ground up - as evidenced by her diverse work with athleisure brand Girlfriend Collective through to wine distributor Zachys. Sheena takes equal pride in all creative endeavors, bringing the same passion to each of her clients and each of her responsibilities, which have been exceptionally varied at a small studio like ours.

Speaking personally, I feel Sheena's background in dance is evident in the grace of her work. Her perspective on color is ineffable. Her visual research and ability to combine images and typography into worlds clients can inhabit is an advantage to any studio or organization with whom she works. I find her to be an excellent contributor to any team, and am happy to speak on her behalf should you require any additional information.

Jane Espiritu
Mejuri, Toronto

04/2020

My name is Jane Espiritu and I am the former Brand Art Director at Mejuri. I am writing the following reference letter in support of Sheena Bhattacharya. During my tenure as Brand Art Director, Sheena played an integral role in the success of the Brand & Design department at Mejuri.

Being one of the more senior designers on the team, Sheena assisted with the concept, execution and quality control for majority of the brand assets that reached a number of platforms, both online and offline. Sheena was responsible for creating a wide range of assets across Mejuri’s digital platforms including emails, press kits, and ongoing retail communications. She lent her design expertise and leadership skills across offline initiatives by helping build out the brand design guidelines for existing and future retail stores. She oversaw and executed upon graphic design elements for a variety of touchpoints including store facade designs, window display campaigns, merchandise signage, seasonal lookbooks and all other printed editorial assets in each retail space. Alongside her important role within the brand and retail teams, Sheena also contributed to the success of advertising campaigns by leading the design execution for direct mail advertising, wild postings, and the like.

Sheena is one of the most hard-working, skilled designers I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. Sheena understands the demands of a fast-paced environment, and in the few months that we’ve worked together, she has truly proven to have a vast knowledge base of branding and design. Sheena also possesses an incredibly optimistic attitude and is a joy to work with. She translates her positivity into tenacity when assigned a project, whether it be on a small or larger scale. Sheena would be an asset to any organization.