Ms. Shivatmika Lala

Shivatmika Lala is a visual communication designer, educator and researcher whose work bridges the domains of illustration, animation and pedagogy. She holds a Bachelor of Design in Animation Film Design from the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad and a postgraduate diploma in Stop Motion Animation from Barreira Arte y Diseño and Clay Animation Studio, Valencia, Spain. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Visual Communication Design from the Department of Design, IIT Guwahati. Her doctoral research investigates how illustrations in Indian mathematics textbooks can be reimagined to support conceptual understanding and educational equity. Her paper on this practice-based inquiry has been selected for presentation at CONFIA 2025 – International Conference on Illustration and Animation, Portugal.

Shivatmika brings over four years of academic experience, including her role as Lecturer at JK Lakshmipat University Jaipur, where she taught foundation and advanced design courses and played a key role in the development of the Integrated Communication Design program. Her commitment to student learning and innovation in the classroom earned her the Best Faculty Award in both 2022 and 2023. As a member of the University Disciplinary Committee, she engaged with students in times of challenge, working to balance institutional responsibility with empathy and support—ensuring reflection and personal transformation.

With over five years of experience as a practitioner, she has worked with renowned animation studios like Paperboat and Eeksaurus on animated feature film character designs and on animated films showcased at Annecy. Directed animated PSAs for the Cancer Awareness Society of India and illustrated award-nominated children picturebooks like?Pyari Madam and?Mekuri. Her exposure to global design cultures through collaborations in Spain, Japan, Canada and the USA continues to shape her creative and academic practice.

Her academic interests include visual storytelling, illustration for children, socially engaged design, experimental animation and design ethics. She is committed to creating learning environments that are inclusive, inquiry-driven and rooted in real-world relevance. At the heart of her work is a belief that good design begins with care—with attentiveness to people, contexts, and consequences—and strives to nurture in her students the ability to think critically, design ethically, and engage meaningfully with the world around them.