Written by Colleen Miller, Images courtesy of Archie Tyagi and Kendra Frankle
A common piece of advice, especially for students and designers, is to be innovative and adaptable. While some students chase a specific job title, more important are their creative practices and design philosophy. Archie Tyagi, a 2020 SCAD alumna who graduated with her M.F.A in interior design, has taken this advice to heart in the way she approaches her new career.
Tyagi began her design career after completing a B.A. in architecture at Amity School of Architecture and Planning. There, she fell in love with the macro-view of building large spaces. For her master’s program at SCAD, Tyagi wanted to focus on the opposite, the little details that make a space beautiful and usable.
By combining these points of view, Tyagi has begun to explore an entirely new discipline as a spatial designer. Her background in both architecture and interior design are helpful to understand the connection between users, spaces and the buildings they exist in. “I combine the sense of architectural scale and proportion with the intimacy and personalization of interior design to become a spatial designer,” she said.
At the heart of Tyagi’s work is her love for creating in three dimensions. “The reason I got into interiors was because I love spaces,” she said. “I love the spaces between four walls. I love the spaces between three walls or even just the space between two corners. It’s like a blank canvas.”
Tyagi’s human-centered approach to creating space also allows for more flexibility in her career. “Becoming a space designer is more diverse. You can work in other industries besides architecture and design,” she said. Rather than working at a traditional architecture or interior design studio, Tyagi took a different path out of college. Since June 2021, she’s worked with L’Oréal as a retail designer managing and designing everything from merchandising displays to entire stores. “I was given a lot of responsibility right away,” she said. “There can be 20 to 40 projects running in my head at once.”
Tyagi is no stranger to balancing several multidisciplinary projects. During her time at SCAD, she worked on several SCADpro teams including collaborations with Gulfstream Aerospace, the Savannah Economic Development Authority, and a collaboration responsible for the creation of SCADstory. In addition to these teams, Tyagi also worked as set decorator on the 2020 Coca-Cola Refreshing Films finalist, “Let Loose.” This short film won in the commercial category of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Southeast Student Production Awards. Through working on “Let Loose,” Tyagi learned the role of a spatial designer can include non-traditional projects like film and music sets.
Image Credit: Kendra Frankle
Since her successes at SCAD, Tyagi has continued to find inspiration and dream of future collaborations as a spatial designer. Some of her biggest inspiration comes from multidisciplinary designers like James Turrell, an artist who uses light as a medium in his spaces, set designer Es Devlin and architect Tadao Ando. “Some of my favorite designers are actually architects collaborating with production and interior designers,” Tyagi said. “It really opened my eyes to what’s possible.” For example, Tyagi’s award-winning thesis explored how spaces can impact a person’s mental health by designing immersive music therapy for prisoners.
Since joining the team at L’Oréal, Tyagi has explored the possibility of managing her own projects in the future. “I’m gaining more experience being responsible for my own work, understanding communication and even finance management,” she said. These are key skills for her future as a collaborative spatial designer and are just one piece of her career development. Moving forward, Tyagi is continuing to grow her network of collaborators and is building her own perspective of an innovative future.
To follow Tyagi’s career journey, follow her on Instagram or LinkedIn.
