Out of the box

By Duvindi Illankoon

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Looking for something out of the box to gift to your friends and family this year? Try Su.ga.ma, a business run by graphic designer Sugama Manish.

Pix courtesy Sugama

Here, you’ll find products that cleverly use graphic design as a basis to explore traditional objects with a new scope.

While Sugama is Indian by birth she settled in Sri Lanka a short while ago with her husband and found herself restless in her new surroundings.

A graphic designer by training and profession, she worked in several fields-including advertising-before moving to Sri Lanka. “I found it hard to adjust,” she says. “So I started playing around with a few designs to keep myself occupied.”

This evolved to become a business. Sugama offers your everyday trinket-wooden boxes, little porcelain mugs-and other objects such as trays, cushions, shoulder bags and notepads.

But these are noteworthy for their clever use of design tools to bring novelty to what you would otherwise consider an average purchase.

For example, a simple wooden box is transformed with a filigree design motif or lasercut carvings. Or a postcard with a photograph manipulated with design to step beyond your ordinary post office purchase.

Even a cushion, manages to become cool under the scrutiny of Sugama’s keen eye and deft fingers.

You can order these by having a look at her Facebook page which Sugama runs by herself, just as she handles marketing, finance, design and production on her own too.

“It’s a tough business,” she shares. “Especially because I produce small quantities finding suppliers has been difficult but I keep on the lookout.”

Some items, like the cute dip-dyed cloth cases, she’ll make on her own. Others, such as the notebooks and cushion covers go to a small crafts business-but Sugama keeps a watchful eye on her orders, ensuring that everything meets her specifications.

Prices can vary depending on your purchase and the one off nature of what you’re buying. Su.ga.ma’s range is constantly expanding, as the designer is open to taking personalized orders and more so she likes playing around with her existing product line to see what works better.

This has kept her occupied, she says, and she has immersed herself in her work. In a few months she hopes to relaunch the brand with an entirely new range of products.