our faculty

ASHMIT ALAG
Director of Education
ASHMIT ALAG
“To make Design conducive of the purpose using Environmental & Behavioral Psychology”- Ashmit Alag.
Being On the WALL OF FAME, of the ART Institute of Seattle, USA, He is Among the Top 40 retail designers worldwide – 40 under 40, He is the Director of Education of the Academy of Applied Arts, New Delhi, On the panel of PAVE – The Planning and Visual Education Partnership, USA & the Principal at Transform Design, New Delhi.
Parsons School of Design, USA he did his Interior Design, Retail Design, Psychology. Visual Merchandising, Retail Design, Environmental Psychology was taught to him at Art Institute of Seattle, Seattle, USA.
An Eminent & a well known speaker who has a Passion for the art and science of environmental & behavioral psychology. Mr. Alag has been on the Jury as well as the Sr. Guest Facility numerous times with National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) numerous times. He has conducted Annual workshops on Visual Merchandising and Retail Designing with Retailers Association of India in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.
Today With over 15 years of experience in USA and India, Ashmit is renowned worldwide for his contribution to environmental-psychology, retail design and visual merchandising.
His work has been featured by some of the Biggest Design, Fashion, News and Business publications & websites like:
Elle Décor, Verve, Cosmopolitan, Better Interiors, IDI (Indian Design & Interiors) Images Retail, Images BoF (Business of Fashion), Retailer, Inner Secrets, Inside Outside, Society interiors, The Retail Jeweler, Femina book of interiors, VM+RD (Visual Merchandising and Retail Designing), Store Design and Interiors International, Annual design yearbooks by Images, Franchise India, India Today, Business India, Economic Times, Financial Times, Hindustan Times, Times of India, The Hindu, Indian Express etc
His firm, Transform Design, provides lifestyle centric luxury interior design and architecture consultancy and has offices in New Delhi and Singapore. In 2010, he initiated a highly specialized institute, Academy of Applied Arts, dedicated to the field of bespoke Interior Design, Retail Design and Visual Merchandising. Through the Academy of Applied Arts he has shared his research and experiences with thousands of working professionals and students of design.
Honorary Speaker –
- Psychology of lighting at ARCASIA May 2017
- Panelist at Fensterbau Frontale India (FFI) February 2017
- Honorary Speaker – Spatial psychology and Design at FoAID December 2016
- Honorary Speaker – Spatial psychology and perception at NSG Manesar September 2016
- Honorary Speaker – Spatial psychology and perception at Amity University September 2016
- Jury Panel – ACETECH December 15 & December 2016
Orator:
- Annual workshops on Visual Merchandising and Retail Designing with Retailers Association of India in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore 2012 – 2017
- Jury Panel – National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) April 16
- Jury Panel – National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) April 15
- Jury Panel – National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) April 14
- Jury Panel – National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) April 13
- Jury Panel – National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) April 12
Sr. Guest faculty
- – Visual Merchandising – National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) 2011 till 2015
- Opening Speaker and Forum Conductor – Images Fashion Forum January 14

NEHA KAPOOR MANKHAND
Traditional Design/Auto-cad
NEHA KAPOOR MANKHAND
Specialisation Subject :Drafting, Furniture Design, Construction, Auto CAD
Qualification 1: 3 yrs Diploma, ONGC Polytechnic, Dehradun and B.Com Rohilkhand University.
Qualification 2 : Master in Arts( Interior Design), MGU University and M.Com, Rohilkhand University.
Its my pleasure of having an association with the Academy from last 5 years as Head of Faculty taking care of the curriculum, faculty handling, dealing with different academics situations etc. also working as Visiting Faculty for Government colleges and guiding Bachelors students. I am having an experience of 8 years in Academics and 10 years of industry experience which helped me to prepare my students for the practical industry world.
Having an interest in traditional designs, i have done several Hospitality Projects.
In my 10 years of industry experience and have been proud to be a part of many fine Projects which include Five star Hotels, Auditorium and Housing.

JASPREET KAUR
Interior Styling
JASPREET KAUR
Qualification : Bachelors of Interior Design and masters of design from Raffles college of Design & Commerce(Australia)
Experience : 8 years in industry experience & 2 years faculty of design
Specialisation : Colors, Furniture Design, Space planning, Concept design, Preparing presentation boards, Styles & Styling, FF & E, AutoCAD, Photoshop.
I started my career with a reputed design company ‘Fab Interiors’ under the stewardship of Mr Sarabjeet Singh and worked closely with well known architect and designer. i was a part of many premium projects which gave a great industry exposure, from which i gained the zeal to explore the styles and materials.
Currently, I have a business in furniture design with a diverse work experience in the field of luxury residences and retail Interiors and Styling.

SHWETA SHARMA
Construction/Revit
SHWETA SHARMA
Work Experience : Currently working as Space Planner in CBRE managing American Express Account
3+ years Real Estate Industry experience with companies like Jones Lang LaSalle(JLL India)
Faculty in Academy of Applied Arts, in Interior Design Department from 2014
Architect in FAB Interiors, worked for 4 years in high end residences and hospitality projects. Projects like Pathways School, Savoy Mussooire.
Assisted Designer Mr. Sarabjit Singh as landscape architect at Amrita Shergill Marg Residence.
Research member for Centre of Art and Culture for Delhi University.
Education and Affiliations
Bachelor of Architecture from Kurukshetra University.
Post Graduate Diploma in Environment and Sustainability Development.
Registered Architect from Council of Architecture (Parliament of India).
Software Knowledge
Adobe Indesign, Adobe Photoshop, Archibus, Autodesk AutoCAD 2D/3D, Asana, Google Sketchup, GrpahisoftArchicad, IWMS (IBM Tririga), Jira, Lumion, Microsoft Office Suite, Revit Architecture, Space Fm:Interact, V-Ray

SIDDHARTH CHAKRAVORTY
Google Sketch up
SIDDHARTH CHAKRAVORTY
An architect and Interior designer by profession. I like to play with spaces and perceive space as a medium of desired interpretation of its dynamic character and elements retaining its integrity. A minimalist by nature and maximalist by exploration. I love to experiment with materials and aim to interpret my design thinking through my spaces and its spatial character.
After completing my Bachelors in architecture I decided to streamline my profession to my desired zone of design which was ‘Interior Design’ so I pursued my masters in interior design where, on the basis of his merit I was given a scholarship and a gold medal was conferred upon me by my esteemed University. Moreover I worked in different genres of design to explore my inner skills and got to imbibe knowledge that came along my way.
To me ‘design’ be it in any form is a way of exploring and expressing yourself through your own desired media and conveying the story that the space can’t convey all by itself.

DEEPAK CHAKRAVORTY
Visual Merchandising
DEEPAK CHAKRAVORTY
My design journey which began 18 years ago from the hallowed halls of NIFT meandered through the streets of Milan and Paris also provided me the opportunity for working with some of India’s best known brands like Ogaan, Buddy Davis, Grasim, John Players and Wills Lifestyle. Having helped create clothes for today’s man and woman I was keen to also present my creations in the most inspiring environments. This led to my sojourn into Visual Merchandising an entirely new field and no less creative than designing. VM design, conceptualization and execution are addictive to say the least. Each season bringing in its own set of challenges, inspirations and opportunities. My current stint with adidas has greatly helped me hone my skills in the arena and get aligned to global developments in the field.
INDUSTRIAL EXPERIENCE
- HEAD VISUAL MERCHANDISING:BATA 2016-PRESENT
- HEAD VISUAL MERCHANDISING:ADIDAS GROUP 2013-2016
- HEAD VISUAL MERCHANDISING:ITC LTD 2005-2013
- CHIEF DESIGNER:OSWAL GROUP 2004-2005
- DESIGN MANAGER:LNJ BHILWARA GRO`UP 2002-2004
- BRAND DESIGNER:GRASIM INDUSTIES 2000-2002
- DESIGNER:OGAAN EXPORTS 2000-2002
ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE:
- Visiting faculty at NIFT,New Delhi for fashion design, accessory design, fashion
- communication, textile design, Pearl Academy of Fashion, New Delhi, Institute of Apparel Management, Gurgaon
- VM Workshop at NIFT New Delhi, FDDI Noida, Pearl Academy of Fashion
- Jury and mentor for final design collections, portfolio development, internships and integrated projects.
- Industrial workshops at institutes in the field of visual merchandising and design.
- Part of curriculum development for developing the fashion design course at CBSE.
- Panelist for Student Selection Process for WeSchool’s PGDM programs
EXPERTISE:
- Elements of interior design
- Visual communication
- Concept to consumer
- Omni channel marketing
- E-com design
- Portfolio development
- Fashion Styling
- Fabric Studies
- Contemporary art and design
- Retail space design
- Visual communication
- Product development
- Product life cycle management
- Fashion forecasting
- Retail experience design

VIMAL SHARMA
Construction and Services
VIMAL SHARMA
Bachelor’s in Architecture from Government College of Architecture, Lucknow.
I am having profound experience of 14 years in Designing, developing technical drawing and construction documents. My major area of interest includes design and build. I have worked with some of the biggest firms in the field of architecture such as CP Kukreja and Associates, Sikka Associates and many more. Some of my projects include AIIMS Raipur, Command Hospital Pune, Common Wealth games Stadium, Military Hospital Dehradun, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) office, Khazana Jewellers, Shri Raj mahal Jewellers & other interior design projects. I am also empanelled with various government agencies like Delhi Development Authority, NBCC, PACFED, SIDBI and other Government sector bank as an Architect. I also worked with Jamia Milia Islamia and Amity University as a senior architecture faculty.
This varied experience of mine a created a passion for making people aware the importance of design in their lives, this passion of mine drove in the direction of academics, hence I chose Academy of applied arts which is known for delivering quality interior design education. I am also a member of GRIHA.

Gunpreet
3dx Max/Styling
Gunpreet
Specialisation – Digital Presentation of the ideas with interior Styling.
Qualification – Professional Diploma in Interior Design from IIFT – 2002
Masters in Design from MGU
DESIGN:
The force that drives me to design is to do something creative, something unusual yet practical.
Teaching is my passion so i decided to follow creativity with passion. I am associated with design for more than 17 years.
Following the market trends, I decided to present my ideas digitally and so this becomes my USP.
I am very well versed with AUTOCAD,3DSMAX,Photoshop, REVIT Architecture and also taken corporate batches for organisations like NHPC and Rites Ltd.
I am very fortunate to work with international companies like NEUARC Studio. USA and many others.
Currently pursuing my passion for teaching at Pearl Academy since 2011 and at Academy of Applied Arts since 2011.

SUDHAKAR K.KAPOOR
Planning
SUDHAKAR K.KAPOOR
I am very pleased to introduce myself as Sudhakar K. Kapoor , a professional Architect from the prestigious School of Planning & Architecture (SPA) ,New Delhi with over 24 yrs First Hand Experience of all aspects of Design related principles encompassing Concept Design Developments to infusing the latest sustainable technological systems within exterior and Interior spaces.
The exposure in the field of Architecture and Interior design for so many years with the big names as well as carving out a niche of my own in creatively systematic execution of handling Institutional planning projects, large scale office towers, hospitality designs, corporate interiors, commercial buildings and mixed commercial land use is the backbone of the experience structure catering to the best of the brands around us.
The need or I will say the inner calling to share the little bit of knowledge experience started with hosting weekend Art classes for NGO NAVABHIYAN in south Delhi to a range of children from class 1 to 10 was the turning point in the mindset to delve more into the field of sharing and interacting through stories experienced over the years..
I have now started to address my profile as a visual Design Engineer with very good range of body of work in the creative fields including Architecture, Interiors, Art, Product Design ,Brand merchandising, ,visual merchandise and advertising concepts .I have been associated with various NGOs now for over 3 years as their Visiting Arts Teacher and gradually moved on to the Amity Group of Institutions, Noida in imparting Architectural guidance to the senior classes.