Ad land’s Young Guns: Raman Pratap, Isobar

With over 4 years of experience in precision UI/UX programming, training and technical consultation, Raman Pratap, UI Developer with Isobar, offers an exceptional blend of knowledge and work ethic. Over the years, he has excelled at programmable deliverables, working in tandem with industry leaders and outmatching deadlines. Among his multitude of achievements, he has breathed life into award-winning user interfaces and user experiences that have exceed international standards. In addition to intense research work in gamification and projects like Emotiv for Nowlab - a part of Isobar, Pratap has worked with prominent names in the market, bringing challenging projects to fruition. 

Pratap’s stellar work has been seen making a difference over the years for prominent brands like Wrangler, K Raheja Corp, Microsoft, Indiastore, Acer, Godrej, Welingkar and more. He is a staunch believer of lateral expansion, which enables him to participate in projects that force him out of his comfort zone, earning him the well-deserved commendations of his peers and colleagues. Pratap has made significant contributions in a variety of fields, including real estate, e-commerce and media, and vows to explore more avenues throughout his career. 

How did you get into the role you are serving?
Ever since I took on a professional life as a developer, I have been working towards the goal of ensuring I become the best that I can be in a variety of verticals. This attitude compelled me to explore multiple avenues, real estate, sales presentation, brokerage, commercial space and more. I encountered a point in my career when I was captivated by advertising and its power to convey a brand’s message. Isobar provided the perfect opportunity for me to spread my wings in a vertical that I was enchanted by and here we are. 

What particular skill sets do you think you bring to the table?
As a professional in the field, I have refined my skills as a PHP, HTML, CSS, JS and Bootstrap developer. Additionally, I also worked with databases, UI components and more. But these are merely the skills that I need to hone in order to excel in my field. From a personal perspective, I believe it is important to bring in as many distinguished skills as possible, which are acquired by constant learning and looking up to your seniors. What I believe I bring to the table, is a mix of interpersonal skills that promote inter-departmental communication. In my experience, this style of working engages the teams fully and encourages taking a broader perspective of the business as a whole. I constantly attempt to bring in a new paradigm to upgrade the linear fashion of working which is prevalent in the industry today. 

How did Isobar come about?
At the beginning of my career, I was a part of Mukesoft IT Consultants, where I served as a Software Developer. Along with the obvious software development skills, the opportunity taught me a lot about how a company operates and I am thankful for the wholesome experience that certainly played a role in shaping who I am today. My journey then led me to become a Front-end Developer at a firm called Dwellar at South Mumbai. At Dwellar, I diversified my portfolio and dealt with multiple verticals while I was armed with the knowledge from my previous company. Just when I began to suspect that my learning curve was beginning to plateau, the marvellous opportunity of joining the Isobar team came along. I accepted the offer with open arms and I am serving as a UI Developer, happily knowing that I am able to maintain my steep learning curve. 

Icons in advertising you look up to and how they have influenced you and your work?
In my definition, any individual who is in a position to teach me something is an icon. I have found myself in a position where I have even learnt from members of the teams I have led. A fresh perspective, deep wisdom, a broader paradigm- learning can come from anywhere and it always takes you one step closer to gaining a competitive edge. Every person who has taught me a skill or imbibed a philosophical sense of bettering myself is my icon and I strive to be like them in my everyday work life.

What are the five most productive things that you do in your everyday routine?
As a part of a progressive team, I ensure I stick to my roots, because I believe the values that have been a part of you make you a better person and a better professional. As a result, there are a set of habits that I make sure I exercise every day.

• Learning something new every day and keeping up to date with the latest developments in my field.
• Propagating a sentiment of lateral expansion to encourage a broader perspective of the business as a whole.
• Aligning my goals with the management and working towards furthering their vision.
• Staying organised and ensuring my search time is limited to one-minute, fostering my love for speed and accuracy.
• Streamlining known processes to cut down time and perform actions at a much quicker rate, positively affecting the turnaround time.

Do you think a career in advertising is a viable one in the long term?
Advertising is one of the few effective forms of communication that help carry the message of a brand or a business. Advertising may evolve, progress or even change entirely, but the need for advertisement will never cease. So long as there are businesses, there will always be a need for them to convey a message to their audiences. This clearly tells us that advertising industry is forever and a career in the industry is certainly one to live out your career in. In addition to the obvious, the advertising industry surrounds you with like-minded individuals who are thoroughly enjoy their work and the positive attitude makes you a better professional. 

What does it take to succeed in a career like advertising?
In the fast-paced industry of advertising, success is a term that is highly subjective. For some, success would be measured by their content appearing on a large platform, while others may measure success based on the number of lives they have touched. There are few professionals who find satisfaction in engaging with professionals and gauge their success based on the number of acquaintances they have made along the way. Regardless of your success metric, the one thing that gets you there is conviction. Conviction is an indispensable part of the formula that a professional simply cannot do without and it is this quality that will carry them through their entire career. 

What would be your advice to youngsters planning to enter this industry?
I remember my first months as a new professional. I remember the drive that I possessed, which encouraged me to keep going even when times got hard. It was this hunger to win that brought me where I am today. My advice to youngsters is to keep the fire within them burning, to contribute to their respective companies with every bit of the energy and determination that they started out with. There’s no denying that they may come across a few thorns along the way, but it should never lead to them dampening their ambition.

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
My five-year plans are an ever-evolving list of accomplishments that I’d like to test myself with. Items on my list of accomplishments may come and go, but one thing has always remained. As a professional, I see myself leading a team of not just like-minded professionals, but like-minded intellectuals – individuals who share an intelligence that extends beyond their work lives. I envision leading a team that is so dynamic that it redefines the field at every turn, and has evolution at its very core. 

Is there any agency/ organisation that you would like to work with in the future?
At a certain point in my career, I wish to work with Google to gain an insight into the minds of the geniuses who conceptualise revolutionary products. I believe that company is one that embraces its failures gracefully and learns from its missteps. It is a quality that I have come to appreciate fully in the course of my career. Being a part of such a progressive organisation would get me closer to understanding the world of constant innovation and invention – it would be a powerful learning experience at a place that is considered the heart of the digital world.