Why We Started Paper & Prism

One year ago, we did something wildly exciting – and a little scary.

We started Paper & Prism Communications with nothing but a shared vision, a few brave clients who took a chance on us, and a deep belief that strategic branding can transform businesses.

Today, we’re one year in. And we’re still just as obsessed with helping brands shine – not just aesthetically, but meaningfully.

This blog is our way of pressing pause for a moment to reflect on why we started, what we’ve learned, what we’ve built, and where we’re headed.

 

The Frustration That Sparked a Fire

 

We were seeing a pattern.

Great products. Innovative services. Incredible founders. And yet… branding that didn’t land.

We’d walk into a café serving the fluffiest croissants in town – with a logo that looked like clipart. Or we’d meet a health tech founder solving real patient pain points – whose website read like a PhD thesis.

Some brands looked good but didn’t say anything. Others said a lot but had no visual identity. Many were running fast, but their story hadn’t caught up.

And here’s the thing: most of these founders didn’t even know what was missing.

“We kept seeing businesses with something genuinely valuable to offer – but their branding wasn’t working for them. In fact, it was working against them.” – Aditi

That’s when we knew we had to build something that bridged that gap.

 

The Story Behind the Name: Paper & Prism

We’ve been asked many times – why Paper & Prism?

The answer is simple, albeit a bit confusing.

Paper is the foundation. It’s the strategy, the soul, the “why” and “who” behind your brand. It’s the research, the voice, the big-picture thinking.

Prism is the magic. It’s the multi-dimensional storytelling that takes that core and refracts it across platforms – visually, verbally, emotionally.

“We didn’t want to be just another creative agency. We wanted to bring both structure and spark – to build brands that are not only beautiful, but built to last.” – Supriya

Together, Paper & Prism is our way of saying: let’s make brands that are deeply rooted and brilliantly expressed.

 

What We Believe About Branding

We don’t believe in branding for branding’s sake.

We believe in branding that:

• Makes people feel something
• Reflects a business’s truth – not just its trends
• Is consistent, intentional, and unmistakably them
• Helps companies grow – faster, more confidently, and with more trust

Today’s audiences aren’t passive. They scroll fast, but they sense faster. They can sniff out a hollow brand voice three posts in. They don’t just want to buy – they want to belong.

That’s why everything we do is grounded in strategic authenticity. No copy-paste templates. No chasing trends for the sake of virality. Just meaningful branding—rooted in insight, executed with originality.

The First Year: What We’ve Built

So what does one year of Paper & Prism look like?

It looks like long nights, a few hundred sticky notes, more than one rebrand for ourselves (!), and a whole lot of creative energy.

Some milestones we’re incredibly proud of:

Worked with 30+ brands across industries – helping startups find their voice, and guiding legacy businesses through reinvention

Built an extended team of designers, writers, strategists, and creative minds who elevate every idea and bring it to life with heart

Formed strategic partnerships with PR firms, performance marketers, and web developers – because brand-building is a team sport

Inaugurated our first office in Bengaluru – our creative hub, brainstorming zone, and second home.

We didn’t scale for the sake of growth. We scaled because our clients grew, and we wanted to grow with them.

 

What We’ve Learned

If there’s one thing this year has taught us, it’s that branding isn’t a surface-level game. It’s a process that demands empathy, clarity, and courage.

It takes empathy to understand what a founder is trying to say but hasn’t found the words for.

It takes clarity to distill that into a message that works.

And it takes courage to break patterns, challenge comfort zones, and put out something different.

We’ve also learned that every brand is on a different journey. Some need a full reset. Some need a nudge. But all of them need someone who gets it – and gets them. That’s the role we love playing.

 

A Heartfelt Thank You!

To our clients – thank you for trusting us with your stories, your brands, your business dreams. You gave us room to experiment, push, and grow.

To our team – you are the heart of P&P. You’ve stayed up late, showed up with ideas, debated fonts like they were life or death, and always kept the bar high.

To our partners and well-wishers – thank you for reminding us that growth is never solo. It’s built with people who show up, share generously, and believe in what you’re building.

What’s Next?

More brands. More stories. More meaning.

If Year One was about proving our process and philosophy, Year Two is about amplifying it. We’re excited to work with more founders, expand our offerings, and sharpen our voice even further.

We’re here for the dreamers, the disruptors, the “we’re doing something great but we don’t know how to communicate it yet” crowd.

We see you. We hear you. And we’d love to help the world feel your brand the way you do.

Here’s to more paper-strong foundations, more prism-bright expressions, and many more unforgettable brands.

With love & hope,

Aditi & Supriya

 

If you would like to know more about Paper & Prism, reach out to us!