Dr. Shruthi Manjula Balakrishna
Director of Design & Research, FÖDA
Dr. Shruthi Manjula Balakrishna is an Austin-based design leader, researcher, and Director of Design & Research at FÖDA, where she leads identity and strategy programs across hospitality, education, culture, and the built environment. Her practice sits at the intersection of brand, typography, and human behavior, using research to understand not only what design communicates, but what it asks people to feel, trust, and do.
She recently completed a Doctor of Design at NC State University. Her dissertation examines how printed and QR-code menus shape perceptions of safety, trust, and experience in post-pandemic upscale dining. Shruthi has presented her work at TEDxNCState, SXSW EDU, ATypI, Brand New Conference, and The Design Conference in Brisbane.
Across practice, research, and public speaking, she argues for design as a consequential part of everyday life, not mere decoration.
