Aashti Miller, founder of MillerInk, is building a distinct design practice by combining architecture with illustration and graphic design. At 29, Aashti Miller works from Mumbai, where she brings together spatial planning and detailed visual work. Her projects range from buildings and interiors to murals, brand collaborations, and public art, reflecting a growing interest in design that crosses disciplines.

Aashti Miller’s work stands out because it does not separate structure from image. Instead, it treats both as part of the same language.

Early exposure to art and architecture

Aashti Miller grew up in a creative household. Her mother is a fine artist, and her father is an architect who built his practice from the ground up. Museums, exhibitions, and studio visits were part of her early life.

She says this environment shaped her ability to observe form and detail at a young age. Watching her father’s career also taught her the value of consistency and effort.

Architecture became her formal path, but drawing and illustration remained constant alongside it.

Education and global perspective

Miller studied architecture at Cornell University, where she gained training in design, planning, and construction. Her education exposed her to global architectural thinking and technical rigour.

During her studies, she continued to draw and explore illustration. Instead of treating it as a side interest, she began testing how illustration could exist within architectural thinking.

After completing her degree, she returned to India and chose Mumbai as her base.

Founding MillerInk

Aashti Miller started MillerInk to unite her two areas of interest. The studio combines built and painted elements, digital and analogue processes, and two- and three-dimensional work.

Projects developed at MillerInk often involve layered compositions. Architectural precision forms the base, while illustration adds narrative and texture. The work adapts across formats, from physical spaces to visual artworks.

This flexibility allows MillerInk to work across architecture, illustration, branding, and public art without changing its core approach.

Brand and institutional collaborations

Miller’s practice has led to collaborations with Indian and global organisations. She has worked with Michael Kors, CRED, and the St+art India Foundation.

In 2020, she designed medals for four major Indian marathons in collaboration with Procam International. The project required translating movement and endurance into physical form.

For CRED’s Money Art series, Miller created an artwork that imagined a shared digital currency world. The piece used 14 visual layers, each referencing elements from global currencies, combined into one unified image.

Work in public spaces

Aashti Miller’s illustrations have also moved into public spaces. She has painted murals in Delhi and Chennai for the Goethe Institute.

Her work was also featured in Birmingham, UK, as part of the 2022 Commonwealth Games cultural programme. These projects placed her work on large urban surfaces, where scale and clarity mattered.

Curators say her architectural background helps her manage scale without losing detail.

Giulia Ambrogi, co-founder and curator at St+art India Foundation, has noted that Miller’s visual language feels precise and structured, shaped by architectural training.

A maximalist approach

Miller describes her approach as maximalist. She prefers detailed compositions filled with multiple elements. Her aim is to create work that holds attention over time.

She says this reflects how her mind works. Ideas overlap, and her process involves organising that flow into structured visuals.

This approach contrasts with minimal trends but has found steady interest among viewers and collaborators.

Anxiety and focus on detail

Miller speaks openly about anxiety as a personal challenge. She says working across architecture and illustration helps her manage it.

Staying engaged with both fields keeps her focused. Over time, this focus has shaped her attention to detail, which she now sees as part of her visual identity.

She believes her work would look different without this intensity.

Working across firms and formats

Alongside MillerInk, Aashti Miller has collaborated with international architecture firms. She has worked with Pickard Chilton on projects that range from urban masterplans to individual spaces.

Anthony Markese, a principal at the firm, has highlighted Miller’s ability to blend influences from engineering, architecture, sculpture, and painting. He points to her experience living between India and the United States as shaping her perspective.

Direction ahead

At 29, Aashti Miller continues to expand her practice. Architecture and illustration remain central, but she has shown interest in installations and immersive formats.

She does not plan to narrow her focus. Instead, she views her practice as a space where different forms can coexist.

As brands and institutions look for designers who can work across disciplines, MillerInk remains positioned for steady growth.

For now, Aashti Miller continues to build work that values structure, detail, and layered meaning.

FAQs

Q1. Who is Aashti Miller?
Aashti Miller is an Indian architect and illustrator. She is the founder of MillerInk, a multidisciplinary design practice based in Mumbai.

Q2. What is MillerInk?
MillerInk is a design studio that combines architecture, illustration, and graphic design across physical and digital projects.

Q3. What is Aashti Miller’s age?
Aashti Miller is 29 years old.

Q4. Which brands and institutions has Aashti Miller worked with?
She has worked with Michael Kors, CRED, St+art India Foundation, Goethe Institute, and contributed to public art projects in India and the UK.