by anandita punj
I design
the invisible architecture of digital things.
Hi, I am Anandita Punj,
Founder of Mutant Minds,
Formerly an architect, now working since 10 years in the space between people, systems, and technology.
I began my career designing physical spaces as an architect. About a decade ago, I found myself drawn to a different kind of architecture, the invisible kind. Today, I design digital products, services, and systems.To me, the discipline never changed. Good design isn't about creating something that looks finished, it's about creating something that can adapt, grow, and remain meaningful over time.
The most interesting ideas usually live at the intersections, the places most people don't think to look.
02
BEFORE THAT
I've worked as a product manager, digital strategist, design lead, and systems thinker; across startups, enterprises, non-profits, and emerging ventures. I rarely stay in one industry too long, not because I get bored, but because every system teaches you something different.
Mutant Minds is an extension of that belief, a space for questioning assumptions and designing systems that are resilient rather than rigid.
03
OUTSIDE OF WORK
I'm probably doing some version of the same thing; trying to understand how people live, and why. I'm fascinated less by what makes cultures different, and more by the commonality underneath them, the same instincts showing up in music, dance, textiles, artefacts, flora and fauna. I love talking philosophy of life - what it means to live, and the history and politics that follow from that. But you'll usually find me bringing it back down to the human level.
THINGS I KEEP COMING BACK TO
Cooking
I discovered during a month in co-living that I'm a genuinely good cook (mostly Indian fusion, made up as I go). What I loved even more was organizing around the food: figuring out how to bring people together at a table, borrowing from different cultures and finding similarities.
Home interiors
I'll happily spend an evening studying how houses in Amsterdam are decorated, working out what a room is trying to say. One day I'd like to come back to helping people design homes that feel like their own.
Hikes
Slow ones. Not chasing a summit, just staying in the trees a while longer.
Animals
Dogs, horses, cats. Always.
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FUN FACTS
National-level basketball
Played from age 11–17. Very rusty now.
Instagram phases
Photographing odd, small things. My friends are into it, at least.
Weekends
Horse riding, canoeing on still waters, cycling to Abcoude, dancing to old Hip-hop/ RnB at Bitterzoet
COMFORT WEEKEND
Reading by Weesperzijde, chicken noodles at Asian Kitchen or Sushi at Otaru followed by midnight Jazz sessions at Contra.
04
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY
I don't blindly following trends. I believe in quality, not the kind imposed by society's standards, but the kind that comes from my own internal framework. You'll see it reflected in how I dress, how I design my spaces, and most facets of my life.
'Convince' people of what's right, is not the right framework for me. I like to show perspectives & pathways of the decisions we make, the possible consequences and how to learn and test in smaller ways.
In most facets of my life I have seen how design and design thinking can change how we choose to live and thrive as human beings. Design drives me to do always hope for the better,
and believe that we can be better.
The most resilient things, buildings, products, people are the ones designed to keep changing.
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