A Masters Thesis by Zai Thakoor

Index

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Thesis Focus

This thesis investigates the relationship between people and their things…but at the end of that relationship. The design of products overwhelmingly focuses on acquisition and use. But what happens when something breaks, wears out, or no longer serves its purpose? This neglected phase—the “end-of-use”—fosters guilt, apathy, and premature disposal. What are the says that design can make a difference?

Endings hold untapped potential. When we embrace repair, we catalyze resilience, turning loss into renewal. Products are no longer disposable; they are stories waiting to be continued. This shift is urgent. As consumerism spreads globally, repair cultures risk erasure. India, for example, is rapidly adopting convenience-driven systems, replacing age-old repair practices with disposability. We cannot afford to lose these traditions. They hold the wisdom we need to navigate a future increasingly burdened by waste.

About Me

Zai Thakoor is a Mumbai-born visual designer with a graduate degree in graphic design from the MIT Institute of Design, Pune. With a deep passion for brand strategy, Zai honed her skills at Anomaly Brands, crafting multilingual visual narratives for diverse markets.

Currently, she co-leads Lunch Special, a seasonal creative service she co-founded with Tao Tao Holmes. Lunch Special delivers tailored solutions that blend Zai's expertise in visual design and brand development with Tao Tao’s strengths in experience design, strategy, and copywriting. Their evolving approach focuses on creating purposeful and playful outcomes for products, brands, and initiatives.

**Résumé | Website | LinkedIn**

Acknowledgements

• There are so many people to thank for supporting this thesis process…

Important Links

Midterm Slide Deck (43 slides)

Midterm Presentation (Single Scroll)

Thesis Blog (updated weekly)

Thesis Instagram (mostly process)

Frameworks / Mindmaps

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