MUMBAI: Bengaluru-based creative agency Happy has launched a new division -- Design Cell -- as part of its expansion plans. The new division will be led by Shilpa Colluru in Bengaluru and Pallavi Nayak in Mumbai. The company had started Mumbai operations in January this year.

Design Cell will offer services in the areas of identity creation, branding and packaging, along with retail and environment design. While business development will be driven from Bengaluru and Mumbai offices the division aims to service clients across India. The creative delivery, however, will continue to take place from Bengaluru.

Happy CEO Kartik Iyer said, "We have been offering design services to many from the day we started. We've also been fortunate to win a few awards for our work in Design. We took our time to build a body of work and crystallise on a strategic design process that is our own. The design cell shall work as an independent unit with its own business targets and talent pool. We see a huge opportunity in this space and are confident we can inject new energy and excitement in this space."

Happy COO Praveen Das added, "Having a specialised design cell only seemed like a natural progression for us as it allows us to do a lot more for our clients. It also makes more sense for companies and brands that have been newly formed and are preparing for a launch."

According to Iyer Design is more than just making things look pretty. "There is science behind effective design. India is at a stage where her people have begun to develop a strong aesthetic sense and appreciation for design. We believe that this will play a strong ancillary role in shaping the way Indian businesses look at branding and design as a key to drive growth," Iyer said.

In the past, Happy has designed for projects like The Lee Never wasted Bag and The Skinny jeans packaging for Lee. The agency was also responsible for online fashion retailer Myntra.com's new logo. Happy also created the logo and worked on the store experience of fashion retailer Basics Life.

Apart from Design, Happy's creative wing is behind the popular Flipkat.com advertisements featuring small children as grown-ups.