From graphic design
to the person behind
Kanthaka Labs.
A creative journey from Sri Lanka to global work.
I'm Praneeth Kawya Thathsara, a product designer and the person behind Kanthaka Labs.
My story started with graphic design. I learned through visual design, branding, experimentation, and the simple habit of making things over and over again.
Before my work reached global products and teams, I was creating design content and sharing what I learned with young creatives in Sri Lanka. That chapter became Graphic Temple, a creative learning community for people who wanted to take design seriously.
Graphic Temple grew into an active creative space around me. When the world changed during COVID, the original community slowed down, but learning continued through online workshops and conversations with young designers.
Somewhere along that journey, my own direction started changing too.
I became more interested in products, interfaces, interaction, and motion. I wanted to understand not only how something looked, but how it moved, responded, and felt in someone's hands.
That curiosity eventually took my work beyond borders.
Kanthaka Labs
Named after a journey
that changed everything.
Kanthaka was the legendary horse of Prince Siddhartha, remembered in Buddhist tradition for carrying him away from Kapilavastu during the Great Renunciation, the beginning of a journey that would change history.
I chose the name Kanthaka as a quiet tribute to that moment.
To me, it represents leaving the familiar, moving with purpose, and having the courage to begin a different path.
Kanthaka Labs is the home for the products, ideas, and creative experiments I choose to pursue.
Not everything begins with a perfect plan. Sometimes it begins with an idea worth following.
The journey
Designer roots. Creator energy. A direction of my own.
The work has changed over time. The curiosity behind it hasn't.
- 01
Graphic design roots
I started with visual design, branding, and the practical craft of turning ideas into something people could see and understand.
- 02
Graphic Temple
I created a learning community and content space that became part of the creative journey of young designers around me in Sri Lanka.
- 03
Online workshops
When COVID changed the original path of Graphic Temple, learning continued online through workshops and creative conversations.
- 04
Beyond borders
My focus gradually moved toward product design, UI motion, interactive experiences, and work connected with people and teams beyond Sri Lanka.
- 05
Kanthaka Labs
I created Kanthaka Labs as a home for the products, ideas, brands, and experiments shaping the next part of my journey.
- 06
Still in motion
UI Animation. Mascot Engine. CropFiles. New ideas still taking shape. The story is still being designed.
What I believe
Design your story.
I don't think every meaningful journey starts with a big company, a perfect team, or a perfect plan.
Mine started with graphic design in Sri Lanka.
One skill led to another. One idea became a community. Curiosity moved me toward motion, products, and a much wider world.
There is still a long way to go.
And that's the part I like.
Praneeth Kawya Thathsara
Product Designer / Interactive Motion Designer / Behind Kanthaka Labs
Sri Lanka -> Global