Postgraduate Programmes in Design: Creating New Horizons for Design Graduates in India (original) (raw)
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Application of novel design concepts and enterprising design practitioners are the need of the hour in contemporary India. As it is emerging as one of Asia's most prosperous economies, India must acquire a competitive edge over other nations by introducing specialised design inputs that cater to specific domains. However, India must also endeavour to nurture the skills of its design graduates, as the latter do not have enough opportunities to undertake specialisation in a particular design area of their choice. The present study focuses on arriving at suitable directions for establishing a comprehensive postgraduate programme in design. This programme would be at par with international standards. It must also offer design graduates in India, varied opportunities of specialisation. Such a postgraduate programme, would create a corpus of new knowledge in the field of design, design practice and design research; that is specific to the Indian context. It will help refine, improve and update a design student's problem solving capabilities, support design processes and help develop design tools and methods accordingly. Ultimately, this would elevate the standards of design education and design practice in India.
Reforming Design Education in India; Towards its Effective Utilization for National Prosperity
Design education is today fundamental to national prosperity. It is now considered a critical element of innovation strategy. Design education in India has witnessed exponential growth over the last fifteen years. Country's young population is now open to explore alternate career and design has today emerged as this much needed option for them. From only a handful of design institutes in the country till about 2004, many new design institutes have come up in the last one and half decades.
Design Education for India: blog post on Design for India
2013
With several new design schools coming up in the private sector as well as the four new National Institutes of Design (NID) that are being set up by the Government of India in different regions of India we have at our hands many questions that would need ot be addressed if these are to be truly useful for the needs of our times. In 1961 when the first NID was set up at Paldi, Ahmedabad it was informed in its content and scope by a vision report articulated by the team of Charles and Ray Eames, an eminent American design couple who produced the India Report at the request of the then Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. We now know that the four new NID"s would be located at Jorhat, Hyderabad, Kurukshetra and Bhopal since the foundation stones have been laid for three of these already and the fourth must be waiting for the right politician to find time to grace the occasion at a short notice, since all the others were done in indecent haste in any case with very little notice given to the design community at large. We are not aware of any approach paper or feasibility report that has been drafted for the new NID"s and it is widely assumed that what worked in Paldi will work for the future as well and this is unfortunately a very lazy assessment. Very little is visible in the public domain for the plans and future actions proposed at the four new NID"s except the three foundation stones that are in place and very little else by way of intellectual articulation of focus, curriculum and strategy that would inform the management and growth if each of these new NID"s in the days ahead.
Imagine. Create. Belong: Design and Crafts Education in India
Approach to design education in India in the 21st century must reflect the emergence of innovation and knowledge economy and convergence of media, communication and information, while keeping in roots in design values such as harmony, ethics, consumer delight, quality, functionality, visual culture and aesthetics. Design education in India, led by the Bauhaus and Ulm schools, catered to the ‘Developing India’ agenda. As things change today, what becomes the role of design education and design institutions? With the imperative to change and redefine their courses, Indian design education also has to change its mindset about itself and the way business perceive design. For what is a daunting task ahead, the paper proposes a 7 point vision. In creating a vision for design education and creating a newer definition for design, the paper actively acknowledges the human and cultural aspect that it encompasses. In breaking barriers with behavioral sciences and making them allied components of design education, designers shall be able to perceive and create ‘right’ solutions for humanity. Government policies play a major role in the development of design education. The paper also adds to the long due demand of a dedicated ministry for creative and cultural industries, by the design academia fraternity.
Globalization and the new mantra of design education for India
Globalization and the new mantra of design education for India 3 Debates on tradition and modernity are typical when there are discontinuities. Perhaps we are forced to look at the Indian tradition again because modern design ideas as well as design education were implanted in this culture during the colonization period. It did not evolve as a product of this culture. Modern design education started in the later part of nineteenth century with the opening of schools in architecture and what was then known as commercial art. It brought in western design thinking, ideas and aesthetic sensibilities.
Design Support in India: Institutional experiences in a growing industrial economy_2004
2004
Along with a brief historical overview of the growth and spread of design education in the country, the author reflects on the key trends and contextual forces that have helped shape the design support infrastructure in India. Indian industry grew in a protected and highly regulated economy from 1950 to the early 90’s when economic liberalisation was ushered into the country. The use of design and awareness for the need for design grew rapidly in many sectors that faced competition while other sectors lagged behind. The textile industry, which was driven by the growth in exports, helped create a lively design support base including an active fashion industry. Similarly the advertising industry and graphic communications sectors were driven by trade and business interest in marketing while the product innovation sector lagged behind due to the license and control regime that prevailed in India limited the options available to the public in a seller dominated market. While a visionary Government initiative in the 60’s had helped set up the National Institute of Design, the faculty and students of the Institute had to struggle to establish a profession in the country. The author identifies a number of trends and contextual forces that have shaped the design support infrastructure in the country and checklists the key Government initiatives to provide supports to small and medium industries over the years and plots the shape of the public and private initiatives that have come up as a result and in direct response to these contextual forces in the country. The absence of any regulatory framework and the failure of any professional initiatives to create systems and collective facilities has resulted in fragmented and organically grown design support infrastructure that needs to be supported and nurtured to enable it to face the future rapid growth of industrial competition and a sudden escalation of demand that is anticipated. The numerous models of design practise across the many sectors of Indian industry are outlined with a reflection on the specific cases of the design practise conducted by the graduates of the National Institute of Design who have pioneered the creation of the design profession in India. NID’s own practise finds a place in these models since design education establishments in India are perhaps the biggest sources of professional service for many large medium and small industry players. As an outcome of this analysis some recommendations are drawn up and offered for the stabilisation and rapid expansion of the design support infrastructure in India without loss of quality due to the haste in scaling up the support base to meet the growing demands from more than 230 sectors of the economy.
International journal of science and research, 2024
The study explores the challenges and gaps in design education in India, highlighting the lack of a specialized category for design subjects in the UGCNET examination list. It underscores the importance of granting an autonomous identity to design education, separate from visual arts, to better reflect the fields distinct nature. Drawing from personal experiences and academic interactions, the author identifies significant issues such as inadequate illustrative resources and the need for a comprehensive curriculum in design. The paper also addresses broader concerns in India's higher education system, including bias and corruption in PhD admissions, calling for reforms to ensure transparency and meritocracy. The aim is to enhance the stature and effectiveness of design education and integrate it more fully into India's academic framework. The article advocates for a paradigm shift in design education, characterized by a holistic and inclusive approach that transcends institutional boundaries and fosters a culture of innovation and excellence. By addressing the structural deficiencies and systemic biases, the paper endeavours to pave the way for a more equitable and reputable educational framework that resonates with India's global aspirations.