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What is design?

A good designer should be a good artist, a good technocrat, a logical thinker, a practicalperson who can correlate technology with innovativeness at reasonable cost. A designer

should deliver the goods to the society in most economical way and in certain time frame.Design Institutes in India and across the world reflect a diverse spectrum of economic,

regional and social dynamics. Several great traditions in design education continue toreflect regional aspirations while at the same time striving to make them a part of the

modern world.

Nowadays, Design colleges in India are breaking regional barriers and crossingcontinents in search of new sensibilities, alternative methodologies and collaborative

opportunities. Rapid advancement in the field of Information technology has led to the

emergence of the knowledge economy as the new powerhouse. In this context of design,

Institutes in India should address the new and emerging socio-cultural and economic

aspects. Design courses in India are very different in their pedagogy, approach andapplication as compared to the conventional professional courses. Design schools in India

will soon be recognized as the breeding grounds of future leaders.

The new world order now influences a country's economic development. One of thedriving forces behind a nations growth is the availability of well-trained design work

force. Design schools in India have an important role to play in this path of economic

development. On the backdrop of today's knowledge economy, there is a growingappreciation of the value addition and an intangible role that design can play in

harmonious economic growth. Design also leads to up-gradation of quality of life and in

developing uniqueness and differentiation. Graduates from design schools in India will be

important resources who will pitchfork the country to use its culture and tradition asyesterday's innovations to create new value chain for the future. There are increasing

demands on design courses in India to play a key role in the domains that weretraditionally considered the forte of technology and management. Hence, design colleges

in India should adopt a holistic approach about development.

Design colleges in India create a bridge between Human Development, Technology and

Industry of a country. Therefore, design courses in India should be multi-disciplinary andwith convergence of human values, technology and business management. The

emergence of new design institutes in India can bring in global competitiveness, good

business to Indian industries, creating profits, expands the exports volume multifold,

understanding and creating quality of life products for the national and global customer,create and generate a culture of innovation.

Design As a Global Profession

Internationally the 1980's and 90's saw design being perceived and accepted as a process

that may be employed to resolve specific problems of not only production and marketingbut also the human environment in general. By the end of the 20th century design has

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on learners' own volition without being 'spoon-fed'. It would evolve as an overarching

concept around the functional framework of the Design Institute which remains an

integral component of the Habitat.

It is into this kind of stimulating and inspirational environment that mentors from various

designs related disciplines would be invited to interact with the design learners andchallenge their young minds to explore newer territories that should complement and

reinforce their ongoing design learning. Here are some of the disciplines from whichthese mentors would be selected: Biomechanics, alternative energy systems, linguistics

(semiotics), performing arts, plastic arts, design anthropology, perception and cognitive

psychologies and several more. The mentors would ensure that the level of interaction issuch that it eventually leads to a learning that is comprehensive, sustained and focused in

depth, and directly -or indirectly- design related.

Distributing the course contents in form of projects is an obvious and time tested method.

Each project would be formulated so as to necessitate participation of a mentor and one

or two young aspirants pursuing the same discipline as the participating mentor. The teamthus formed would be led by a member of the permanent faculty of the Institute.

Sometimes the project might be so designed as to need participation of mentors frommore than one discipline.

The enhanced scope of activities at the Design Habitat would also mean that we reinforce

in phases the present areas of learning at the Institute. To this effect, two new centers of

advanced learning are being envisaged for the near future.

The first is the Faculty of Architecture. The major emphasis here would be on humane

and logical application of Twenty First Century technologies, arts and sciences toward

solving the problems of human habitat in India. The second is a Centre for Theatre andBody Language, Even though it might seem to have been inspired by the old BauhausTheatre of the 1930's, its major thrust would be on exploring the worlds of light and

sound effects and ways of communication by means of the human body language.

Career Prospects

The budding designers are to be groomed in the design institutes to effortlessly reconcilethe seemingly disparate and opposing parameters a design problem would generally come

up with. For instance, the required optimum performance against the constraints of

materials and production process, the physio-psychological needs of the ultimate user oruser group against the imperatives of cost factor and marketing, and so on. The students

at the design schools are encouraged to learn and internalize ways of evolving concepts

imaginatively and systematically. They should be able to hold a persuasive discourse onit and after selecting appropriate media, effectively communicate to all concerned. A

design problem is best solved by team effort, however small the team. In the real world,

the team may comprise of members from disciplines other than design. Many a time insuch situations, a further role a designer may be expected to play is that of a co-relater.

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To design is to change. Any act of design in a way is a proof of a designer's basic instinct

and acquired competence to bring about a change; whether it is a smallest improvement

in whatever exists or a comprehensive innovation.

A beginner at a school of design comes with this very instinct that needs to be reinforced

with the competence not just to think - innovatively but more important, to test everysuch innovative concept against the touchstone of its eventual effect on the society and

environment.

At the foundation of design education, lies an approach that can be best described as

generalist. A quick look at a typical curriculum, would prove the point. Hence, the

beginners must spend the best part of the first year getting 'indoctrinated' to a philosophyof learning which to them is totally new and rather strange. Specially devised initial

'exercises' at design colleges put them through a process of unlearning the linear and set

method of thinking. It is in this ambience of generalist learning that students are later

encouraged to select their specialist areas in design.

Designers have penetrated into almost every sector of the economy at various levels and

platforms. Designers today work with industries not only at the grass root level but also at

the systems planning, business development, and strategy mapping levels. Designers

work as teams in industries or support them as consultants from outside.