The field of Design is the meeting point between technology and the arts. Designers develop and apply ideas creatively in a wide range of areas like industrial design; spatial or interior design; clothing and textile design; and graphic design using their knowledge about the relevant techniques, properties of materials, production methods and the latest trends.
Fashion Designers create design ideas and concepts for ranges of fashion wear and different varieties of clothing.
Product Designers design products for everyday use according to market requirements and feedback from users.
Fashion Communication designers work in a specialised domain dealing with communication pertinent to the Fashion and Lifestyle Industry including areas such as Graphic Design, Visual Merchandising and Retail Space Design, Styling and Photography, and Fashion Journalism.
Jewellery designers use creativity and technical knowledge to design articles of adornment for the body in keeping with current trends in jewellery fashion.
Ceramic designers design and create a range of pottery objects for functional and decorative purposes.
Furniture designers create designs for the manufacture of mass-produced or customised items of domestic, commercial and industrial furniture using wood, bamboo, plastic, glass and other materials
Leather designers make use of creativity and concepts of leather technology to design and create leather products like foot wear, fashion accessories, furniture and apparel.
Accessory designers work on designing bags, shoes, belts, scarves and other accessories catering to current trends in the fashion industry.
| Name of Exam | Institutions | Languages | Application Period | Exam Dates | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate - (UG) | |||||
NID DAT
|
National Institutes of Design (Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Gandhinagar, Kurukshetra and Vijayawada) | English | October to November |
|
admissions.nid.edu/NIDA2019/Default.aspx |
| UCEED | IITB, IITG, IITH and IIITDMJ and many other Institutes that share the result. | English | October to November | 3rd week of January | www.uceed.iitb.ac.in/# |
| NIFT entrance exam (UG) | NIFT (at 16 locations) | English | October - December | 3rd week of January | www.nift.ac.in |
| SET Symbiosis Entrance Test | Symbiosis Institute of Design | English | January - April | May 1st week | www.set-test.org/ |
| FDDI AIST | FDDI (various locations) | English | January - April | 3rd week of May | www.fddiindia.com/admission.php |
| ISDI Entrance | Indian School of Design and Innovation (many locations) | English | November to December | November to December | www.isdi.in/undergraduate-programs-admissions-2/ |
| Postgraduate - (PG) | |||||
NID DAT(for MDes)
|
National Institutes of Design (Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Gandhinagar) | English | October to November |
|
admissions.nid.edu/NIDA2019/Default.aspx |
| CEED | IISc Bangalore IIT Bombay,Delhi, Guwahati,Hyderabad, Jabalpur, Kanpur | English | October to November | 3rd week of January | www.ceed.iitb.ac.in/ |
| NIFT entrance exam (PG) | NIFT (at 16 locations) | English | October - December | 3rd week of January | www.nift.ac.in |
| FDDI AIST | FDDI (various locations) | English | January - April | 3rd week of May | www.fddiindia.com/admission.php |
You can choose any stream at +2 level for admission to a graduate course in Design. However taking up humanities stream may help you better in appearing for the entrance examinations.
Admission to undergraduate courses are through admission tests which are generally aptitude and general awareness tests. Focus on improving your English language ability.
For undertaking a course in Design you should have good drawing skills and work on improving your spatial aptitude. Good verbal and written communication skills would also be an asset.
Although no minimum aggregate percentage is defined for admission to design courses, a good aggregate percentage will give you an added advantage in admission to good institutions.
| Name | Eligibility | Website |
|---|---|---|
| NID Financial aid scholarships | Scholarships to deserving students of NID whose family income is below a certain level. Details will be made available on successful completion of admission process at the National Institute of Design | admissions.nid.edu/NIDA2019/faq.aspx |
| Ford Foundation - NID Diploma Scholarship | The recipients are deserving students selected By NID to receive sponsorship from the grant provided by the Ford Foundation | www.nid.edu/ |
| “SARTHAK” NIFT Financial Assistance Scheme for undergraduate courses | Financial Assistance to undergraduate students of NIFT shall be provided as follows to students whose family income falls below the given bracket
|
www.nest.net.in/ |
| “SARTHAK” NIFT Financial Assistance Scheme for postgraduate courses | Financial Assistance shall be provided to deserving postgraduate students of NIFT whose family income falls below the given bracket
|
nift.ac.in/scholorships |
| Post Graduate Indira Gandhi Scholarship For Single Girl Child | Girl students (who are the only child of their parents) who are admitted in the first year of PG courses in UGC recognised universities/ deemed to be Universities included under Section 3 of the UGC Act universities/ Universities/Institutions/College funded by Central/State Government and Institutes of National Importance. | scholarships.gov.in/ |
| Central Sector Scheme Scholarship for College and University Students | Available to students who are above the 80th percentile of successful candidates in the relevant stream from the respective Board of Examination in Class XII of 10+2 pattern or equivalent and pursuing regular courses in recognised colleges/Universities and whose parents’ annual income does not exceed Rs 8 lakhs | scholarships.gov.in/ |
| Merit cum Means Scholarship | This is available to undergraduate students whose parents’ annual income does not exceed Rs 1 lakh and who have scored not less than 60% in the qualifying examinations. | scholarships.gov.in/ |
Although according to BLS, the growth of careers in design is likely to have a less than average growth rate, this field is likely to remain considerably in demand as the world of business and industry always require people with fresh perspectives.
For the talented designers, be it in fashion, textile, graphics, glass, leather, interior, jewellery, ceramics, furniture, automobile, animation, or exhibition, lucrative opportunities will continue to be available with companies becoming more competitive and wishing to draw more consumers with attractive designs.
As with other careers the effects of automation and the use of AI will have its fallout on design careers too with various designing software coming into the market and certain aspects like prototyping and presentation likely be taken up by robots. However the creative aspect of designing required for evaluating requirements and coming up with unique and customised products, require human thoughts, experience and contextual thinking.
In fact studies show that only about 2 to 3% of jobs over different categories of designing are likely to be taken over by robots. Suitable reskilling to keep up with emerging technology combined with creative strengths will make designers remain highly sought-after in the job market.
Designers can set up their own entrepreneurial ventures in their respective field of design making use of innovative ideas to create and market their products. Undertaking further studies in marketing techniques and management may be useful.
Designers can enter the field of Animation and Graphics and can be involved in the creation of visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, making user friendly interfaces and websites according to user experience needs.