What does a career in design industry entail?
The Indian design industry is growing exponentially and is set to become Rs 18,800 crores industry by the year 2020. Today, design forms the basis of a large number of businesses; hence, design courses are currently gaining significant momentum in India and abroad.
A degree in design is now being considered as a mainstream career option. To pursue this course at a reputable design college, you need to pass the Higher Secondary level examination and clear an aptitude test conducted by the design institution of your choice to secure your admission.
Design studies gives you the opportunity to hone your creative talent so that you can find your niche as a designer. A degree in design can be quite challenging as it takes 3 to 5 years to accomplish this course. Nevertheless, it is a rewarding career option as your three to five years of toil equips you with the perfect amalgamation of both theoretical and practical design skills.
THE FOUR KEY ASPECTS OF THE DESIGN DOMAIN
The design field has come to be can be classified into four major categories.
Product Design
Also known as industrial design, this stream of design focuses on designing a wide range of industrial products ranging from consumer durables, to automobiles, games, toys, mobile phones, storage units, helmets, furniture, construction aids, medical instruments, tools & equipments and much more. As this design discipline entails knowledge of multiple domains in design, it encourages cross-functional team collaboration to shape the products.
Fashion Design
One of the most sought-after career choices, fashion design has a huge scope in India. If you want to gain hands-on experience in various sectors related to fashion, like leather, knitwear, accessories, fabric research and development, apparel production, or fashion communication, then fashion design is the apt choice for you and make a career in. Placements can be found in export houses, fashion media, textile mills, boutiques, design houses & studios, garment manu- units, or in fashion event management etc.
One can also launch one’s own label.
Interior Design
If you have a knack for thinking spatially in all its dimensions, this is the correct career for you. Interior design, as a profession, entails space designing, innovativeness, interaction with clients, and accomplishment of design projects.
Interior design, as a career option is booming in India as the demand for interior decorators is on the rise in real estate companies, airports, cruise ships, TV studios, reality shows, cafes, hotels, movie theaters, showrooms, exhibitions, events, shopping malls, and exhibitions.
Communication Design
If you want to pursue multimedia arts, animation, or graphic design as your career, communication design is the best option for you. This design stream teaches you the art of conveying a compelling brand message by putting design principles into practice. There is a huge demand for communication designers in the arena of instructional design, animation, creative direction, fashion communication, graphic design, content strategy, advertising, interaction design, UX/ UI design, brand management, marketing communication, and lots more. The job of a communication designer involves designing digital images, diagrams, maps, brochures, product packaging, posters, album, covers, book covers, etc.
The design disciplines men- tioned above entail the amalgamation of applied arts and applied science for improving the aesthetics and functionality of products; nevertheless, based on your aptitude, it is advisable that you pick applicable subjects in the class XI. If you want to opt for BTech in fashion technology, it is essential to study physics, chemistry, and math in your classes XI and XII. On the other hand, if you want to pursue a BDes programme in any of the above streams, there are no restrictions and you can choose any subject combinations.
Studying design at an undergraduate level
If you have a flair for design and want to make it your career, you should opt for an undergraduate design course offered by specialised design colleges and universities in India. The certified design institutions in India offer 4-year Bachelor programs—BDes and BFTech to design aspirants. If you want to pursue a course where self expression is more important than functionality, then visual arts and applied arts offer a good option. The correct choice would then be a Bachelor program in visual arts (BVA). At the undergraduate level, one could also opt for one-year diploma programmes in fashion design, graphic design, and web design etc, which offer a quick route to placements.
Postgraduate design programmes
After completing an undergraduate design program, you may opt for a two-year postgraduate programme which could either be an MDesign (Master of Design) or an MVA (Master of Visual Arts). There are also those who have an aptitude for design but for some reason were unable to take up formal design studies during their undergraduate study. For such students, a Master’s degree in design or visual art, helps explore myriad job opportunities in diverse sectors ranging from fashion, jewellery, food, furniture, and software to transportation, construction, electronics, and film. Every industry is embracing the talent of skilled designers to add value to their products or services. One can take up design after studying any discipline at the undergraduate level. The value addition is immense. There are also oneyear diploma courses, which one can opt for at the postgraduate level in fashion design, industrial design and automotive modelling.
Career opportunities
There are ample job openings available in the private and public sector for qualified design graduates and postgraduates. On completion of your design education, you can seek employment with a plethora of big, medium & small organizations in the private sector. Lately, multinational giants such as Microsoft, TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Sap Labs, Cognizant, and Infosys have also hiring talented design graduates by hundreds, considering the immense potential of designers in the industry. Opportunities have also opened up in the government organizations and institutions.