How to choose a career in design : The Tribune India

Join Whatsapp Channel

How to choose a career in design

Design education offers an exciting new opportunity for students from different streams as it straddles science, technology, art and aesthetics in equal proportion.

How to choose a career in design


A Balasubramaniam

Design education offers an exciting new opportunity for students from different streams as it straddles science, technology, art and aesthetics in equal proportion. 

Design in India is a very old activity but a very young profession. In addition, like all things young, the profession has spawned several faces. There is the face of professional product designer, competing with global designers in increasingly global markets in making better cars, watches and phones. There is the face of the graphic designer creating Brand India by giving a visual identity to Indian businesses. There is the craft designer who is re-interpreting traditional handlooms and handicraft products and processes to suit urban spaces and international markets. An Interaction designer is piggybacking the IT revolution, by developing user-centric, digital products. 

There are also designers becoming brands that are slowly making progress in marketing their names on products and services. 

Emerging in the horizon is the thinker-designer who is seen to be increasingly applying the process for bettering hospital administration and making drinking water, safe. Moreover, there is the strategic design manager, who is sitting in boardrooms and creatively putting together businesses. 

This is the result of the design education in India that has been inherently generic and broad-based. Much of this is now, changing. Not all institutes offer these options. Therefore, it is wise to choose the area of work that excites you and an institute of choice that would feed this excitement.

Know what you want

It is important to look deep into yourself, to understand what you want. Are you a technical tinkerer? Do you enjoy solving product-related problems? Are you the kind who is visually literate? Do you instinctively react to good websites or apps? Are you comfortable straddling different areas of work? Do you lead a digital life? All these could point to different disciplines of design.

Know the contents

It is prudent to check the contents of a design programme to ascertain how relevant is it in today’s climate. Are the courses cutting-edge? Do they include the rapid technology changes? Are there labs and workshops that can help you learn? Are these career-oriented? Do these prepare you for real-world experiences? Are the courses wired to industry needs? Do the programmes help you understand your interests or are they slotting you into domains that you do not care about? 

Preparing for a career 

If you think, design is your ‘thing’, then start preparing for it. Learn to communicate, Begin observing things and people around you. Become a detailed person: understand the intricacies of objects and spaces. Be creative in whatever you do. Start putting together a sampling of all your creative endeavors. Arm yourself with the knowledge of the profession. Meet designers in the field. Observe how they work. Visualise your career.

Future of Design

Design itself is also evolving from being a mere form-giving activity of the 1960s. The future of design is all-pervading. Designers will be expected to take on leadership roles and have to become more disruptive, responsible and inclusive. Sustainability will become the mantra for the future of design. Imagination will become paramount and creativity will be the key to solving world's problems.

To remain significant in the future, educational institutions will have to focus on creating this talent. Find new ways of delivery. Go online. Make students collaborate. Be geography-agnostic.

— The writer is Dean, Institute of Design, JK Lakshmipat University, Jaipur


Know your Institution

Many design institutes offer conventional disciplines of Design that tend to slot you into pre-determined domains. Some of these institutes may offer programmes that were relevant 50 years ago. The curriculum should reflect the changing times and must be current according to what the industry requires. While initially there were not many courses available for designers, education has come a long way. Today universities are offering cutting-edge education, tailor-made to suit the varying nature of the industry. Some of these in-depth and innovative programmes include: Product Design, Interaction Design and Interdisciplinary Design. The programmes are contemporary and industry-relevant. 


Explore the prospects Designers have excellent career options. The new-age professionals include

Interdisciplinary Designer

The T-shaped professional who explores the width of the domains and ends up with one specialisation. Found in most start-ups and small businesses, these designers can design a brand, publish a book, design a launch event, and put together an exhibition and the website for the same.

Interaction Designer

This is the new professional, who creates delightful digital experiences and products. This could be physical experiences as in robotics or digital ones like a fitness app.

Design Entrepreneur

The creative designer who has a business idea can become a brand to be reckoned with. They become start-ups and are armed with entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen.
 

Product Designer

This designer works with new materials, processes and technologies to create new products for the masses. Whether it is a phone with a foldable screen or a vacuum cleaner with precision cleaning, this designer delights the user with re-imagined products.

Top News

Arvind Kejriwal to be produced before Delhi court today as 6-day ED custody ends

Excise policy case: Delhi court extends ED custody of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till April 1

In his submissions, Kejriwal said, ‘I am named by 4 witnesse...

Delhi High Court dismisses PIL to remove Arvind Kejriwal from CM post after arrest

Delhi High Court dismisses PIL to remove Arvind Kejriwal from CM post after arrest

The bench refuses to comment on merits of the issue, saying ...

‘Unwarranted, unacceptable’: India on US remarks on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest

‘Unwarranted, unacceptable’: India on US remarks on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest

MEA spokesperson says India is proud of its independent and ...

Bullying Congress culture, no wonder being rejected: PM Modi, backs senior lawyers who flagged attempts to undermine public trust in judiciary

Bullying Congress culture, no wonder being rejected: PM Modi

Backs senior lawyers who flagged attempts to undermine publi...

Gujarat court sentences former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt to 20 years in jail in 1996 drug case

Gujarat court sentences former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt to 20 years in jail in 1996 drug case

Bhatt, who was sacked from the force in 2015, is already beh...


Cities

View All