Young Designers 2010

 
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Pradyumna Vyas
Director, NID

 

Value-Based Design Education ...

 

Design is the link between creativity and innovation. Design thinking converts creative ideas into tangible products and services for society at large. Design plays a central role in socio-economic development. In my opinion, the aim of good design should be to improve the quality of life for the masses through products and services that are accessible to all individuals and not just the privileged few.
In recent times, the rapid spread of consumerism and induced needs has brought about a disharmony in ecological balance and generated a social divide between the privileged and underprivileged. Therefore, my focus at the National Institute of Design (NID) is on fostering the culture of responsible design to improve quality of life for the masses. Currently, I place professional emphasis on responsible and value-centric design education. The focus is on issues of ethics, ecology, sustainability, universal access and equality. It is the role of the designer to harness contextual ingenuity to bridge the gap and restore social harmony. A focused design policy direction for the country should include a vision that incorporates eco-concerns for sustainable and economic growth. It is also important to develop a link between design education and culture to make it contextual globally and locally through knowledge and research based programmes.
While the role of Indian design in the global context cannot be over emphasized, it is also imperative to protect our own identity and our heritage. The programs and faculty at NID work with artisans and craftspeople in rural areas to merge tacit indigenous knowledge and merge it with documented explicit knowledge.
The curriculum at NID recognizes that design is an amalgamation of art, science, medicine, technology and commerce. NID’s design education is trans-disciplinary in nature and integrates a variety of attitudes and conceptual approaches to design. My focus is to build NID as a diverse institution with foundations for a comprehensive multi-dimensional learning environment. The industry project forms the final ‘capstone’ wherein students acquire ‘real world’ experience in design by executing a project from idea to implementation. It also allows students to interact with various sub-sections of society and nurtures in them a sensitivity and empathy towards grass-roots social issues.
I take great pride in the creative achievements of all the talented graduates of 2009. I wish each and every ‘Young Designer’ a prosperous and fulfilling future as they strive towards their personal and professional aspirations.

Communication
Design