The National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, which will celebrate its golden jubilee next year, recently appointed a new director — Pradyumna Vyas.

Elaborating on his plans for NID, Vyas said, “My priority would be to sustain quality education and enhance NID’s leadership in the field of design through knowledge and research-based programmes.” Vyas brings with him over 25 years of experience in design.

PLANS FOR NID

According to Vyas, four new design institutes are on the cards. “There are plans to set-up four new independent campuses at Bhopal, Guwahati, Bangalore and one in North India, the location for which is yet to be decided. These design institutes would be directly under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), ministry of commerce and industry,” he added.

Besides curriculum development, Vyas plans to strengthen links with other institutions and integrate inputs from other disciplines such as technology, management, humanities and social sciences. “We need to understand that design education is not just about design but also deals with technology, sociology, management and the like, so there has to be a multi-dimensional learning approach. Thus, I would encourage that instead of working in isolation, students from institutes like IITs and IIMs should also come and work with our students to bring in new innovations in design,” he said.

As regards faculty development, he opined, “We are aiming to emphasise on creating quality faculty not only for NID, but also for the entire country. Besides, we would be strengthening our international ties to achieve a global perspective in design, develop educational programmes that are socially broad and technically deep and also, leverage intellectual property to our designs to generate knowledge capital.”

Further, to nurture young entrepreneurs, NID has set up the National Design Business Incubator (NDBI) that encourages students to start their own entrepreneurial ventures wherein they get full support in terms of infrastructure and resources. “We also welcome students from other design institutes besides those from architecture or engineering colleges to come up with innovative ideas and start their own ventures as part of NDBI,” he said.

Vyas emphasised that there is a need to foster a culture of responsible and value-centric design education, in aspirants, which is rooted in the country’s tradition and culture. For instance, he explained, “A product like a pen, which costs around Rs 2, works for maybe a few days. The consumer has a tendency to buy, use and throw and thus, the usage doesn’t last for long. Hence, there is a need to create sustainable products, even if they come at a comparatively higher price, but they should have a longer shelf-life. We have to look forward to innovations and develop business models wherein the product is costeffective and durable.”

DEMAND FOR DESIGNERS

Design is a way of thinking, said Vyas, adding that, “design adds value to a product and value gives better returns, hence it is imperative. The market demand for designers is high as they are needed almost everywhere — be it in real estate, engineering, management or even the social sector.”

Vyas feels that in the area of handicrafts, artisans have been designing products with a thorough understanding of materials and processes, which has evolved over generations and that shouldn’t be tampered with. “What needs to be done is to find innovative ways through which their productivity can be enhanced without disturbing their core understanding of handicrafts. So, the need is to introduce equipment design and tool design in a conducive environment that can enhance their productivity and promote them on a global platform,” he said.