NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DESIGN (NID)

is internationally ac claimed as one of the finest educational and research institutions for
Industrial, Communication, Textile and IT Integrated (Experiential) Design. NID has been
declared ‘Institution of National Importance’ by the Act of Parliament, by virtue of the
National Institute of Design Act, 2014 and is an autonomous institute under the DIPP,
Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.

In the early years following independence, rapid changes were taking place within
the Indian society. New economic and social objectives, production processes,
and new technologies were beginning to enter the remotest corners of our
sub-continent. There were at that time, minds sufficiently aware that the process of
development demanded a reinvestigation of the postulates and resources that
determine the pattern and pace of growth envisioned for India. The Industrial Policy
Resolution of 1953 articulated these concerns and indicated broad guidelines. It was in this
setting that the Government of India invited the renowned design team of Charles and Ray
Eames to recommend a programme of design to serve as an aid to small industry. On the
basis of their remarkable document, The India Report, the Government of India set up the
National Institute of Design in 1961 as an autonomous national institution for research,
service, and training in Industrial Design and Visual Communication.

The aim was to provide a multidisciplinary approach to design education that

could satisfy the complex problems of India’s changing environment.
The Institute
NID has three campuses
the Main Campus at Ahmedabad.

The Professional Education at NID has both Bachelors and Masters

Programmes — Bachelor of Design ([Link].) of 4 years duration for

students after 10+2 or equivalent like AISSCE / IB / ISC, and Master

of Design ([Link].) of 2½ years duration for graduates from various

domains specific to each discipline.

These programmes are offered from three campuses – Main Campus,

Ahmedabad; Post-Graduate Campus, Gandhinagar & R&D Campus,

Bengaluru – for 20 diverse design domains under five faculty streams.

NID has established exchange programmes and has collaborative

agreements with over 70 premier design institutions across the globe.

NID has also been playing a significant role in promoting design.

PG Campus at Gandhinagar.

EDUCATION
4-YEAR BACHELOR OF DESIGN ([Link].) PROGRAMME 2 ½ YEAR MASTER OF DESIGN ([Link].) OFFERED FROM
OFFERED FROM THE AHMEDABAD CAMPUS AHMEDABAD, GANDHINAGAR & BENGALURU CAMPUSES
Faculty of Industrial Design Faculty of Industrial Design
• Product Design • Product Design (Ahmedabad)
• Furniture & Interior Design • Furniture Design (Ahmedabad)
• Ceramic & Glass Design • Ceramic & Glass Design (Ahmedabad)
• Transportation & Automobile Design (Gandhinagar)
Faculty of Communication Design • Toy & Game Design (Gandhinagar)
• Graphic Design
• Animation Film Design Faculty of Communication Design
• Film & Video Communication • Graphic Design (Ahmedabad)
• Exhibition (Spatial) Design • Animation Film Design (Ahmedabad)
• Film & Video Communication (Ahmedabad)
Faculty of Textile, Apparel and Lifestyle Accessory Design • Photography Design (Gandhinagar)
• Textile Design
Faculty of Textile, Apparel & Lifestyle Accessory Design
• Textile Design (Ahmedabad)
• Apparel Design (Gandhinagar)
• Lifestyle Accessory Design (Gandhinagar)

Faculty of IT-Integrated (Experiential Design)

• New Media Design (Gandhinagar)
• Information Design (Bengaluru)
• Interaction Design (Bengaluru)
• Universal Design (Bengaluru)
• Digital Game Design (Bengaluru)

Faculty of Interdisciplinary Design Studies

• Strategic Design Management (Gandhinagar)
• Design for Retail Experience (Bengaluru)
R & D Campus at Bengaluru.

ACTIVITIES
Research Publications
Through its Research and Publications department, NID also has an active publications programme
NID aspires to explore an issue based approach to in place. It aims to spread the use of design in all
design and define the identity of Indian design for sectors of the Indian economy. NID publications
international audiences. consist primarily of academic books that aspire
to make a strong contribution to scholarship in
Research-based knowledge and publication of the
all fields of design. Besides a number of published
same have now assumed greater significance in today’s
books, the department also publishes two major
knowledge driven society. Design as a discipline is useful
periodicals published, The Trellis—a biannual
in generating new knowledge as well as innovative
research newsletter, and D/signed, an international
applications. Keeping this in mind, faculty members,
design magazine.
and students investigate a wide array of issues
related to design from a multidisciplinary perspective.
Research at NID focuses on the application of design
to a variety of industrial situations, transportation,
health, social communication, sustainability, research
and documentation in craft, design for rural needs,
applications of new materials and technologies as
well as re-examination of traditional ones. NID has
instituted a number of Design Research Chairs and
Research Labs in areas of need and priority.
Industry Programmes and Projects Outreach Programmes

The Industry Programmes and Projects (IP&P) at NID’s Outreach Programmes bring the institute’s
NID integrates design knowledge with the varied experience and training facilities to the service of those
segments of industry, commerce, and service sectors. outside its regular education and client service activities.
The programme is offered to serve Indian society
These programmes help build a network of design
by sharing NID’s design education, knowledge, skills,
collaboration towards economic and social priorities,
research, innovation & culture. IP&P conducts short
between the institute and organisation, groups and
term programmes/workshops to create awareness
individuals all over India. These networks help extend design
and sensitise the participants (professionals,
application in many areas which are still new to design.
organisations, and institutions) to the role of design
and its contribution in translating innovative ideas/ NID’s efforts are enriched by the experience of its
concepts/technology into market success by using Outreach collaborators which range from industrial
design as a strategic tool. bodies (particularly small, medium and hand industries)
and other institutions of education and training,
IP&P also offers:
to voluntary organisations and central or state
1. Client specific workshops 2. Design sensitisation government bodies working in priority sectors.
workshops for schools 3. Design clinics and audits
Workshop and training programmes are tailored
4. Seminars 5. International programmes.
to the specific needs of particular groups, aimed at
assisting them to put design awareness in schools at
Integrated Design Services primary and secondary levels.
NID undertakes design consultancy projects through
its Integrated Design Services (IDS) department. The International Center For Indian Crafts
IDS acts as a bridge between the education and
NID has played a key role as a catalyst in the development
professional design practices
and promotion of design in the handicrafts sector.
while serving the needs of various
manufacturing, commerce and With the intention of consolidating its extensive
service sector organizations through experience and in depth understanding of the
diverse design interventions. country’s diverse and vibrant crafts sector, NID set
up the International Center for Indian Crafts (ICIC)
The Design projects are taken up
with support from the Development Commissioner
and managed professionally and executed through a
of Handicrafts, at NID’s Ahmedabad campus.
multidisciplinary approach by team of designers and
professionals with faculty members as Project Heads. The overarching goal of the ICIC is to create a distinct
sustainable identity for the Indian crafts sector and also
Consultancy assignment at NID starts with an enquiry
to train the craftspersons. The ICIC aspires to effectively
from the client giving details of their probable design
understand the needs, strengths, and weaknesses
intervention that is required, followed by the
of a particular crafts sector and then to apply NID’s
deliberations with the client in
interdisciplinary design experience and knowledge base
order to understand the scope
for capacity building, design technology orientation
of the project and creative
and skill upgradation of artisans. A unique interactive
design brief. Based on the
global-local approach is applied which encompasses
creative design brief, a techno-
public-private-community networks.
commercial proposal is made
and upon client’s approval of Over the years, ICIC has undertaken a number
the proposal, the design team headed by the Project of craft documentations, craft design training
Head initiates the design process starting with intense programmes, seminars and lectures, and workshops
research, conceptualization, design detailing and the and craft development projects. In order to bring in
final delivery of the project. sustainability to the outcomes of various efforts, ICIC
also has post-training design clinics.
 DESIGN PROMOTION
Design Panorama Design Clinic Scheme for MSMEs
Design Clinic Scheme for Design Expertise
for MSMEs, is a unique and ambitious design
intervention scheme for the country’s large
micro, small and medium scale enterprises.
It is an initiative of the Ministry of MSME,
Government of India and has been launched under the
National Manufacturing Competitiveness programme.
The scheme is being designed keeping in mind the
objective of design awareness, design interventions and
competitiveness improvement for the largest group
of industrial sectors; namely, micro, small and medium
enterprises of the country.
[Link]

The Design Panorama at the National Institute of

Design gives a glimpse of its professional design National Design Business Incubator (NDBI)
education programmes and design services spread NDBI is an initiative of
across three campuses. Juxtaposed with this is an the National Institute of
exhibition of the Design Classics Collection at NID Design, set up with the
which has been an integral part of the institute’s support of Department of Science and Technology,
archives for past four decades. This collection is Government of India, New Delhi. NDBI is incorporated
significant from the viewpoint of research and as a non profitable Section 25 Company under The
academics. Companies Act of India. The mandate of NDBI is
to nurture a culture of entrepreneurship in the
creative minds of young designers, so that their ideas
NIDUS metamorphose into newer and niftier products or
services capable of being marketed and sold. The
outcome is creation of a new class of entrepreneurs
the Designpreneurs.
[Link]

India Design Council

In pursuance of the National Design
Policy announced by the Government
of India on January 8, 2007, the Central
Government has constituted the India
Design Council on March 2, 2009 and the Director of
NID is appointed as the Member-Secretary of the
Council. The India Design Council acts as the national
NIDUS, is the design shop set up at the National strategic body for multidisciplinary design and is
Institute of Design. It is a unique initiative by NID to involved in promotion of design to ultimately make
showcase the creative work of its design community. Indian industry a design enabled industry.
Established in 2005, NIDUS is founded on the
premise of celebrating good design, and making well Amongst other activities, India Design Council has
designed products accessible to people. initiated India Design Mark in cooperation with Japan
Institute of Design Promotion (JDP) which is in the
The products on display constitute a diverse range form of learning from the well-established Good
of personal and space products designed by NID Design Award system in Japan, functioning since 1957,
alumni, students, faculty, and staff. The collections to establish judging criteria for India Design Mark and
largely encompass an extensive assortment of inviting experts to be a part of jury for India Design
jewellery, metal ware, ceramics, textiles, and leather Mark determination. India Design Mark is a design
products. Animation films, and publications mainly standard, a symbol, which recognizes good design.
focusing on design and craft related books, many of [Link]
which are published by NID offers a good glimpse
of design thinking & practice in the Indian context. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DESIGN
NIDUS also keenly engages with craft clusters, Ahmedabad I Gandhinagar I Bengaluru
artisans and NGOs by giving them an opportunity to CMR Office, Ahmedabad
exhibit and sell their products from its outlet. Tel: +91-79-26629500/9600 I Email: cmr@[Link]
Fax: +91-79-26621167 I Web: [Link]