Now NID has designs on engg colleges

As part of the vision to create more awareness of design and promote design as a part of manufacturing, NID is also introducing five sector-specific design centres where students in their Second Year of post-graduation will work with the industry. The sectors are jewellery design, animation and graphic, automotive design, space designers and retail design. ‘‘The US patent and trademark office has recognised the potential of India and its innovative designs and ranked it at 38. That’s ahead of China, which is at no 43. But countries like Singapore, Korea and Taiwan are much ahead. The reason is not engineering and product quality, but packaging and design. We are lagging behind though we have great potential. Manufacturing can’t be sustained without design and we have to produce new talent,’’ said Darlie O. Koshy, executive director, NID.

‘‘Only one NID can’t produce so many designers in such varied fields. So to enroll students into designing from technical fields is the next best thing. We will look at all types of engineering colleges and our students in their second year will also be absorbed in the industry. To streamline every activity on campus we have sought the help of British Council and Birmingham Institute of Art and Design to put up a Systems of Education Excellence in Design,’’ Koshy said.

NID plans to invite vice-chancellors of all identified engineering colleges for a tour of the campus and discuss the way the course can be merged with technical courses and propose the course structure. The VCs will be invited in groups of 50 and 60. ‘‘This will create more designers than the 210 post-graduates each year,’’ Koshy added.

‘‘Design is the core of branding and we want this industry to be integrated. Efforts are on and we are also trying to push a Design Policy so that it makes people more aware of the designer behind all goods. We will hold summer camps in campus for children chosen from schools of Bangalore, Delhi and Ahmedabad to create awareness. Depending on the response, we will try to propose design as a permanent course at plus-two level with the CBSE,’’ he added.