Overview

Designing is the process of creating a blueprint based on an idea for the purpose of realising it. A design needs to be created in such a manner that the objective of the original idea is met on all parameters. It needs to take into consideration the aesthetic, functional and commercial aspect of the product or service in question. The process of designing involves various stages from conceptualising or understanding an idea from clients to researching about it and finally collaborating with other professionals to developing a design which meets all requirements. Students who are creative with an eye for aesthetics and have a personal style of expression can explore this field. For any product to stand out amongst its competition, the overall look needs to be attractive and engaging for the customer. Designing plays a vital role in creating brand value and satisfying customer needs; which helps companies or businesses in achieving their goals. Interested candidates can specialise within this field depending on their area of interest and preference for work setting. Given below are various fields under Designing:

Fashion Designing:

Fashion designers create designs for clothes. They launch their own labels or work for other designers, clothes brands etc. Further one can specialize in the following areas:

• Textile Design:Textile design is essentially the process of creating designs for woven, knitted, printed or surface ornamented fabrics.
• Leather Design:Leather designing is one of the most rapidly growing fields in India.Designers work on leather goods such as bags, shoes and belts which are in high demand in domestic as well as international markets.
• Accessory Design: Accessory designers design accessories to compliment one’s outfit or attire using different materials, processes and technology. These include sunglasses, jewellery, scarves etc.
• Knitwear Design:Knitwear designers design knitted clothing, accessories and soft furnishings.
• Fashion Communication: Fashion communication allows brands to interact with customers in order to advertise products or services and receive feedback for the same.
• Apparel Production & Apparel Design: The apparel manufacturing industry employs individuals to work on  production assembly lines; performing specific tasks in the process of clothing creation. It also includes non-production workers that are responsible for staff management and product operations.
• Merchandising: It involves researching target markets through effective presentation of fashion products. It helps to develop an understanding of how product displays affect an audience’s perception and influences sale of the product.
• Fashion Coordinator: They are professionals who are responsible for a wide variety of tasks associated with development, coordination, management and promotion of fashion products.

Industrial Designing:

Industrial designers develop concepts and designs for manufactured products. They typically Specialize in one product category, such as automobiles, furniture or housewares. Further Specializations within this segment are as follows:

• Product Design:Product designers conceptualize and evaluate ideas, turning them into tangible inventions and products. The product designer’s role is to combine art, science and technology to create new products that people can use.
• Furniture & Interior Design: Interior design is the art and science of understanding people’s behavior to create functional spaces within a building which goes well with their personality.Designers also create furniture which is both appealing and practical in its use. Pieces of furniture are also used in designing interiors of rooms.
• Ceramic Design: Ceramics designers create designs for a range of pottery objects by shaping and firing clay. These objects can include ceramic sculpture, domestic and commercial tableware, kitchenware, garden ceramics, giftware, jewellery, wall and floor tiles.
• Glass Design :By specializing in a specific material, glass designers offer a modern approach to creating home goods and architectural details.
• Transportation &Automobile Design: Transportation and automobile designer works closely with the marketing team to understand the market trends and suggest modifications or changes accordingly to meet the demands in automobile sector.
• Printing Technology: Printing technology includes printing on any substrate such as tin, paper, aluminium, fabric, plastic, glass etc. This includes printing in the field of advertisement, marketing, publishing etc.
• Toy & Game Design: Toy designers often create the toys from the ground up i.e.sketching or CAD drawings of the original concept and creating a prototype for the same.
• Floral Design: Floral designers, also called florists, cut and arrange flowers and other decorative materials to make displays. They also help customers select flowers, containers, ribbons and other accessories.

Communication Designing:

Communications designers use tools in media to convey ideas and information in the desired manner.  They think in a strategic manner to establish credibility through various communication channels. Some of them are as follows:

• Graphic Design: A graphicdesigner creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and advertising.
• Animation Design: Animationdesigners, also referred to as animators, create the visual effects and animation featured in video games, movies, TV shows and websites.
• Film & Video Communication: The primary aim of film & videocommunicationprogramme is to train versatile design informed communicators, fluent in the conception and production of short films on a range of educational, cultural, social, entertainment themes.
• Exhibition Design: Exhibitiondesign is a synthesis of multiple design disciplines that come together to communicate objects, information and ideas through three dimensional representation. Movie set designing is exhibition design on a large scale.
• Desktop Publishing: Desktop Publishing (DTP) involves the design and layout of text and graphics. It is usually related to printed documents, but as digital content and online publishing is getting more and more popular, DTP services extend to digital documents. The DTP specialists’ main task is to adjust the translated content so it looks identical to the original source file.

Job Prospects

Some of the prospective jobs under this field are:

• Exhibition designer
• Graphic designer
• Fashion designer
• Copy editor
• Web designer
• Interactive media designer
• Animator
• Visual merchandiser / Display designer
• Art director
• Textile designer
• Footwear designer

Roles & Responsibilities

Day-to-day duties of a designer depend upon one’s area of specialisation. Fashion Designer:

• Design custom clothing and accessories for individuals, retailers, television or film productions.
• Research the styles and textures of clothing needed for film or theatrical production.
• Sketch rough and detailed drawings of apparel or accessories, and write specifications such as color schemes, stitching techniques, material types etc.
• Select materials and production techniques to be used for products.
• Direct and coordinate workers involved in the process of making clothes from the preliminary stage till the final product is ready.
• Develop a group of products and accessories, and market them through venues such as boutiques, fashion shows, fairs etc.
• Test the look of finished products by having them tried out by models and subsequently make the required changes.
• Attend fashion shows and review garment magazines and manuals in order to gather information about fashion trends and consumer preferences.

Industrial Designer:

• Interact with clients to understand their requirements in great detail.
• Brainstorming ideas and creating models.
• Designing products which meet the original idea and requirements.
• Creating drawings either by either sketching or using CAD technology.
• Delivering the finalised design within the time frame proposed.
• Presenting multiple designs to clients in order to give them options.
• Collaborating with other professionals such as mechanical engineers, manufacturers etc to work on a project.
• Participating in product testing.
• Determining whether a design is practical by gauging product safety and function.

Communications Designer:

• Meet with clients or review the requirements for a project.
• Gain clear understanding of the message that the clients want conveyed.
• Choose the correct visual medium to communicate with the desired audience.
• Utilise latest technology to artistically design products for businesses or companies.
• Collaborate with web designers, animators, creative directors etc to aid in the delivery of the original designs.
• Create multiple visual representations using a combination of mediums for clients to choose from.
• Test the finished product and make the required changes before launching it into the market.

Desired Attributes

Given below are desired qualities for professionals in this field:

• Passion for one’s craft.
• Creative, innovative and artistic skills.
• Dextrous and detail oriented approach to work.
• Active imagination and unique perspective towards things.
• Ability to think in 3 dimension with precision.
• Good communication skills.
• Ability to multitask and manage time well.
• Need to be able to meet deadlines frequently.
• Work well within a team set up.
• Keep oneself updated with the latest trends and technological advancements in the field.

How to get there