Designing industrially

DESIGNING has existed for centuries. Industrial designing is a profession that addresses the relationship between people and products. This is a broader area of design catering to consumer specific requirements. The list ranges from safety tools, medical equipment and transportation to kitchen equipment and architectural devices. If you are well equipped with the technical knowledge to grasp the problems and needs of the industry you are associated with, then you can be a perfect fit to be an industrial designer. The scope and nature of work will depend on the passion you have for the profession.

Nature of work

You will need to be a team person if you desire to be in this profession. A number of people work together in close co- ordination as you cater to the needs of specialists such as marketing experts, engineers and their likes. You should be well aware of the purpose of the product you will be designing.

As a designer, you need to consider its market viability, as well as the economic and manufacturing problems you are likely to encounter. Apart from these, a thorough knowledge of the limitations of the product and the budget need to be kept in mind too. Manufacturing companies often have their own team of industrial designers with a chief designer heading a team. You can also specialise in a particular field of designing - ceramics, furniture, exhibition or textile designing to name a few.

Product design

This essentially entails designing consumer goods. Domestic appliances, machinery tools and mechanical equipment fall in the category of product designing. Product designers work with engineers who have specialised in the area. An aspirant needs to have a thorough knowledge of the engineering processes, problems and the methods involved.

Retail Designing

RD as its popularly known is a field under focus recently and its growth can be traced with the development of shopping malls and super stores in the country. This is one area where the designer is involved right from the time the plans for the mall are drawn up.

As a professional, one is responsible for designing the complete set of display units, point of purchase for the particular shop. For example, the first CD rack was in fact designed, built and flown down from UK and then later on replicas were built from this prototype.Other than this they also get involved in designing the interiors and fixing on the logo colours for brand recognition. Retailers like Music World, Pantaloons, Globus, Barista employ retail designers from all over the world to do up their retail outlets.

Retailers prefer working with designers who have had a good foundation in the principles of designing as they are able to understand consumer's reaction to the designs and help build an emotional link between the retail brand and the customer.

The retail designer is one step ahead of the interior designer, as they are responsible for the effective development of available space to facilitate buying. Typical Design professionals who are business oriented can find employment in this field. Since this business is a team effort, adesign house consists of industrial designers, architects, graphic designers, consumer researchers, and visualisers.

Indian design companies like Tessaract, RD&M and Incubis are gaining ground and with the retail business poised to boom in the country this is one field that is on the look out for new talent.

Entry and training

Candidates who have completed their Higher Secondary/intermediate can get trained in any of the fields in a polytechnic college. It is also offered as a component of BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) programme. You will need to undergo aptitude tests that will assess your artistic ability, spatial appreciation, and aesthetic and colour sensibility. The selection process involves interviews where you will be tested on your attitude, motivation, and interests along with academic aspects such as general awareness and scientific and technical attitude.

One can also specialise in design at the postgraduate level. The National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, offers a complete four-year course called the School Leavers' Professional Education Programme (SLPEP).

The first two semesters comprise of a foundation course, which in turn is followed by an extensive training wherein one can opt for a specialisation. The upper age limit for applications to this programme is 22 years. The notification of the course appears in leading dailies in October and a written test is conducted in January. The shortlisted candidates are called for an interview in April/May.

The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi offers a two-year diploma in textile designing and development for graduates with fifty per cent marks (45 per cent for SC/ST).

The course covers the entire concept of textile deigning from the stage of the procuring the fibre to the final product.

Advanced programmes

The Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, offers a two- year Master of Design (M. Des.) programme in industrial design for engineering graduates and graduates of architecture, graphic design art, applied or fine arts. NID also offers advanced entry into its education programme in different disciplines, leading to a diploma. These students have to complete the course in two and a half years.

Personal attributes

Exceptional talent, flexibility and ample self-confidence are some of the prerequisites if you are planning a career in this field. You need to be creative, have sensibility clubbed with imagination and a logical and analytical mind. A keen interest in science and technology, a desire to learn, analyse and even solve technical issues will be an added asset. You need to be update with contemporary trends, be a good communicator, as you will need to understand the requirements and tastes of different people.

Adaptability to work in different environments and with different teams will be an added asset. Communicating and translating ideas into economically viable products are the key requirements if you want to be successful in this field.

Job prospects

There is a lot of demand for industrial designers in the present scenario. It all depends on your ability, personality and how well versed you are with the current market trends in design.

There are opportunities in print houses, handloom industry, and garment export houses and in textile mills. Students of industrial design can find employment opportunities with large corporations, industries, or design consulting firms.

Working as a freelancer is also a good option but it is always better to join a firm initially to get hands- on experience.

You need to keep one important factor in mind when you start off in this profession that it is your personal calibre that will lead you either to success or failure.

PRATIBHA GADHALAY

pratibha@careermosaicindia.com

MALINI SURYANARAYANAN

maalini.mds@careercommunity.co.in