Contemporary Design Scenario In India

CONTEMPORARY

DESIGN

SCENARIO

IN

INDIA

~OSHIN VIPRA SAGAR Myself: “I am a design student.” An acquaintance: “Will you design my wedding trousseau?” Well, who said I am a fashion designer? I would not say I was offended, but I was definitely disheartened. Design still being ‘assumed’ to be either fashion, footwear or accessory design, by a large chunk of population in this country, in fact even by apparently educated youth, is very appalling. Moreover, ‘design’ is often used to mean motifs/tessellating or non-tessellating patterns by the laypeople. And there are a few who have just graduated enough to associate design with art and interior design than mere apparel design. Design still being unknown in its widest sense puts us all in the back seat as a nation. And, some enthusiasts rise enough to think of it as a combination of art and science. DESIGN AND ART The first thing I learnt about design before stepping into a design school is that design and art are not the same. Unlike art which is an expression of oneself, design isn't for oneself but others. That's the fine yet fundamental difference between art and design. It is good if a work of art connects well to others and communicates to them the intended idea, but even if it does not, it would still not fail; rather, in fact mostly, it is open for multiple interpretations by viewers. But design is created with a motive such that it communicates to the user. A good design is expected to be self-explanatory per se. What designers create is a follow up of what they have figured out through research about the user group. And user groups or the target audience may be universal, or may comprise of a certain demographic group. The designer has to study their behaviour, beliefs, preferences and perception to brief the most suitable design. ‘Form follows function’ is a great concept that helped build back the world shattered by the biggest wars of all time. I adhere to the concept of ‘Less is More’ when I am designing. In the normal sense I put functionality ahead of looks. But, just going deep at yet another level, I believe, there is nothing like ‘form follows function’. Sometime the form may directly serve a function physically or ergonomically, but sometimes it may just be aesthetic. Nevertheless, design is not ‘just’ about usability, aesthetics is an inseparable element of a good design. Nothing is beyond the province of reason. And as, Ayn Rand puts it, “art (or literature) does serve a purpose, not material; but in itself, it serves the purpose of contemplation”. And so does aesthetics serves the purpose of beauty, of contemplation. Hence, aesthetics too is a function. It serves not a material need, but the need of our consciousness. Therefore, a work of design may be largely aesthetics oriented and that’s when the line between art and design blurs, and both seemingly merge into one.

DESIGN YATRA Design Yatra is a great concept that allows students to get a flavour of work culture within design studios across disciplines in different cities in India, and observe the varying creative culture that appear in everyday life on the street of India in forms of traditional craft, truck graphics, jugaad, bills on the walls, graffiti, hand-painted signboards and so on It was not just about learning from destined stops. As we embarked on our journey, starting from the doorstep of DJAD, out into Othakkalamandapam, streets of Coimbatore through the train journey to Bangalore and many such journeys that followed, we observed and analysed how India inculcates ‘design’ in its being. For example, graffiti and street art changed from one place to another and how they also gave insight into the political scene of the respective region. The Yatra made each one of us more of an observer and a learner while itinerating. We recorded the journey in forms of sketches, scribbles, notes and photography. STUDIOS: In spite of leaning towards some particular field of design, and concentrating more on a certain aspect say technical or aesthetic, nonetheless, every design entrepreneur values and stresses on interdisciplinary collaboration between designers- product, graphic etc., design researchers, and engineers. Quite a many design studios are moving towards delivering complete strategic solution, from the concept to prototype, some houses in fact including production. Production again is a result of successful collaboration between studios and skilled vendors, artisans, craftsmen. Collaboration was the highlight word of the tour. A lot of designers expressed their concern that many a times, the clients find their new ideas outlandish and are sceptical about it, rightfully so because they are investing huge amounts of fund in their projects. And some reckoned, that it is also the responsibility of designer to convince the client backed up with strong research, and also educate their clients about some design principles that is of concern to them. Another development I saw was how design is now being included in the primary phase of product inception in manufacturing industries, unlike yesteryears; when designers came in much later and their job remained on the surface level, and largely meant putting motifs on product surface, and wrapper around the box. Research on human factors and cognitive ergonomics is gaining huge amount of importance gradually. And they all agreed getting involved in the experience while researching gets reflected in the product. Design as how we have learned it is heavily Swiss influenced and we are losing Indian aesthetics in our designs. And quite a few studios are now trying to make their designs more contextual to India and bring Indian-ness into their solutions. Indian-ness in design need not be borrowing from the past, it can be contemporary and carving out that is something we

must strive for through a sound process, and not like how many new labels are calling kitsch graphics and paisley, Indian graphics. It was also observed, some people have a natural inclination towards certain mediums. Some such people are concentrating on organic materials, recycling, upcycling and green design. Right now these are niche activities done by a few. We all as designers and users, need to scale it up and make it mainstream for a sustainable socio-economic development of our nation. DESIGN EDUCATION Design education is relatively new in India. It was as result of the Industrial Policy Resolution of 1953 that the government of India invited the design team of Charles and Ray Eames to recommend a programme of design to NID was established in 196. But it was post liberalization that design came to be more noticed when the nation felt the need to compete with international standards in terms of products, spaces, and services. National Design Policy, approved in 2007 has proposed setting up new design institutes, upgrading faculty resources to international standards in institutes, encouraging department of design in colleges of engineering and architecture, initiation of action to seek ‘deemed to be university’ or university status to design institutes and design training in vocational institutes and K-12 education system. NEED OF THE HOUR: NETWORKING AND GAINING RECOGNITION It always helps to be networked, for collaborating and strongly voicing the common ideas of the united. Presently, there are a few bodies that are concerned with design and designers in India like Association of Designers in India (ADI) and India Design Council. Also have come up some initiatives like India Design Centre and India Design Mark which will help improve the design scene in India by awarding recognition to the deserving and regulate work ethics. What is missing is an umbrella body that brings all of it together.