Designing is neither an art nor a science, it is the combination of both of them. It is a plan or framing for the erection of an object or system. We can also say that it is the execution of an activity or process. The person who produces a design is called a designer.
Design is a highly developed field that requires trained and skilled people. Students have a plethora of career prospects in Design because of the steady growth of the design industry or ever-changing technology and booming multinational companies.
Top Design Courses in India
Design offers courses not only for the students seeking admission in the undergraduate field but for the students who want to pursue their careers in postgraduate and doctoral degrees too.
It offers a Bachelor of Design (B.Des) and Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.FTech) courses at the undergraduate level, which is a professional degree program that comes up with a duration of 4 years. B.Des course deals with the designing of a part or whole structure of a shape, configuration, etc., whereas B.FTech is a design course that has an appropriate mix of creativity and technology.
Design also offers a master's degree program known as Masters of Design (M.Des) and Masters of Fashion Technology (M.FTech) as one of the career options for the students who have been completed their graduation in the field of design. Course Duration of Master's degree in Design is of 2 Years.
Top Design Courses after 12th in India
B.Des: Bachelor of Design (B.Des) is an undergraduate academic degree that comes up with a duration of 4 years. Students are provided knowledge through theory classes and are also kept engaged in the classroom through regular workshops, exhibitions of their work, seminars, fashion shows, etc. If one should unsure of which specific field of Design to choose from such as Jewellery Design, Fashion Design, Interior Design, Game Design, Web Design, etc., going for a general B.Des degree is the most suitable option so that you can explore all fields and then proceed further as per your interest. There are different specializations offered by the institutions/universities are listed below:
| B.Des Specialization | ||
| Fashion Design | Ceramic and Glass Design | Leather Design |
| Exhibition Design | Accessory Design | Film and Video Communication |
| Textile Design | Furniture and Interior Design | Knitwear Design |
| Graphic Design | Fashion Communication | Product Design |
| Animation Film Design | Communication Design | Industrial Design |
| Visual Communication | Lifestyle and Accessory Design | Footwear Designs and Production |
B.Des Syllabus
| Year I | Year II |
| Fundamentals of Arts and Design (2D) | 2D Visual studies I – word and image |
| Fundamentals of Arts and Design (2D) | Elective- 2D Visual Studies II or 3D Form Studies II |
| Art representation and transformation | 3D Form studies – Aesthetics, Identity and Expressions |
| Image representation and transformation –II | Communication Theories, Visual Perception and Semiotics |
| CAD – Photography and Videography | Creative Thinking Process and Methods |
| Typography Fundamentals and exploratory printing | Design, Storytelling, and Narratives |
| Design and Human evolution | Design, Society, Culture and Environment |
| World of images and objects | Design |
| Applied Science for Designers | Environmental Studies – Science and Engineering |
| Knowledge organization and communication | Design Studio IV - Prototyping |
| Design studio I – problem identification | Design Studio III – Creative Explorations |
| Design studio II –Problem Analysis | Summer Project |
| Self-initiated summer project |
| Year III | Year IV |
| Elective I and II: Information Graphics and Visualisation/Moving image Design/Product Design-I Design for Interactive Media/Mobility and Vehicle Design 3D modeling and prototyping | B.Design Projects |
| Elective I and II: Animation Design Communication Design/ Film-Video Design/ Product Design II/Interaction Design/Transportation Design/Game Design/Product Ergonomics | Re-Design Project |
| Applied Ergonomics | Design Research Seminar |
| Elective III: Materials and Processes/Digital Media Technologies | Global Design Thoughts and Discourse |
| Design, Technology, and Innovation | |
| Design Management, Planning and Professional Practice | |
| Collaborative Design Project | |
| System Design Project | |
| Industrial Summer Project |
B.FTech: Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.FTech) is an undergraduate academic degree of 4 years that mixture of creativity and technology. In this, students taught about how to conceptualize, design, manage, and market fashion products. It aims to introduce different essential streams including apparel manufacturing technology, information technology, quality management, artificial intelligence, etc. B.FTech syllabus are as follows:
B.FTech Syllabus
| Year I | Year II |
| Introduction to Fashion Art | Traditional Indian Textiles & Costume & History of Indian Art |
| English 1 | Elements Design & Its Application |
| Sewing Fundamentals | Pattern Manipulation |
| Textile Science | Fashion Stylization and Designing |
| English 2 | Advanced Garment Construction |
| Textile & Fashion Science | World Art Appreciation |
| Surface Ornamentation | World Art Appreciation |
| Elements of Fashion and Fashion Drawing | Draping |
| Fundamentals of Patternmaking | Fashion Marketing |
| Year III | Year IV |
| Advance Fashion Illustration | Choice Based Course 2 |
| Garment Assembling | Fundamentals of Kid’s Wear and Costumes |
| Grading | Textile Design |
| Advance Pattern Making | Open Course |
| Computer Graphics | Internship ( Project) |
| Fundamentals of Apparel Production | Final Collection |
| Export Merchandising | Computer-Aided Textile Designing |
| Theatre Costume Designing | Accessory Designing |
| Choice Based Course 1 | Craft Documentation & Knit Wear Module |
| Quality Control | |
| Fashion Communication | |
| Fashion Business |
Top Design Courses after B.Des/B.FTech in India
M.Des: Masters of Design (M. Des) is a professional postgraduate academic degree for those who have a keen interest in the artistic field. It comes up with a duration of 2 years. For pursuing such a degree, students have completed a bachelor's degree in a relevant stream. It teaches the students about real-world based techniques, industry-specific theories, and design skills through projects so that one learns the nitty-gritty to the core.
Master of Design Specializations
- Master of Design in Integrated Product Design
- Master of Design in Fashion Management and Marketing
- Master of Design in Graphic Designing
- Master of Design in Fashion and Textile
- Master of Design in Interior
- Master of Design in Communication Design
- Master of Design in User Experience (UX/UI)
M.FTech: Masters of Fashion Technology (M.FTech) is a professional postgraduate academic degree in the stream of fashion designing and technology that comes up with a duration of 2 years. Students who wish to pursue higher education in the field of fashion stream often enroll themselves in the M.F.Tech program after obtaining a relevant bachelor's degree.
| M.FTech Syllabus | ||
| Introduction to Colours and Their Theories | Planning & Managing Inventories in a Supply Chain | Fundamentals of Fashion Design |
| High-Performance Fibres | Introduction to Fibres | Classification and Properties of Fibres |
| Principles of Design | Industry and Apparel Appreciation | Man-made and Manufactured Fibres |
| Apparel Testing and Quality Characterisation | Regenerated Fibres | Fabric Comfort Properties |
| Advancement in Sewing Machinery | Types of Feed Mechanisms | Advances in Apparel Technology |
| Scientific Approach in Sewing Techniques. | Introduction to Textile Finishing | Functional Finishes of Garments |
| Application of Various Kinds of Finish in Textiles | Fabrics Properties and Textile Designing | Fabric Designing Through Fabric Structure |
| Fabric Formation Technologies | Knitting | Managing the Supply chain |
| Concepts of Supply Chain | Reverse Supply Chain | Overview of Global Fashion |
| Introduction to Factorial Designs | Supply Chain in Apparels | Garment Construction |
| Randomized Designs | Intellectual Property Rights | Importance of Intellectual Property Rights |
| Patents | Trademarks | Unfair Competition |
| Industrial Design | Nanotechnology in Apparels | Functional Textiles and Garments |
| Protective clothing | Environmentally Sensitive Textiles | Design Illustration |
| Smart Electronic Clothing | Definition of Smart and Intelligent Textiles | Sports Textile |
| Fundamental Stitches |
Eligibility of Design Courses
Eligibility for all the courses provided by design are as follows:
| Courses | Eligibility |
| B.Des | Candidates must have passed the 10+2 exam from a recognized board in any stream with a minimum aggregate marks criteria provided by the examining authority of government, universities/institutes, etc. |
| B.FTech | Candidates must have passed the 10+2 exam from a recognized board with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as core subjects with a minimum aggregate marks criteria provided by the examining authority of government, universities/institutes, etc. |
| M.Des/M.FTech | Candidates must have B.Des/B.FTech degree in relevant discipline from a recognized institute or university with a minimum aggregate marks criteria provided by the examining authority of government, universities/institutes, etc. |
| Ph.D. | Candidates must have M.Des/M.FTech degree in relevant discipline from a recognized institute or university with a minimum aggregate marks criteria provided by the examining authority of government, universities/institutes, etc. |
Design Entrance Exams
For admission in design, almost every other institute or university in India select candidates according to the merit list prepared on the basis of entrance exam scores and ranks. Some institutes or universities accept the national level exams or state level exam ranks while some of them conduct their own entrance exam. Listed below are some of the popular design exams in India conducted at the UG and PG level:
B.Des (UG)
- All India Entrance Examination for Design (AIEED) conducted by ARCH Academy of Design
- Undergraduate Common Entrance Exam for Design (UCEED) conducted by IIT Bombay
- National Institute of Design Entrance Exam (NID DAT) conducted by the National Institute of Design
- NIFT Entrance Exam conducted by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT)
- Army Institute of Fashion Design (AIFD) conducted by Army Institute of Fashion & Design, Bangalore
- Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) conducted by the Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI)
- SEED conducted by Symbiosis International University
- GD Goenka DAT conducted by GD Goenka University
- UID Aptitude Test Conducted by the United world Institute of Design (UID)
- University of Petroleum and Energy Studies Design Aptitude Test (UPES DAT DAT) Conducted by University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES)
B.FTech (UG)
- NIFT Entrance Exam conducted by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT)
M.Des/M.FTech (PG)
- Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) conducted by Indian Institute of Technology
- NIFT Entrance Exam - GAT
- Common Entrance Examination for Design (CEED) conducted by IIT Bombay
- National Institute of Design DAT (NID DAT) National Institute of Design (NID)
- Design Aptitude Test (DAT) conducted by University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES) - UPES DAT
- Indian Institute Of Art and Design (IIAD) Entrance Exam
Top Colleges for Design
Top Government Colleges for Design
- IIT Bombay - Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai
- IIT Kharagpur - Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
- National Institute of Fashion Technology, Kolkata
- National Institute of Design (NID), Gandhinagar
- IIT Hyderabad - Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad
- IIT Delhi - Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
- BHU - Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
- National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Chennai
- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Kanpur) – Department of Design, Kanpur
- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Guwahati), Guwahati
- Footwear Design and Development Institute, Noida
Top Private Colleges for Design
- Avantika University, Ujjain
- School of Engineering, MIT ADTU. Pune
- International Institute of Fashion Design (INIFD Andheri), Mumbai
- JD Institute of Fashion Technology –Corporate Centre, Delhi
- International School of Design, Kolkata
- Amity University, Noida
- INIFD, Indore
- International Institute of Fashion Design, Pune
- Amity University, Mumbai, Mumbai
- School of Design, MIT WPU, Pune
- Symbiosis Institute of Design, Pune
