Contents

1. Course Description
2. Job Avenues
3. Career Prospects
4. Spatial Designing
5. Institutions in Kerala
6. Premier Institutes in India
7. Industrial Designing
   • Nature of work
   • Work Environment
   • Personal Characteristics
   • Earnings
   • Details of Courses in Designing
8. Gemology and Jewellery design
   • Job Avenues
   • Courses in Gem Cutting and Jewellery Designing
   • List of Institutions outside Kerala
9. Fashion Design
   • Prospects
   • Details of course

Designing is a highly developed field ranging from high-tech industrial designing and visual communication design to creative fashion design, interior and exterior design and many other allied fields. It also includes Art and Applied Fields of Art like Photography.

Course Description

The aspirant of designing should be creative, imaginative, artistic and innovative and should possess the required technical skills. He should know market trends and possess marketing and communicative skills too. Many careers in designing are open to students from any Plus II stream. But certain professional courses in fashion designing, industrial designing, visual communication design etc. requires graduation or foundation in the concerned field.
Job Avenues

Job openings are in architectural firms, public works departments, hotels, town planning etc. Their work is generally related to commercial and large projects. They can find employment in various paint companies as colour consultants, marketing executives, etc. Job opportunities for them are wide and varied as there is an added scope for self-employment in this scenario.

Career Prospects

Fashion and design opens up a wide horizon of experience. This world of design is comparatively new, budding and therefore a promising area. It includes:

• Graphic Design
• Textile and Apparel Design
• Product Design
• Furniture Design
• Ceramic Design
• Animation Film Design
• New Media Design
• Apparel and Accessory Design
• Exhibition Design
• Industrial Design
• Visual Communication design
• Garments and Accessories
• Jewellery design
• Spatial design

Spatial Designing (Designing Spaces)

It refers to both interior and exterior designing. Today, Hotels, restaurants shopping arcades, clubs, offices, community centers, auditoriums, theatres, homes and schools, all display consciousness for style and décor. Interior designers work with architects, building consultants, technical experts etc. Hospitality and travel sector is in need of interior designers. Their work includes planning of interior spaces, ventilation, electrical areas, and installation, drainage and water supply, air conditioning and hearing systems. They should have technical knowledge of building and structures. They give advice for the use of colour, textures, fabrics, decorative materials, light effects, layout and furniture. Interior designers need scientific aptitude, analytical mind and ability to deal with technical details. They must be artistic, creative and imaginative.

Premier Institutes in India

• School of Interior Design (SID) Ahamedabad offers 5 years Professional Program. Eligibility: +2 science stream – 55% marks
• Karuvali College of Interior Decoration Mangalore – 3 year B.Sc Course – Affiliated to Mangalore University – Eligibility +2
• SNDT Women’s  University Mumbai, 3 year course – Eligibility ‑ +2
• Exterior – Interiors (in association with Jenson and Nicholson, conducts courses in Interior design – (1 year National Diploma) Centre – Calicut, Cochin, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, LPune
• Birla Institute of Liberal Arts and Management Sciences, Calcutta
• College of Arts and Design, Chennai, Affiliated to Madras University
• Avineshilingam Deemed University (for Women) Coimbatore (Eligibility Graduation)
• Ulka University of Culture, B.A Interior Design (Eligibility: +2)
• Viswa Bharati, Santhiniketan (Eligibility: +2)
• University of Mumbai Diploma in Invention 1 year course (Eligibility: +2)
• Kottayam Government Polytechnic – Continuing Education. Eligibility +2/Civil Engineering Diploma
• Nirmala Nikettan, New Marina Lines Mumbai – 400 020 (Eligibility : +2)
• B.K.Somany, Polytechnic, Bhulabhai, Desai Rd, Mumbai – 26
• Noyal College of Interior Designing, S.Kalamassery, Ernakulam Dt

 Industrial Designing

Industrial Designing refers to a career that has to do with products and objects that are used for practical functions. Todays market has changed drastically from the sellers market to that of a buyer's market.Customer is the king in todays marketing. Before the customer, there are a number of choices available to choose from. To catch the attention of the customer the manufacturer has to consider the comforts aesthetics, efficiency, reliability, economy etc. of the product.
Nature of work

Industrial designing includes:-

• Product designing eg. Computer, Home appliances
• Ceramic designing eg. Sanitary wares tableware etc.
• Furniture designing eg. Home furniture, office furniture, storage devices
• Craft designing e.g Hand craft, Ornaments etc.
• Automobile designing e.g. cars, bike, trucks etc.

Industrial designers develop and design products like cars, home appliances, computer peripherals medical-office-recreational equipments, children's toys, etc. They combine their artistic talent with research methods to create the most functional and appealing design to the product to make it competitive and fascinating.
Work Environment

Industrial designers usually work regular hours but occasionally work overtime to meet deadlines. Self employed designers tend to work longer hours, especially at the early stages of establishing themselves.

Personal Characteristics

Industrial and visual communication designers must have creative and aritistic skills with good imagination. They should be able to express their ideas through drawings and should have numerical ability to calculate dimensions etc.

Job Avenues

• Manufacturing firm-design dept.
• Industries
• Entrepreneurs
• Sanitary & trade wares
• Pottery etc.

Earnings

• Art Directors earns Rs.35,000- Rs 45,000 both depending on creativity and size of the firm
• Freelance designers are paid for an assignment or project
• Product designers in consumer durables – RS. 15,000 – Rs.25,000
• Designers holding diploma, degree usually start with salary of Rs.4000 to Rs. 6,000/- per month
• Designers from reputed institutions such as the NID can expect to be offered starting of Rs.8,500 to Rs.9,000/-

Gemology and Jewellery design

The science that studies about gems and precious stones, their sourcing, identification, grading, polishing and marketing is called Gemology. Gemologist should have intense observation precision, and an eye for details. The Jeweler should possess artistic skill, hand-eye co-ordination, patience and concentration. A creative Gemologist is like a pearl in the industry and he designs and presents a new world of Jewellery. Emerging growth in Jewellery sector has created great demand for creative gemologists.

Job Avenues

There are various job opportunities in Jewelleries, Mines, Consultancy services, and ornamental manufacturers, artificial stones manufactures, Gem testing labs etc. The Gemologists who have membership in “Forum of Indian Gemologist, International Gemological Association, are eligible to start gem testing centre independently. There are Gemology courses in Polytechnics and Fashion Institutes. Many of the courses are diploma courses after 10th and +2 courses. Also there are short-term courses. Diploma/Degree courses are of 1-3 years of duration. Short-term courses are of a week or a month or even a day of duration. Gemologists are selected to Jewelleries in Foreign Countries. One of the main points is that a person who has studied Gemology will not be unemployed. Those well-trained persons who have a natural flare in designing, who pocesses hard working nature and patience will shine like a pearl in this field.
Courses in Gem Cutting and Jewellery Designing

List of Institutions outside Kerala

• St. Xavier’s College, Department of Geology, Mumbai – 400 001
• St Joseph’s College, Mumbai – 400 001
• Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh
• Small Industrial Servicing Institute 65/BGST Road, Grading, Chennai – 600 032
• Diamond Processing Institute V-307, Veervani Industrial Estate, Goregen (N) Mumbai

Fashion Design

The growth of consumerism and liberalization of trade has led to a heavy influx of new worlds in fashion. The new fashion industry offers employment opportunities in dress and accessories designing. The fashion designer should have a keen sense of form, shape, colour pattern and texture. He should design fashion wear according to the current mood of the market. There are also fashion experts who specialize  in designing costumes for films and stage shows. There is also fashion communication, when fashion writing is taken as a career option.

Prospects

A well – trained fashion designer can seek job in wholesale manufacturing firms as designer and garment technologists. Tremendous opportunities are in the private sectors too. Self-employment is another possibility. They can also seek job as fashion illustrators.

Details of course

The main courses offered in the fashion stream, the minimum qualification fixed, duration of the course, mode of admission and selection are shown below: