Missed the chance to be a part of the Design Show 2022? Have no fear while DIB is here! We have summarized and come up with the key takeaways for you to learn from the maestros and take your brand to different heights. The event took place in different segregations, and we have mentioned them all here consecutively. So why wait? Just dive right in!
Changing Landscapes of Education
The panel began with Ms. Mudita Pasari’s observations on the importance of intent of learning in today’s education. The Educational Design Strategist and the Academic Dean of The Design Village rightly put that we can add more to teaching by having ‘conversations’ with students.
What makes it feasible is the fascinating era we live in, a hybrid of the analog and digital worlds. This opens up a plethora of opportunities for today’s students and aspirants. They are offered not only traditional and time-honored courses but also a variety of new and emerging courses, leading to exciting and uncharted career paths. According to the Vice Chancellor of Ajeenkya DY Patil University, Mr. Hrridaysh Deshpande, “Future of Education is the role of technology in education and education’s role in technology and disruption brought about by both their interactions.”
Agreeing with the experts and adding up their points, Mr. Anando Dutta, the Dean of the School of Design and Innovation, presented a very clever take on the concept, highlighting the change in the process. He said, “Earlier, the education landscape was a portrait, and now it has changed into a landscape.” And the same can be said for the design field, where change is the only constant.
He further added, “We all know the joy of designing– creating possibilities of something that does not exist, and it’s nothing less than magic! After all, each of us has an innate designer, user, and learner within us. To create that magic, all we need to do is combine all the above elements for the world to prosper. After all, design is a collaborative process- within the industry and even amongst colleagues, clients, students, & teachers as well. “
Changing fundamentals of In-House Design Studio
The temperament towards Indian designs and designers is changing. And we, as designers, constantly learn on the job because the design experience goes beyond interfaces. We spend a lot of time honing our skills by watching and reading what other designers around the world are doing. We’re connected through Behance, Instagram, Dribble, and other platforms that help us form a community, a community that’s expanding and growing with each passing day. This collaboration among team members within an organization & between the domestic & international firms outside the institution is the only way forward in the realm of design.
Mr. Sumit Singh, the vice president & head of design of Havells India, highlighted the importance of collaboration by correctly saying, “Design is a function to tangibilize the strategy.” And this strategy can be best brought to life by incorporating an inclusive design process and emphasizing co-creation to produce a practical design. This mutual partnership between us and other members enables us the path to expand our horizons by simply hearing other people’s ideas. We must abandon the notion that we work better alone. There will undoubtedly be times when the effort to onboard someone or justify your design decisions to them will appear tedious. Still, it is critical to remember that these types of discussions are what will bind us together as a community.
Changes influencing the Independent Design Studios
According to Tarun Deep Girdher, Design Educator, Principal of Graphic Design at NID Ahmedabad, designers are time travelers. After all, they seek answers to the world’s present issues while designing for the future and drawing inspiration from the past. He further added that design is a changing process that evolves with time, and recently, the design studios have seen a shift in how design studios function post-COVID-19.
Adding to this, Ms. Reena Mehta, the managing partner at Big Brand Theory Consultancy, stated, “design is strategy. Today, the shift is from working for clients to working with clients. The client-designer relationship is critical to the design process.”
Joining her, Ms. Pankti Sheth, the founder of DeIceBreaker Creative Studio, expressed, “Everything is about adaptability and adjustments and how Independent Design studios can take up the responsibility to find opportunities in times of adversity. We do this by scoring young talent into our team. Today instead of academics and portfolios, studios look out for new and fresh talent. We, too, adapt this strategy because the youngsters have the curiosity to learn, the readiness to hustle, and wish to grow organically in all aspects of life. They are pretty passionate about design and see it as the ultimate goal. Seeing these personalities eliminate the job of grooming increases our confidence further in them because we believe these young minds can be purely guided efficiently instead.”
Talking about her own experience, she reveals, “Earlier, when we joined as fresher, we were not considered value adders to the studio/agency. But now, I make sure that each and every opinion in the studio matters and adds value to the project and, therefore, to the studio. This practice helps maintain respect and responsibility among the juniors and seniors, thus forming the dream core team”.
Traun Thakkar, the Business Head of Indie design, couldn’t agree more. To add to the current scenario and conclude the event, he stated that earlier good design meant good business. Now good business is just good business; designs need a purpose. Today, as we all know, change is inevitable, and accepting it is the only way forward. To encourage collaboration, he added, "trust and integrity have become essential for the design business to strengthen the concept of change today. Designers need to come to the forefront and drive this wave for the future development of our nation. This has to be done because designers are problem solvers. Wherever they see an opportunity, there is a designer who spots a problem and gets it solved.”
While the event concluded and we presented you the highlights, there’s always still more to learn! So, here are some key takeaways for you to remember and reflect upon:
· The design business today is attention-based. Whatever catches a customer’s eye is what will sustain in the market. The ME behavior is prevalent in the market, which means a customer is not ready to settle for less. They need their products customized and personalized to their needs and specifications.
· The market game depends on if you can’t find your desired value, then find the right set of people and market.’
Summarizing, the essence of the talk was “The role of the designer is that of a good, thoughtful host anticipating the needs of his guests.” –Charles Eames.