The Complete Design Career Guide for Indian Students in 2021-22

Dr. Shashi Tharoor spoke on the importance of design and why it should be given primary importance in the growing economy like India. Read on to know more.

Design is relatively a new field for students in India. A decade back, there were not many good educational institutes offering the course other than a few runs by the government. The students were more or less not interested in the design career. Today, things have changed. Design and architecture have great scope. New generation sees it as a cool career option, and it would be right to say that it has captured the imagination of students like that of engineering in the past.

The aspiration of the students have changed dramatically in the last decade or so. Teenagers are ready to take the risk and choose unconventional career paths. Nowadays, people switch from one career to another with relative ease. The certificates matter but so does the skill and passion. So, if you are already searching the internet for “types of designing courses in India” and “design careers that pay well”, this complete design career guide will help you a lot. 

Is designing career booming in India?

In 2014, the Government of India came with a smart city plan. In order to modernize the selected cities across the country, highly qualified and talented design professional are the need of the hour. The integrated city planning and new ideas are essential to give the initiative a major push. This is supposed to open up great opportunities for architecture and design aspirants like never before. 

On the unconventional side, Startups are popping up everywhere in the country. The wheels of development hinges on the new-age entrepreneurs who are giving India a new direction and dimension to its growth story. So, what is in here for the design aspirants? Branding is one of the major focus areas for Startups. You must have seen that every successful business entity today have a unique brand identity and try to convey the same idea to everyone. This is where designers play a key role to push the brand in the online as well as an offline field with outstanding designs for brands. 

‘Make in India’ initiative has also given a major boost to the textile industry and experts are vouching for India to become a fashion manufacturing powerhouse. This augurs well for the design aspirants looking to make a career in fashion. 

In November 2019, National Institute of Design 2019(Amendment) Bill has been passed by the Lok Sabha. It aims to declare National Institute of Design – NID in Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Haryana, and Andhra Pradesh as the institutions of national importance.

Here is the take of Member of Parliament, Dr. Shashi Tharoor on the importance of design and why it should be given primary importance in the growing economy like India.

A design career is divided into both the types mentioned above. One is quite conventional, focused on research, developing new ideas for products and systems, and utilization of resources in the best way possible. The other one is the digital and advertisement space, where creativity thrives. We will get back to the career opportunities in design later.

Before going any further, ask yourself a few important questions. What’s your aim by taking up the designing career? Where do you see yourself after 10 years as a designer? Though cliched, these are important. But, there’s one more question which is relevant. Is designing your calling? We will try to unravel it below for you.

Be honest and see if designing is something that you love by checking these everyday little things:-

– Does packaging fascinate you more than the product itself?

– Do you easily differentiate fonts when you see them in TV ads?

– You have serious opinions on the colour choices others make.

– You spend your time on Pinterest and Instagram more than any other social media platforms. They are your favourites!

– Aesthetics is very important. You are a visualizer and love inspired designs in clothes or other accessories that you buy.

– While your friends love the speed of the car, you care only about the design.

– Branding and logo thrills and you have started understanding that its important for any successful business. 

– You are good at handicrafts

If this is who you are, read on to find more about the design careers list:-

What are the Career Prospects In Design Field in 2019?

The Design adds value faster than it adds costs. 

-Joel Spolsky

Design  will always be in demand. Buildings, homes and other spaces with well-crafted designs are the pride of any city. Architectural marvels of any country are few things that define the prowess of a nation like nothing else. Also, a good design is how you remember many successful businesses. Whether it is the red and white combination of Coca Cola or McDonald’s mighty M, the design is at the forefront. Therefore, companies more than ever, hire good designers who can add value by improving brand recognition and attracts customers.

So, what are the designing career opportunities in 2019? Here’s a design career list. You can make a career in the following space:- 

Graphics

Interiors

Fashion

Products

Automobiles

Furniture

Jewellery

The popular categories of designing include:-

Graphic Design

Storyboarding

Animation Design

Game Design

3D Modelling

Texturing and Lighting

Dynamics and VFX

2D, 3D Animation 

Concept Designing

Industrial Designing

Some of the trending fields you can get into for good jobs:-

Event Companies 

Animation Studios 

VFX Studios

Game Studios

Digital Marketing Firms

In-House Branding and Promotion

Is design career worth it? What about Job Satisfaction? 

In the world of automation, you can be sure that designing career is safe. While simple collateral can be automated, but the design always requires creative thinking and ideas. Every day, you get to do something new and therefore, job satisfaction is generally good in this filed. If you are passionate, you will love taking new challenges. 

Most probably, you will be working with a team of professionals. Coordination with marketers, copywriters, advertisers and management and clients will be a regular feature for this profile.

Nothing satisfies more than your designs contributing to the companies growth. Your work may be published on a mass scale, and the eventual appreciation is indeed special. The work that you do could be an inspiration for others. In a nutshell, you can see your work actually making a difference.

It is an exciting & interesting career choice as well. You will get the opportunity to ideate new styles and create designs that appeal to the masses as a fashion designer. Attracting and engaging work will be the aim of a graphic designer for brands online and offline. If you are into a product-based career like in the R&D department of a big company, research and optimal use of resources will be the key.

Growth Opportunities and Pay 

The growth opportunities and payment are pretty impressive. All you need is to create some awe-inspiring designs, and you are on the path to becoming something big. Develop an impressive portfolio. Your quality work can take you places. Your work speaks for you and markets you in this field. When you get into the top positions, it is very competitive. Therefore, networking is important. You are going to get a vast number of opportunities in various fields, industries and you can explore projects worldwide. There are many design careers that pay well. 

As you gain more experience, you can expect good salary hikes. You can quickly move up the ladder with your skill and grab the top positions like Creative Director. 

Now that you know all aspects of design career scope, growth opportunities, let’s see how you can begin your design career. There are many types of design courses in India, and each one of them can be done once you pass the design entrance exams in India. These are listed below:-

Entrance exams for admissions to best institutes in India 

National Aptitude Test in Architecture – NATA 

National Institute of Design – NID

National Institute of Fashion Technology – NIFT

Common Entrance Examination for Design – CEED 

Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design – UCEED 

Top 10 Design, Architecture and Fashion Institutes (Government and Private) 

National Institute of Design – Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Bangalore

National Institute of Fashion Technology – 15 centres in India

Indian School of Design & Innovation – Mumbai

Indian Institute of Art & Design – Delhi

MIT Institute of Design – Pune

Symbiosis Institute of Design – Pune

Indian Institute of Technology – Mumbai/Bangalore/Delhi/Guwahati/Hyderabad/Kanpur

GLS Institute of Design – Ahmedabad

Indian School of Design & Innovation – Mumbai

United Institute of Design – Ahmedabad

In order to get admissions to these colleges, you need to crack the various design entrance exams. So, if you have chosen a designing career, it is high time that you begin the preparation. There are many designing coaching classes which can help you score the qualification marks. Silica is one of the leading design institutes with centres in many parts of India. Learn under qualified and experienced design faculty and get expert guidance on design career as well.

For more details about various design entrance programs, course modules, study material, and other resources, visit www.silica.co.in.

Also check: Architect, Interior Design, Fashion Career Guidance for 2021-22