What
Do Designers Do?
Designers are the prime trendsetters for the world. They decide
on the new style, design & pattern to be followed for each season,
and for each period of time for the advancing world.
The areas they work on spreads from Textiles to Space Vessels.
It is unbelievable, but true. The other areas are Jewellery Design,
Product Design, Communication Design, IT Integrated Design, Ceramic
Design, Footwear Design and much more.
Communication Design – is not all about
computer technology. Here a designer not just needs to know how
to make something move, but know how to use it effectively to
communicate a message, sell a product, or persuade someone to
adopt an idea. Communication design spans over Graphic Design,
Animation Design and Visual Communication
Graphic
Designer’s - job involves illustration along with
photography, lettering, designing symbols/ logos/ visiting cards/
banners/ hoardings/book jackets/ CD covers etc. for social and corporate
communications.
Animation Design - Not all animated films are drawn
and not all films are funny. Animation has the potential to reach
a much wider audience - including adults. An animated character
has no citizenship and communicates without barriers of language
or distinct age- groups. Their emotions are human and identifiable.
This make animation a very suitable medium for addressing an uneducated
multitude, especially in the Indian context. With special features
like humour, exaggeration and the possibility of compressing information,
animation becomes a vital means of communication and persuasion.
Animators find jobs as Creative Directors in TV Channels like MTV,
Multimedia Agencies and Film production houses.
Product Designer - designs home appliances, cars,
consumer product of everyday use which gives the user better quality
of life. Design and Engineering work in tandem to meet the requirements
of the user and the industry.
Interior Designers - plan space and furnish interiors
of private homes, public building and commercial establishments.
Ceramic Design - The Ceramic industry in India
is a not a very modern or avant garde industry and such the role
of a designer in this industry is limited. There are two categories
of products in the Ceramic Industry. The first are consumer products
such as crockery, tiles, sanitary wares etc. There is a demand here
for designers, to comply with consumer demands for aesthetically
pleasing and varied products. The second category is the Advanced
Ceramics which have widespread applications in the engineering and
electronic industry. Design inputs in this category are almost non
existent in India as of now.
Toy Design - Toy designers cash in on India’s
rich heritage for toy making, and develop toys for today’s
child. The toys range from educative to fun toys and involve use
of a variety of materials and techniques.
Textile Design - involves study of spinning, weaving,
knitting, dyeing, printing and finishing techniques of fabrics,
besides those of design concepts, knowledge of colour, pattern and
texture. Textiles need to fulfil simultaneously, the requirements
of function, comfort and aesthetics.
Apparel Design - There has been steady growth in
the manufacture of garments for export. With the support of government
policies, the garment sector has emerged as the largest net foreign
exchange earner for the country. So, far India’s strongpoint
has been availability of cheap labour. Problem of quality still
remains to be overcome. Leaping towards non quota regime has definitely
brought up tough competition with other countries like China, Korea,
Taiwan. To meet the demands of the future, India needs to focus
on Quality and Design.
Lifestyle Accessory Design – relates to people’s
living patterns, and the products they interact with on a day to
day basis. They may range from products for personal adornment to
products for the living environment.
Transportation Designer – does not limit
his contribution to the aesthetics of an automobile, but also includes
functional aspects which may be in terms of improved windows and
doors, luggage storage, redesigning seats for better comfort, considering
safety factors. Better designs for road signals, dividers, road
markings etc. are also part of a transportation designers job profile.
Design Management – Design is now an essential
ingredient to the marketing mix. New outlooks are emerging to lift
the quality of life. A Design Manager is involved with strategies,
action Plans and processes. His job will revolve around New product
development, Packaging, Retail impact, Competitive Analysis, Customer
satisfaction, Market research, trend forecast, Branding, and Communication
Strategies. Jobs held by a student of Design Management would be
Strategic Designers, Design Entrepreneurs, Design Managers, Design
Consultants etc.
New Media Design – involves, creating and
distributing media content electronically through CD –ROM,
website, kiosk, etc for education, entertainment and information.
Careers may range from, Multimedia producers, web designers, game
designers, Designers of Computer based training programs, Satellite
TV programs and more.
Software and User Interface Design – deals
with human computer interaction, which can be in various forms,
like the interactive face of you mobile phone or scanner. Interface
design can make a success or failure of any product depending on
whether the end user finds the device cumbersome or easy to use.
Information & Digital Design – enables effective
transfer of information to the end user. It makes complex information
easy to understand and use. In formation & Digital Design is mainly
used in the knowledge / information based industry. This is a highly
interdisciplinary branch of knowledge, and can be applied to Artificial
Intelligence, Business Support Systems, Visual Data bases, Interactive
Multimedia and much more.
My AFD