Industrial Design Centre

Infobox University
name = Industrial Design Centre


motto =
established = 1969
head_label = Head
head = Prof. Ravi Poovaiah
city = Mumbai
state = Maharashtra
country = India
M-Des = 100
postgrad_label = post_graduate

free_label = Type
free = Design School
website = http://www.idc.iitb.ac.in

Industrial Design Centre (IDC, आई डी सी) is one of the premier Design Schools in India.
Established in 1969, it's in the campus of Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay). [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=IIT+Powai,+Bombay,+India&sll=19.120627,72.904093&sspn=0.289997,0.422974&ie=UTF8&z=15 Location Map]

The School offers Masters and Doctoral Degrees in Design.

Industrial Design Centre offers 2 year Master of Design degree (M.Des) programmes in Industrial Design, Visual Communication, Animation and InteractionDesign as well as a Ph.D. programme in Design.

Product Design PD

The Industrial design programme concentrates on developing skills, knowledge and attitude among students to become creative problem solvers who can effectively use different and appropriate design methods and processes. The students learn to correlate technical and ergonomic functions of a product with the real human needs. They develop their innovative and aesthetic sensibilities into making a coherent and appropriate product. The students are encouraged to solve socially relevant problems.

The students interact with the industry and with institutions and social organizations to understand, study, analyse and solve various kinds of existing problems. The choice and outcome of the final degree projects reflect the students aspirations to change the Indian product scene.

Visual Communication VC

Visual communication in a developing country with its varied cultural heritage has a vital role to play in the national development. The emphasis is on meeting the unmet communication needs for the community, for which normally resources are not readily available.

The programme envisages developing graduates with better maturity in handling communication design problems, a deeper understanding of aesthetic aspects, and generating methods and methodologies for solving communication problems. The emphasis is to become a creative problem solver who can effectively use various design methods. The course is at an advance level to create visual communication designer with greater analytical and problem solving capabilities. The students are given opportunities to learn new skills and to advance their level of understanding. They can also specialize in one of the many areas of visual communication like typography, information visualization, interaction design, video/film making, exhibition design, animation, photography, etc.

Design and research work are directed at improving and advancing the current state of visual communication in the country. The preference during the programme is for doing work of permanent value in areas of unmet demand, such as projects for the social and educational sectors.

Animation AN

The Animation program in IDC strives to create people with expertise who will eventually emerge as leaders to influence the future of Animation. IDC expects the students to assume direct responsibility for nearly all aspects of the film making process - from concept to drawing, shooting, camera etc.

India will soon be a player in the international framework of animation production. This turning point brings with it huge responsibilities. We are a newly born, yet unnurtured potential animation culture without a substantial animation history. It is an important time its learning and practice that is informed by an indigenous sensibility.

This is an opportune time for IDC with its strong commitment to design education in the context of Indian requirements, to respond to the necessity of a holistic approach to animation education. This is in keeping with our current endeavor to restructure our courses in response to changing needs, emerging areas and demands of the industry.

The students have access to cutting edge IT capabilities and the proximity to other engineering disciplines which would facilitate cross disciplinary and collaborative projects, also new areas for animation applications can be explored and experimented with.

The course content includes all areas of study essential to nurture a well rounded approach to animation learning and understanding. The course contents of the program have been designed to leverage the strength of IDC's current courses, complemented with additional courses to meet the new requirements.

Interaction Design IxD

The Interaction Design program in IDC strives to create people with expertise who will eventually emerge as leaders to influence the future of interaction design. The M. Des programme in Interaction Design aims at imparting knowledge and furthering research into the domain of designing interactive experiences in media, products and computer design applications.

It creates graduates with good analytical abilities, skilled with specific techniques, creative in their solutions, sensitive in their approach and knowledgeable about current practices of interaction design. The program has a specific focus on the needs of Indian users and the Indian industry.

The course contents of the Interaction Design program have been designed to leverage the strength of IDC's current courses, complemented with additional courses to meet the new requirements.

PHD Programs

The broad objectives of the Ph.D. programme in Design is not only to keep pace with the expanding frontiers of knowledge but also to provide research training relevant to the socio-cultural and economic factors.

The academic programme leading to the Ph.D. degree is broad-based and involves a minimum course credit requirement and research thesis. The Institute also encourages research in interdisciplinary areas through a system of joint supervision and interdepartmental group activities. The presence of a strong research oriented faculty provides excellent opportunities for such programme.

The Ph D programme can be done either as a full time internal student or as an external student. There are industry sponsorships that support the Ph D programme.

The Course Structure

The first two semesters in the first year consist of theory courses and learning/instruction oriented projects. The second year is largely spent on design projects.

Because of variation in the undergraduate backgrounds, the courses are kept flexible enough to level out the differences and bring all students on a common footing by the end of the second semester.

The project orientation is fully reflected in the course structure. The simple projects in Visual Communication, Product Design, Animation and Interaction Design are introduced in the 1st semester.

Depending on their interest the students choose elective courses in the 2nd and 3rd semester.

In the last two semesters the students undertake three application oriented projects of varying duration and complexities. They also undertake a special project oriented towards design research.

Faculty

There are seventeen faculty members who are supported by technical staff and workshop personnel in their educational, consultancy and research projects. The faculty at IDC comes from backgrounds like Industrial Design, Graphic Design, Architecture, Art, Engineering, Sciences and Ergonomics.

Facilities

Studios and the labs at IDC provide an excellent opportunity for the student to execute and test out their design solutions. IDC has fully equipped Studios for metal, wood, plastic, plaster, ceramic with provisions for making and painting models as well as developing prototypes.

Computer facilities:The Computer facilities include PCs, Macintosh computers dedicated work stations suited to work in the areas of 2D and 3D representations, computer animation and interactive media and electronic publishing.

Animation Studio:The animation lab is equipped with high end computers running software like Maya for 3D animation and Animo for 2D animation. The lab also houses a printer and a state of the art scanner. Apart from these, traditional animation equipment like light boxes, a studio punch and a line tester are available. A collection of international animation films is available for viewing.

Typography Studio:The aim of Typography Studio is to develop a platform for research and facilitate design activities in the area of Font Design, Publication Design and Designfor Children.

Interaction Design Studio:The Interaction Design Studio has facilities for making interaction design prototypes and the Usability Laboratory has facilities for conducting studies and evaluation of user centered design.

Ergonomic laboratory:The Ergonomics Laboratory conducts research in man and machine relationship. Products and machines can be tested for ergonomic appropriateness.

Photo and Video Studio:The Photo Studio has full fledged facilities for colour and black and white photography. Video facilities include Digital equipment like Mini DV cameras, digital cameras, etc.

Clay Styling Studio:Form generation and exploring different styles is a very important component of the design education at IDC. The Clay Styling Studio is equipped with stocks of styling clay, clay tools and ovens to help generate alternatives for styling in automobiles and products. Clay Styling helps in bringing very fine details of form transition.

Product Development Cell:The Product Development Cell undertakes research and development projects, culminating into working prototypes.

Bamboo Studio:Bamboo is the fastest growing biomass is eco friendly and a future material for designers. Bamboo craft with its unique traditions opens up new possibilities in ‘design expression’ with woven forms. Bamboo Studio intends to nurture the bamboo craft to create new products made of craft with industrial discipline and appropriate technologies.

IDC Library:IDC library is well stocked with books and design publications. IDC subscribes to major international design journals and magazines. The range covers design, graphics, photography, cinema, type design, typography, graphic design, ergonomics, design management, product design, environment design, interaction design, etc. A collection of films, CD ROMs, video cassettes and DVD’s are also available.

Work Environment

IDC has an informal work culture. The work load is heavy but this is balanced by a very open and relaxed atmosphere. Having a very good student-teacher ratio (around 5:1) ensures a great deal of personalinteraction. Regular presentations are held of all student projects with participation of faculty, students and external examiners to check on the progress and to get feedback. The Institute is fully net worked with internet connectivity both at classrooms as well as hostel rooms.

External links

* [http://www.idc.iitb.ac.in IDC Official site]
* [http://www.iitb.ac.in IIT Bombay official website]
* [http://www.designinindia.net/resources/institutions/educational/design-institutes-india.html Design in India Website]
* [http://www.flickr.com/groups/idc/ Pictures of IDC, IIT Bombay on Flickr]
* [http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/idcian/ IDC Alumni on the YahooGroups]