National Institutes of Design(NID): A gateway to become a Designer

If you are admiring the attractive shapes of products, objects, arts, architecture, designs, patterns, colour combinations, materials, showcasing of products (exhibitions) etc, it shows you have an sensitivity and interest in Product Designing and appetite for designing the attractive products. But Design thoughts, imagination, Innovation and execution of ideas need certain professional training in order to excel in the field of designing. If the course curriculum is have these features, it is wise to choose that course to learn designing . In order to give professionalism to Design thinking, Government of India has been establishing the state of Art Institutes like National Institute of Designs (NID) across the country in various locations with varied courses.

National Institute of Design (NID) is internationally acclaimed as one of the finest educational and research institutions for Industrial, Communication, Textile and IT Integrated (Experiential) Design. It is a statutory institute under the DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. NID has also been playing a significant role in promoting design.

NID Campuses Locations:

1. National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad
2. National Institute of Design, Andhra Pradesh
3. National Institute of Design, Haryana
4. National Institute of Design, Madhya Pradesh
5. National Institute of Design, Assam

Courses offered at NIDs:

1. Bachelor Of Design (B.Des.)
2. Master Of Design (M.Des.)
3. Doctor of Philosophy(Ph.D)

BACHELOR OF DESIGN (B.Des.)

The four-year-long Bachelor of Design programme is offered only at all NIDs in the following areas of specialization: Faculty of Industrial Design, Faculty of Communication Design, Faculty of Textile, Apparel, Lifestyle & Accessory Design and Ceramic & Glass Design. Intake capacity at NID campuses as shown in the Tables below.

Admission Process:  Admission to all the programmes at NID is based on the candidates’ performance in Design Aptitude Tests viz. DAT Prelim & DAT Mains. The objective of these exams is to assess the knowledge, skills and behavioral abilities of candidates.

Design Aptitude Tests (DAT)

The Design Aptitude Tests will be conducted in two stages:

Stage 1: Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Prelims:

Syllabus for DAT Prelims: Though NID has not mentioned the exact syllabus , but it broadly covers the various topics such as General Knowledge, mental ability, drawing, sketching, visualization,  creativity, design theory etc.

Sample paper of DAT Prelims can be downloaded here.

https://admissions.nid.edu/NIDA2024/download/SamplePaper_DATPrelims_BDes.pdf

Stage 2: Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Mains: Based on the scores obtained in the DAT Prelims, eligible candidates will be shortlisted for the DAT Mains as per merit. The DAT Mains will consist of tests in multiple formats such as in studio set-up. The question paper will be in English language ONLY.

Weightages of DAT Prelims & DAT Mains for Final Result:  The final marks of the candidate appearing for the B.Des programme of the National Institute of Design, will be calculated based on the weightages of the marks obtained in the DAT Prelims and DAT Mains

Educational Qualification:

Applications are open to candidates who have passed or will appear for higher secondary (10+2) qualifying examinations in any stream (Science, Arts, Commerce, Humanities etc.) from any recognized board of education such as CBSE, IB, ICSE or equivalent.

MASTER OF DESIGN (M.Des.)

The two-and-a-half years’ full-time Master of Design (M.Des.) programme at NID is offered at its campuses in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Gandhinagar in 19 disciplines. The availability of seats in the areas of specialization.

Admission Process:  Admission to all the programmes at NID is based on the candidates’ performance in Design Aptitude Tests viz. DAT Prelim & DAT Mains.

Educational Qualification:

The candidate must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications to be considered eligible for admissions:

1. Bachelor Degree* of minimum 4-year duration in any specialization, after 12th standard
2. Full-time Diploma* of minimum 4-year duration in Design/Fine Arts/Applied Arts/ Architecture, after 12th standard or equivalent to 12th standard
3. Bachelor Degree of minimum 3-year duration in any specialization, after 12th standard or equivalent to 12th standard

The Design Aptitude Tests will be conducted in two stages:

Stage 1: Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Prelims

Stage 2: Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Mains

DAT Prelims:

The M.Des. DAT Prelims paper will evaluate the Design Aptitude of the candidate. This is a paper-and-pencil/pen test, conducted at the same time on the same day across all test centres. The question asked may involve text and visuals. The question paper will be in English language ONLY.

Sample Paper of DAT Prelims

https://admissions.nid.edu/NIDA2024/download/SamplePaper_DATPrelims_MDes.pdf

DAT Mains

Based on the scores obtained in the DAT Prelims, candidates will be shortlisted for the DAT Mains as per merit. Admit Cards for shortlisted candidates will be available for download only on the official NID admissions website (https://admissions.nid.edu).

The DAT Mains for M.Des. programme consists of two parts:

Studio Test: This may consist of tests in different formats. The DAT Mains will be conducted in English ONLY.

Interviews: The interviews will be conducted separately for each discipline, immediately after the Studio Test, and at the same centre as the Studio Test.

Weightages of DAT Prelims & DAT Mains for Final Result

The final marks of the candidate appearing for the M.Des. programme of the National Institute of Design, will be calculated based on the weightages of the marks obtained in the DAT Prelims and DAT Mains..

Note: Only those candidates who have appeared for all the tests in both the stages will be considered eligible for the Merit List.

How to Apply

Candidates will have to visit the official admissions website at https://admissions.nid.edu and follow the steps advised.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY(Ph.D)

A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Design shall be awarded for a period of advanced study that culminates with the design of an innovative solution/approach/method/interface for a product/ communication/service/experience along with an accompanying thesis that extends the body of knowledge and the application of design thinking, process and practice.

The programme shall be open to educators and professionals in design and allied fields who wish to reinvent their own practice or knowledge base while pushing the boundaries of the discipline through innovation in practice and create new design theories. The PhD programme at NID is benchmarked to a level comparable to doctoral research in design at reputed institutions in the field, both abroad and in India.

Career Opportunities after B.Des, M.Des and Ph.d:

There are plethora of opportunities emerging in the field of designs in various sectors like Industrial designs, Textile designs, Fashion design, Interior design, Furniture designs, Apparel designs, Graphic designs etc. candidates can choose either self-employment or can choose the employment in the corporate sector. Candidates with imagination, innovation combined with latest software technologies will get better opportunities with better packages.

Official admissions website: https://admissions.nid.edu

NID Main website: https://www.nid.edu