I spoke at The Goa Project 2015, on Design Education in India. We looked at where we came from, where we currently stand and where we are headed to when it comes to Design education. The challenge with Design Education is that it cannot take the same route as Technical Education or Management Education. So even though we try to address the supply demand gap between the number of graduates and requirements from the industry, we have to be cautious about what we teach at Design Schools. We also cannot rely only on the legacy design education curriculum but make it more relevant and ensure that every stakeholder gets value. Most of the things discussed during this presentation are from the way we approach Design education at L'école de design Nantes Atlantique (India Studio) and intend to do at other Design schools that I may end up getting associated with.

1. Design Education
in India
Kshitiz Anand
Director & Head of Operations
L’école de design Nantes Atlantique
(India Studio)
@kshitiz, k.anand@lecolededesign.com

2. Summary
1. Design education in India is going through a transitition
2. There’s a huge supply -demand gap number of graduates
and industry requirements
3. There are more people ‘designing’ stuff than ever before
4. The role of designer in organisation and society is changing
5. We need to equip the designer with skills relevant to succeed
in the 21st century
6. We live in a more connected and complex world
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

3. My story of design
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

4. By luck to passion to vision
Story of Design
no design
design student
in a design school
know design ?
with design students
heading a design school
2001
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
2015

6. TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
So, what is Design?

7. TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

8. TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

9. From creating the beauty to problem solving
What is Design?
Design is such a natural human ability that almost everyone is
designing most of the time - whether they are conscious of it, or not.
-Harold Nelson, Erik Stolterman, in ‘The Design Way’
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

10. From creating the beauty to problem solving
What is Design?
The proper study of mankind is the science of design.
- Herbert Simon
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

11. TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
Design Education in India

12. TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
DESIGN
TECHNOLOGY
MANAGEMENT
(1951)
(1961)
(1961)
J
Nehru
had
the
ini-al
Vision
of
taking
Technology,
Management
and
Design
educa-on
as
the
pillars
for
progress
of
India.
Ins-tu-ons
were
set
up
around
same
-me
too.
IIT
Kharagpur
(1951),
IIM
CalcuGa
(1961),
Na-onal
Ins-tute
of
Design
(1961).
And
we
all
know
that
Design
Educa-on
fell
way
behind
the
other
two.
The Genesis
Design Education in India

13. Where we came from
Design Education in India
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
Highlights
• Recommendation to setting up of
the National Institute of Design
• Take into account change that is
happening in the society
• An institute that could keep a
close scrutiny of the society to
work towards providing a certain
‘Standard of Living’
• Be multidisciplinary, taking faculty
and instructors from wide fields

14. Where we are currently
Design Education in India
Highlights
• Blossoming of different design
institutes in India
• A change in the notion of Design
• The ever changing role of the
designer in the society
• Good jobs in the industry
• Limited number of graduates per
year
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

15. Where do we go from here
Design Education in India
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
In the days to come
• Push from the Government to
launch newer courses in Design
across the IITs
• Setting up of Design Innovation
Centers at institutes
• Collaborations with foreign design
colleges
• The Open Design School initiative
• Exciting days ahead for Design
education in India

16. The National Design Policy, 2007
Design Education in India
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

17. TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
The problem facing Design
Education in India today

18. What needs our attention
Problem facing Design Education in India today
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
The challenges
• Shortage of design teachers to
teach at schools
• Making design education relevant
to different stakeholders
• Equipping with relevant skills to
drive innovation in companies
• Complex situations of designers’
involvement

19. SUPPLY
DEMAND
Problem facing Design Education in India today
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

20. TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

21. A designer can mull over complicated designs
for months. Then suddenly the simple, elegant,
beautiful solution occurs to him. When it
happens to you, it feels as if God is talking!
And maybe He is.
- Leo Frankowski

22. In a country of 1.2 billion people there is only
around 45-50 Design schools & institutes
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

23. Beijing - which alone Has around 120 Design Schools
Seoul - 80 Design schools
Singapore - 40 Design schools
- FROM DDEI Conference, 2013
Problem facing Design Education today
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

24. INDUSTRY ACADEMIA DISCONNECT
Problem facing Design Education today
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

25. TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
Apply Design Thinking to
Design Education

26. Create System Thinkers
Design Thinking in Design Education
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

27. A fresh eye to problem solving
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
Design Thinking in Design Education

28. Mandate a culture of prototyping
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
Design Thinking in Design Education

29. Human Centered Approach
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
Design Thinking in Design Education

30. Create capacity & add value for all stakeholders
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
Design Thinking in Design Education

31. TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
What should be the future of
Design Education in India ?

32. Instill better business sensibilities
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
Improving Design Education in India

33. Module structured courses with applied learning
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
Improving Design Education in India

34. Teach to Build stuff. Test. Iterate.
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
Improving Design Education in India

35. Adapting Design Process in Agile/Lean
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
Improving Design Education in India

36. Improving Design Education in India
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
Teach to embrace empathy

37. Encourage Entrepreneurship
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
Improving Design Education in India

38. Evangelise. Read, write and present on design
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
Improving Design Education in India

39. Going for Design for Want to Design for Need
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
Improving Design Education in India

40. Critique and Question
Improving Design Education in India
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

41. Products
Individuals
Only Skilled
Stylists
Designers
Intuititive
Experiences
Team Players
Skilled + Thinkers
Makers
Entrepreneurs , Managers
Reflective
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
Improving Design Education in India

42. TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
You can help too!

43. Become a visiting faculty
What you can do
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

44. Change your perception of design
What you can do
Design is more than meets the eye. Design is about communicating
benefits. Design is not about designers. Design is not an ocean it’s a
fishbowl. Design is creating something you believe in.
- Chuck Green
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

45. Create a design culture of ideas
What you can do
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

46. Believe in value of design across organization
What you can do
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand
Design is that competitive advantage that sets a company apart in the
global market. Within the global economy, the highest performing
companies see design as a strategic asset. It becomes the core to
their businesses. For those companies, design is more than aesthetics
—it’s competitive intellectual property.
- Monika Conway

47. Make innovation a collaborative process
What you can do
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

48. Conclusion
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

49. Our opportunity, as designers, is to learn how to handle the
complexity, rather than shy away from it, and to realize that the big art
of design is to make complicated things simple.
- Tim Parsey
Design education has to emphasise value
Conclusion
TCD India Studio / The Goa Project 2015 / 27 February / Kshitiz Anand

50. THANK YOU
Kshitiz Anand
Director & Head of Operations (India Studio)
k.anand@lecolededesign.com
[twitter] @kshitiz
[m] + 91 95 35 20 68 28
[skype] kshitiz.a

51. www.lecolededesign.com