Industrial Design Centre

Coordinates: 19°08′00″N 72°55′03″E / 19.133408°N 72.917384°E / 19.133408; 72.917384

Industrial Design Centre
Established	1969
Head	Prof. B K Chakravarthy
Academic staff	22
Postgraduates	120
Location	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Campus	Urban
Type	Design School
Website	http://www.idc.iitb.ac.in

Industrial Design Centre (IDC) is a premier design school in India, established in 1969, by the Government of India at the campus of Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai (IIT Bombay).^[1]^[2]

Industrial Design Centre has been one of the leading design schools in India. It offers Master of Design degree (M.Des) programs in Industrial Design, Visual Communication, Animation Design, Interaction Design & Mobility and Vehicle Design as well as a Ph.D program in Design, conducive environment for research, academics and collaborative projects. Supported by the excellent research facilities, technical expertise and academic diversity of IIT-B, IDC has been involved with various initiatives in all areas of design and continues to flourish and grow.

Industrial Design Centre acknowledges and addresses the growing need for Design Education through its encompassing and expanding education system. It also helps to realize the potential of Design as a discipline in various aspects and its contribution for balanced and sustainable life. One of the primary objectives of IDC since its inception has been to address the unmet as well as unexpressed needs of the underprivileged and disadvantaged population of the society using emergent technologies. Education at IDC, therefore emphasizes on sensitizing the students in this regard. Healthcare, Education, Livelihood, State Road Transport, Railway and Rural Development are few core areas that IDC focuses upon. The potential for innovation at IDC lies fundamentally in terms of solving real world problems. Also, a variety of students’ projects undertaken at IDC have found their way into the real world, to become viable solutions, rather than mere curious engagements with problems.

IDC, IIT Bombay.

Specializations

Started with Industrial Design during inception, IDC grew into four more specializations over its 40 year history.

Industrial Design (Product Design)

During the program, students interact with the industry and with institutions and social organizations to understand, study, analyze 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

Visual communication program in the context of a developing economy with its varied cultural heritage plays a vital role in the national development. The emphasis is on meeting the unmet communication needs for the community, for which normally resources are not readily available.

Animation Design

The animation design program in IDC expects the students to assume direct responsibility for nearly all aspects of the film making process—from concept to drawing, shooting, camera etc.

Interaction Design

The M. Des program in interaction design aims at imparting knowledge and furthering research into the domain of designing interactive experiences in media, products and computer design applications.

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.

Mobility and Vehicle Design

The course covers a broad spectrum from personal to mass transportation. Lectures are supported by hands on exercises and projects.

Ph. D Program

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.

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 twenty two 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

IDC has 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 Design for 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 facilities for color 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 personal interaction. 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.

Research at IDC

Research in many areas of design forms the backbone of IDC.

Investigations into the conceptual and theoretical foundations of design process and methodologies have had implications on the way design is being thought at IDC. Investigations into social and cultural aspects have had an influence on design of many of the products and applications that have been undertaken in the department.

Besides application and project oriented research, the faculty's research interest include perception and cognition, visual semantics, collaborative learning environments, ergonomic investigation, Indian product and visual tradition, Bamboo material finishes, type and Indian languages, etc.

Design and Degree Show

The Design and Degree Show (known as DDS) is the annual showcase of design and works by the graduating students of IDC. It is an annual event that is held to spread design awareness through workshops, conferences and exhibition of works by the graduating class.^[3]

DDS is also a forum for Indian and international designers to share their experiences and insights with the industry, academia and general public who attend the event every year.

It is held every year during the months of June & July in the IIT Bombay campus and Nehru Centre. This year, the event will be held on June 27–29, 2014 and July 5–6, 2014.^[4]