AHMEDABAD: Spandan Biswas, 23, is a pharmacy graduate, but this year he enrolled in a full term at the National Institute of Design (NID) after initially visiting a gaming design studio due to his passion in the arts and design.
“I wanted to use my talents to produce something beneficial to society. Additionally, creativity is the only way to escape a routine life, according to Biswas. Why design for games? I didn’t have a lot of exposure to creating processes because I’m a student with a non-design background. Since my works mainly emphasize visual appeal and storytelling, game design seemed to me to be more approachable in comparison.
However, Biswas is not the first person who chose to pursue design as a hobby after earning his bachelor’s degree in a profession that is very different. Following completion of her Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) degree, one of the students was accepted into NID’s Lifestyle and Accessory Design (LAD) program. A review of the M Des admissions for this year revealed three BBA students and one student from each of the following courses: BCA, BDS, B Pharm, MTech, and MA. According to the data, 25 students have BSc degrees, compared to nine students who have B Com degrees.
The director of NID, Praveen Nahar, stated that a significant portion of students in the M Des program typically had bachelor’s degrees in design, technology, engineering, or architecture. “However, in recent years, we have noticed Other academic fields are showing interest, too. For instance, over the last two years, one student has graduated with a medical degree while the other has a degree in physical education. We have also seen degrees in planning, communication, and fashion technologies since 2021,” he remarked.
According to experts in the field, the shift is mostly due to the evolving nature of design. There has been a push for user interface and user experience (UI/UX) over the previous several industry engagements at NID, which are comparable to campus placement. Industry need has also been noticed for things like digital design and information design. This year, 2% of students are beyond the age of 30, up from the previous two years’ average of 1-2%.
A technical degree can assist a student focus on fields like industrial design or product design, according to senior NID teachers. “The trend also indicates interdisciplinary nature of choosing the course, which may not have been in line with the bachelor’s degree,” stated a faculty member.
