Essential design organization in India every student must know

Across the globe and in India, numerous organizations, councils, and associations have been established with the primary objective of driving advancement within the design industry. Their goal is to foster unity amongst the diverse design disciplines. These entities act as dynamic catalysts, converging a wide spectrum of talents, disciplines, and expertise within a single framework. These organizations host annual exhibitions, dialogues, conferences, and competitions to encourage collaboration, knowledge exchange, and innovation. As a unifying force in the design industry, they play a crucial role in promoting design excellence, setting industry standards, and advocating the value of design in daily life.

Offering a platform to designers, businesses, start-ups, academicians, design institutions, and students, they collectively address challenges and opportunities in the design world. Their aim is to promote design as a solution to our global problems and a tool for innovation to bring in societal change.

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Here is a list of design organizations in India that students must know to build their own design community and advance their careers:

Association of Designers of India (ADI)

A professional body of designers across disciplines committed to promoting best practices in the profession of design in India. They work to strengthen and promote the capabilities of the Indian design profession and amplify a unified voice. Their key objectives are:
– Policy Advocacy: To become a national strategic body of design professionals who advise government bodies on design-related policies.
– Build and represent a strong network of designers. Network with national and international bodies in the design profession to share design thinking and design case studies.
– Build a better design community in India to better the quality of service, responsible design, and smooth interface. Promote the compliance of an ethical practice code in the Indian design community.

ADI hosts annually Pune Design Festival where design innovation intersects with technology. Many corporations, educational institutions, design practitioners, students, and academicians take part in the event. They host a series of panels, key speaker conversations, and student competitions. Presently ADI has 20,000+ design members and running 12 chapters across Indian states and cities.

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CII Design

This one is an initiative by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to promote design as a strategic tool for business excellence. CII works to empower its design members with the latest design trends, insights, and strategies to navigate the dynamic world of design. They work with the following objectives:
– To promote design as a tool for improving national competitiveness and enriching the practice of design in India.
– To increase public awareness of the potential contribution of good design while building an international design community.
– To bridge the industry-design divide and build bridges with other professions and vocations

CII started CII Design Excellence Awards in 2011 to acknowledge and celebrate Indian design and innovation. The award is endorsed by the India Design Council and is supported by the Design Intelligence Award and World Design Organization (as per the CII website).

CII Design also run a CII India Design Summit as their flagship event each year for the past 20 years. The summit is a platform to create an enduring partnership between design and organizations leading to innovation and increased economic competitiveness.

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Indian Design Council (IDC)
IDC is an autonomous design body of the government of India. It is established under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry. This national body acts as a strategic body for multi-disciplinary design. Their mission is to promote design and make India a design-enabled country. They work with the objective of:
-Advocating design: They work with multiple design communities in India to promote design in business, society, education, and public services. It emphasizes enhancing competitiveness and driving innovation.
– Fostering collaboration: It develops a culture of collaboration between designers, industries, and educational institutions to facilitate knowledge exchange and skill development.

IDC runs India Design Mark awards as its flagship initiative to recognize products and designs that display exceptional innovation and quality. They also run their annual event called India Design Confluence to bring together design professionals, industry experts, and policymakers to discuss design trends, challenges, and opportunities.

India Design Forum (IDF)

IDF is a dynamic design platform that fosters design thinking and innovation in India. It acts as a driving force in the design community to bring together eminent Indian and international design practitioners. With its first edition in 2012, IDF brings thought leaders in the design industry to speak about the most existing and impactful developments in design. Their objective is:
– Knowledge dissemination: IDF works to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and ideas. They bring together design experts and leaders through conferences, seminars, and workshops.
– Promote innovation in design with collaboration amongst multiple disciplines. IDF encourages innovative design solutions that address contemporary challenges and contribute to social and economic progress.

They introduced IDF Design Excellence Awards to recognize design achievement and exceptional talent across design disciplines. IDF hosts an annual design summit to offer the design community a platform to inspire creativity and collaboration.

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These are just a few examples of the design associations and institutions in India that contribute to the development and promotion of design in various domains. Events like the ID Symposium, India Art Fair, and India Design Fair amongst others are a few names that have become cultural milestones in India’s design landscape. These annual gatherings offer a unique platform for artists, designers, and design enthusiasts to showcase their work.

ID Symposium is a hub for design aficionados, offering a multidisciplinary exploration of design’s various facets. From Industrial and graphic design to architecture and interior design. This annual event brings together design visionaries to engage in thought-provoking discussions, workshops, and exhibits.

India Art Fair is an annual leading event in India that captures the contemporary art scene in India. It offers a dynamic platform for emerging and established artists and designers to exhibit their work via galleries. The fair is known for hosting Indian and global galleries where art collectors and celebrated curators from the global art scene visit each year.

India Design Fair is a multidisciplinary showcase of emerging talent and design studios. The fair often features interactive installations and exhibits that engage visitors to experience design in design concepts and immersive ways. They also run design dialogues and workshops led by experts and thought leaders.

These events are a melting pot of design expression that fosters a dialogue amongst design experts, students, academicians, and businesses. Many of these offer specific programs, competitions, and awards for design students to partake in. It helps them to expand their network, gain industry mentorship, earn a chance to intern with design experts, and win exciting awards.

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