The most insightful definition of design is probably what the late Steve Jobs quoted "Design is how it works" "And today, because technology is an inseparable part of the design process, as well as how products and services are designed and used, we realize how true Jobs' definition really is.
The curriculum of almost all design schools, big and small, old and new, is based on the understanding of Communication Design as broadcast dangerously ignoring the narrowcast.
Why 'dangerously'
'Dangerously', because the very field of design is threatened by mediocre, standardized, vanilla design education. The field of design has always been multidisciplinary. It always borrowed from the various disciplines of arts and sciences, adapted and integrated these to serve specific purposes. The reason is visible - today, our lives have been revolutionized by smartphones, social media, internet-enabled devices and, not to mention, technological advancements in AI and VR.
The pandemic and the lockdowns, and the ubiquitous Zoom, Teams, Meet, and other video conferencing apps for conducting and attending school and college classes and corporate meetings, have made technology the hero and the villain of our daily life.
You will agree that the way we consume information and entertainment, and the way we use products and services, are no longer the way we used to do so even five years ago. And in the coming decade, with the growing aspirations of a globalized world and the shrinking attention span of the global citizen, a whole new set of unprecedented design problems are going to throw up fantastic new challenges to Communication Designers, Product Designers, etc.
Be a sculptor
Reality and the world around you tell you that uncertainty is the new normal. And to succeed and grow will mean empowering yo urself with a whole new level of knowledge, skill-sets, and attitude des-in other words, you, as a student of design need to set your sail based on the winds of change. To reiterate, from a design school point-of-view: at the very least, design schools must integrate Data Science, AI, and Automation in the curriculum to enable students to adapt and excel, keeping in mind the transformations in the communication design industry from 'broadcast' to 'narrowcast'.
Future Graphic Designers, Filmmakers, Animators, VFX Artists, Art Directors, Product Photographers, Fashion Photographers, Cinematographers, Film Editors, Illustrators, Fashion Communicators, UI/UX/VR/AR Designers, and Design Entrepreneurs must have substantial knowledge of the fields that will rule the future: AI, Data Science, Management and Law.
(The author is dean, Vijaybho omi School of Design, Vijaybhoo mi University, Karjat)
From - The Times of India
Published on - 22 November 2021
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