Graduate Diploma Programme in Design commences with a two-semester rigorous Foundation Programme. This programme is geared to assist in developing attitudes, sensorial skills and aesthetic sensitivity necessary for further specialization in specific areas of design. The purpose is to create an awareness of the environment and to arouse the student’s creative faculties. The primary concern of the Foundation Programme is to introduce the students to the Fundamentals of design, to initiate them to design as a creative problem solving process, and to develop a highly evolved ‘design’ attitude and understanding of the relationship with culture and human senses, emotions and feelings. In the foundation programme, basic design courses are augmented by related studies of Science and Liberal Arts, to help and develop an understanding of the Indian milieu, user needs and the intent application and processing of design and the focus on ‘synthesis’.

The foundation programme is geared to inculcate the development of values, attitudes, material and sensorial skills necessary for any design specialisation. It aspires to create an awareness of the changing environment by constantly relating the students’ learning to real life situations. The programme provides the necessary direction, stimuli, facilities and experience to foster creativity and thereby help each individual to discover their own identity, ability and potentials.

The foundation programme is the basis on which the remaining design curriculum is built. It also makes students appreciate the multidisciplinary nature of design.

This 4-year intensive professional UG programme is offered in the following three Faculty streams (possible areas of specialization through design projects are given in brackets):

Industrial Design
(Product Design, Furniture and Interior Design,
Ceramic & Glass Design)

Communication Design
(Graphic Design, Animation Film Design, Film & Video Communication, Exhibition [Spatial] Design)

Textile and Apparel Design
(Textile Design)

Admission is open to students who have passed or who will appear for qualifying examinations under the Higher Secondary (10+2), or equivalents like AISSCE/ IB/ ICSE etc. Candidates passing the Institute’s admission tests/ interviews will be admitted, subject to passing their qualifying examinations before they join the Institute.

Competence in technical and related subjects will normally be considered an advantage. The medium of instruction for both UG and PG programmes at NID is English. Upper age limit for candidates is 20 years (relaxable by 3 years for reserved categories) as on 1.6.2008.

PROJECTED NUMBER OF SEATS IN GDPD: 75

(NID reserves its right to cancel any of the test centres or educational programmes announced or conduct the programmes from any of the three campuses).