Graduating to auto designs

IN CONVERSATION

Business Standard spoke to Dr Darlie O Koshy, executive director, National Institute of Design, on the first automobile design post graduate programme to be launched in India.

What is the objective of the course?

The automobile industry in India is entering a new phase. Since brand differentiation is critical, the user experience of an automobile becomes critical. The condition of two-wheelers, mass transport is quite bad and we need to better it.

We cannot always depend on big foreign companies for design improvements. We need to build our own internal capabilities. NID has a the world's most advanced 3-D visualisation centre "" the Design Visual Centre "" set up at Rs 3.5 crore, along with the Rapid Product Development Centre, both critical for automobile designing.

When do you start?

Beginning this June, we will take in 10 students in each batch for the two-and-a-half year course. The current estimate for original automobile designers in the industry is approximately 10-15 people, as no company will recruit more than one-odd designer. And to the 10 seats this year, we plan to add five more every year.

Tell us a little about the curriculum?

The programme is proposed to start with a foundation course for people from different academic backgrounds to learn the basics of automobile design. Thereafter, the students have subjects like science and engineering, ergonomics, aesthetics, arts and humanity, anthropology etc. Specialisation in a particular automobile design field will be encouraged for their projects.

What is the fee?

The fee is yet to be finalised as we are in dialogue with Domus Academy, IED and Polytecnique De Milo in Milan to finalise an arrangement where our students will spend a semester there.

These institutes are attached to automobile firms and the students will get first-hand experience in automobile designing. Sadly, even after repeated requests to automobile companies for scholarships for students, or an exchange programme fund for faculty and students, not one company has come forward.

What prospects do you see for the first batch?

The moment they graduate, foreign automobile companies will lap up our designers. They know the value of the talent we have. Indian automobile companies are still look towards Western designers for their designs and expertise.