Top Design Courses in India: Eligibility, Career & Exams

Designing is the process of planning the creation of an object or a thing. For this, an individual requires to be creative and highly competitive in order to enter this field. The designing field is highly unpredictable and dynamic.

Therefore, it is necessary to stay updated with the latest trends and what are the requirements of the consumer which is one of the aspects this blog by Exambazaar will cover.

Therefore, you need to ask yourself these questions: Are you creative? Do you like designing things? If yes, then Bachelor of Design is the right career prospect for you.

Designing is often associated with Fashion in India, but that is completely and utterly false. Fashion is just one area that you can pursue.  Another great advantage of this field is that there are many courses that are available online that one can study digitally and immediately.

Through this blog, we will talk about some of the courses that students can pursue in the designing field and the various design courses in India.

1. B.Des in Industrial Design / Product Design

Description: The task of a product designer is to improve the overall quality of the product in terms of applicability, usage, productivity, and visual appeal. The designer must keep in mind the form and function of each product. The product should look good, fit the needs of the customer and should be at a level of market competence.

Career Prospects: Industrial Designers are involved in designing, modeling, testing and producing prototypes. An industrial designer can work as product designer, Business Directors, Project Managers, and Senior Designers.

Furthermore, Designing as a career option has not been explored enough in India, therefore, there is a huge potential in this market.

Note: You can also be a lecturer. Postgraduate students can appear for the NET exam and can teach the subject in universities.

The average annual salary of an undergraduate with a degree in Product Design varies between 4-5 Lakhs.

Eligibility: Applicants should have successfully completed 10+2 level of education in any stream. The minimum score requirement is 50% at the 10+2 level.

Note: The minimum required score is 45% for SC/ST candidates.

List of Top Design Colleges in India for the course:

1. Ajeenkya DY Patil University (ADYPU), Pune
2. G D Goenka University (GDGU), Gurgaon
3. Ansal University, Gurgaon
4. M.S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences (MSRUAS), Bangalore
5. PES University (PESU), Bangalore
6. State Institute of Fashion Design (SIFD), Rohtak

Note: The average fees per annum are as low as 37500 INR to as high as 4 Lakh.

Relevant Exams: Some universities have an entrance test that the applicant needs to clear in order to study the program, in other cases, the university accepts the student based on the 10+2 examinations. The list of top entrance exams is below:

1. NID (National Institute of Design)
2. AIEED (All India Entrance Examination for Design)
3. CEED (Common Entrance Examination for Design)
4. NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology)

2. BSc in Animation and VFX

Description: As the name of the design course in India suggests the content is about the latest technologies and methodologies in the field of visual effects and animations like cartoons, games, animated movies etc. Students learn 2D Classical & Digital Animation, 3D Animation & Visual Effects, fundamentals of art and design.

Career Prospects: Nowadays, VFX and Animation is used in almost every movie or TV series, therefore, there are many career opportunities after the completion of the course. Some of the career prospects after completing  this design course in India are Graphic Designer, Web Designer, Multimedia Programmer, 2D/3D Animator, Lecturer and 3D Modeler.

Note: The average annual salary varies from 2 Lakhs to 12 Lakhs depending on the job

Eligibility: Applicants should have successfully completed 10+2 level of education in any stream. The minimum score requirement is 60% at 10+2 level.

Note 1: Minimum required score is 55% for SC/ST/OBC

Note 2: Applications who are waiting for 10+2 examination’s result can also apply on a provisional basis

List of Top Design Colleges in India for the course:

1. Birla Institute of Technology (BIT), Noida
2. Picasso Animation College, New Delhi
3. Westford Institute of Film Technology, Mumbai
4. Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai
5. Vogue Institute of Fashion Technology, Bangalore
6. Arena Animation, Bangalore

Note: The average annual fee range is between 60,000 INR to 3 Lakh INR.

Relevant Exams: This is a competitive design course. Some of the universities admit students based on a relevant entrance test. On the other hand, some universities conduct their own entrance test, including two extra rounds. These two rounds are of Group Discussion and Personal Interview. These are conducted to assess the applicant’s aptitude. Some of the most popular exams are:

1. Arena Animation Academy Entrance Exam
2. DSK International Institute for Industrial Design Entrance Exam
3. Picasso Animation College Entrance Exam
4. Mudra Institute of Communications Entrance Exam
5. Accel Animation Academy Entrance Exam

3. Des in Graphic Design Course in India

Description: Graphic Design is a specialized field of Communication Design and an important design course in India. Students can have a career in anything from a marketing agency to a government organization. The course discusses the industry of graphic design, its history and its future, and the technology that is required to design. The student must have good analytical skills and consumer insight in order to meet customer requirements and maintain the brand image.

Career Prospects: Since every company or organization wants to show their best to the consumer, the demand for graduates of this course is extremely high. Graduates have a pool of jobs to search from. They can work in both the private and government sectors after completing  this design course in India.

• Private Sector:- People can work in advertising departments, manufacturing units, marketing agencies, fashion media, hotels, boutiques or any other kind of privately owned business that needs help in order to redesign their image in the market.
• Public Sector:- There is a need for a graphic designer in every public sector, for eg, nationalized banks, railways, defense, etc. There is an additional requirement in order to work in the public sector. The applicant needs to clear an additional/requisite exam like SSC, PSC, UPSC, etc.

The graduate can work as a Graphic Designer, Web Designer, Communications Designer, Interaction Designer or Service Designer after completing this design course in India.

Note: The average annual salary ranges between 2 Lakhs and 8 Lakhs.

Eligibility: Applicants need to pass their Higher Secondary Certificate with at least a 50% score. Then they go for the entrance test, studio test, and interview.

List of Top Design Colleges in India for the course:

1. National Institute of Design, Ahmadabad
2. Industrial Design Center, Mumbai
3. Pearl Academy
4. National Institute of Fashion Design, Delhi
5. Srishti School of Art Design and Technology

Note: The average annual fee range is between 30,000 INR to 3.1 Lakhs.

Relevant Exams: There are two ways to get admission in this design course in India. For some universities, the applicant needs to crack a written entrance test. For other universities, the entrance test is followed by a second studio test and then another personal interview. Some entrance tests held for admission are:

1. National Institute of Design, Ahmadabad
2. Symbiosis Institute of Design, Pune

4. B.Des in Interior Design Course in India

Description: This course is designed for people who love houses and buildings. One of the top design courses in India, It requires students to be creative, have good computer skills, and has excellent communication skills. The course aims at educating students about the techniques to beautify the living or working space for people by decorating walls, floors, roofs, using lights or anything that adds style to space by understanding the consumer’s taste and choice, using best financial ways possible.

Career Prospects: There are various career prospects after completing this design course in India. Graduates can work on designing hotels, malls, houses, hospitals, restaurants, etc. Graduates can work independently or with a company. They can work as teachers, consultants, researchers or designers.

Note: The average monthly salary varies between 25,000 INR to 60,000 INR which keeps increasing depending on the candidate’s expertise.

Eligibility: Applicants should have successfully completed the Higher Secondary Examination with a minimum of 50%. They should also have an aptitude for art and creativity.

Note: The minimum score required is 45% for SC/ST/OBC candidates.

List of Top Design Colleges in India for the course:

1. National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmadabad
2. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Mumbai
3. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi
4. Pearl Academy, New Delhi
5. Symbiosis Institute of Design (SID), Pune
6. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Hyderabad

Relevant Exams: There are two ways to admission for this design course in India and they differ between different universities.

1. Direct admission: Universities only consider the Higher Secondary Examination score and based on that the admission is given.
2. Entrance Test: The university organizes an entrance test followed by Group Discussion and Personal Interview sessions to check the candidate’s aptitude, based on which the admission is given. List of most popular entrance exams is below:

• NATA (National Aptitude Test in Architecture)
• CEED (Common Entrance Exam for Design)
• NID Entrance Test
• CEPT (Center for Environmental Planning and Technology University) Entrance Test

5. Diploma In Web Designing

Description: This course is a career-oriented course. The students of this course are involved in learning about Website Designing, HTML & JavaScript, Adobe Fireworks/Photoshop, Adobe Dreamweaver, etc. The demand for developers is increasing rapidly. Every organization wants to have an appearance on the internet, and the graduates from this course can help them kick start that process.

Career Prospects: Graduates after completing this design course in India can work as Front End Web Developers, Back End Web Developers, Web Application Developer, Design and Layout Analyst, Senior Web Analyst, Web Marketing Analyst, etc.

There are many examples in which developers have started working as Entrepreneurs. If you have an idea, you build it, the market needs it and the consumer needs are fulfilled then the idea can be converted into a business as well.

Note: The average annual salary of a graduate from this course will vary between 2 Lakhs and 6 Lakhs.

Eligibility: The applicant needs to have passed 12 years of education from a recognized board with a minimum of 50%.

Note: It is 45% for SC/ST/OBC candidates

List of Top Design Colleges in India for the course:

1. Pacific Academy of Higher Education and Research
2. Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur
3. Dev Damaj College for Women, Firozpur
4. Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan Mahavidyalaya

Note: The average course fees vary between 3 lakhs and 12 lakhs INR.

Relevant Exams: Application process varies between different universities for this design course. Few universities give admission based on the performance of grade 12. On the other hand, some organize an entrance test followed by a personal interview to test the general aptitude of the applicant before giving the admission.

6. Bachelor of Fashion Design

Description: One needs to be highly curious and imaginative for this design course. The course teaches the students about the dynamic nature of the fashion industry. The students come out of the course with imaginative thinking combined with an analytical skillset and excellent technical knowledge which helps students pursue an international career if they like. There is a lot of practical exposure that helps students build their interpersonal skills.

Career Prospects: The students after completing this design course in India can choose from wide-ranging jobs including Fashion Designers, Production Designers, Fashion stylists, etc. Graduates can be hired in various businesses like fashion houses, apparel manufacturing companies, and designer houses. For a student with leadership skills, graduates can also become entrepreneurs as the course attempts to teach the students all about the fashion industry, manufacturing industry and fabric or clothing industry.

Note: The annual entry-level annual salary varies between 2,60,000 INR to 9,30,000 INR.

Eligibility: The applicant needs to successfully pass 12 years of education from a recognized board with an aggregate score of a minimum of 50%. You can also apply after a 3-year diploma in any specialization.

List of Top Design Colleges in India for the course:

1. SDPS Women’s College, Indore
2. Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune
3. CEPT University, Ahmadabad
4. Jaipur National University, Jaipur
5. Khalsa College, Amritsar

Note: The average fee for the course varies between 5,20,000 INR to 6,80,000 INR.

Relevant Exams: Almost every university conducts its own entrance test, that needs to be cleared. The first round is a written or computer-based exam followed by group discussion and a personal interview.

I will share information about the top two universities in the country.

1. NID (National Institute of Design): NID conducts DAT (Design Aptitude Test) that is divided into two parts: prelims and mains.
2. NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology): NIFT conducts CAT (Creative ability test), GAT (General Ability Test) and then a final round of group discussion or a personal interview. The group discussion or personal interview round is mainly conducted to judge the candidate’s body language, social and presentation skills. CAT and GAT test the quantitative, verbal and general knowledge awareness of the candidate.

There are two ways of admission to various design courses in India:

1. Distance mode admission: Some universities offer distance studying. As the name suggests, the course can be learned from a distance. Some of such universities are Bangalore University, Mahatma Gandhi University, and Dr. C.V Raman University.
2. Direct Admission: As mentioned above, premium universities need an entrance exam to be cleared.

Note: Some universities offer direct admission through management quota.

In the end, any design course should be selected purely based on one’s personal interests. If you think, you artistic and love designing things, then Designing is the field for you. In order to narrow it down, ask yourselves, “What do I like designing?” and then you can easily pick a specific field for yourself. Do not base on decisions on the money, you will earn, base it on what you like to do because if you like something, it will not feel like work and even if the money is not good, you will be happy. We hope that this blog helped you in deciding which course to pick. For more such content do visit Exambazaar.