B Des stands for “Bachelor of Design” and is a three-to-four-year undergraduate degree awarded to students pursuing design and applied art studies. A Bachelor of Design comprises various multidisciplinary subjects and subsidiary streams and specialisations dealing with the conceptualisation, strategising, and execution of creative products.
Bachelor of Design is a vast degree and consists of a gamut of specialisations, such as-
Animation Design
3D Animation | Animation and Film Making | Animation and Graphics | Animation and Multimedia | Animation and VFX | Animation Film Design | Animation, VFX and Gaming | Digital Filmmaking and VFX | VFX | VFX Film Making | Film & Video Communication
Applied Arts
Applied Arts and Crafts | Applied Arts in Interior Design | Art Education | History of Art | History of Art Hons | Fine Arts | Lalit Kala | Painting | Painting Hons | Sculpture | Sculpture Hons
Ceramic & Glass Design
Communication Design
Exhibition Design
Apparel Production | Apparel Technology | Knitwear Design | Fashion and Apparel Design | Fashion and Retail Store Operations | Fashion Design and Management | Fashion Fit and Style | Fashion Communication | Fashion and Garment Technology | Fashion and Lifestyle Accessories | Fashion and Lifestyle Accessories (Interior Products & Handcrafted Accessories) | Lifestyle Accessory Design | Fashion and Lifestyle Technology | Fashion Technology | Retail and Fashion Merchandise
Game Design
Gaming | Gaming and Mobile Application Development | Video Game Design | Digital Game Design
Graphic Design
Graphic and Gaming | Graphic Art Hons | Graphics and Digital Media | Graphics (Print Making) | Graphics and Communication Design
Industrial Design
Interaction/Information Design
UX design | UI design
Interior and Furniture Design | Interior and Retail Spaces | Interior and Space Planning Design | Interior Design | Interior Design and Decoration | Interior Designing Hons | Interior Environment and Design Hons | Interior Space Design
Leather Design
Leather Goods and Accessories Design | Leather Goods and Footwear Technology | Leather Technology
Multimedia Design
Multimedia and Animation | Multimedia Science, Augmented and Virtual Reality | Multimedia, Animation and Graphic Design | Multimedia, Animation and Graphics
New Media Design
Photography Design
Product Design
Accessory Design | Jewellery Design | Jewellery Design and Technology | Toy & Game Design | Design for Retail Experience
Production Design
Strategic Design Management
Textile Design
Fibres and Textile Processing Technology | Textile Technology | Textile Science, Clothing and Fashion Studies | Design (Textiles) Hons | Textile and Apparel Design | Textile CAD | Textile for Fashion
Transportation Design | Transportation & Automobile Design
Universal Design
Video Design
Videography | Video Film Design | Projection Design
Web Design
Web Graphic Design | User Interface Design | User Experience Design
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Students can enrol in Bachelor of Design programmes after appearing for entrance exams held across the country. The eligibility criteria are as follows-
Candidates enrolling on B Des programmes and entrances must have passed their 10+2 (or equivalent) examinations from a recognised Indian board with a minimum aggregate of 50% marks.
Candidates from any stream can apply for design programmes. Certain design technology specializations require Science as a mandatory stream.
The official procedure for admission into Bachelor of Design courses is as follows-
Candidates applying for B Des courses must qualify for the minimum eligibility to appear for the respective entrance exams. Candidates can apply for the UCEED/NID/NIFT/other examinations by registering in the online portal and submitting the required documents.
After appearing for the entrance exams, candidates will be shortlisted based on scores, ranks, and merit lists in the counselling session for the respective colleges/entrances. Some colleges also have group discussions and private interviews (GD/PI) and portfolio presentations for further screening of candidates.
Shortlisted candidates may finalise their admission at the concerned college by paying the fees and submitting the required documents for verification.
Most Bachelor of Design courses in India require clearing entrance exams for admission to test the creative and artistic knowledge and calibre of candidates. Various entrance tests are conducted on the central, state, and university levels for admission into B Des programmes in colleges across India.
Some of the important entrances offering admission into Bachelor of Design programmes include the following-
Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design (UCEED)- conducted by the Indian Insitute of Technology Bombay (IITB)
National Insitute of Design Design Aptitude Test (NID DAT)- conducted by the National Insitute of Design (NID)
National Insitute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Entrance Exam- conducted by NIFT
All India Entrance Examination for Design (AIEED)-conducted by The ARCH College of Design & Business
Indian Institute Of Art and Design Design Aptitude Test (IIAD iDAT)- conducted by the Indian Institute Of Art and Design (IIAD)
Symbiosis Entrance Exam for Design (SEED)- conducted by the Symbiosis Institute of Design (SID)
University of Petroleum and Energy Studies Design Aptitude Test (UPES DAT)- conducted by UPES
Pearl Academy Entrance Exam (PAF)- conducted by Pearl Academy
Creatively inclined students with an artistic flair may find a Bachelor of Design the ideal degree to pursue. Students may gauge their aptitude for a B Des degree with the following criteria:
Ideation and initiative
Creative ability
Originality and innovation
Depth perception and perspective
Visual communication
Technical skills with software systems
Typography
Knowledge of styles and trends in the design industry
Visual Imagination
Some subjects such as the ones listed below are common to most Bachelor of Design programmes. In addition to these, candidates are also taught specialisation-specific subjects, inter-departmental subjects, skill-developmental subjects, and elective subjects.
The B Des course material comprises subjects like-
Fundamentals of Art and Design
2D Visual Studies
3D Form Studies
Communication Theories and Semiotics
Design Storytelling and Narratives
Information Graphics
Design Management and Planning
Design Society, Culture, and Environment
Applied Science in Design
Computer-Aided Design/and Drafting (CAD/CADD)
Typography and Printing
Design Studio
Photography and Videography
Image Representation and Transformation
The most promising and lucrative Bachelor of Design specialisations to opt for are-
UX/UI Designer
Graphic Designer
Animation Artist
Product Designer
Web Designer/Developer
Sustainable Fashion Designer
Interior Designer
After completing undergraduate design courses like B Des/B FTech/BFA/BVA/BA, students may opt for higher education with Master's/PhD degrees. Here are a few postgraduate study and research opportunities after B Des in India:
Master of Design or M Des (2 years)
Master of Arts or MA with a Design specialisation (2 years)
Post Graduate Diploma in design (1-2 years)
Master of Philosophy or M Phil with a Design specialisation (2 years)
PhD (Doctorate) in Design
Important entrance exams conducted for admission into postgraduate and research courses in India include-
Common Entrance Examination for Design (CEED)- conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB)
National Institute of Design Design Aptitude Test (NID DAT)- conducted by NID
National Insitute of Fashion Technology Entrance Exam (NIFT EE)- conducted by NIFT
All India Entrance Examination for Design (AIEED)- conducted by The ARCH College of Design & Business
Symbiosis Entrance Exam for Design (SEED)- conducted by the Symbiosis Insitute of Design (SID)
Indian Institute of Crafts and Design (IICD) Entrance Test- conducted by the Ambuja Educational Institute (AEI)
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After completing a Bachelor of Design degree, students can offer their skills as designers in the public and private sectors as well as on a freelance basis. Several design colleges and institutions offer placement opportunities to their students through their training and placement (T&P) cell in the penultimate/final year of the B Des degree.
Some of the top companies recruiting B Des graduates in India include:
Elephant Design
Pearl Global
Bombay Dyeing
Landor India
DY Works
Pantaloons
Shopper’s Stop
Universal Designovation Lab
Ticket Design
Almond Branding
Some of the leading design firms in the world include-
After completing their Bachelor of Design degrees, students may choose from various career prospects depending on their specialisations. Some of the popular and lucrative career prospects after B Des include:
The average starting salaries for Bachelor of Design graduates range between 3 to 5 lakhs per annum and can go as high as 20 LPA for senior designers.
A Bachelor of Design is an expansive multidisciplinary field of study covering several sectors. Candidates interested in pursuing a B Des degree might also consider similar subjects like-
Planning
Interior Designing
Designing
Landscaping
Music
Fine Arts
Acting
Dancing
Music
Direction
Fashion
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