The course structure for all disciplines is like this:

1. First year is the foundation year. This is the best year at NID. This is when you have come to college
straight out of school and have almost no skills pertinent to design. Though math, geometry, history,
geography, languages and political science comes in very handy; you still have a long way to go before
you start making sense of it all.

In this year, you learn basic skills like drawing, illustrations, story-telling, graphic composition,
photography, film theory and appreciation, woodworking, intro to metalworking and textiles, basic
design thinking and environmental perception.

Drawing– Yes, you can learn to draw like learning any other skill. There are basic concepts, tools and
techniques involved and once you practice the right concepts enough, you can draw. As simple as that.
Story-telling–Using visual medium to convey an idea. I learned that all design is a form of story-telling,
be it a chair, a film or an app.
Film Appreciation–You watch tons of movies, and then discuss about it. You also have to watch movies
after hours and then prepare notes on the same by morning. Intense.
Design Thinking–Towards the end of the year, you learn to start using the skills you acquired to convey a
bigger idea and to solve a problem through design thinking. Traditionally, this course was taught by the
Late Prof MP Ranjan. We will always miss him.
Environmental Perception–This is where you step out of campus and get to spend time outside of your
comfort zone and learn about any new socio-economic setting. Think of it as a fresh perspective.

Mode of learning: Short, pedagogical, assignment-based courses. More doing and learning, lesser
imagining and applying.

Mode of examination: (Hehe) NID has juries. You are to present your work to a panel of 4-5 members
and convince them that you have done good work. They decide whether you get to move forward to
second year or to repeat the year once more.

2. Second and Third year is for specialisation.

After foundation, based on your grades and inclination, you get to choose a discipline for specialisation.
This is when you dive deep, by learning everything there is to know. Starting from basic skills, all the way
to complex tasks and assignments. Back to back courses and assignments can start becoming hectic, but
then, you are learning design. It is ALWAYS interesting.

Mode of learning: Longer, assignments and thought based courses. More doing and learning, even more
applying.

Mode of examination: (Hehe) Juries again. For some unlucky souls, there are specially ordered mid-
semester juries. If you take the courses lightly, you might have to repeat the year.

3. End of third year is for industry internship

Having gone through all the theory of design, this is the time to taste the real world. You are expected to
intern at a studio/company/start-up/workshop for two months during your summer vacation so that
you are better prepared for the next year.

Mode of learning: Real-life. There ain't no guidebook for that.

Mode of examination: Juries.

4. Fourth year is for classroom projects

This is where you pick a reasonable problem to solve, through your newly acquired vocation and you
make up a project. Eg. A hypothetical TV ad for Parle-G (if you are a film or animation student) or a
brochure for CRY (if you are a graphic design student)

Mode of learning: You are on your own. You do get a faculty guide, who helps you understand the scope
of work and the best resources to refer to.

Mode of examination: Still. Juries

5. Diploma project
This is the culmination of all your learning, the end of your formal education. A 6 months project on your
own, or with a company where you pick a problem to solve and proceed to do so in that environment.
After the project, you are to present your work to a jury panel, who then decides whether to give you a
diploma or not.

Mode of examination: One. Final. Jury.

Professional life of a designer

Most students go on to join studios, production houses, ad agencies and design firms across the country
and outside. Some go for further studies.
After a few years, they gain enough expertise in one segment of their specialisation and go on to join a
higher position, or start on their own as freelancers.

Scope of design: Lots. Huge.

Salaries: Start low. Becomes comparable to engineers, after a few years of experience. All disciplines
have designers who make varied amount of money. Please don't go on speculating about which
discipline will fetch you the most money.

If you spend time reading books and newspaper, watching and appreciating movies, interacting with
people and learning about culture, you are already half-way there. You should also spend some time
observing designers and their designs in the world out there. You should write essays about your
favorite topics; be it gender equality or the rise of mobile phones. If you don't like writing, try to express
your feelings through pictures or photographs.

What should I include in my portfolio?

A. Everything you have done and documented. Made a painting? Share the photograph. Can't paint?
Write an essay. Draw a sketch. Can't draw? Take a photograph. Don't have an SLR camera? Use a
cameraphone. Just don't make excuses about why you didn't have time for a portfolio.
it's the only proof apart from your word, that you are interested in pursuing design.

Tip No 1. The most common misconception among NID aspirants is that if you draw well, then you can
crack NID, which is totally false. Though good sketching is essential, the questions are framed to judge a
candidates creativity, imagination & visualization skills/ observation / general awareness etc. So,
developing these skills are equally important.

Tip No 2. Be Creative - Creativity is a mysterious trait. Many people have tried to define creativity in their
own ways but there is no single universally accepted definition. It is difficult to summarise in a few lines
but we can say that creativity is the ability to come up with new, original ideas which are not
conventional. It is the breaking away from the stereotype, routine, accepted set of thoughts and
possessing a deeper insight to problem solving. In short, a creative person experiences rebirth everyday
with his or her ideas.

Tip No 3. Understand that your drawing & creative skills are useless if you are not able to present your
thoughts in the exam in the limited amount of time. You stand to lose marks for the questions you fail to
answer or which are left incomplete, it doesn't matter how good you are at your work. So speed is
equally important.

Tip No 5. Don't practice in A3 size sketch books. Work in A4 size as that is normally the standard size of
answer sheets in the examinations.

Tip No 6. Don't mug up G.K. books but be more aware about what is happening around - Read the
newspapers regularly. Increase your observation power. Try to find out about people who have
genuinely contributed to the field of design, their innovative works etc. Read books / magazines &
develop a genuine passion for your field.

Tip No 7. Find your own deep and compelling reason to successfully clear NID. Motivate yourself. Work
with enthusiasm & you will be amazed at your ideas & creations.

Tip No 8. In questions requiring drawing, always draw with a light hand first, doing mainly the outlining
without the details. When you are satisfied with the proportions & the rough outline, you may finalize.
You will save a lot of time that students normally waste in erasing & re-drawing.

Tip No 9. Practice more with dry mediums ( colours ), as they are convenient to use and take less time in
exams.

Tip No 10. Plan your time for school/college study & NID entrance preparation. Use your time effectively
with a time table.

Which movies should I watch to be able to 'get into NID'?

A. Watch movies by these directors http://www.imdb.com/list/ls000075300/
Then open the IMDB page for those movies. Watch the ones in the 'recommended' section as well.
After watching each movie, read about the details and trivia on IMDB. Read about critics' opinions and
see if they match with your own. Analyse the director's vision, film making method and story telling
tacts. Appreciate the efforts needed to tell a story using moving images and sound. Try to remake a few
scenes using your own camera and friends as actors. Repeat with each director's work as you go.

1. Keep an eye on important news events. Current affairs + Art and Culture + Entertainment is
what you should be looking at mainly. Reading or trying to know basics of design/art will help
dont get into details of them, basics are enough.