A note to the youngsters at the Department of Design IIT Guwahati.
Design Identity: i am not sure if we need one. I would be perfectly happy if the world says that DOD is a place from where its not exactly designers that graduate but gamechangers. What makes us different - each one of use believe that we have superpowers (the JEE gave us those). Add to this a designers perspective, that ability to not just analyse and solve practical problems but to be a dreamer, to be able to visualise a bright and wonderful future. Our USP is that we have it in us to be the integration point between various domains. We need to know as much of as many things as we can. So for those in college, i would say 'Go Play'. Don't restrict yourself. Read. Explore. Collaborate with people from other departments. Create insane ideas. insane prototypes. Check out things like MIT media labs if you want inspiration. Your IIT tag will get you a job, so don't worry too much about that. But you will never get back that college time. Create as many insane things as you can, try to expand the boundaries of your knowledge and with that of all others around you as well. And soon when enough of us tread this path of exploration, we will create an very unique identity for ourselves.
Design Identity: i am not sure if we need one. I would be perfectly happy if the world says that DOD is a place from where its not exactly designers that graduate but gamechangers. What makes us different - each one of use believe that we have superpowers (the JEE gave us those). Add to this a designers perspective, that ability to not just analyse and solve practical problems but to be a dreamer, to be able to visualise a bright and wonderful future. Our USP is that we have it in us to be the integration point between various domains. We need to know as much of as many things as we can. So for those in college, i would say 'Go Play'. Don't restrict yourself. Read. Explore. Collaborate with people from other departments. Create insane ideas. insane prototypes. Check out things like MIT media labs if you want inspiration. Your IIT tag will get you a job, so don't worry too much about that. But you will never get back that college time. Create as many insane things as you can, try to expand the boundaries of your knowledge and with that of all others around you as well. And soon when enough of us tread this path of exploration, we will create an very unique identity for ourselves.
