Unfolding creativity : Design and Degree Show 2015

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Creativity solving practical problems – that’s the simplest notion of design that the Design and Degree Show 2015 sets out to showcase. Acting as a platform for displaying hundreds of projects, the event is aimed at displaying how design can solve day-to-day problems and make life easier for the masses.

Design students from across the country grapple with a wide variety of questions at IIT Bombay’s Industrial Design Centre (IDC) . One of them is resolving the confusion and anxiety one encounters while travelling in Mumbai’s local trains. Another is helping the common man understand our parliamentary system. Some individuals are looking at whether it is possible for a family of 6 to live comfortably in a 10 ft by 10 ft by 12 ft cube. Others explore whether it is possible to have low-cost, hi-tech equipment that would make life easier for women and men engaged in farming as a livelihood, and if it is feasible to carry 18-20 litres of water through a rocky terrain without breaking into a sweat.
Students from diverse backgrounds use methodologies in design to observe, analyze and creatively respond to the world around them. Their approach often begins by putting people at the centre of their study. By asking how their design intervention would improve products, services and experiences, they sift through creative possibilities and offer a design solution within the constraints of a given context.

About DDS

The Design Degree Show (DDS) is an annual event where graduating students of IDC showcase their work and leading design enthusiasts meet, interact and celebrate design. This year’s edition spans five days (13th-17th June) and is being held at VMCC, IIT Bombay. The highlights of this year include the exhibition showcasing student projects, and seminars on the topics ‘Design Education: Challenges in Design Education’ and ‘Design : Now and Next’.

Making a Difference – Projects
[pullquote] With Jaikishan taking the project forward in the form of the “MrmApp”, the maps are now installed for good at major local train stations with a feature-laden smartphone version under way, all backed by the MHRD.[/pullquote]
Projects showcased at the DDS Exhibition attempt to tackle various issues from different fields, such as access and transportation, communication and learning, society and analysis, health and well-being, craft and culture, and issues arising from working and living in India .

When Snehal Patil and Jaikishan Patel worked on the ‘Mumbai Rail Map’, a comprehensive map to help people untangle the labyrinthine Mumbai local train routes, they had no idea that it would be received so positively and go on to become a roaring success.With Jaikishan taking the project forward in the form of the “MrmApp”, the maps are now installed for good at major local train stations with a feature-laden smartphone version under way, all backed by the MHRD.

As an outsider to the city himself, Jaikishan felt the need to design a system that dispenses information in a reliable and methodical way about the lifeline that is the railway network of Mumbai and eliminate the confusion that usually surrounds it.

To be exhibited at the DDS Exhibition is Trivikram’s low cost, portable vein detecting device which is a working prototype now with pilot testing in progress. Similarly, Keerti Chowdhry’s Animated Dictionary for children with dyslexia is a project that aims to help out children who struggle at school studies due to this learning disorder.
Since dyslexic children have trouble in decoding written words, reading and comprehension, the interactive animated dictionary looks to make spellings visual and animated, making them more memorable and easy to comprehend.

[pullquote]Tackling issues of flood rescue and relief, Tonmoy Phukan’s project seeks to cater to victims stuck in flooded areas in the form of an inflatable, stackable structure which can carry upto 10 people to be handled by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel. [/pullquote]

Moved by the catastrophic effects of the 2014 floods in Assam and Kashmir, Tonmoy Phukan has developed this rescue vehicle as a ‘fail-proof saving equipment’. Tackling issues of flood rescue and relief, Tonmoy Phukan’s project seeks to cater to victims stuck in flooded areas in the form of an inflatable, stackable structure which can carry upto 10 people to be handled by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel.

The outcome of these projects range from full scale working solutions – be it machines, mobile-applications or books and films that make you think twice about everyday issues. With this, the DDS Exhibition aims to showcase the innovative solutions and ideas that have the common goal of simplifying and enriching lives.

The celebration presents an opportunity to interact with veteran designers and educators – S. Balram ,K.B Jinan and Deepankar Bhatacharya to name a few. As a part of this show, IDC shall also host a “Design Education” seminar (on the 14th and 15th of June) that seeks to understand the challenges in design education. In a separate seminar (on the 16th and 17th of June) called “Design: Now and Next”, several design practitioners and industry professionals have been invited to share their experiences in their respective domains..

Details about the projects, students, seminars and the design exhibition can be found at www.ddsidc.com. Students and alumni can register for the seminars at discounted rates. The exhibition is free and open to all.

Contact points
Email : ddsidc.iitb@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/designdegreeshow
Twitter: https://twitter.com/idc_iitb