NID for CAT-like test for design schools, to hold first 'Idea fair'

Ahmedabad, Nov 28 (UNI) The National Institute of Design (NID) is working on a concept for 'Design Aptitude Test' (DAT), on the lines of CAT and MAT, that will be a sort of a common entrance test for recognised design institutes/departments in the country.

Stating this, NID's Executive Director Darly O'Koshy said the DAT can be a preliminary test that the aspiring students must clear and the various institutes could later organise advanced tests designed as per their specialised courses.

''We are already working on the concept and had organised a meeting for the purpose. At least 12 schools, including Design departments in IITs, Delhi and Mumbai, and some private schools had participated in it and shown keen interest,'' he said, on the sidelines of a conference here.

He said more design schools are likely to join in the effort and the next meeting on this issue will be held at IIT, Delhi. ''Even a NIFT faculty too had envisaged interest in the concept, though at the moment, we are concentrating on pure design schools,'' he added.

He also said the NID has planned to celebrate an 'India Design Week' from November 30, as part of which a 'Design Idea Fair' is being organised for the first time. ''At least 40 new ideas and concepts will be offered to the prospective entrepreneurs.

This IPR-based initiative will bring the innovator, designer and industry on one platform with an aim to project and market design-led innovations to the industry,'' he elaborated.

He said all the ideas have been generated by NID students or the National Design Business Incubator, an NID initiative and are IPR-registered.

Talking about NID's plans, Dr Koshy said two new PG programmes--in Design for Digital Experience and Retail Experience--were being introduced at the Institute's Bangalore campus from the next academic year. While the digital experience course will focus on human experience and services in the digital/electronic domain, the retail course will introduce students to retail environment and trends in the design of retail spaces, including props, ambience creation and visual merchandising.

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