Apart from the vast collections of books, foreign and Indian journals and magazines are also available in the library. The library has digital database and reproduction facilities. The Digital library in the Academy has a good collection of compact discs containing information regarding various aspects of Design management and computer applications. The reading area provides a good ambiance for the students to enrich their knowledge through resources.
A Talk by Mrs. Barkha Kedia Agrawal
Ms. Barkha Kedia Agrawal is an International Long Distance Swimmer. She is recipient of the “Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award” (Equivalent to Arjuna Award) at the hands of Honourable Prime Minister Shri. Atal Bihari Vajpai, on 20th May 2003 in New Delhi. She was felicitated by Honourable President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, in Rashtrapati Bhavan New Delhi, for achieving excellence in the field of swimming. Barkha has successfully crossed the Gibraltar Strait from Spain to Morocco, a distance of 22.2 km in 3 Hrs. 50min, establishing the record of “Second Fastest Woman in the World” in crossing of Gibraltar Strait on 14th September 2001. At that time the waves in the sea were 19-20 feet high and the water temperature was 19⁰ C. She has successfully crossed the most prestigious and challenging of all the channels in the world, The English Channel from England to France, a distance of 39km in 17Hrs. 12Min. on 25th September 2001.
She addressed the students, faculty and staff of DJAD and DJAME on 25th March 2019, on her journey as a sports woman. She concluded on the inspiring note that the students need to develop endurance and focus in order to achieve their goals in life.
Half dose
Reddot design award winner 2012
Venkat Rao completed his UG Diploma in 2010 in Industrial Design from DJAD. His entry “Half Dose” was selected for the award in August 2012.
His solution aims at offering a very easy method to break tablets into two.
Often splitting a tablet can get difficult and inaccurate for the elderly, visually impaired and single-handed people. Contamination due to touch is a high risk with the current design. Half dose offers a smart design solution to this problem. The Unique shape of the tablet lets the user split it using a single finger without removing it from the pack into two equal halves.
Shiva Nallaperumal who completed his UG Diploma in Communication Design in 2013 from DJAD was the first alumni of DJAD to receive the SOTA Catalyst Award in the year 2015.
Jayashree Venkat adorns the space in DJAD’s ‘Wall of Fame’ by achieving final position in Taiwan International Student Design Competition in Visual Design Category. She had completed the UG Diploma in Communication Design in the year 2017 from DJAD.
Jayashree created a couple of visuals of Mother and Child expressing their feelings for each other in the journey of the child’s career. ‘Ladder’ is a subject of these visuals which shows bonding between mother and child and it creates opportunities for both of them to reach out with each other.
Anagha is the third alumni of DJAD to have won the SOTA Catalyst Award. The Society of Typographic Aficionados (SOTA) is an international not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion, study and support of type, its history and development, its use in the world of print and digital imagery, its designers, and its admirers. SOTA is incorporated in the State of New York, USA. She was selected for this award in August 2020.
Anagha Narayanan, a Communication Designer of the DJAD 2018 batch had interned at Black [Foundry] in Paris. Her father owned an offset printing press and this background created an interest in her in type and all things connected. After completing her Graduate Diploma, Anagha joined Universal Thirst Type-foundry where she has been able to contribute to a diverse range of projects and scripts. She is currently working on her first typeface release Ilai. Ilai, one of the first variable Tamil typefaces, is a modern interpretation of 60’s psychedelia. It takes Tamil into new territory by offering nine styles of uncompromisingly quirky forms. It is designed for display uses, including branding, subheadings, and posters.
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Vatsal Shah completed his UG Diploma in 2019 in Industrial Design from DJAD. He participated in the D’source Coronavirus Design Challenge competition (organised by IIT Bombay) in the second round under the Game Design stream. His entry was selected for the award in August 2020.
Vatsal created the board game ‘Wreath’. Inspiration of this game was Snakes & Ladders. The game ‘Wreath’ was designed after conducting a brief study on various parts of the design process, which included the etymology. This game is all about how the virus spreads quickly and it also educates people on safety measures to end the spread of virus and at the same time engage people in an entertaining way.
He decorates the Wall of Fame by becoming the winner of the 3rd Round also in the Winners’ Category. Vatsal has designed a card game “Precaution”, which is suitable for children of around 5 years. This will help them to increase their level of concentration, help them to learn the value of time along with creating an awareness about hygiene related issues. Can be played solo or with 2 to 4 partners. The design submitted will also be published in a book which will be handed over to all the winners along with the trophy and certificate.
COVID 19 threw up challenges of various nature. Platform for one such challenge was offered by IIT Bombay. They organised D’source Corona Design Challenge seeking creative, innovative, out-of-the-box, resourceful, appropriate design solutions to current challenges thrown to us by the corona virus. This was open to students, recent graduates and young designers from around the world. It was a free design challenge where the solutions will be made available on an open platform for anyone to use.
Kiran S, currently a III Year Communication Design Post Graduate student of DJAD, took part in this international competition and came out successful. There were more than 2,000 entries from 1,242 participants from 52 countries. Her work, an illustrated book titled ‘HOPE’ was selected for the winner’s trophy in May 2020. The style throughout the book is inspired by Kalamkari art form, which is hand painted. The same is used traditionally for block printing on sarees. Kalamkari would give a very different view to a children’s book as the style has hand painting effect and the same carries throughout the book.
Ramakrishna completed his UG Diploma in Communication Design In 2015 from DJAD. He is the Second DJADian to have won the prestigious SOTA Catalyst Award. (The Society of Typographic Aficionados) He had achieved this accomplishment in 2017. Created in 2010, the award recognizes a person 25 years of age or younger who demonstrates significant achievement and future promise in the field of typography.
Ramakrishna designed a few Indic scripts, including Coorg Kannada, Coorg Kannada Sans, and a Latin type design. In collaboration with ITF colleagues Jonny Pinhorn and Nikhil Ranganathan, he worked on the Telugu and Kannada extensions for the ITF typeface Akhand.
A panel of judges comprised of notable and experienced professionals selected Ramakrishna Saiteja from among numerous talented and brilliant young creative people from all over the world.
Yashwanthi who completed her UG Diploma in Communication Design in 2019 from DJAD, won the 1st round in the D’source Corona Design Challenge Award [Category- Game Design] in the competition conducted by IIT Bombay in August 2020.
Yashwanthi created an innovative children’s game ‘VIRAL’! The objective of this board game was to spread awareness about the measures to protect one and all to prevent the spread of Covid 19 virus. This game is designed for 2-4 numbers of players with age group of 8 years and above. She implemented Design process including Research, Concept ideation, Mind mapping, Content preparation, Prototyping + Game Testing, Final Design + Execution in chronological order.
Inauguration of Cafeteria
In order to accommodate the long pending requirement of availability of titbits on campus, a cafeteria is now functional. Keeping in mind health hazards of fast food, only healthy snacks are available here. This will be functional in the forenoon from 10am to 12pm and in the afternoon from 3pm to 10pm.
International recognition for D J Academy of Design student – Ms. Kiran.S
COVID 19 has thrown up challenges of various nature. IIT Bombay recently organisedD’source Corona Design Challenge in seeking creative, innovative, out-of-the-box, design solutions to current challenges incurred by the coronavirus threat.
Kiran.S, a second Year Post Graduate student of D J Academy of Design, had taken part and not very surprisingly came out successful in this International competition. There were more than 2,000 entries from 1,242 participants from 52 countries. Her work, an illustrated book titled ‘HOPE’ has been selected to be awarded with the winner’s trophy in an event during May 2021 at IIT Bombay.
The style throughout the book is inspired by Kalamkari art form, which is hand painted. The same is used traditionally for block printing on sarees. Kalamkari would give a very different view to a children’s book as the style has hand painting effect and the same carries throughout the book, says Kiran.S.
Collaboration with Alagappa University
Alagappa University is located at Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu, and was brought into existence by a Special Act of the Government of Tamil Nadu in May 1985 with the objective of fostering research, development and dissemination of knowledge in various branches of learning. Alagappa University is recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India.
National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) of UGC accredited Alagappa University with A+ Category with 3.64/4.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA). Thus the University became eligible to collaborate with Institutions.
Now, DJAD shall offer B.DES (Bachelor of Design) and M.DES (Master of Design) degrees effective from 2019-20, in collaboration with and under the approval of Alagappa University.
Niels Schoenfelder
Member
Niels Schoenfelder’s education and travel led him to establish Mancini enterprises in 2004, a firm for architecture, interiors, objects, furniture and landscapes in India and abroad. Based on his experience in Europe and thorough understanding of Indian ground realities he has become a specialist in designing and guiding the technical implementation of ambitious projects in India. He heads a team of 28 professionals catering to a wide variety of projects. It is the challenge of diversity which has proven to be the driving force for the firm’s understanding of the different building realities and their potential within the framework of contemporary architecture.
Michael Foley
Member
Michael Foley, Managing Director & Chief Designer, Foley Designs, India, is a National Institute of Design (NID) graduate who headed Titan Design Studio for many years. He is often recognized as one of India’s top 10 product designers. As Titan’s design head, Foley created watches, sunglasses and lifestyle products and was behind some of the company’s most talked-about brands, such as Titan Edge, the world’s slimmest watch, and Fastrack, the youth brand that became a best-seller across all age groups. He set up his own design studio in Bangalore, a couple of years ago. Foley Designs created the Commonwealth Games baton for the 2010 games and is currently ideating on successful waste disposal, which it will execute with Bangalore’s civic agencies.
Rahul Mehrotra
Member
Rahul Mehrotra is an architect and urban designer trained at the School of Architecture, Ahmedabad, and the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. He has been in private practice since 1990, and works on architecture, urban design and conservation projects. He has built extensively in India, and besides several single family houses, his projects include the Laxmi Machine Works Corporate Office in Coimbatore, an Extension to the Prince of Wales Museum in Bombay, an Institute for Rural Development in Tulzapur, and the Restoration of the Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad; he is currently developing (with the Taj Mahal Conservation Collaborative) the Master Plan for the Taj Mahal and its surroundings. Professor Mehrotra is Executive Director of the Urban Design Research Institute, which promotes awareness and research on the city of Bombay. He has also written several books on Bombay, including “Bombay, the Cities Within” and has lectured extensively on urban design, conservation and architecture in India. His most recent book is “The Architecture of the 20th Century in the South Asian Region”. He also serves on several government committees that are responsible for historic preservation and the conservation as well as creation of public spaces in Bombay. Rahul Mehrotra teaches at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he is an associate professor.
Dr. Lalitha Devi Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu
Trustee
Dr Lalitha Devi Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu is a qualified medical professional. Besides the experience in health care management,she has expertise in general management and administration.She serves on the board of number of companies.She is a Trustee of GKD charity Trust, which manages the GKD Institute for Technological Resources, GKDITR – Tooling centre, D J Academy for Managerial Excellence and D J Academy of Design. She is a member of the Governing Council and Secretary/Correspondent of D J Academy for Managerial Excellence.
Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu
Chairman
Mr. Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu is the Chairman and Managing Director of Lakshmi Machine Works Limited (LMW), Coimbatore. LMW is one of the three leading Textile Machinery Manufacturers in the world, manufacturing the complete range textile spinning machinery.
He was the Chairman of the India-ITME Exhibition Society, Mumbai and is presently the Chairman of its Sub-Committee. He is a Member of the Textiles Committee appointed by the Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India. He is a Member of the Development Council for Textile Machinery Industry and Machine Tool Industry constituted by the Govt. of India. He is the Member of Steering Committee on Industries & Minerals for the 12th Five Year plan constituted by Govt. of Tamil Nadu. He is an Executive Committee member of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), New Delhi. He is a Member of the Southern Regional Council of Administration of the Southern India Textile Research Association. He is the Member of the Board of Governors of Sardar Vallabhai Patel International School of Textiles & Management, Coimbatore.
He is a Trustee of the G. Kuppusamy Naidu Charity Trust which runs a 600-bed multi-speciality hospital, a higher secondary school and a feeder school in Coimbatore and an Arts college at Kovilpatti in Tamilnadu. He is a Trustee of the Coimbatore Masonic Charity Trust, which runs a Children’s Hospital and a Working Women’s Hostel. He is a Trustee of GKD Charity Trust, which runs D J Academy for Managerial Excellence, D J Academy of Design and GKD Institute for Technological Resources. He is also a Member of the Coimbatore Golf Club Trust.
An active supporter of Sports, he is the Vice-President of the Tamil Nadu Shooting Association, Chennai and the Hon Secretary of the Rifle Club, Coimbatore.
Atul Kedia
Member
He has 30+ years of rich experience in Design, Development, Engineering, Research and allied fields working in industry as well as academics. For many years he was holding a key position in VIP Industries Ltd. Nasik. Under his leadership the company could establish its position as one of the top design driven companies in the country.In academics, he was holding a top position in SoDS – School of Design studies, University of Petroleum at Dehradun. It was a greenfield project, which was established by him from scratch in record time of 2 years. He was also holding the position of Director at Symbiosis Institute of Design in Pune.He has track record of hundreds of successful, global and national product launches of innovative products developed Art-2- Part to his credit. He has contributed immensely in establishing innovative image to brands like VIP & Princeware.In industry, he held key positions in the design & research functions in India at Tata Autocomp, VIP Industries, Blowplast Ergo, Prince Plastics, Gujarat Narmada Auto Ltd. etc.
He is an excellent trainer and has been nurturing creativity & innovations over the years of his vast field experience. Hundreds of successful designers and engineers today have been trained under him over the period of his professional working. This has become possible as over the years he himself has received professional training in various disciplines and topics ranging from Costing to Creativity. Many of them have been successfully practiced & implemented in day to day working.He has 8 patents on his name today as innovator & his professional work has received ‘Engineering Achievement Award –1997’ from Institute of Engineers, India & Prestigious National level ‘Golden Peacock Innovation Award –2004’ on behalf of VIP.
Presentation Skills Training Session Conducted for students, by Ms. Vineeta Chopra
To help students effectively organize their internship work in a form a presentation a workshop was conducted by Ms. Vineeta Chopra. The workshop had the following topics:i. Techniques of structuring a Presentation, ii. Methods of organizing content, iii. Best Practices in the delivery of presentations The workshop concluded with 10-min final presentations by students. The presentations were attended by Prof. Subramanya and Prof. Gopi Chandran along with instructor, to provide areas of improvements to students.
HEEK Educational Expo Visit (Kochi)
A team from DJ Academy of Design visited the HEEK Educational Expo at Kochi, Kerala between the 19th to 21st of July 2019. The objective of the visit was to enhance the brand awareness of DJ Academy of Design among the prospective parents and students visiting the expo. The team comprised of Mr. Nilesh, Mr. Supratik, Ms. Kothai, and Ms. Venugopal (student).
A total three workshops, which included a Calligraphy, Rapid Sketching and Kirigami Workshop, were conducted during the expo. Favourable feedback has been received for both the workshops.
Corporate Training Workshop for Venus Home Appliances, EXPO ID and CD
A 2-day in-house workshop on Exposure to Industrial Design and Communication Design was conducted on the 9th and 10th of July 2019 for Venus Home Appliances (P) Ltd. The experiential workshop conducted by DJAD faculty members covered areas such as Product Design and Development, Product Communication and Aesthetics, Semantics, Design and Innovation, Product Sketching, Visual Communication, and key areas of Sustainable Design.
The participants have expressed that they found the topics relevant and interesting and they also found the learning environment provided by DJAD to be inspiring.
Presentation on Sound and Design
On 1st July 2019, Prof. Tridibesh Sanyal discussed his unique work using sound mixing and composition in a session called Soundscapes. The session explored sound as form and also the link between sound, color and design.
Student Life Cycle (SLM) Management Software
A SLM software has been finalized for implementation which consists of the following modules: Institute Information, Student Information, Faculty Information, Course Management, Attendance Management, Time Table Generation, Feedback System, Mentor–Mentee System, Reporting Module Including TNG (Term Not Granted) and CNG (Course Not Granted) reports and Visiting Faculty Module.
This software will help DJAD in maintaining all student data on server, thereby reducing the use of paper to a large extent. Also, it will provide detailed information to parents, faculty, staff and students.
Student’s data will be available and processed in digital format right from admission, registration, till placements and alumni.
India Design Mission, Finland
On behalf DJ Academy of Design, Prof. Atul Kedia (Dean, DJ Academy of Design) participated in India Design Mission to Finland which was organised by CII between the 13th & 17th May 2019.The aim was to expose a team of select Indian design practitioners and industries to global design best practices. This meticulously planned mission had design firms ranging from product design, branding and service design sharing their processes and important projects.
On the academic front, visit to Aalto University Design department; PDP Design factory and Product design Gala Day (student Exhibition) were the highlights.
Order In Space: Understanding Geometry
The foundation students, during February 2017, had a module with Prof. A.G. Rao, a pioneer in Design Education from IDC, IIT Bombay, along with in-house co-faculty Mr. Subramanya. The students were introduced to 3D geometry and basics of 3D structures. The students used the learning to build Geodesic domes and Tensegrity Structures.DJAD is stepping into a new academic year, 2019-20. This is going to be a milestone in its history with courses of B.Des and M.Des on offer from this year. We start with lessons learnt in the past one and half decades and new ideas that are sweeping the world of design.
Stone Craft Development
The 2nd year Industrial Design students had a course on Craft Development and this included a visit to Thirumurugan Poondi in Thirupur district and meeting the master craftsman Mr.Radhakrishnan. They did a study on understanding stone, their types, manufacturing process and current trends. With these insights each of the 15 students conceptualized ideas using stone as a material. Students explored lighting, jewellery, accessories using stone. The students then went on to developing the products using the actual materials. Many students worked on the model themselves using the tools, and were supported by the craftsmen and their team. On 27th March 2019, students displayed their products at the campus. Craft Council of Tamil Nadu members visited D J Academy of Design Campus to see the finished products and expressed their appreciation for the students’ work.
Pana Olai Pinnal – A Craft Study
The 3rd year Communication Design students of D J Academy of Design for their craft study course visited the Pana Olai Pinnal Craft at Kolathur, Bodipalayam, Pollachi. This course was done in collaboration with the Craft Council of Tamil Nadu. The students during their visit interacted with the craftsmen Krishna Swamy and his wife, Karuppatha. It is important to document the crafts, because most of them are going extinct due to the rapid growth of technology and the mass manufacturing methods.
Pana Olai Pinnal is a craft that deals with weaving of palm leaves and Krishna Swamy has developed his own unique weaving style. He has developed weaving patterns to make little ornamentations and these ornamentations are found in different forms such as parrot, fish, deer, flower etc. These ornamentations are used to decorate temples or houses during festivals and are now being used at weddings as well.
Following the visit, the students have come up with a publication and a documentary film on Olai Craft weaving. As designers, the visit not only made students understand the craft but also brought a level of understanding and empathy in them. It also made them more aware of the possibilities to work with such artisans and also realise the importance of bringing the craft to the forefront.
Clay Embark
Clay is an extremely pliable and versatile material that is extensively used in the ceramic industry for sculpting and model making purposes. Not only is Clay Modelling a very useful skill to learn in the design field but it is also a very joyous one as it is a skill that requires a combination of both cognitive and physical involvement. As a beginner, ‘Hand Building’ is the asset of clay working techniques that one needs to learn and master as it is a crucial part of working with clay. In March 2019, the DJAD students had open elective with DJAD alumni Sushmita for Clay Embark. The students explored the material and displayed their work in an exhibition.
Design Movements – Learning History with Fun
The Design Movement course is a course which deals with the design history. The actual course is very theoretical but by adopting this method it becomes more interesting to the students. Using this approach the students learn the nuances of the movement, its philosophies, designers etc. During March 2019, the 2nd year students of Industrial and Communication Design worked on a dance musical. The whole idea of a performance helped students in grasping the core idea of each movement in a creative way. It is very interesting way of learning about the movements and breaking monotony.
Jury/Diploma Jury for 2018-19
Juries for 1st, 2nd and 3rd years were held in the month of April. The Jury panel Included external as well as internal members. Pre-jury for final year diploma project was held in the last week of May, where the students were given feedback about their final presentation so that the same can be fine-tuned before final jury, which was held in the first week of June.
DJAD Re-opening 2019-20 (for 2nd and 3rd years)
DJAD reopened for the year 2019-20 on 10th June 2019 for the second and third year students and for the final year students, the classes commenced on the 1st July 2019. During the re-opening day meeting, Prof. Atul Kedia, Dean and Capt. K Senthil Kumar, Chief Executive, interacted with the parents and shared the overall vision for the upcoming year and also took the opportunity to clarify specific questions on academics and other topics. Faculty members who were available on the day also could participate.
| Age | Up to 23 years |
| Course | Bachelor of Design (B.Des) Undergraduate Programme in Industrial Design (IND) / Communication Design (CND) |
| Duration | 4 Years |
| Eligibility | 10 + 2 from any stream |
The Bachelor of Design (B.Des) undergraduate programme at DJAD starts with a one year Design Foundation Programme that concentrates on learning basic concepts of design involving courses that build the strong foundation for design thinking and practice. The students need to select a discipline at the time of applying to DJAD.
The learning is interdisciplinary as some of the courses offered to Industrial, Communication Design students are common encouraging them to work across disciplines. In the fourth year they specialize in one of the following areas by choosing design projects from their area of interest. Fourth year also consists of internship, colloquium paper and a six-month degree / diploma project.
| Course | Master of Design (M.Des) Postgraduate Programme in Industrial Design / Communication Design / Service Design / Furniture & Space Design / User Experience Design |
| Duration | 2 Years |
| Age | 20 – 27 Years |
| Eligibility | Degree in Any Discipline |
Here at DJAD, each individual is groomed to be an independent thinker and doer. The Design programs strive to create individuals who can play a leadership role in the industry. The Course emphasizes a strong foundational focus on design fundamentals and principles, encourages experimentation, and inculcates an innovation mind-set. All courses are designed to inculcate a keen sense for the value parameters in design, where design becomes a key differentiator to a product or a service.