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21,300 designers in India, zero world representation
Monday, 24 March 2003, 20:30 IST
AHMEDABAD: India has over 21,300 designers engaged in creating brand identities but it has little representation on the world stage due to the lack of a proper organisation to represent them.
In a globalised world order, goods and services are transcending cultural and geographical boundaries and are placed in entirely new contexts every day," said National Institute of Design (NID) executive director Darlie O. Koshy.
"India does not have a budget for the designing industry. Sadly, there is no representation of Indian designers at the international level since there is no association of professional designers in India," Koshy lamented while addressing the board meeting of the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda), being held for the first time in India.
Leading industry lobby Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) plans to change the scenario with its plans of floating an association of designers later this year.
"Design has a definite role to play in establishing brands. Each brand is intended to communicate a message, therefore, the entire strategy of design is critical," Koshy contended.
Design bridges the hiatus between the product and the consumer by making the desired message communicable.
"Graphic design makes it possible with the help of developing signs, symbols, visuals and corporate identities," Koshy maintained.
Today, most international brands were recognised almost effortlessly by their visual identities, according to him.
"A successful brand also carries a strong and communicable visual identity which creates the difference that makes all difference," Koshy pointed out.
Founded in 1963, Icograda is the world body of professional graphic design and visual communication, design management, education and promotion.
It has 76 institutional members with a membership of over 150,000 spread over 57 countries.
It holds a consultative status with world organisations like the Unesco, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
In 1999, Icograda was one of the founding members of Design for the World (DW), a non-profit multi-disciplinary organisation formed to solve global social, humanitarian and habitat problems through design.
NID is one of the active members of this world body.
"The organisation focuses on raising the standards of design, professional practice ethics and the professional status of the graphic designers, Icograda president Rob Peters said.
Source: IANS
Source: IANS