(September 2001)
(By Pallavee Dhaundiyal, TNN)In a constantly changing and rapidly developing it environment the challenges are not only technological but also social
and cultural. digital tools and media require a dynamic aesthetics. there is need to examine the effects of new technology
on society and the role of the designer in its development. acknowledging the need, national institute of design (nid),
ahemadabad, has started a two and a half-year pg diploma programme in new media. nina sabnani, animation film maker,
faculty of communication design; co-ordinator, animation and new media, nid, talks to education times about the
programme. what is the usp of this programme? the programme will provide in depth knowledge and skills pertaining to
digital media design and content production. new media is going to play a pivotal role in bringing together traditionally
divergent media such as film and video, animation and graphic design. not only that, it is also going to create links between
industrial design and communication design when it focuses on user-interface etc. what is the criteria for the admission?
minimum requirements include design diploma or bachelor’s degree with proficiency in english language. they are required
to have at least one-year design or one-year multimedia work experience. also, industry may sponsor candidates. the
programme can accommodate eight students a year. how does the course content strike a balance between theoretical
and practical aspects? the programme comprises a balanced mix of theoretical and practical inputs. semesters are
structured to focus on content creation, structuring content, distributing content and finally bringing this learning together in
the form of projects. courses include digital image making, visual thinking, systems design, interface design, cognitive
psychology, research methods, web design, e-commerce etc. students actively participate in seminars that are highly
intensive sessions that combine elements of research, critical enquiry and analysis to emerge with strong propositions that
will shape the praxis of design for interactive media. the final year is spent in the industry. for the first six months students
work on ongoing projects at the firm working as a member of a team. they are exposed to the myriad aspects of developing
and administrating a multimedia product. for the last six months students undertake an independent project with the
company. what are the opportunities after completion of the course? as interactive media becomes the medium for
interaction from buying and selling to training, information and entertainment, the job definitions could be many. with the
completion of the course, students can look forward to rewarding careers as multimedia producers, web designers, game
designers etc. they may find jobs creating computer-based training programmes; stand alone data bases, kiosks or
cd-roms for education, entertainment or interactive satellite television. what is the remuneration? as a beginner one can
expect rs 25, 000. with experience, it can be anything upto a rs 1 lakh. during internship itself, a student start earns
between rs 10, 000 to rs 15,000.
