The Making of a Communication Designer

In a young designer, hunger for knowledge and performance are vital. An understanding of why they have chosen design discipline, and why they wish to pursue it as a career option, is a rather important factor in gauging a candidate's potential. It provides an overview of their perspective, and approach, thus offering an insight into their temperament at a broader level.

In the current academic scenario, design education is often an option for school leaving students without superlative academic performance. Therefore, it's important to know how much they are genuinely invested in design as a study and vocation. The willingness to absorb and learn is often an offshoot of their hunger and drive.

In the current academic scenario, design education is often an option for school leaving students without superlative academic performance. Therefore, it's important to know how much they are genuinely invested in design as a study and vocation. The willingness to absorb and learn is often an offshoot of their hunger and drive.

Next, in line are drawing skills. Though computers are used for every design discipline today, the basic ability to express an idea via drawing is paramount. Skilled, communicative and disciplined use of sketching always leads to good, well thought out design solutions. The better we draw our ideas, the better we communicate with clients.

Good drawing always translates into a better-finished design solution.

One must remember this at all points of time – not only at the conceptual stage of a design process but as the work progresses through many phases.

An awareness of the socio-economic realities of our country and the rest of the world is desirable.

Understanding, sympathising and contextualising a design problem is essential for all designers pursuing any discipline. Without a good understanding of India or the world's socio-political-economical landscape, young designers can be at a loss when exploring solutions for a potential project. It's advocated that sociology and psychology should be part of design education.

On the same lines, it is not only an added advantage but to quite a large extent necessary and important, for a young designer to be interested in politics, books, films are it mainstream cinema, art films or absolutely anything under the sun.

Lastly, as a communication designer, it is very important to be communicative. Therefore, writing ability, debating ability and a great sense of humour is a must to survive in the studio.