Design in India

I’ve been reading bout the indian market and the status of their design industry. Im just curious 'bout their standing.

What do you think 'bout the design industry in india?
Does india has the potential when it comes to design?

thanks.

I traveled to India last year asking the very same question and to meet some of my old friends. I think that there are Many India’s. The North with its Mogul influence and sophisticated elite is very different to the south which is generally appears more traditional in its outlook and rococo in its aesthetic framework.

India is changing rapidly with a vibrant middle class and youth relatively free from the shackles of over rated/outdated tradition and a bit disorient by the split personalities that call centers and globalization is causing.

India unlike south East Asia for better or for worse seems to have cultural confidence and a healthy/unhealthy disregard for what is happening outside – which is very much reflected in design. It shares with Europe the obsession with the past, but without the redeeming dynamics of modernism /postmodernism.

India is a vast spiritual and intellectual Disney land home to many religions and schools of thought. If it manages to bridge the old Asian and European disconnect between mind, hand and money – it certainly will be a great place for design.

India has had a long traditional background in terms of design values and culture… The modern design practices and the ancient way of doing design have been far apart and you will find in native or rural india craftsman designers who have had no formal design education following the traditional paths …
In the mix of Industrialised production and old cottage based industries there has been a total mix and you will find very contradictory concepts when you see it as an outsider.
The new designer fraternity is well versed in modern technology its use and a long history of creating specific products oriented to the indian Industry and indian consumer at large as this can be seen in some of the products normally not encounterd in the wesetrn or other cultures.

If you really go deeper in understanding the design ethos and multi disciplianry approach you could envy an indian designer vis a vis any other counterpart.

This group is very active and has over 1000 members. Many of the most prominent designers in India post regularly. By reading through the topics you can get a good sense of the Indian design industry, and an appreciation of their challenges.