“Styles come and go. Good design is a language, not a style.” - Massimo Vignelli

Students of VCSB display their work from Typography Studio.

Vision

Design is key to our economic growth and cultural evolution. A designer’s role involves both individual ingenuity as well as collaborative creativity. Designers can no longer function in isolation since today design is not just a creative and thoughtful activity but also a collaborative venture. In the Visual Communication and Strategic Branding course at the Srishti Manipal Institute, we also focus on educating our students to become engaged and socially aware professionals who become agents of change, engaged in activism and advocacy in the context of business, society, or environment.

This course is designed to address communication and marketing needs of variety of industry clusters across new as well as traditional mediums, materials, and platforms. Learning fundamental skills, design processes and conceptual thinking takes precedence over learning to use computer applications and software. Gaining wider historical and contextual perspectives, strategies and solutions, proficiency in communication and presentation skills, decoding and making meaningful forms and executing these forms and messages using various media are some of the objectives of this course.

We locate ourselves at the meeting point of business necessity and artistic value, where Integrity and personal expression of art meets the purposefulness of commerce supported by a genuine insight into people and the way they feel.

VCSB students’ work during Social Communication Studio.

Core Values

VCSB 2nd year students work on multi-lingual poster design.

Course Structure

The curriculum comprises of different ways of learning as follows:

1. Foundation introduces students to basic principles and tools of Art, Design and Technology as methods, tools and processes. Read more >>
2. Disciplinary Studios are learning spaces where students develop core disciplinary capabilities, while navigating a trans-disciplinary environment
3. General Studies is a common and compulsory programme of study that integrates Humanities, Sciences, Maths, business and finance. Development and Policy Studies and also offers Languages (Spanish, French and German) Read more >>
4. Interim is an immersive introduction to practice in new and emerging areas of art and design and environmental exposure
5. Electives are of three kinds - this program allows students to expand their skills, develop the interests as well as provide opportunities for travel exchange
6. Internship/Apprenticeship is compulsory work experience done over the summer-break between the 6th and 7th semester
7. Project based learning involves the application and synthesis of capabilities acquired. Two projects, pre-thesis and thesis, is culmination of the 4-year undergraduate program, which allows for demonstration of an integration of values, positions, capabilities and practice. Read more >>

Work done during Branding and Identity Studio by Veetrag.

Learning Approach

The Visual communication & Strategic Branding course crosses a wide range of disciplines such as Branding, Publication Design, Photography, Social Communication, Illustration, User Interface Design, Information Design and Experience Design. This cross-fertilization provides a coherent conceptual base and insights that can work effectively to address rapidly changing global and local contexts.

Inputs from user-centric design and strategic design such as qualitative and quantitative research methods and various brand models will enable students to apply their learning in the context of visual communication and branding. Engagements with Typography, Font Design and Calligraphy will enable students to apply their learning in the context of print, publishing and marketing communication. Immersion in principles of interaction and interface design and information design will empower students to become familiar with digital medium and interactive platforms.

The curriculum approaches visual communication & strategic branding through theoretical frameworks combined with applied learning. This method not only informs and enhances the practice but also encourages students to question the norms and scale traditional boundaries.

Capability Sets

Upon successful completion of this course graduates will have developed the following capabilities:

• Be empathetic to users and stakeholders within larger contexts where the work is situated including environments, cultures, markets and societies. 
• Understanding historical theory, contexts and finding roots to base work upon.
• Articulate in Visual Language using form, shape, color, composition, typography with acute attention to detail.
• Ability to think and work using metaphors, signs and symbols to enhance meaning and communication.
• Understand inherent nature of variety of printed and electronic media and use them effectively.
• Engaging in research with an inquiring mind, and methodical analysis to identify needs, generate insights and propose solutions.
• Develop critical thinking, problem solving ability, organising ability, to gain contextual perspectives.
• Develop lateral thinking ability to approach the unknown, crossing boundaries, and engage in multi-disciplinary ways.
• Work Collaboratively in Participative design, to learn from others and engage in joint creative effort.
• Demonstrate reflective & balanced practice while drawing upon personal experiences, values and theories to improve skills, approaches and knowledge.

Work done during Branding and Identity Studio by Veetrag.

Students’ work during History & Identity Studio.

Opportunities

The above capability sets equip and prepare the student for a wide range of career opportunities with:

• Graphic Design Studios: As designer in a graphic design studio, start-ups, small and medium-size professional branding and marketing companies involved in a wide range of projects from conceptualization to execution.
• Designer in R&D Department of Corporations: Work as a designer and research associate to enhance company’s products, services, work on documentation, presentations, and marketing material for the company’s new initiatives.
• UX/UI Design: Junior to mid-level user interface and interaction designer in the creative department of an IT firm, to contribute at various stages of the creative or coding process.
• Advertising Firms: Junior to mid-level designer in the creative department of an advertising firm, to contribute at various stages of the creative process.
• Visual Communication Studios: As designer working on multiple aspects of visual communication in a variety of contexts; retail, exhibition, packaging, environmental graphics, digital interfaces and emerging overlaps with other disciplines.
• Publishing Houses: Content creation combined with image making and/or illustration, with a knowledge of publication design enables graduates to craft narratives and books different kinds of market.
• Independent Practice: As a contemporary visual designer, entrepreneur, and design consultant.
• Innovation Centres: As a design thinker, information designer and visual communicator.
• NGOs: Work in various NGO sectors from education to environment to increase awareness and inform social / political issues, Help in marketing and funding endeavours.

People

Enquiries

Disciplinary Intersections

The course is informed by the following learning disciplines:

Research and Collaboration

The focus areas in Visual Communication and Strategic Branding offers opportunities to connect with artists and designers from a range of research and practice labs and centres based at Srishti Manipal. These include:

Studio work showcasing Historical Research.

FAQs