ABOUT SRISHTI
MANIPAL INSTITUTE OF
ART,DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY
Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology has pioneered transdisciplinary art and design learning for nearly three decades. We offer a unique practice-based approach that blends design thinking, problem-solving, project-oriented, and place-based learning with new digital technologies. Students collaborate and intern with a large variety of industries during their education, with art and design contexts in India and around the globe, with international companies, and within urban and rural localities to understand one’s role in improving the social conditions of life. With a faculty of distinguished professionals and academicians, an experimental curriculum, and an emphasis on critical thinking, Srishti is the place to be who you are.
POSTGRADUATE PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM
Courses offered under MDes
Design-Led Innovation
Design-Led Innovation
Design can drive innovation by making products, systems, and services more valuable for organisations and society alike, resulting in a sustainable advantage. The Postgraduate Program in Design Led Innovation aims to train innovators to apply their critical and creative thinking abilities to address a problem .
Human Centered Design
Human Centered Design
The Postgraduate Program in Human Centered Design at Srishti Manipal fosters an independent, responsible, creative, and focused inquiry into human (and sometimes non-human) experiences with digital technology, both existing and emerging. This inquiry is driven by the activity of speculative and critical making with the digital material. With the emphasis of being sensitive towards communities and environmental systems, students develop their own unique practice of human centered design
Industrial Arts & Industrial Design Practices
Industrial Arts & Industrial Design Practices
Our vision is to cultivate a community of dynamic, socially conscious designers who are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and mindset necessary to address the complex challenges we face today through thoughtful research, sustainable methodologies, and a commitment to positive change. This course envisions a future where industrial arts and design seamlessly blend with research, fostering a deep understanding of complex ecosystems. By emphasizing a holistic approach, we aim to empower our learners to become adept problem solvers, capable of navigating the intricacies of contemporary issues with creativity and resilience.
Information Arts & Information Design Practices
Information Arts & Information Design Practices
Information shapes how we live, connect, and make decisions. From social media to artificial intelligence, from ecological challenges to cultural change, our personal and collective lives are increasingly mediated by complex information systems. The two-year Postgraduate Program in Information Arts and Information Design Practices (IAIDP) at Srishti equips you with core principles of information architecture and design to navigate emerging personal, societal, cultural, political, and technological perspectives.
Courses offered under MA
Animation
Animation
Animation is a versatile medium of expression and communication that spans various media and contexts, from short films and art installations to infographics, education, and apps. At Srishti Manipal, we provide instruction in animation techniques, film language, storytelling, and research, guiding students to reach new levels of fluency and sophistication in their animation practice. Our program has opportunities for students to participate in transdisciplinary projects as well as to explore individual ideas and approaches in personal works.
Comics and Graphic Literature
Comics and Graphic Literature
The first of its kind in India, the MA Comics & Graphic Literature (CGL) program is oriented to the AVGC sector, which is Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics. Comics content can work across platforms and are often the material on which animation and gaming sectors are built. The program explores the medium of comics and graphic literature in their broadest sense. Given its nature as a transmedium, with its links to the most basic forms of mark-making as well as to technological forms like the cinema, students will engage in focused enquiry and understanding, with and through comics and other graphic literature forms.
Contemporary Art Practice
Contemporary Art Practice
The MA in Contemporary Art Practice (CAP) is the first program of its kind in India, which equips students with transdisciplinary skills and knowledge to engage in contemporary art, cultural production, and societal issues in the region and transnationally. The program fosters students’ artistic and humanistic sensibilities and builds practical expertise for careers in various arts and cultural organizations, including GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) institutions, as well as academia. The program promotes a global and historical context of art and encourages community engagement for social impact, emphasizing the relationship of the arts (including contemporary art) to technology and social justice.
Film Making
Film Making
At SMI, we see filmmaking as a creative practice that consciously engages with the ever-changing social, political, aesthetic and cultural contexts around us. The program will nurture both new technologies and new forms and will encourage the telling of stories that reflect upon the nature of society, linking the personal with the political and the particular with the universal. It is a space for self-driven students who are keen on pursuing a line of inquiry through their filmmaking practice and achieve newer levels of fluency and sophistication. The MA program provides a framework to support this.
Experience Design
Experience Design
Experience Design is a discipline that focuses on enhancing the human experience through digital material, without being limited to it. The course aims to create opportunities that enhance lived experiences using technologies as creators, facilitators and mediators. Students will be trained in conducting research, planning, and stakeholder engagement to develop fair, equitable and accessible design solutions. With a degree in Experience Design from Srishti Manipal, you can pursue a career in various fields, including product and service industries, design firms, and the non-profit sector, or pursue a PhD in a related area. The program provides a platform for developing a sensitive and reflective practice, equipping practitioners to critique the social, cultural, economic, and political facets that shape our experiences and futures.
Visual Communication
Visual Communication
The MA in Visual Communication program is designed to generate communication that is rooted in local traditions while maintaining social and cultural relevance. Through a combination of existing models of thinking and self-directed inquiry, students will develop the ability to engage in contextually meaningful communication solutions. The course places a strong emphasis on the comprehension and processing of visual information and encourages students to integrate the six key domains of communication design: aesthetic, functional, historical, symbolic, perceptual, and cultural. This approach helps you in developing visual literacy, visual thinking, visual perception, imaging, and representation for creating impactful branding strategies and other forms of creative communication material.
Courses offered under PGDP
Industrial Arts & Design Practices
Industrial Arts & Design Practices
The 1-year Post Graduate Diploma Program (PGDP) in Industrial Arts and Design Practices is an introduction to design and explores different kinds of practices in design, building on knowledge and skills that you bring in from your undergraduate studies. It acts as a bridge to the M.Des programs at Srishti and gives you a grounding on current thinking on design which goes beyond materials and media.
Information Arts & Information Design Practices
Information Arts & Information Design Practices
Information shapes how we live, connect, and make decisions. From social media to artificial intelligence, from ecological challenges to cultural change, our personal and collective lives are increasingly mediated by complex information systems. The one-year Postgraduate Diploma Program in Information Arts and Information Design Practices (IAIDP) at Srishti Manipal Institute is a bridge platform between UG and PG curricula, introducing the field to aspiring art and design practitioners.
COURSE HIGHLIGHTS
Transdisciplinary: Trnsdisciplinary curriculum encourages students to explore various fields of their interest.
Diverse Programs: Few design schools offer SMI’s range and variety of courses in fields ranging from visual communication, creative education, computing and product design to animation and film-making. This diversity allows students to find their niche.
Faculty: Faculty is a mix of leading academics and practitioners. That is why students are referred to as ‘aspiring practitioners’ and faculty as practitioners
Industry Connections: Strong ties with industry, provide students with internships, give them access to workshops by leading professionals and foster collaborations between industry leaders and students.
Facilities: Design studios, workshops, and labs support hands-on learning and experimentation
ADMISSION PROCESS
* with Evidence of Competence and Statement of Purpose
Srishti Manipal Entrance & Aptitude Test
www.srishtimanipalinstitute.in
Eligibility Criteria
2-YEAR PG Professional Program
Applicants should have successfully completed any ONE of the following minimum educational qualification:
NSQF Certification Level 8 in relevant industry sector
National and International Universities – 3 year
Undergraduate Degree + 1 year Postgraduate Diploma Program (PGDP) from a recognized University
National and International Universities – 4 year Undergraduate Degree
Professional Institute – 5 year Undergraduate Degree
Please note that all awarding bodies must be recognised by state and/or central government institutions. Attach two copies of relevant certificates.
2-YEAR PG Arts Program
Applicants should have successfully completed any ONE of the following minimum educational qualification:
NSQF Certification Level 8 in relevent industry sector
National and International Universities – 3 year Undergraduate Degree including 3 year Bachelor of Vocation (B.Voc.) degree
National and International Universities – 3 years Undergraduate Degree + 1 year
Postgraduate Diploma Program (PGDP) from a recognized University
National and International Universities – 4 years Undergraduate Degree Professional Institute – 5 years Undergraduate Degree
Please note that all awarding bodies must be recognised by state and/or central government institutions. Attach two copies of relevant certificates.
Experience Srishti in Motion
ALUMNI SPEAK
"Srishti for me was a deeply enriching experience. The curriculum is thoughtfully structured to allow learners to explore diverse subjects while building strong foundations in design and research. A strong focus on applying classroom learnings through hands-on projects and real-world contexts helped me grow with confidence. What truly sets Srishti apart is its considerate and inclusive environment, one that recognises it's people's needs and abilities, and actively supports students through them. The collaborative culture helps foster meaningful connections with like-minded peers, while approachable and invested faculty members provide mentorship that extends well beyond the classroom, creating relationships that last a lifetime. "
AJAY PUTHRAN
Course: Human Centred Design
Graduated in 2023
" At SMI, I sought to blend my passion for biology, chemistry, and ecological studies with design, and Srishti provided that opportunity. The course allowed me to explore connections across disciplines and develop holistic solutions through experimentation
I earned both my undergraduate and master's degrees in information arts and information design Practices (IAIDP). My undergraduate years focused on output, while my master’s emphasised research. This combination helped me grow as a researcher and practitioner. My journey at Srishti was enriching both personally and professionally. The emphasis on curiosity, critical inquiry, and iterative making has made me a better researcher, designer, and problem-solver, shaping how I face challenges in life and work"
LISHA THIMMAIAH
Course: Information Arts and Information Design Practices
Graduated in 2024
"When I look back at my time in the Design-Led Innovation program at Srishti, what stands out most are the mentors who shaped that journey — Dr. Girish Prabhu, Dr. Sanjukta Ghosh, and Dr. Naveen Bagalkot. I was fortunate not just to learn from them, but to work alongside them. The experiences, perspectives, and mindset I developed during that period continue to shape how I think, lead, and build today.
Over the years, I’ve come to believe that Creative Leadership — the ability to combine creative confidence, empathy, and cross-disciplinary collaboration in an interconnected world — is one of the most essential skills of our time. And that’s exactly what the DLI program nurtures. It builds leaders who don’t just create solutions — they create impact, with purpose."
ARVIND THAMPI
Current Role / Designation: Product Leader – Customer Growth & Head – Experience Design, Decathlon Sports India
Graduated in 2017
CORPORATE PARTNERS
Life at SMI
Achieve fitness goals
Get active with a variety of sports at MARENA, our modern and one of its kind indoor sports complex. Enjoy basketball, badminton, pickleball, squash, cricket, table tennis, and a modern gym equipped for all your fitness goals.
A Campus Full of Culture
Be part of a vibrant, multicultural community where diversity thrives and friendships grow across different backgrounds and traditions.
Exciting Events Year-Round
From TEDx talks and innovation hackathons to cultural fests like Rubaru and engaging sports meets, there's always something happening to spark your curiosity and enthusiasm.
Counselling & Support
Feel supported every step of the way with a dedicated team offering guidance for emotional well-being and academic progress.
Skill-Building Opportunities
Take part in hands-on workshops, skill training sessions, and certification programs designed to prepare you for success in your chosen path.
On-Campus Medical Care
Stay healthy with access to top-notch medical services through Manipal’s trusted healthcare network, available whenever you need it.
