Business, Design, Featured category

Creating problem-solvers

ISSUE: 137

Deeply committed to encouraging education and innovation, Hrridaysh Deshpande has been associated with the world of design in multiple capacities over the years

In conference with eminent design personalities

How, according to you, does design transform businesses?

HD: We live in times where innovation is highly valued and considered to be important. The real question is how do we make it happen, and the answer lies in design. Through design, we can spur innovation within a business and drive it in a structured manner. There are two parts to this question; one is what design can do for a business, and the other is what design can do within a business. What design can do for a business is to provide solutions to a problem that gets manifested in terms of artefacts such as products, graphics, etc. It can also provide problem reframing to the possible problems of the business, leading to better solutions. This is unique only to design and hence the design is integral to transforming a business.

With Pradyumna Vyas from National Institute of Design

Which have been the major milestones in your career?

HD: I feel content to have served in the education domain for more than 27 years, and been associated with design for more than 16 years. The milestones would be the several institutions that I helped establish, such as the City International Schools, design institutions, and Ajeenkya DY Patil University; and all the initiatives under the aegis of the India Design Council and Confederation of Indian Industry. 

Encouraging design aspirants and professionals across the globe

How did the COVID-19 pandemic change the design education system in India?

HD: During the pandemic, we were forced to adopt the online medium for instruction. In my opinion these changes are pretty much transient. They are against the human nature of people who need to be among others. At the same time, some of the learnings from that time will remain with us and enrich the education delivery system with more possibilities that we may not have otherwise considered. We will have to live with short lockdowns and amidst the confluence of digital and real at least for the immediate future.

Verifying the standards of quality in product design at the India Design Mark exhibition

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