India sets new quality benchmark for design

The campaign to foster awareness about good design set a new benchmark.

New Delhi: The campaign to foster awareness about good design in India set a new benchmark Friday with the unveiling of the I-Mark -- a quality tag -- by the India Design Council in the capital.The `I Mark` was unveiled by design icon Ritu Kumar, a senior member of the India Design Council, at the inauguration of the Japanese Good Design Exhibition at the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

The I-Mark, a stylised motif using the alphabets "I" and "M" has been designed by two young Pune-based designers. The leitmotif was chosen from 153 entries as part of a contest to design the logo. The Indian Design Council plans to confer the marking on certain products, services, objects and works that conform to the process and standards set by it to "define good in the concept of good design". "The objective of the I-Mark is to raise profile of Indian design, increase awareness of design to encourage students to study new design programmes. The award will also make entrepreneurs aware of ways in which design is integral to business planning," said Pradyumna Vyas, member-secretary of the India Design Council. "Since times immemorial, design and aesthetics have been vital to Indian mythology which has a dedicated god of design in Lord Visvakarma who built temples, palaces, temples and dams," said Vyas, who is also the director of the Ahmedabad-based National School of Design. "Companies and designers will have to apply for I-Mark for their products. A product which bears the mark will be an example of holistic product development combining quality, aesthetics, functionality, technological finesse, pragmatism and safety - the basic tenets of good design," Vyas told reporters. He said the India Design Council was striving to promote environmentally-compatible design processes in the industry. The council, formed in 2009, aims to thrash out a "comprehensive nation design policy and evolve intervention models for use of design in industry, in effective delivery mechanisms and in everyday life". Highlighting the essence of the design trend in the country, designer Ritu Kumar said, "Indian design has very organic roots". "India has its own design sensibilities that draws from tradition. The award will encourage a more objective assessment to design as of social and economic value applicable to today`s lifestyle," Kumar said. The I-Mark is the Indian equivalent of the Japanese G-Mark, the highest quality marking for industrial design in Japan, which leads the world in industrial design innovations, Vyas said. The three-day Japanese Good Design exhibition that opened at FICCI Friday showcases G-Mark products that includes the latest model of Yamaha motorcycle, Toyota and Nissan cars, portable architecture (homes) used as earthquake relief in disaster zones, interiors, accessories and electronic gizmos. "The simultaneous unveiling of the I-Mark and the opening of the Japanese Good Design exhibition is a great impetus and education for industrial design in the country," Vyas said. IANS