Design Management
Design management is the effective deployment by line managers of the design resources available to an organization in the pursuance of its corporate objectives. It is therefore directly concerned with the organizational place of design, with the identification with specific design disciplines which are relevant to the resolution of key management issues, and with the training of managers to use design effectively.
——Peter Gorb
Overview
Design Management is a methodology on which companies work to make designs of products or services which sells in the market. Good design of a product attracts large customers irrespective of prices. Design management is a wide ranging procedure which affects business profit. It works as a buffer somewhere between management and design and acts as linking bridge between design, technology, design progress, brand management, corporate management, and marketing both as internal as well as external interface of the company.
The process of design management can be divided over three parts -
A. Operational Design Management
B. Tactical Design Management
C. Strategic Design Management
Design Management is an integral tool to keep products up to and above the customers’ expectations when compared to fellow competitors products, keeping in view the customers’ and companies’ interest. The type of design management applies in a company depends on the company size, company type, competitive interface and ownership.
Design Management is newly introduced discipline in academics. Design Management professionals are in high demand in industry. Considering the importance of design management and need of eligible human power in industry universities and institutes offers post graduate programs in Design Management. These programs lead to the award of Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Design Management and Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) in Design Management.
The MBA and other postgraduate diploma courses in design management focus on nurturing business managers who understand the value of good design and able to add value to the company and customers’ money. The design management professionals help designers and company owners in understanding the value of good design for the company.
The main areas where a design management professional gets job opportunities are:
* Information technology
* Textile industry
* Automobile industry
* Real estate
* Construction Companies etc.
Careers
Students with graduate degree in any stream viz, science, arts, commerce, engineering etc can pursue a post graduate course in design management. After successful completion of coursework Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree or Post Graduate Diploma is awarded. One may be appointed as-
- Team Leader
- Assistant Manager
- Product Manager
- Marketing Manager
- Sales Manager
- Brand Manager
- Corporate Manager, etc.
The pay and perk offered are comparatively high for design management professionals.
Who can become a Design Management Professional?
Anyone who has a degree in any stream can pursue a course in design management. At work front one should be clearly able to understand between good design versus bad design, and able to assist design engineers and other design workers. A design management professional should be able to add value to company and customer money through value edition in product designs. Career opportunities are vast for design management professionals.
Institutes
Following given the list of institutes offering courses in Design Management
International Institute of Fashion Design, INIFD - Andheri, Mumbai
- Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Design Management
Annamalai University
Department of Distance Education
- Master of Business Asministration (MBA) in Design Management
National Institute of Design (NID)
- Strategic Design Management (PGDPD)
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