October 29, 2010

How to make a portfolio shown at admission interview

After you receive a call for DAT (Design Aptitude Test) from a design school, it is advisable to start preparing visuals that you can show during the admission interview. Strictly speaking this cannot be called a ‘portfolio’ but for the sake of simplicity lets use this term for whatever material you will use to be shown at the time of interviews.

The aim of this portfolio will be showcase your best works. It should be made with an intention of conveying the interview panel that you have the inclination for the course you have applied for. Also, it will show your skill set which the design course will further hone. Keeping this in mind, the following tips are compiled for making such portfolio. These tips are based on my experiences and of my friends at NID, IDC and IISc.

1. Keep it simple. You are showcasing your skill set here and not selling the project to the potential customer. Focus your work on the skills rather than the product itself. For example, you have done a project of designing logo of a company, then you should explain why you chose a particular font, why that colour, etc. You may even want to show the ideas or the thumbnails you might have done. But don’t overdo it! Restrict yourself to about 10 thumbnails, 2-3 pre-finals, and a big final logo. This will prove to the panel that you have done design thinking!

2. Show your best work first. When you are compiling your work together, make it a point to arrange your initial pages at the beginning. This will give you good edge in the interview and you can focus more on your best and favorite.

3. 10-15 pages are best. Restrict your portfolio to about 10 to 15 pages. Don’t overburden the panel with too many pages. Also weed out your not-so-best work. If possible cover one project on one page. This automatically separates the projects and you can show one at a time.

4. Include a one-line introduction to each project. And restrict yourself to one line only! This should be the goal that executed this project for. For example it can be ‘Posters designed for paper presentation competition at our college’. Follow this up with visuals.

5. Label your figures and put captions to visuals. Just don’t assume that your visual is self explanatory. Well labeled figures explain a lot more. If it is a single part, like a innovative table fork, you may want to explain functions using labels, like ‘Wide handle for good grip’ or ‘Bend for ease of use’

6. Focus on the process and tools you used. You are showing this portfolio to the panel to present your skill set. Explain verbally what decisions you took at various points and how you executed it. For example, you can show a sketch of a pen stand. Then explain various functions and why you designed it so. Then you can show a rendering done in Photoshop, which will prove to the panel that you know Photoshop as well as have good visualization ability. This can be followed by a mockup made using aluminum sheet, which further showcases your skills.

7. Laptop can be used to present. With advent of new technologies like flash, you may want to take your laptop to the interview. Remember that it is your skill set that will count. So still keep it simple and easy to understand. Also, suppose you are good at sketching with pen and paper, it is strongly advised to show your work on paper.

8. Models, mockups and prototypes are welcome. Many times a finished product best shows your skills. This is especially true if you have a good skill at making models. Models maybe made of paper, clay, foam, etc. or you can even present a finished product. Like one of my friend had executed an innovative package for a bottle of eye-drops. It was already in production when he got the interview call. He presented the off-the-shelf product, and it was appreciated by the interview panel.

If you have absolutely nothing that can go in portfolio... This problem is faced by some candidates, but this is usually a myth. What all can go in your portfolio will be covered in the posts below, which is branch specific.

This are few of the tips that will help you make a good portfolio that maybe presented during your interview for M.Des course. It is not a exhaustive, so please comment and let me know your thoughts.


Related posts

How to prepare for CEED

Transportation and mobility design tips


183 comments:

smile and sunshine said...

thanks sir.. :)

Anbu said...

Great Job Friend
Now i got a good n clear about the portfolio...... :)
And also shall we focus our portfolio on the stream in which we wanna go M.Des like i wish to pursue Mobility n vehicle design or it should cover all design ability in general. Can u ask some of ur friends @ IDC mumbai who doing tat course n get me some details....Once again thank u so much for providing us useful n innovative informations :)

Arya said...

Hi,

Thanks Again..

Arya said...

Hi,
Prasanna..

Thanks Again.

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Nice to hear that :)
Feel free to add any specific comments

Aarya said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Aarya said...

Hi,
Prasanna,

I need some help about sketching preparation, I am facing difficulty to show...

1) Actual surface textures (i.e. materials like glass,steel,leather,plastics,etc..)

2) Reflection, Distortion.(Ex: a question was asked to show reflection of 'DESIGN' on a sphere)

3) Shadows and Lighting.

I am somehow able to sketch from object placed in front of me (with pencil), but for sketching from an imagination I need some theories and fundas regarding above problems...

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Aarya,
1. Actually the question about the textures is really covered much better at many places on the net like here. They are pretty intuitive and useful.

2. The questions about distortions etc. can be easily attempted using a grid method. All you need to do is draw a free hand grid and then visualize the shape in.Some introduction is given here

3. Same goes for shadows and lighting. If you are able to draw objects from real life or from photographs, this will come naturally.A nice tutorial is given here

I hope this helps :)
Best of luck.

Aarya said...

Thanks for the links.
I m ready to go deeper into the subject if you suggest to do so...

nag said...

hi prasanna.....
i am nagendra....i got my ceed result...but i got 47% with 1360 rank...can i get seat in any col...please replay me as soon as possible...

rajanicheruparambil said...

Thank for the tips Prasanna! The DAT is a few weeks away and your blog is a big help..thanks again!

jibonekipabona said...

Hi Prasanna,
I want to get into Animation and Game design. Can you give me some idea about how a portfolio fro that field should look like.
Thanks.

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Biswanil,
My expertise is in Product Design, hence i dont consider it appropriate to give you tips about making a portfolio for Animation and Game Design. Though I strongly believe that the tips compiled above will hold true for any entrance interview, given that you make changes accordingly. I will ask some of the people from the field to drop by a guest post.

jibonekipabona said...

That would be really great prasanna...
Thanks :)

Sur said...

Hello Prasanna
First of all I salute you for the help you are providing to the CEED aspirants.

Well, I had applied for CEED and NID this year.I am qualified for NID in both disciplines i.e Lifestyle accessory design and product design.My main motto was CEED but I am not qualified for that.so I wanna ask that should I go for NID?

Nitin Ramesh said...

Hi...i just got to know about the CEED exam. . n still a final year student in b.tech. . .i've been workin on this siftware CATIA which is used for design n i was thinkin about clearing this exam. . is it going to help me with the "part design" or "surface design" cause m good in both of them. . i dont sketch but m really good in designing stuff from this software.. .not as good as you for sure so can please guide me on how to prepare cause m really confused. ..i really want a career in design. . .please help

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Nitin,
Your skills in CATIA may not help you directly for CEED, but since you are using 3D software, your visualization will be intuitive. For example, imagine how a product would look on CATIA screen and try to render it on paper. And of course, you can use your skills in CATIA while making portfolio. This is how I had also began. After my BTech, before appearing for CEED, I was a trainee in Force Motors (Bajaj Tempo) and used CATIA for body design. This exposure helped me a lot in CEED preparation. Because of visualizing in CATIA, you can never go wrong in perspective.
Here is what I suggest you. Make a 3D model on CATIA. Take some simple product like bottle, stapler, comb, etc. Now orient it nicely in CATIA, take pencil and paper, and try to sketch it as you see it. It will help you a lot in improving your sketching and visualization both.
Try it and tell how it feels.
Take care

Allan said...

what is basically the part A(Screening test) and part B in CEED 2012?

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi Allan,
IIT-B site states here that Part A and B both are compulsory, yet Part A is screening. I am not sure about it, but it could mean that Part B of the paper will be evaluated only for those students whose Part A qualifies for minimum score.

Bineeth Narayan said...

Hello friend...
I have applied for CEED 2012..i just started with sketching now..and am not bad in sketching now.What all the areas to be concentrated for CEED entrance?

Bineeth Narayan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Bineeth,
I have listed some basic areas here

Priyanka said...

Hey Hii Prasanna ,
thanks for ur guidance.

i had clear my CEED exam 2011 with 80.42 percentile and 478 AIR . after that applied for IDC and IIT Kanpur . But in IDC , i need to send 3 Designs with my application.
I didn't get any call neither from IDC nor form IIT Kanpur.

Again i applied for CEED 2012. Want your guidance for those 3 Design that we have to send with our Application .
and tips for filling form as there is many question in application form related to designs .

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Priyanka,
I wish you all the best for getting selected to your dream institute this time.
I am really sorry but i cannot help you with filling the forms, since i never applied to IDC or IIT-K design course, therefore i am not sufficiently knowledgeable about it.
Best of luck

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Masood,
I dont have CEED 2012 paper as of now. I am waiting for IIT-B to upload it on their website here : http://www.gate.iitb.ac.in/2k12/ceed/
You will find a few tips about making a portfolio for admissionhere
Your selection depends on the skill you have put in your pencil sketches. I cannot comment on it without seeing how you have drawn and what thinking you have put into it.
Best of luck

Chetan Yadav said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

First of all... Thanks sir for wrote this helpful post. I am sure it will help me to the NID interview for entering in NID.
I got only 44.8 percentage in 12th class and i gave NID entrance too... Tell me, i am applicable with the above percentage.
My e-mail: vishal.hacker111@gmail.com
Reply ASAP

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Vishal,
I am really sorry, but my knowledge is limited to answer your question. Why dont you look up on the relevant web-link?

Chetan Yadav said...

hello sir
could you please tell me the best of pencils available..for sketching and rendering..any favourite brand of yours? and what are prismacolor or prismatic pencils?, I read about them somewhere used for pencil rendering. you had mentioned in this blog to draw on large(A2) sheet, my problem is I can't express my cars on size larger than half of A4 :( Would that be a problem...?

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Chetan,
Prismacolor pencils are absolutely the best pencils that you can ever use!! But i feel they are just too expensive and are not easily available everywhere. I personally prefer to use Faber-castell; triangular ones for shading and a pack of 24 color pencils for colors. There are pics on this link
I had recommended A2 sheet for loosening up before you actually begin sketching. Its absolutely true that sketching anything like cars will be terrible on such a large scale! You can use whatever you are comfortable with, I just write stuff for guidance based on personal experiences, so it might not always work for everyone :)

Chetan Yadav said...

:) thanks sir that was helpful..i'll buy one set :)

ABHISHEK VERMA said...

hi prasanna,
your blog helped me a lot. actually i have been called for written and interview for animation design by iit bombay.can you please tell me what type of preparation i should have for animation designing(as they are taking each and every exam seperately). awaiting for your response.
thanks

Siddhesh Keluskar said...

Hey Prasanna
Thanks a lot for being such a Samaritan and helping out guys like me who know not much about the CEED or the DAT. I jus cleared the CEED and have got a call for DAT and i found ur site while hunting for some tips on portfolio design. Wish i had found this site before the CEED and i am sure i'd have scored better. Hope to learn a lot more from ur blog....
Thanks a lot once again. Really appreciate it.

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Verm@ti$@ns,
congratulations on getting a call from IDC.
I have posted a new entry here
Plz let me know if i missed out anything

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Dear Siddhesh ,
I am glad you liked the blog :)
Actually, its not just a CEED admission blog. I often write my opinions here, and it would be nice if you can contribute to the debate, especially if you dont agree :)

Enjoy reading :)

Chetan Yadav said...

sir
due to time constraint I am not able to bring out my work on fair A4sheet( though i do make some fair ones), i start with white page of notebook or the opposite side of pamphlets from newspaper( hehe)(this means they are of different sizes) just to get the idea what I will draw in fair..but the problem is those rough ideation sketches turn out to be really good! what i wanted to ask is can i compile those sketches which are on pamphlets and all with fair ones in portfolio :)
(btw i am expecting a no!)

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Chetan,
If your sketches are really very good then why are you bothering about the paper on which you drew them? :)
Your portfolio conveys how good your skills at sketching are (and how poor your skills in selecting paper)
I don’t see it as a problem presenting what you drew as it is, but just as a suggestion you can scan your sketches and make them feel better and uniform in photoshop or GIMP. This way, no one will find out what you used for drawing and you can present your entire portfolio in one single PDF or printed file.
What do you think?

ABHISHEK VERMA said...

Hi Prasanna,
Thanks a lot for featuring the animation blog for the aspirants like us, it is of great help.As i am going to face DAT next week itself, i wanted to know that what sort of preparation i should have concerning the DAT(i mean to say any homework to be done ). In the earlier post you said the conceptual frame work is more more important than the execution, and according to the section of developing of the portfolio posted by you has many things related to execution. I am in a stage where i have some very few works related to execution. i have sketches, storyboard and one small animation movie(30 sec) made in white board marker with about 600 frames(if possible can please review it-http://www.coroflot.com/vermatisans/videos). And in that section i have only done storyboard part and sketches, story was of some one else.I have made several small movies for my college but they are 10 minutes long, i cant show them i think so. so how to manage that particular 15 minutes of interview can you help in this part.
please please reply.
thank you so much.

thanks and regards,
abhisek verma

Chetan Yadav said...

yeah sir, i do this for my small sketches..i capture them and then use SketchbookPro to draw them again with the help of layers, but you know what..its kind of really difficult to use mouse over a path( the way I want it to move)..:( wih i had a wacom too ...hehe

thank you again :)

ABHISHEK VERMA said...

Hi Prasanna,
Please reply, it's important to us.
thank you.

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Abhishek,
Sorry for the late reply. Though I wish to be a full time blogger, I have to give priority to my company work. The maximum delay in my replies is a day.
I don’t think there is much you can prepare for DAT as the pattern varies quite a lot. You can read a few tips here I went through your animation and its worth presenting in the portfolio. I don’t recommend putting anything more than 3 minutes long in portfolio, as you have a limited time during interview and it wont do justice to rest of your work.
Best of luck :)

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Chetan,
I feel tablets sometimes are a waste of money. You can get pretty decent curves using pen tool in photoshop. I often use it to trace out and smoothen lines in my work. Maybe you can give it a shot

ABHISHEK VERMA said...

Thank you so much Prasanna. The blog you started is of great help.
Thank you again.

ABHISHEK VERMA said...

Hi Prasanna,
One more query concerning the portfolio.
As you have mentioned that we can show our presentation in laptop(flash mentioned), but to be true i don't know how to make presentation in flash. Can i use microsoft power point in making such.Suppose i am including 5 art works , 2 digitally designed posters and a video.How can i proceed through. OR we can show it one by one placing all the contents in a folder.
kindly help.

thanks and regards,
abhishek verma

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Abhishek,
You can show the video on laptop or tablet or even your cell phone :)

Its not strictly necessary to use laptop. Presenting your work in decent format is much more important. I recommend presenting the sketches as they are, without scanning or altering them. Use whatever means you are convenient with. For example,during my recruitment interviews i have a printed copy. And i still dont own a laptop.
I have made my portfolio in powerpoint too. You can see it here Doesn't it have that typical powerpoint look to it? :)

Unknown said...

Sir, Which type of work i used in Portfolio for NID?

Unknown said...

Sir, Which type of work i placed in my Portfolio? UG

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Vishal,
Though NID entrance process is not really covered in this blog, I believe that the above tips apply well to most of the portfolios. You can include whatever material you believe, will increase the chances of getting admission to the courses. This includes sketches, models, graphics, etc.

ABHISHEK VERMA said...

Hi Prasanna,
Thank you so much, i got selected in IDC in ANIMATION FILM DESIGN.
A great initiative by you , that you started this BLOG. please tell me how can i contribute to your blog.
THANKS AGAIN.

Amit Mazumder said...

Hi Prasanna

first of all many thanks for your all your informations regarding CEED as, it really helped me in getting an AIR -76 in CEED.I have a question ,I applied for M-des in IISc,I want to know if there is any specialisation in Interaction Design in the overall product desiging course in IISc .And also How to prepare for the DAT exam .Thanks a lot.

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Congratulations Abhishek!!
i am really happy that you got selected in IDC!! Hey, since you made it, do you mind writing a guest post on this blog? your name and details will be published along with it :)

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Amit,
Thanks a lot for all the nice things you said!!
The Design Aptitude Test (DAT) carried out at IISc and IITs is a basic test that can be said to be a mixture of GATE and CEED questions. Like there r questions like, to find out current in a branch of simple electric circuit, or deflection of beam, which is common study in first year of many courses. Also there are some simple CAT-like aptitude questions like, fill the 5th number in series, etc.
Best of luck!

ABHISHEK VERMA said...

Hi Prasanna,
Kindly guide me how to do that , i have no problem in doing such.

Thanks.

best regards,
Abhishek verma

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Abhishek,
Just write your post in a Word document, and mail it to me, along with a short description of yourself and a pic that you would like others to see. For reference here is a guest post by Vikram. Yours would look similar :)

Amit Mazumder said...

Hi Prasanna

Thanks a lot for your quick reply.I now have a picture of DAT and can start preparing for that .Your blog has been my only guidance for the preparation.I just have one question , Can I do any specialization in Interactional Design or User Interface design in the overall course of product design.? Thanks again for your help .

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Dear Amit,
You cant do a "specialization" as it is, since you are already being specialized in Product Design. However during your course, you can choose the relevant courses and build up a skill set, through some self study, so that you will build a career in interaction design. Moreover, such companies do not visit IISc campus, so you might be slightly disadvantaged in campus placements too.
Still, if you are inclined towards it, you can build your career in that direction, as PD is a general course
Best of luck :)

parveen kaswan said...

hello sir,,,
i got AIR 191 in GATE(AE)... got call letter from iisc.. for DAT and Interview..
i have done my b.tech in aerospace... iam not so good in drawing etc... but good in technical stuff..belongs to OBC-NC
can you plz tell me how many seats are there fro M.des in IISC..
I have done my major project in Design of rocket nozzle... but this is pure technical and i used CATIA, MATLAB, And CFD analysis in this project... should i take my Project report with me,,, bcz i dont have any portfolio etc...
how should i prepare for DAT,,,plz help me sir

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Praveen,
Congratulation on receiving a call from IISc.
Did you go through the course content? If you haven’t I suggest you to go through it here
This way, if you see, sketching and creativity is all the course is about.
I don’t really know exact number of seats this year, but I guess they will be around 20
You can carry your project report, but I am not sure how helpful that will be
For portfolio, I suggest you can put together few sketches, if you don’t have them, you can sketch a few now
This will help you in DAT as well as during your interviews
If you have anymore doubts plz feel free to ask

Anshu Singh said...

hi..........
thanks a lot sir for ur gr8 hlp.
i will keep in mind ur tips... once again thanks for solving my problem!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anshu Singh said...

hi..........
thanks a lot sir for ur gr8 hlp.
i will keep in mind ur tips... once again thanks for solving my problem!!!!!!!!!!!!

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Anshu,
You are welcome :)

Unknown said...

hi prasanna, I have been following yr blog from quite some time now. It is extremely helpful. I am intersted in interaction design, I would like to know what kind of projects do i need to do now itself so that i could use them for the portfolio. Or should i just think about doing projects after the CEED exam. The time one usally gets after the exam is limited and i feel one cant really make a portfolio in 1.5 months time.

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Shivani,
Thanks for following my blog. I feel encouraged to write more :)
I feel that you should include making of your portfolio as apart of practice for CEED. For doing this, you can sketch interfaces of mobile phones, or new interactive toys. This way, you will have some material for presenting in portfolio and would have practice for CEED too. After CEED exam, you can just spend time refining your work or to complete it to make it more appealing. For example, you can make a working model of your interactive toy that you might have sketched while preparing for CEED.
Hope this helps you.
You can send across your practice work and later, portfolio on my email, if you want me to review your work
Best of luck

Vallari D. Suru said...

HI Prasanna,

This is Vallari. I am finding your blog very helpful and my thoughts about CEED are getting much clear.
I wish to pursue M.Des in Animation.
It would be great if you can guide me on what to focus on for CEED and what is essential for Animation Portfolio.
Also, can you upload previous years solved papers for guidance?

Awaitng your reply.

Thanks and Regards,
Vallari D. Suru

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Vallari,
Thanks for the nice compliments :)
I have a post on animation portfolio. you can see it here

Karan said...

Hi...thank u so mch fr this blog...
im in my 3rd yr mechanical engineering, planning for vehicle and mobility design at idc...
I also wanna take up my 4th yr project at idc
Can u help me with some examples as to what topics i should consider for the project..

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Karan,
I am not aware if you can carry out your final year project at IDC.
If you want to purely make an automotive design projects the topics are very broad. I am giving you a few examples in my opinion
- Design of a comfortable automotive steering wheel
- Design of 3 wheeler for urban commutation as a substitute for cars
- Improving design of a car, say, TATA Nano
- multiple reconfigurable modular seats
- a vehicle that converts from goods transport vehicle to a passenger vehicle, maybe by folding down the seats
You can think about more

Enjoy :)

Karan said...

Thank u so much...:)
i sure am gonna do some research about it myself..
Abt doing the final year project...maybe a letter of recommendation from my hod would help...
i visited this link but i still need to make up my mind for it http://www.idc.iitb.ac.in/admissions/external-students.htm

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Karan,
Thanks for the useful link.
I am sure that you can think about more automotive projects on the similar lines as i had written in my previous comment. Hope you make it though.
Best of luck :)

TRIVIKRAM said...

hello Prasanna,
preparing my portfolio now, this post of ur blog is very helpful in DAT & portfolio preparations.thankq for that...
the 2nd last paragraph of ur post says 'What all can go in your portfolio will be covered in the next post.' can u pls give link of the 'next post'

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Vikram,
I did not put what all can go into your portfolio, because i realized that for each course the portfolio will be largely different. The details are covered for Automotive design and Animation in separate posts. I have updated the links below the post
Thanks for pointing out :)

TRIVIKRAM said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
TRIVIKRAM said...

Prasanna, can u pls throw some light on making a portfolio for User-Interface,i am making a interface for a e-mail, similar to g-mail, should i use 'sketches' of the interface that i've designed using paper and pencil or should i make a simple layout of my design using MS-Paint or Photoshop and then take a print-out of it???

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Vikram,

An ideal Interface Design portfolio, in my opinion, might contain the following samples:
1. A couple of web pages, either for clients or for practice
2. Some 'skin' for an application, like maybe an calculator program
3. Interface for an gadget. Maybe a washing machine, or an MP3 player
4. Some kind of game that kids can play. And a study of what they will learn through interactions
5. An innovative application for iPhone, with touch interaction

When you are presenting your work, i feel that you should show the sketches of the design and then the final output done using a good software. The hand drawn concepts will show the panel you ability to be innovative, and your final output will show your software skills.

Since you already brought up the interface for email... i have a couple of thoughts
* How about making the emails in boxes instead of plain boring lines?
* you can add some dynamism by showing the mails in a manner presented on PicLens

Meanwhile you can also go through Surbhi's work, who got into IID, NID-B

Best of luck

!\!@P$TER said...

Hello prasanna,
would you please look into my blog which contains
2D & 3D animation, graphics nd photography works.
i have split my portfolio into 4 different blogs. i needs ur valuable suggestions to improve. i am planning to take up CEED this year. professionally i am a civil engineer and animator.

http://onlyburningdesire.blogspot.in/

Ganesh.S

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi !\!@P$TER,

I liked your blog. Its pretty nicely put around, esp sketches of weapons.
I feel you have dont pretty nice work, and your sketching skills are really good. CEED is all about time management, and some GK is needed too. Mastering these aspects will give you good opportunities :)

I just wanted to know the intention of your blog. If you have put it for public display, then i recommend you to use a better site like coroflot.com or behance.com Blogger is good enough only for text based stuff.

!\!@P$TER said...

thank you sir!
yes, my works are for public display.
i will check out sites of your recommendation.

these sketches took lot of time, i am worried about time management during exam. help me.
what level of finish do they expect in CEED exam w.r.t sketches?
how better can i organize my work for interview round?

aniket patole said...

Hi prasanna!
This whole blog of yours is amazing way to help students like me when there is so less or no information available about this post-CEED, dat exam and interview. I am a BE Mechanical pass out and i have qualified through CEED 2013. My all India rank is 78 and i have received call from IDC for DAT and Interview. As a non design background student, i don't have a portfolio or stuff like that. Now i am totally lost what to do. There are some concepts for various products in my mind but don't have any photoshop or illustrator skills. I have some sketches of those products. But most of my work is not regarding product design but sketches of people and other stuff. I really need some help regarding how to prepare portfolio and how to prepare for DAT. Is it okay to add these sketches of mine in skills section? Is my last year engineering project, which was a new machine and new mechanism, my concept off course, allowed to add to portfolio?
As you have said many times, i'll try and hone my basic engineering skills and general aptitude test. But what should i do for portfolio?

Thanks in advance!

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello aniket,
I feel, i can reply you better in chat over facebook or gmail
Can you plz send me a request, over the same?

aniket patole said...

Thank you very much sir!

Aditya said...

Hello sir, I have been following your blog for very long time,its really great the effort you are putting for indian designing society . sir I have qualified for the product design and animation discipline in NID, and studio test and interviews are on 8th and 11th of april. I haven't joined any coaching or anything so little guideless about the portfolio and interview part.Sir I am sending you the links of some of the my works like sketching,painting and animation movie.please guide me the way to present it to them,and one more question about the conversation language in interview it it ok with hindi because explaining in hindi would be lot easier for me.
thnks a lot Sir.
your guidance is very important for me.


http://aditya-yaduwanshi.daportfolio.com/gallery/347523#7

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NtRKn1N4ws&feature=youtu.be

Arshad said...

Hello Prasanna,
Is it better to file my freehand pencil sketches directly into the portfolio as it is? Or is it necessary to scan them all to make a pdf/ powerpoint portfolio? In addition, I have some design concepts, logo designs, layouts, posters, t shirt designs done in photoshop/sketchbook designer/illustrator/solidworks etc..and of course photographs taken by me.. what type of portfolio would you prefer for me? A printed one or a digital format (ppt/pdf) ? I've read that you mentioned in your blog to produce the original sketches if have any. Kindly help me on this..

Thanks in advance..!!

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi Arshad,
As a rule of thumb, carry all your sketches made on paper as they are. No need to scan them, while you can take print outs of your digital work, to keep all the portfolio in a common folder. Also, i recommend that have only one to 2 projects per sheet, dont clutter your pages. It becomes hard for the committee to evaluate your work, if its cluttered. If you want, you can mail the portfolio to me. I can comment on it. Also, plz do mention for which branch you are making this portfolio for.
Best of luck

Arshad said...

Thank you prasanna..!! I shall try to mail you my portfolio once i put up all my works together. Thanks a lot for sparing your time..!!

Unknown said...

Hi Prasanna,

I am Pradyut, I am called for MDes interview by IITG. I am working on my portfolio. I do not have much idea about the aptitude test and interview. Can you say something about how these usually goes. And also about the apparel that I should wear, since it is not a job interview can I go in casuals.

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Pradyut ,

The Design Aptitude Test (DAT) carried out at IISc and IITs is a basic test that can be said to be a mixture of GATE and CEED questions. Like there are questions like, to find out current in a branch of simple electric circuit, or deflection of beam, which is common study in first year of many courses. Also there are some simple CAT-like aptitude questions like, fill the 5th number in series, etc.

I recommend you to wear formals for the interviews. They convey a meaning of professionalism and that you are taking interview seriously and with sincerity. Hence the interview panel will also treat you accordingly.

Unknown said...

Thank You for the quick reply, can I connect to you in facebook so that you can guide me little with my portfolio.

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Sure

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

hi prasana,
i have to print my portfolio, which should be best among A4,A3 and A2.

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi Pradyut,
While designing the portfolio, i believe that you must have chosen the paper size...
Anyway, A4 is most suitable if you want to carry it around conveniently, but if there are too many details in your work, they wont be seen on A4. A3 is good if you want to present all the details on a single page, but A3, in its folder is unwieldy. A2 is the worse choice in my opinion.
Also, i suggest you to buy a "portfolio folder" or a good file to put your work into, instead of spiral binding it. The advantage of file is, during and after your MDes you can simply add and remove pages.
All the best :)
Tell me how it goes

Unknown said...

Thank you very much.

Tanya mittal said...

Hy
I juss wanna ask dat
hm kch bhi bna skte hai kya... well im gud in interior nly... n dress designing

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi Tanya,
Actually its true! You can make anything and show it as a part of your portfolio. Just make sure that you manage to convince the faculty that you have sufficient design sense for the seat.

By the way, i feel, if you are good in fashion and interior design, you can really show a wonderful portfolio on fashion related accessories like watches, belts, purses, etc. as a part of product design portfolio :)

Tanya mittal said...

Thnku so muchhhhhh....... n 1 mr thing... nid me bst field kon si h.... actualy im confused...

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi Tanya,
All the courses offered at NID and at IITs are the best in the country. Its just upto you what interests you the most. After all, you dont want to end up doing the thing you hate for rest of your life right?

I think, based on your comment above, that Lifestyle Accessory Design, Apparel Design and Merchandising or Textile Design, might suite you better.

I can help you make a nice portfolio, if you need assistance

All the best :)

Tanya mittal said...

Thnkuuuu. Sooo mch.... for the help... I really need...

Unknown said...

i am somen , i am from fine art , i want to get chance in IDC or NID in animation . so how type work< water colour, pencil & pen sketches , cartun type figur drowing, story board drowing any portrait>?, will show for portfolio? in details plz help me.

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

hi Somen,
I think showing only watercolor or fine arts stuff wont really work. You should have some messge like, encourage literacy, prevent AIDS, or some other message in your work. Then only its a designer's creation. Otherwise it will be just fine arts.

Abhijit Chirde said...

Hi Prasanna,
Great job done with this blog! Kudos!
I have given CEED-14 and waiting for results. I would like to apply for Visual Communication and Industrial Design (Preference would be VC). It would be great if you suggest some stuff expected in DAT and interview, and also in what way should I approach for making my portfolio.
Thanks. :)

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi Abhijit,
Your question needs a detailed answer.
Can you drop me an email on pg2005.pg@gmail.com?
Take care :)

Nicoh said...

hi Prasanna,
I qualified CEED 2014 with rank 1502. Will I get col from any college n moreover I am graduate in Fashion designing, and m interested in product designing. In my college days I used to work with products also as my interest. The task is little more difficult for me as I am from diff background. I would be grateful to you if you guide me and can tell me how to make my portfolio.
thanks

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Dear Nicoh
Lets be realistic, and assume that you have fairly slim chance in getting through
Yet, if you dont apply there wont be any chance either
So i suggest that you apply to any IIT you are eligible
Best of luck

Nicoh said...

thank you

Nicoh said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Vivek Kulkarni. said...

Hello Prasanna...
we wud like it if we can have a look at a portfolio made for CEED admission. just as an example.

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi Vivek,
You can go through the success stories on the right hand side of this page. There you can see samples of portfolio made by the candidates who made it to IITs and NIDs :)

Designaspirant said...

Hello. I am Amit. I am a B.Tech graduate in CSE and interested in going for Visual Communication or Interaction Design. I am going to appear in CEED 2015. As I am not much into drawing/sketching, I am thinking of joining a course on graphics/web design which will hone my graphics skills and should make me competent for appearing CEED. So as I will learn and sketch through out the course, can I include my work there to my portfolio if I am called for interview or will I have to show something I have done prior to doing the certificate course? What should I tell if they ask me about the reason of doing the certificate course? Please tell..

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Dear Designaspirant
I am sure you will learn something useful from the course you are attending!
Besides that, in your portfolio, you can include anything right till the date of the interview! so dont worry
you can tell them that you are passionate about design, therefore you did an certificate course :)
All the best!

Unknown said...

Hi,

I have started a blog www.debaratirakshit.blogspot.in
I am setting up myself with new challenges and DIY (Do-It-Yourself) projects.
The whole idea is to be engaged in something creative continiously; be it writing (yes, you can include that too in your portfolio), painting, doodling, photography or any other kind of comple creative projects. Beacuse trying to solve questions everyday become monotonous. It is a more natural way of letting our creative juices get their exercise (and a strong step towards building our skills and portfolio).

We can also collaborate in different projects.

Not: Don't say you do not have time. I work in a Big 4 Consulting Firm. Its about our priorities.

Lets get started! :D

www.debaratirakshit.blogspot.in

Unknown said...

hi prasanna sir,
i came across ur blog 2 days ago when i ws searching information about ceed preparation for DAT and interview. I really liked everything put up here. i read the stories of success stories in single night as i wanted to knw how they dealt with interview and the written test. prasanna sir I have cleared CEED with a good rank but the biggest problem i m facing nw is which department to opt for.....I am a textile graduate from NIFT chennai and hav basic knowledge is in textile stuff only.......i know design software and good at doodling but m drawing is not that great.....sir please advice me for which stream to choose n how to prepare for that
thanks....hope to hear from you soon.

Unknown said...

Hello sir, Sujay here. Done btech Mech, now wanting to get into strategic design mgmt course of nid, M good at sketching but so far done general nature drawings n similar. Can Dat be added to portfolio? If not what else can?

Thnx

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Sujay,
For SDM course, not only sketches, but system level sketches are needed. For example, you may want to simplify the process of getting issued a new licence for your car. For this, you must draw the complete system. Another example is that you want to promote tourism in your state. For this not only you need graphic designers to make publicity materials, but also people who will finance your campaign. So such entire process is needed for SDM.

You can write to me for details of the points above :)

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Chhaya
Somhow i missed your comment :(
I hope you have managed to choose which branch to apply for... and perhaps even appeared for IITB interviews as well!
Let me know if you need anything else

Unknown said...

hi prasanna!!!
dat and interview on 23rd...........any last minute tip???
thank you!!

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi Digvijay,
There is just one last minute tip...
If you get time, prepare the logic behind all what you are presenting in the portfolio. Questions such as "Why did you choose this font?" and "what is the significance of the colour you have used?" are common. So prepare likewise :)
All the best!

Unknown said...

thank you prasanna sir for all the help you gave ............i am very grate ful to you...thank you!!
sir my profile has following contents please tell me what you think?...where can i improve?..how should i present??
1) rough sketch of a "robowar" robot---{which we participiated in IIT Bombay techfest.}
2) 3D catia drawings of same robot.+ pics of actual assembled robot.
3)a sketch of an mini-project which i undertook in 2nd sem.........a concept of traveling mobile charger
4)my BE major project is in carbon fibre composites.........so as part of it we had to do Ni coating on carbon fibre.......i have been doing drawing for application of such coated fibes in different products....{speciality of these fibres is that they are extremly light weight and very strong}.....i plan to also carry some coated samples during interview. what do u think???
5) i had done t-shirt design for my college club......i was thinking to show that even.....but it is plain on white paper design........no photoshop etc.....
and 1 very imp concern is "i am very poor in drawing"....in fact i can hardly draw a good apple!!!!:( ....dose it matter in interview/ test....what should i do since only 2 days left......please help!!

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Digvijay,
1. It will be better if you can include videos or photographs of the robot you made for robowar
2. CATIA drawing/model may not be that useful, since the photograph would show the finish product anyway
3.Can you make a model of the mini-charger? it will be better than the sketch
4. I feel, if the coated fibers or the machine is your design, you can carry photo/model of the same, if not, you can think of some use for these fibers and make a design with it, such as, using these fibers in place of a wire rope in lifts to reduce weight and improve reliability
5. You can carry the t-shirt design

You dont need to have good drawing, but you should be able to convey your ideas through sketches. Thats all it matters. You can practice sketching for two days :)
All the best

Unknown said...

HEY Prasanna........!!!
my interview was nice...
in interview the HOD asked me from where did i get the info about dept"(the CPDM)?
so i mentioned your blog.....just as i said "Prasanna"....the other teacher in pannel exclaimed"who?? GADAKARI???"...and i said "yes yes sir"...
then pannel teachers exchanged looks and said "oh so he is doing good service hu!!" :)
overall amazing experience of test and interview!!
thanks for all inputs!!

Chetan Yadav said...

arre wah! prasanna sir! It's been 6yrs since you graduated :D maza aa gaya aapki taarif sunke :) Mark my words, one day you'll be even more famous for doing good job :)...maybe somewhere on web or tv or TEDtalk delivering motivational speech to a much larger audience than that of TeaCup's! Cheers :)

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi Digvijay,
Good to hear that the interview went well :)
Hope that you get selected!
Hahaha, funny that they still remember me :P

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi Chetan,
nice thought :D
I dont wish for fame, but wish that more and more people would get into design and we live in a better world :)
cheers!

Ishan Subodh said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ishan Subodh said...

Hi Prasanna
Can we apply in more than one college for same course, say for Industrial Design in both IDC and IIT Delhi?

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi Ishan,
There is no ceontralized procedure after CEED, so you have to apply colleges on your own and you can apply to as many courses in as many colleges as you want. Therefore, you can apply to ID course both at IDC and IITD

Vasu Agarwal said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Vasu Agarwal said...

Hi!
Really appreciate the help provided in this blog. I will be appearing for CEED and NID this year. I'll apply for intrraction design. (Btech Mechatronics and no portfolio as of yet). It would be great if you can help me with some pointers regarding what goes into the portfolio of an interaction designer. I did check IxD folios on Behance and Issuu, btw. Thanks in advance :)

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi Vasu,
A typical interaction design portfolio will contain a through proces of what problem was solved, how user research was done, how the requirements were derived and finally how the design plans to be implemented.
For showing this, typical projects can be
- Website redeisgn of some exsiting website or a completely new website design
- Design of computer programs like a program to help students plan their studies
- Design of mobile phone applications
You can present concept sketches, wireframes, detailed illustrations, though working prototype is prefered, its not mandatory to show it your portfolio.
I also recommend you to go through tips shared by some former students like Anjana

Vasu Agarwal said...

Thanks Prasanna! I will get started on this immediately! Anjana's story is so well constructed. It's very insightful :)

Unknown said...

Hi Prasanna.
You are helping a lot with this blog. I'll be taking the CEED 2017 in Industrial/mobility and vehicle design(Btech Mechanical). I dont have any portfolio or relevant work till now. Kindly help with some suggestions on the things that I should work upon w.r.t the portfolio and preparation. My sketching skills are below average but I have decent knowledge of CATIA.

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi Swarnab ,
I feel that you should utilize this one years time for honing your skills in sketching so that you will score good rank in CEED. After CEED, in month f Dec, you will have plenty of time to put forth a amazing portfolio for the interviews held in March. In this portfolio, you can include works done of vehicle interiors and exteriors, concepts of vehicle which solve some basic problems like a car which is easy to park, some concepts of 2 wheeler and trucks... and execute this using different media like hand sketching, markers, watercolours, CATIA, etc. The more variety, the more the chances of selection :)
All the best

Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan said...

can u please show a sample of portfolio work

Rajat saini said...

thank u sir for incredible information
im in b.tech final year & want to give CEED 2017 .i have attented a workshop organized by SIAM group ( honda , tata , maruti & etc. ) in which i lenrnt about vehicle interrious and exteriors . but they told us that if we use rhino or autodesk alias for portfoliyo design it is easy and best software. but i don,t have a knowledge in both . still i,m good in solid works and little bit in catia . so pls tell me sir about i make some design in solid works it will good or not . and give example of product

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello,
The interview panels at IITs and NIDs look for your ability to communicate your design effectively and clearly. For exploration of concept, hand sketching is quick and easy way to capture your ideas on paper, while softwares like Rhino and Alias are useful for detailing out the design once you decide on the concept. Hand sketching and sotware go hand in hand. Its good to have a variety in your portfolio. A good designer is able to generate nice concepts using hand sketching and then detail them out. If you want more guidance, we can discuss this over email.

All the best :)

pkd.dapacific said...

How to prepare for the studio test for Information Design and Game Design for NID?

Also, I need suggestions about what to include in my portfolio for the above mentioned courses.

Thank you.

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi PRASANTA,
I believe that each designer has his or her skill set, so its hard to tell just waht to include in your portfolio without knowing your passions and skills. I can tell you better over email where you can show me your work and we can discuss how best to present it :)
All the best

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Unknown said...

Hi Prasanna,
I am V S Sastry, from Ahmedabad.Firstly thanks a lot for such an excellent blog & your responses.My son Aditya has cleared the Nid entrance & will appear for Studio test & interview on 17/05/16.He is good at doodling.He has prepared some 15 designs for his portfolio in A 3 size.Will it be advisable to include one sketch each from different branches like product, animation, textile etc in the portfolio ?

Unknown said...

My email id is vs.sastry67@gmail.com

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi VENKATESH ,
I assume that you are refering to NID UG entrance exam. I have limited knowledge about this really speaking, since i help people for PG. The number of sketches or their kind does not really matter. What matters is what problem are you solving, how valid is your solution, how much thought you have put in it and how well you presented your solution :)
All the best to Aditya.

Meta-Mind said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Meta-Mind said...

Hi,

I am Devansh Soni. I am a self learner Graphic designer working professionally after my Mechanical graduation. I want to for M Design in abroad in USA,Europe, Canada.
I am very much tensed to preparing my portfolio for graphic design and also want to show multiple skills from sketches, products, furniture, branding, graphics, posters many things.
Can you help me to build my solid portfolio to get into best design schools? I have limitations of hand sketching skills which needs to be improved.
Thank you.

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi Devansh ,
To be frank with you, I do not have much idea doing M.Des abroad. Having said that, I still dont feel its a good idea to focus on too many branches at the same time. You have a limited time. You can make best use of it by focusing all of it on one or two branches you are good at. From your background you can build a nice portfolio including one great work of branding, logo design, poster and branding. Show the complete process with hand sketches. You can practice hand sketching skills by just doing it till you find yourself with reasonably good sketches :)
All the best

Unknown said...

Hello sir i m aviral nd i have decided to give the entrance test for ceed nd nid can you suggest me the way i shud strt for preparing as i do not have desigining background .thankyou

Meta-Mind said...

thank you prasanna.

Basically, i want to master in design specialisation graphic design but also want to show some concept based work of (product, furniture) just to add into diversity of applying design into multiple stream.
I want to majorly focusing on hand made & digital posters, branding, logo design, UI/UX stuff.
I want to show 2D/3D, hand made work.
Prasanna what you think regarding building quality portfolio without any portfolio management studio?

I met one design studio they said; 50-80k for preparing portfolio for top design schools including foundation of design.
Do you think it worth it? because they said; you have show great work to get into it.
As my background is Mechanical engineering so bit scared whether i can get an admission or not.

I have done some branding projects, packaging graphics, art work, one UI/UX concept.

Below are my work links; please rate my work and let me know whether it may fit to get into best school?
https://www.behance.net/gallery/21436817/AlVee-Branding
https://www.behance.net/gallery/21402729/SUVEG-Branding-and-Packaging
https://www.behance.net/gallery/21369779/ACON-Branding-and-Packaging
https://www.behance.net/aerodevansh

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi,
I still feel that that would dilute the focus of your portfolio. Still, if you want, you can include all this.
I do not know about portfolio management studio or what it does, but i feel it is enough to build your works to best of your skills and upload them on Behance

I don't recommend going to design studio to make a portfolio because i feel its unethical and does not showcase your best skills, but rather shapes your portfolio as the design studio.

Your current portfolio looks decent enough. If you populate more on similar lines, you will surely have a professional looking portfolio shortly :)

Meta-Mind said...

thank you, prasanna.

As I have said; I am focusing on graphics/communication design for masters and i have opened up my self and opportunity for applying for product design that is the only reason i have included that; but with your insight i felt that; what you are saying is logical.It may probably give them two thoughts of my stream selection.

But in some design schools asking for handmade or physical stuff in portfolio so i use mix media like photography with graphic design on physical prints.

Will it be consider as physical stuff? or I have to make some stuff like what NID is asking in studio test?

As I have said; I have started preparing for foundation of drawing & sketching but I didn't see improvement or any guide to rate my work and as I can see there is tough competition in design school to get into it. So I have to add some work samples of hand drawing or sketching for proving my hand skill.

Do you suggest me to have foundation course of drawing? For getting into M Design what kind of hand sketching and drawing ability is required. I have very limited time on hand where have to clear IELTS/TOEFL/GRE with documentation, & ofcourse portfolio.

Sathya Anbajagane said...

Hi Prasanna,
Thanks for this blog to help out people in design field. My daughter is in the 10th grade and wants to pursue animation as her career. She is already enrolled in an after school class for the past year to learn graphic designing and animation and loves the classes. She loves to pencil sketch japanese anime characters and shading them. She also has a flair to make decorative paper gift boxes and pop up cards. She is not much into painting. What should she be doing with regards to building portfolio or NID exam prep?

She wants to move onto cambride A level curriculum for her high school as a private candidate so she can do art/design oriented courses instead of mainstream. I am more worried about finding a creative tutor to help her. Is there any place I can approach for such help?

Sorry for the long mail. Please do let me know your thoughts. Thanks a ton.

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi Devansh,
I think that prints are not considered as physical/handmade stuffs
You should have a look at Vasundhara's works which were highly appriciated at IITB
http://teacupblog.blogspot.in/2014/04/success-story-of-vasundhara-agrawal.html
These are what the panel considers as physical artefacts.

To improve your sketching skill, I suggest you to study videos of Scott Robertson and Spencer Nugent on YouTube. They will help you a great deal :) During the interview, if you just show them sketches, they wont appreciate it, but they are looking for sketches that show some solution to some problems. Perhaps, sketches for a logo design or poster design would make a good impact than some random sketches. This wont take too much time, since you are focusing on only sketching concepts for that logo and not improving overall sketching skill.

All the best :)

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi Sathya,
The most important skill for any animator is to express emotions and movement using sketches. Japanese manga have a set way to show this, Disney and Pixar have their own ways of doing this as well. Perhaps, she should undertake a self study on how expressions are represented, how characters are built and how the story follows. Studying daily comic strips would help a great deal.
I dont know about finding creative tutor, but I feel that creative thinking can be developed through study and implementing it in your own designs.
All the best

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Hi prasanna, thank you for writing this blog.It is proving to be of great help :-). However you have only mentioned about animation, transportation and mobility design portfolio.I would like to know the same about product design portfolio.I wish to apply at PG level.
Thank you in advance :-).

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi Shweta,
Following are few of my ideas about product design portfolio
1. sketches showing ideas of new products like a watch for kids, or a urban three wheeler
2. mock-ups showing form of say, much user friendly headphones, a comfortable chair design
3. A prototype made from wire or modelling clay, like a mobile phone holder or a wallet
4. sketches for new technology like a microwave using touch screen
You can focus more on sketches of ideas, about 10 sketches, and can include 2 - 3 models and at least one prototype to showcase your versatile skills :)
All the bestt :)

Unknown said...

Ok cool👍. Will start working on it.
I am graduate in mechanical engineering and for my final year project i designed a cost effective 3D scanner, since the scanners currently available are very costly to be afforded by majority of common people. But the problem is i don't have its prototype available with me,so will the thesis report (or black book as we commonly call it) serve as a suitable option to be added in the portfolio?

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi Shweta,
You really dont need the project prototype, though the interview panel would grant you more credit if you show them photos and explain the working and USP of your design. If you cant procure the photographs then detailed sketches or CAD models would be needed. I guess, these would be covered in your project report, so you can show it to the panel.
All the best

Unknown said...

Thanks again :-).
What type of questions will be asked in part A of the test and how to prepare for them?

Unknown said...

Thanks again :-).
What type of questions will be asked in part A of the test and how to prepare for them?

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi Shweta,
To know the kind of questions asked in Part A, go to IITB site, download old CEED papers and stud them. On studying them, make a list of topics that are covered and make a schedule to cover them. Study each topic as deeply as possible within the given time. If you want, mail me this list, i can review the list of topics you have made and suggest you changes if any.
All the best :)

Unknown said...

Thanks a lot :-)

Unknown said...
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bipasha_star said...

Hi prasanna,
i'm preparing for nid 2017. this will be my second attempt. i have given the exam once and didnt clear because my drawing skills were weak. please let me know on how to improve it. the last time we had to create comic-like drawings and i couldnt present it well. pls help.

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Here is a great tip if you can sketch from a reference, such as a picture or a live object, but find it difficult to imagine and sketch. First step is pick a reference object, say a photo of a tea cup. Next, copy that cup as it is. Now comes the tricky part: Sketch a saucer to this cup without using reference. If you dont suceed at first dont worry. With some practice you will manage well. Further, to this same cup try to draw a different handle. Make some additions on your own. Using this technique, in no time you will be drawing sketches from memory :)

Unknown said...

Hi Prasanna,

I am preparing for NID -2017, Masters in interaction design. I would like to know what kind of questions come for interaction design in part B of the DAT. Also, I would like to know if the studio is general for all the streams or is it specific to the stream I am taking and how should I be preparing for it?

Thank you!

bipasha_star said...

thank you so much :)
also can one go for an interior designing after completing b.design?

Narender Reddy Andem said...

Hi prasanna sir,

I am Narender from B.tech(mechanical)
how to prepare for ceed?
how to make portfolio for product design?

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

I am avinash.I completed my btech in chemical engineering.I am planning to write CEED exam.but even if I qualify,I cannot reach the level of portfolios you presented above.so what do I do?

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hi Avinash
If you clear CEED you will anyway have sufficient skills to make a nice portfolio, so dont worry about portfolio right now and just focus on CEED prep :)

Unknown said...

Is having a btech degree in chemical engineering a disadvantage during interview?

Unknown said...

Hi prasanna sir,
I m Arushi.can you plz tell me is it beneficial to have portfolio for NIFT m.des personal interview as they have not asked for it ?

Unknown said...

Hi prasanna sir,
I m Arushi.can you plz tell me is it beneficial to have portfolio for NIFT m.des personal interview as they have not asked for it ?

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Arushi ,
Though not asked, its difficult for the panel to judge your design skills without a portfolio, so please do carry one :)

Unknown said...

Dear sir, i have call for phd in design,please guide me to prepare for good portfolio..
i have done b.tech in Aeronautical Engineering.

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Gautam,
As far as i know, you dont really need a portfolio for PhD admission. This, I believe, is because PhD tests your research abilities more than ability to design. Still, which branch and institute you applying to?

Unknown said...

SIR,
I HAVE GOT A CALL FROM IITB FOR M.DES IN ANIMATION DESIGN. I AM DOING MY B.TECH IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING. I HAVE DONE SOME SKETCHES AS PART OF ARTS PROGRAMMES AND NOT ANYTHING IN VIEW OF CREATING A PORTFOLIO. CAN U SUGGEST ME WHAT TO INCLUDE IN MY PORTFOLIO? IS THERE ANYTHING TO BE WRITTEN ON IT BASED ON THE SKETCHES TO BE INCLUDED? SHOULD I INCLUDE A CV IN MY PORTFOLIO?

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello sanker,
Can you please write to me on the email given under my profile picture? I can guide you personally in better way. CV is nowhere needed in your portfolio.

Saurabh Bende said...
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Saurabh Bende said...
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Saurabh Bende said...

Hello Prasanna Sir, first of all thank you so much for creating such a helpful blog specially for such exams where the study material is difficult to find.I'm currently doing B Tech and have applied for product design, can you tell on what should I emphasize more to include in my portfolio?

Prasanna Gadkari (M.Des in Product Design from I.I.Sc. ) said...

Hello Saurabh,

For product design portfolio,
- You should have a portfolio with some product sketches. Best is learn from sketch-a-day site. It is fast style and easy to learn :)
- A few models (about 3 - 4). Make models from variety of materials and make them of your own designs, which you might have sketched.
- Some photographs of your previous works. For example, if you have designed some poster or t-shirt for college fest, then photograph it and put it
- You can make simple models like table lamp, pen drive, etc. These models are working models, so will carry weightage over non-working ones

Unknown said...

Hello sir
I'm a production engineering student(in final year) and want to appear for ceed in 2021. I'm also preparing for GATE, so can you give me any advice regarding ceed preparation? I'm currently studying n practicing sketching.
Also, in the portfolio, can CATIA models be included instead of handmade sketches?
And thank you very much for this blog. It is a great help!

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