School of Design Innovation

Nestled within Mahindra University, the School of Design Innovation (SDI) is set to shape the future of design education, ushering in a paradigm shift from traditional design to design innovation.

Beginnings
Our journey began over a decade ago through a collaboration with École Centrale, where design thinking and media studies courses were introduced as compulsory courses into engineering education.
Design Thinking
The emphasis is on teaching Design Thinking for innovation, which is a confluence of understanding the needs of people, creative ideation, technology adoption, crafting solutions and deployment. Design Thinking is all pervasive, providing solutions in disciplines such as the arts, social sciences, law, health, engineering, business, and others.
An Interdisciplinary Hub
As an interdisciplinary hub, SDI seamlessly integrates with multiple schools across the university, like Management, Entrepreneurship, Engineering, etc. fostering a holistic learning ecosystem.
Team-work & Collaborations
Mahindra University promotes teamwork among students from various fields to tackle real-world challenges. The humanities help in understanding people’s needs, while the School of Design Innovation drives creativity through design thinking. The entrepreneurship program focuses on testing and validating ideas, and the engineering department assists in building prototypes. Together, all these departments collaborate to find effective solutions to problems.

Design Innovation Paradigm
Design Innovation finds innovative solutions to consumer needs, explores contemporary technologies, and create new businesses or solve problems in current industries. It germinates from a deep commitment to serve people for both physical and psychological needs
Idea to Impact
SDI design methodology follows the Innovation by Design paradigm, where design thinking exists in a continuous, reciprocal loop like a Möbius strip- ensuring that the process and the outcomes are seamlessly interconnected and continuously refined.
Well Equipped Labs & Studios
The university has well equipped labs and studios with trained staff to nurture and guide students through these learning components, which spread across disciplines, leading to Innovation.
Experienced Design Faculty
The School of Design Innovation will be mentored by the best design brains from across the world. This pursuit of design excellence is bolstered by a partnership with the Pininfarina Design Academy in Torino, Italy and Shenoy Innovation Studio IDC IITB. The School of Design Innovation offers an immersive learning experience with expert-led online and offline lectures, one-on-one mentoring, and teamwork-driven projects. Enriched with field visits, cross-cultural art, and design boot camps, the program prepares students for real-world impact.

Mission

The School of Design Innovation at Mahindra University is dedicated to nurturing designers to create impactful, human-centred solutions keeping in mind the local cultural practices and systems. The School’s focus is to encourage entrepreneurship and sustainability, to drive innovation that works for people, deliver real-world benefits, and inspires future-ready designers. The school’s endeavour is to create innovative leaders who will shape industries, communities, and economies for a better world.

Vision

The School of Design Innovation at Mahindra University envisions a world where designers drive meaningful change. They solve real-world problems and create transformative solutions. SDI aims to nurture designers who not only understand people but also develop impactful products and services that address societal and industrial challenges. The goal of the School is to foster and groom such young minds to be the future-focused innovative leaders.

Interaction Design

Communication Design

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Industrial Design

Present State/Challenges:

Industrial design is evolving with a strong focus on sustainability, user-centric innovation, and material efficiency. Challenges include overproduction, environmental impact, and the need for circular economy practices.

Product Design
Involves designing consumer products, from electronics and household items to furniture and appliances, focusing on usability, aesthetics, and manufacturability.
Furniture Design
Specializes in designing functional and aesthetically pleasing furniture for residential, commercial, and public spaces.
Exhibition Design
Involves designing displays and fixtures for exhibitions, trade shows, museums, and retail spaces to enhance the presentation and interaction of products or artifacts.
Lighting Design
Focuses on designing lighting products and systems that provide effective illumination while also considering aesthetics, energy efficiency, and user comfort.
Sustainable Design
Emphasizes on designing products with a focus on environmental sustainability, including using eco-friendly materials, energy-efficient processes, and promoting product longevity and recyclability.

Future Direction:

The future of industrial design lies in biodegradable materials, AI-driven optimization, and modular product design. Human-centred innovation, powered by IoT and smart manufacturing, will create adaptable, sustainable, and personalized products.

Transportation Design

Centers on designing mobility solution such as cars, motorcycles, bicycles, trains, water transport and air transport, emphasizing both function and style, as well as a systems design approach
Packaging Design
Focuses on creating packaging solutions that are not only visually appealing but also functional, sustainable, and protective of the contents.
Medical Device Design
Specializes in designing medical and healthcare products, ensuring they are user-friendly, safe, and effective for both patients and healthcare providers.
Toy and Game Design
Involves creating toys and games that are not only entertaining but also safe, educational, and suitable for their intended age group.
Ergonomic Design
Specializes in designing products that optimize human well-being and overall system performance, ensuring that products are comfortable, efficient, and safe to use.

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Apparel Design

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Interaction Design

Present State/Challenges:

Interaction design struggles with balancing usability, inclusivity, and the ethical use of AI-driven interfaces. Many experiences lack true personalization and emotional intelligence.

User Interface (UI) Design
Designing intuitive digital interfaces and user flows.
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
Researching how people interact with digital and physical systems.
Game Design and Games Studies
Coding, development, design, study, level design, character creation of games.
Service Design & Systems Thinking
Mapping user journeys and designing holistic service ecosystems.
Automotive & Transportation UX
Human-cantered interfaces for vehicles and mobility solutions.

Future Direction:

The future of interaction design will focus on adaptive, AI-enhanced user experiences, gesture-based interfaces, and neuro design (using brain-computer interfaces for seamless interactions). Ethical and human-centred AI will ensure technology serves people intuitively and inclusively.

User Experience (UX)
Designing intuitive, inclusive, and seamless user experiences.
Extended Reality (XR) Design
Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR) experiences.
Wearable & Smart Device Interaction
Designing interactions for smartwatches, fitness trackers, and AR glasses.
Accessibility & Inclusive Design
Designing for diverse abilities, neurodivergence, and universal usability.

Communication Design

Present State/Challenges:

Communication design faces challenges in information overload, digital saturation, and shrinking attention spans. Designers must create content that is both visually compelling and easily digestible.

Graphic Design
Focuses on visual content creation for print and digital media, including logos, brochures, posters, and websites.
Motion Graphics Design
Involves creating animated visual content for use in videos, presentations, websites, and other digital platforms.
Advertising Design
Focuses on creating visual content for advertisements across various media, including print, digital, and outdoor advertising.
Information Design
Specializes in presenting complex data and information in a clear and understandable manner, often through infographics, charts, and diagrams.
Animation Design
Create compelling visual stories by mastering principles of motion, character development, and industry-standard digital tools.

Future Direction:

The future of communication design will be shaped by AI-generated content, immersive storytelling (AR/VR), and personalized, data-driven visual communication. Ethical design, accessibility, and inclusivity will play key roles in shaping the next era of media and branding.

Branding and Identity Design
Involves creating a cohesive visual and thematic identity for businesses or products, including logos, colour schemes, and overall brand guidelines.
VFX
Create realistic or stylized imagery by integrating computer-generated elements with live-action footage, covering skills such as compositing, 3D animation, tracking, and simulation techniques.
Illustration
Involves creating original artwork for use in books, magazines, advertisements, and digital media to visually convey messages or stories.
Film and Video Design
Courses and subjects in Film and Video Design by design schools typically cover storytelling, cinematography, scriptwriting, editing, sound design, motion graphics, visual effects (VFX), animation, and media production.
Social Media design
Understanding new digital tools and its application in social media.

Industrial Design

Present State/Challenges:

Industrial design is evolving with a strong focus on sustainability, user-centric innovation, and material efficiency. Challenges include overproduction, environmental impact, and the need for circular economy practices.

Product Design
Involves designing consumer products, from electronics and household items to furniture and appliances, focusing on usability, aesthetics, and manufacturability.
Furniture Design
Specializes in designing functional and aesthetically pleasing furniture for residential, commercial, and public spaces.
Exhibition Design
Involves designing displays and fixtures for exhibitions, trade shows, museums, and retail spaces to enhance the presentation and interaction of products or artifacts.
Lighting Design
Focuses on designing lighting products and systems that provide effective illumination while also considering aesthetics, energy efficiency, and user comfort.
Sustainable Design
Emphasizes on designing products with a focus on environmental sustainability, including using eco-friendly materials, energy-efficient processes, and promoting product longevity and recyclability.

Future Direction:

The future of industrial design lies in biodegradable materials, AI-driven optimization, and modular product design. Human-centred innovation, powered by IoT and smart manufacturing, will create adaptable, sustainable, and personalized products.

Transportation Design

Centers on designing mobility solution such as cars, motorcycles, bicycles, trains, water transport and air transport, emphasizing both function and style, as well as a systems design approach
Packaging Design
Focuses on creating packaging solutions that are not only visually appealing but also functional, sustainable, and protective of the contents.
Medical Device Design
Specializes in designing medical and healthcare products, ensuring they are user-friendly, safe, and effective for both patients and healthcare providers.
Toy and Game Design
Involves creating toys and games that are not only entertaining but also safe, educational, and suitable for their intended age group.
Ergonomic Design
Specializes in designing products that optimize human well-being and overall system performance, ensuring that products are comfortable, efficient, and safe to use.

Apparel Design

Present State/Challenges:

The apparel industry faces challenges in sustainability, fast fashion waste, and ethical production, as rapid consumer demand pressures brands to compromise on environmental and social responsibility.

Fashion & Textile Design
Garment and fabric innovation, aesthetics, and creative expression.
Digital & Smart Wearables
AI-driven fashion, 3D designs, and technology-integrated clothing.
Sportswear & Functional Apparel
Performance-driven clothing for athletics, workwear, and extreme environments.
Fashion Business & Branding
Retail, merchandising, marketing, and entrepreneurship in apparel.
Adaptive & Inclusive Design
Clothing for diverse body types, disabilities, and gender-neutral fashion.

Future Direction:

The future of apparel design is moving towards circular fashion, where AI-driven customization, biodegradable materials, and 3D-printed garments will redefine sustainability, reducing waste and promoting ethical production.

Pattern Making & Garment Construction
Technical skills for translating designs into wearable products.
Sustainable & Circular Fashion
Eco-friendly materials, zero-waste design, and ethical production.
Luxury, Couture & Ethnic Wear
High-end craftsmanship, traditional textiles, and cultural fashion.
Trend Forecasting & Consumer Behaviour
Predicting future trends using data, AI, and market insights.
Costume & Experimental Fashion
Film, theatre, avant-garde, and conceptual fashion exploration.

Interaction Design

Present State/Challenges:

Interaction design struggles with balancing usability, inclusivity, and the ethical use of AI-driven interfaces. Many experiences lack true personalization and emotional intelligence.

Future Direction:

The future of interaction design will focus on adaptive, AI-enhanced user experiences, gesture-based interfaces, and neuro design (using brain-computer interfaces for seamless interactions). Ethical and human-centred AI will ensure technology serves people intuitively and inclusively.

User Interface (UI) Design
Designing intuitive digital interfaces and user flows.
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
Researching how people interact with digital and physical systems.
Game Design and Games Studies
Coding, development, design, study, level design, character creation of games.
Service Design & Systems Thinking
Mapping user journeys and designing holistic service ecosystems.
Automotive & Transportation UX
Human-cantered interfaces for vehicles and mobility solutions.

User Experience (UX)
Designing intuitive, inclusive, and seamless user experiences.
Extended Reality (XR) Design
Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR) experiences.
Wearable & Smart Device Interaction
Designing interactions for smartwatches, fitness trackers, and AR glasses.
Accessibility & Inclusive Design
Designing for diverse abilities, neurodivergence, and universal usability.

Communication Design

Present State/Challenges:

Communication design faces challenges in information overload, digital saturation, and shrinking attention spans. Designers must create content that is both visually compelling and easily digestible.

Future Direction:

The future of communication design will be shaped by AI-generated content, immersive storytelling (AR/VR), and personalized, data-driven visual communication. Ethical design, accessibility, and inclusivity will play key roles in shaping the next era of media and branding.

Graphic Design
Focuses on visual content creation for print and digital media, including logos, brochures, posters, and websites.
Motion Graphics Design
Involves creating animated visual content for use in videos, presentations, websites, and other digital platforms.
Advertising Design
Focuses on creating visual content for advertisements across various media, including print, digital, and outdoor advertising.
Information Design
Specializes in presenting complex data and information in a clear and understandable manner, often through infographics, charts, and diagrams.
Animation Design
Create compelling visual stories by mastering principles of motion, character development, and industry-standard digital tools.

Branding and Identity Design
Involves creating a cohesive visual and thematic identity for businesses or products, including logos, colour schemes, and overall brand guidelines.
VFX
Create realistic or stylized imagery by integrating computer-generated elements with live-action footage, covering skills such as compositing, 3D animation, tracking, and simulation techniques.
Illustration
Involves creating original artwork for use in books, magazines, advertisements, and digital media to visually convey messages or stories.
Film and Video Design
Courses and subjects in Film and Video Design by design schools typically cover storytelling, cinematography, scriptwriting, editing, sound design, motion graphics, visual effects (VFX), animation, and media production.
Social Media design
Understanding new digital tools and its application in social media.

Industrial Design

Present State/Challenges:

Industrial design is evolving with a strong focus on sustainability, user-centric innovation, and material efficiency. Challenges include overproduction, environmental impact, and the need for circular economy practices.

Future Direction:

The future of industrial design lies in biodegradable materials, AI-driven optimization, and modular product design. Human-centred innovation, powered by IoT and smart manufacturing, will create adaptable, sustainable, and personalized products.

Product Design
Involves designing consumer products, from electronics and household items to furniture and appliances, focusing on usability, aesthetics, and manufacturability.
Furniture Design
Specializes in designing functional and aesthetically pleasing furniture for residential, commercial, and public spaces.
Exhibition Design
Involves designing displays and fixtures for exhibitions, trade shows, museums, and retail spaces to enhance the presentation and interaction of products or artifacts.
Lighting Design
Focuses on designing lighting products and systems that provide effective illumination while also considering aesthetics, energy efficiency, and user comfort.
Sustainable Design
Emphasizes on designing products with a focus on environmental sustainability, including using eco-friendly materials, energy-efficient processes, and promoting product longevity and recyclability.

Transportation Design

Centers on designing mobility solution such as cars, motorcycles, bicycles, trains, water transport and air transport, emphasizing both function and style, as well as a systems design approach
Packaging Design
Focuses on creating packaging solutions that are not only visually appealing but also functional, sustainable, and protective of the contents.
Medical Device Design
Specializes in designing medical and healthcare products, ensuring they are user-friendly, safe, and effective for both patients and healthcare providers.
Toy and Game Design
Involves creating toys and games that are not only entertaining but also safe, educational, and suitable for their intended age group.
Ergonomic Design
Specializes in designing products that optimize human well-being and overall system performance, ensuring that products are comfortable, efficient, and safe to use.

Apparel Design

Present State/Challenges:

The apparel industry faces challenges in sustainability, fast fashion waste, and ethical production, as rapid consumer demand pressures brands to compromise on environmental and social responsibility.

Future Direction:

The future of apparel design is moving towards circular fashion, where AI-driven customization, biodegradable materials, and 3D-printed garments will redefine sustainability, reducing waste and promoting ethical production.

Fashion & Textile Design
Garment and fabric innovation, aesthetics, and creative expression.
Digital & Smart Wearables
AI-driven fashion, 3D designs, and technology-integrated clothing.
Sportswear & Functional Apparel
Performance-driven clothing for athletics, workwear, and extreme environments.
Fashion Business & Branding
Retail, merchandising, marketing, and entrepreneurship in apparel.
Adaptive & Inclusive Design
Clothing for diverse body types, disabilities, and gender-neutral fashion.

Pattern Making & Garment Construction
Technical skills for translating designs into wearable products.
Sustainable & Circular Fashion
Eco-friendly materials, zero-waste design, and ethical production.
Luxury, Couture & Ethnic Wear
High-end craftsmanship, traditional textiles, and cultural fashion.
Trend Forecasting & Consumer Behaviour
Predicting future trends using data, AI, and market insights.
Costume & Experimental Fashion
Film, theatre, avant-garde, and conceptual fashion exploration.

Present State/Challenges:

Interaction design struggles with balancing usability, inclusivity, and the ethical use of AI-driven interfaces. Many experiences lack true personalization and emotional intelligence.

Future Direction:

The future of interaction design will focus on adaptive, AI-enhanced user experiences, gesture-based interfaces, and neuro design (using brain-computer interfaces for seamless interactions). Ethical and human-centred AI will ensure technology serves people intuitively and inclusively.

User Interface (UI) Design
Designing intuitive digital interfaces and user flows.
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
Researching how people interact with digital and physical systems.
Game Design and Games Studies
Coding, development, design, study, level design, character creation of games.
Service Design & Systems Thinking
Mapping user journeys and designing holistic service ecosystems.
Automotive & Transportation UX
Human-cantered interfaces for vehicles and mobility solutions.

User Experience (UX)
Designing intuitive, inclusive, and seamless user experiences.
Extended Reality (XR) Design
Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR) experiences.
Wearable & Smart Device Interaction
Designing interactions for smartwatches, fitness trackers, and AR glasses.
Accessibility & Inclusive Design
Designing for diverse abilities, neurodivergence, and universal usability.

Present State/Challenges:

Communication design faces challenges in information overload, digital saturation, and shrinking attention spans. Designers must create content that is both visually compelling and easily digestible.

Future Direction:

The future of communication design will be shaped by AI-generated content, immersive storytelling (AR/VR), and personalized, data-driven visual communication. Ethical design, accessibility, and inclusivity will play key roles in shaping the next era of media and branding.

Graphic Design
Focuses on visual content creation for print and digital media, including logos, brochures, posters, and websites.
Motion Graphics Design
Involves creating animated visual content for use in videos, presentations, websites, and other digital platforms.
Advertising Design
Focuses on creating visual content for advertisements across various media, including print, digital, and outdoor advertising.
Information Design
Specializes in presenting complex data and information in a clear and understandable manner, often through infographics, charts, and diagrams.
Animation Design
Create compelling visual stories by mastering principles of motion, character development, and industry-standard digital tools.

Branding and Identity Design
Involves creating a cohesive visual and thematic identity for businesses or products, including logos, colour schemes, and overall brand guidelines.
VFX
Create realistic or stylized imagery by integrating computer-generated elements with live-action footage, covering skills such as compositing, 3D animation, tracking, and simulation techniques.
Illustration
Involves creating original artwork for use in books, magazines, advertisements, and digital media to visually convey messages or stories.
Film and Video Design
Courses and subjects in Film and Video Design by design schools typically cover storytelling, cinematography, scriptwriting, editing, sound design, motion graphics, visual effects (VFX), animation, and media production.
Social Media design
Understanding new digital tools and its application in social media.

Present State/Challenges:

Industrial design is evolving with a strong focus on sustainability, user-centric innovation, and material efficiency. Challenges include overproduction, environmental impact, and the need for circular economy practices.

Future Direction:

The future of industrial design lies in biodegradable materials, AI-driven optimization, and modular product design. Human-centred innovation, powered by IoT and smart manufacturing, will create adaptable, sustainable, and personalized products.

Product Design
Involves designing consumer products, from electronics and household items to furniture and appliances, focusing on usability, aesthetics, and manufacturability.
Furniture Design
Specializes in designing functional and aesthetically pleasing furniture for residential, commercial, and public spaces.
Exhibition Design
Involves designing displays and fixtures for exhibitions, trade shows, museums, and retail spaces to enhance the presentation and interaction of products or artifacts.
Lighting Design
Focuses on designing lighting products and systems that provide effective illumination while also considering aesthetics, energy efficiency, and user comfort.
Sustainable Design
Emphasizes on designing products with a focus on environmental sustainability, including using eco-friendly materials, energy-efficient processes, and promoting product longevity and recyclability.

Transportation Design

Centers on designing mobility solution such as cars, motorcycles, bicycles, trains, water transport and air transport, emphasizing both function and style, as well as a systems design approach
Packaging Design
Focuses on creating packaging solutions that are not only visually appealing but also functional, sustainable, and protective of the contents.
Medical Device Design
Specializes in designing medical and healthcare products, ensuring they are user-friendly, safe, and effective for both patients and healthcare providers.
Toy and Game Design
Involves creating toys and games that are not only entertaining but also safe, educational, and suitable for their intended age group.
Ergonomic Design
Specializes in designing products that optimize human well-being and overall system performance, ensuring that products are comfortable, efficient, and safe to use.

Present State/Challenges:

The apparel industry faces challenges in sustainability, fast fashion waste, and ethical production, as rapid consumer demand pressures brands to compromise on environmental and social responsibility.

Future Direction:

The future of apparel design is moving towards circular fashion, where AI-driven customization, biodegradable materials, and 3D-printed garments will redefine sustainability, reducing waste and promoting ethical production.

Fashion & Textile Design
Garment and fabric innovation, aesthetics, and creative expression.
Digital & Smart Wearables
AI-driven fashion, 3D designs, and technology-integrated clothing.
Sportswear & Functional Apparel
Performance-driven clothing for athletics, workwear, and extreme environments.
Fashion Business & Branding
Retail, merchandising, marketing, and entrepreneurship in apparel.
Adaptive & Inclusive Design
Clothing for diverse body types, disabilities, and gender-neutral fashion.

Pattern Making & Garment Construction
Technical skills for translating designs into wearable products.
Sustainable & Circular Fashion
Eco-friendly materials, zero-waste design, and ethical production.
Luxury, Couture & Ethnic Wear
High-end craftsmanship, traditional textiles, and cultural fashion.
Trend Forecasting & Consumer Behaviour
Predicting future trends using data, AI, and market insights.
Costume & Experimental Fashion
Film, theatre, avant-garde, and conceptual fashion exploration.

Chakku’s 7 Concerns of Innovation by Design

For the paradigm shift from Design to Design Innovation, the School adopts Chakku’s 7 Concerns for Innovation by Design as a guiding framework to think critically about how design can create value, foster sustainability, and enable meaningful change. Students are trained to recognize that design must deliver tangible outcomes while evoking user delight, positioning empathy and human experience at the heart of innovation.