Tata Elxsi, a leading design company, celebrated ‘connect D’ – the annual design event to commemorate World Industrial Design Day (WIDD). The event was held at its corporate office in Bangalore. The theme this year was ‘’Industrial design is open’ and the sessions gave an in-depth analysis of the growing recognition of design across industries and how it helps brands and companies solve day-to-day problems to gain a competitive edge in the market place.
Connect D is a platform to bring the industry and academia together where the design students can interact with industry experts and get a firsthand perspective on the various prospects and challenges faced by designers today.
Students and faculty from renowned design schools like NID, IISC, Raffles, NICC and NTTF attended the event. The event featured sessions by the two eminent guests Mr. Sudhir Dhawan- R&D Director, Reckitt Benckiser and Prof. Uday Athavankar – IDC, Mumbai. They shared their insights and experiences on how industrial design is enriching and impacting lives of consumers on a day-to-day basis.
Speaking on the occasion, Sudhir Dhawan – R&D Director, Reckitt Benckiser said, “Events such as connect D aim to promote awareness of the profession of industrial design and will help to highlight the impact of industrial design on economic, social, cultural and environmental quality of life. It also provides a platform to aspiring designers to showcase their creativity and work.
Added Mr. Anil Sondur – Vice President, Tata Elxsi, “We believe connect D is a great opportunity to bring together creativity, innovation and design. As a leading design company, we understand our role in fostering new talent and provide a platform to design students to showcase their abilities. “
The event also featured an immersive design workshop, product demos and interaction with Tata Elxsi design team. These sessions enabled the students to interact with the senior Tata Elxsi design team members and expose them to understand the various nuances of design across industries and service areas.
The winners of the second edition of the IGNITE Design Contest were also felicitated at the event. The winning entries were from Fijoy Francis – NTTF, Bangalore and Arjun Rajkumar S, – NID, Ahmedabad.
Fijoy Francis won for his entry ’Smart TV for the Indian Youth: Redefining the in-television’ under the category ‘Re-defining a Smart TV’.
While Arjun Raj Kumar S. won for his entry ‘ORB – LPG gas knob automation for Indian Kitchen’ under the category ‘Age-friendly Kitchen Appliances for the elderly’.
This year’s theme for IGNITE contest ‘Design enriching everyday life’ has been aligned to the theme set by ICSID (International council of societies of industrial design) which is ‘Industrial Design Is Open’
They were awarded with cash prizes worth Rs. 30,000, a certificate, and a chance to pursue a live project for three months with Tata Elxsi along with the opportunity to present their idea / concept to the panelists and audience at the connect D 2013.
