Skill Up Electives for Design Students

ATLAS | ISDI School of Design & Innovation has designed Skill Up electives to help students develop a specific skill or set of skills. These electives are offered in addition to the core academic courses and taken by students who want to enhance their abilities in a particular area. The electives can be completed in a short period of time, such as a few weeks or months.

Skill up electives cover a wide range of topics, such as Basic Sewing Techniques, Effective Communication & Public Speaking, Technical Tools for Visual Communication, Creative Writing, Costume Studies, Mood boarding, Progressive Spaces and its design adaptability, Dramebaaz, Branding & Packaging, Printmaking and Zine Publishing, Textile Design & Print, Crafting Characters, Blog  Writing and social media as a method of self-expression, Solo Film Making, Basics of Robotics & AI, Building Blocks & Animation, 3D form & Modelling, Canvas Paining for Creative Exploration, Illustration for Fashion, Creative Product Photography and Makerspace.

The goal of skill up electives is to provide learners with practical, hands-on experience in a particular skill, which they can then apply in their academic or professional careers. They are often chosen based on a student’s interests or career goals and can help to differentiate them in the job market.

Let’s introduce you to various skill up elective courses offered at ATLAS | ISDI School of Design & Innovation.

Basic Sewing Techniques

Topics Covered:

Machine Theory, Machine Operations, Finishing Techniques, Applying Finishing Techniques in a Garment

Learning Objective:

To understand the working and operation of Industrial Sewing Machines and learning basic sewing finishes.

Learning Outcome:

Students will become proficient in sewing machine operations, acquire a solid grasp of fundamental sewing techniques, and be capable of applying finishing techniques to garment construction.

Effective Communication & Public Speaking

The program is intended to equip participants with an understanding of their communication patterns. It emphasises on Verbal and non-verbal communication skills to enhance their people interface. It will hone their skills to handle interviews and interpersonal relationships in the real world, image projection and first impressions.

• Verbal Communication
• Non-verbal Communication
• Dress for success
• Effective Presentation Skills / Public Speaking

Hand-made Graphics: Technical Tools for Visual Communication

This course will equip you with the most elementary tools of accurate visual communication in order to execute your designs and bring them to life, exactly as envisioned. The skill set acquired through the series of lectures and studio exercises, act as the bridge between the design vision and its practical implementation. 

Learning Objectives:

• To fill the gap between envisioning a design idea and communicating it through accurate hand drafted graphical representations.
• To equip the students to effectively and efficiently apply their learnings and skills to future design disciplines by providing them with the elementary tools of communication.

Learning Outcome:

• Develop fluency in understanding measurements, scales and methods of communicating design through accurate physical graphic mediums.
• Develop the technical skill set to represent clearly and be able to implement and execute the vision with efficiency.

Creative Writing

What is the Harry Potter series were written from Ron’s perspective? What kind of mayhem would that have created! The magic of the universe begins with your imagination. You have the power to infuse it with your thoughts, articulate with impactful words and be the master storyteller. Creative Writing helps you harness the power of your imagination within and express it in a meaningful way. This class will help you understand your style of writing and how to build on it.

Learning Objective: To tell your story in an imaginative and engaging way Learning Outcome: Students will learn to perfect your narrative

Costume Studies

This is a research driven course designed to equip the enrolled students with professional knowledge about costumes from conception to completion.

Learning objectives:

• To enhance students’ interest in and knowledge about the production process of costuming as a mode of communication.
• To encourage students to use critical thinking as they learn how a narrative can be created through wardrobe.

Learning outcomes:

On the completion of this course, the student

• Will be more media literate and gain a new perspective to storytelling through visual communication.
• Will be able to conduct a detailed script interpretation of a character in an advertisement, film or TV series through research, explorations and illustrations. 

From ideas to concept with mood boards / Moodify

Master the art of evoking the right mood and communicating your ideas with clarity through visually stunning and considerate Mood Boards. Mood boards are a vital link between an initial concept and a first draft. It can be helpful to view mood boarding as a form of visual organisation. By incorporating mood boards into your initial brainstorming process, you can save time and effort in developing an idea. You will have the opportunity to create your own mood boards using analog and digital tools for various purposes.

Learning Objectives:

• To be able to initiate the process of brainstorming using visuals to communicate your ideas and build context.
• To be able to give your ideas a direction.

Learning Outcomes:

• To develop the ability to think more clearly using visuals and build foresight
• To become a visual storyteller

Progressive Spaces and its design adaptability

Designing of spaces today is not just four walls. Physical adaptability as well as emotional adaptability are the most important factors to be considered, while relating to a space. As a designer, a space should always co relate to specific needs of every individual and not just be a creation of pre-defined forms and spaces. Exploring these spaces, thinking out of the box are the key aspects of this elective.

Learning objective:

The aim of this elective is to make the student aware and implement the various aspects of the physical and emotional needs towards designing. This also means breaking the defined patterns of forms, colors, light and space & making a space human conscious. Learning the art of Progressive spaces & creating an understanding of how with time the outcome of these varies.

Dramebaaz

Students will participate in exercises, games and activities that will teach them the basics of movement, voice modulation, improvisation, stage awareness and alertness, story-building and performance. Through the process they will learn storytelling and characterisation through performance.

Learning Objective:

To develop observation, confidence and presence of mind. Sensitize the mind to the surroundings. Develop dynamic stage presence.

Learning Outcome:

• Understand the basics of body language, energy and stage presence
• Demonstrate discipline, time management and collaboration
• Demonstrate confidence to speak, present, perform for an audience.
• Competence in observation and expression of characters and stories through performance.

Branding & Packaging

Brands rule this world and influence young minds. This creates lasting impressions. Every brand has a story to tell behind its creation and journey, its values and its goal. This is symbolically put through design in form of Branding. Hence the simple form has to be very effective and communicative. Once a successful brand name is created a virtual existence of this is as good as a human creation. The logo and symbol of this brand leave an impression and recognition of the identity of the product / service it is trying to sell.

Good packaging makes, creates or breaks the brand. A 2-dimensional form and a digital representation make the brand stand out in the selling space. Lastly, an analogy completes this process.

Learning Objective:

• Develop a sense of design and the importance of simple forms
• and how complex designs need to be simple yet communicative.
• Deconstruction of complex concepts for a strong message
• Understanding of colour and line.
• Text and selection of text for a name
• Understanding the importance of being a good narrator for effective visual communication

Learning Outcome:

• Colour balance
• Design symbols and principles
• Clarity and competency of the design process
• Student should develop Confidence to represent themselves and their idea.
• Understanding of Fonts and typeface on primary levels.

Printmaking and Zine Publishing

Printmaking & self-publishing are areas of great importance today just as they have been for centuries. This course aims to introduce students to the world of self-expression through artistic practice and process using the mediums of printmaking & zines both analog and digital. Students will work with Relief & Intaglio Printmaking as well as making Zines in analog and digital formats.

Learning Objectives:

• Develop a sense of self-expression
• Ensure students develop creative problem solving skills in academic & professional
• practice.
• Make observation a core skill.
• Create lifelong learners with the desire to use available resources in creative ways.
• Ensure that students become fluent in expressing ideas, philosophies and stories
• through visual communication.

Learning Outcome:

• Show STRENGTH in knowledge of design elements and principles.
• UNDERSTANDING the role, functionality & areas of influence of publishing.
• COMPETENCY in using the design process to execute concepts.
• DEMONSTRATE the ability to use available materials in creative ways to express ideas.
• FLUENCY in visual expression through mixed media in analog and digital formats.

Textile Design & Print

This elective will prove to be a valuable asset to you as a creative practitioner, with a life of learning and self-development ahead of you.

Most of the learning will be done through the project work that engenders both aesthetic and commercial considerations, progressed through design briefs with innovative and original solutions. Through the projects students will learn to understand the relationship between client and designer as well as acquire essential skills such as working to tight deadlines, fitness for purpose and market demands.

The study of Textile Design and Print will help you to engage with contemporary culture i.e. fashion, trends and technologies with the practical approach. You may finally print your own design for an end artefact.

Crafting Characters

We see characters around us. We come across different characters in our day-to-day life. Those characters we live with can be living or non-living, any gender or can be of any creed and can look like anything and can be from the physical world around us or from the imaginative world of our own. Wonder how characters are born? Have the hunger to learn the art of designing characters? let’s explore the art of character design differently. Once you master the art, you can wander as wild as you can and be a creator with no boundaries. Let’s develop an eye to see characters in everything. Let’s weave stories around them and get those characters in life through our creative skills. Let’s brainstorm, Ideate, draw, create, explore different materials to manifest those characters in this physical world and feel the ecstasy.

Learning Outcome:

• To develop and improvise observation skills
• Develop creative perspectives
• Extract stories from surroundings
• Material exploration and handling.
• Creative execution

Blog Writing and social media as a method of self-expression

Blog writing and self-expression for designers and understanding the usage of social media.

Learning Objective:

To introduce to the students the process of thinking that precedes creative or blog writing about their own creative work or about any fellow artist’s creative work. Often as creators, because there is a whole process that goes behind the creation, we feel the process of creation gets complete when the design/ product/creation is ready. But why was it created, for whom, and what was the process is a story that needs to be told and reached to the relevant audience effectively.

Solo Film Making

With the highly competitive space of media and communication only set to become even more daunting, it is undeniably important to learn skills that enable self-sufficiency and good design practice. This course aims to arm potential storytellers and make them capable of doing individual film projects with confidence and self-reliance.

Learning Objectives:

This course is meant to introduce students to the world of Indie Filmmaking. Through an experiential approach, they will come to understand the three major aspects of film production and narrative storytelling: pre-production, production and post-production. Along with this, they will be challenged to find their own method and practice of making and sharing stories that is both unique and personal. They will find themselves experimenting with stop-motion animation, vlogging, non-fiction filmmaking, experimental films and music videos.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this course, students should be able to

• Develop their personal creative voices using audio-visual narrative forms to tell engaging and motivated stories.

• Understand the basic process of film production, both in terms of contemporary movies and independent filmmaking.

• Identify and analyse newer forms of audio-visual mediums and how the landscape is changing to fit smaller teams of creators rather than larger groups.

• Use simple editing softwares and more stylistic treatments to tell stories, including stop-motion animation and guerrilla filmmaking

• Develop a sense of confidence in their ability to tell a story with no one’s help but their own.

Basics of Robotics & AI

The Robotics and AI course aims to equip participants with an understanding of the distinctions between manual labor and automated labor using robotics. Additionally, the course will cover fundamental concepts and a range of applications of AI and how it is utilised in robotics.

Learning Outcome:

• Overview & Fundamentals of Robotics
• Algorithms of AI
• Real time application of AI using Manhattan ALGO
• Game Theory in AI
• Mobile Manipulators
• Design your first Robot with ROS
• Jetson AI Racer

Building Blocks & Animation

Learning the different types and techniques of animation, principles and production of 2D and stop motion animation.

Learning Objective:

Understanding the motion, increasing observations, lip syncing and complete pipeline

Learning Outcome:

Come out with little 2D and stop motion animations with proper understanding of principles and become more observant.

3D form & Modelling

This course focuses on developing understanding of fundamentals of design, elements of form, space and structure. Also how to convert 2D sketches or drawing into physical 3D form. Advanced form studies- (Nature and Form, deriving speed forms, product forms by taking inspiration from nature)

Learning Objectives:

• Achieve dimensional accuracy and surface finish based on sketches and technical drawings.
• Have a general understanding of fabrication techniques and finishing processes involved in the execution of prescribed design modeling projects.
• To be able to imagine and create transition of 3-D forms through Simplification, Manipulation etc.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understanding of transformation from 2-Dimensional.
• Sensitivity towards 3D forms and surfaces.
• Understanding of various modeling techniques involved with different types of materials used.

Canvas Paining for Creative Exploration

The students will be encouraged and guided for understanding tools for canvas painting, exploring the potentialities of the medium and enjoying the expressions created with individual imaginations.

Learning Objective: Explore the potential of creative expressions on Canvas

Learning Outcomes:

• Unleashing the creative imagination. Getting acquainted with principles of design with practical work.
• Build rapport with different technical skills of expression with color, texture, form. Experiencing the distressing qualities of creative activities.

Illustration for Fashion

This Course is about understanding and learning to draw fashion figures / Croquis. It covers the anatomy, proportions and transforming fashion Croquis in various postures, colours, shades and tones.

Learning Objective:

To improve the abilities to draw and render illustrations for fashion.

Learning Outcome:

• Understanding Drawing for fashion croquis with the ability to express their ideas through illustration. Understanding of colour, shades, tones and textures.
• Demonstration – Creative and Artistic Illustration of stylised croquis.
• Competency- Capability to think in 3 dimensional to translate visuals into illustrations.
• Fluency- Visual Imagination, Eye for Detail, Observation.

Creative Product Photography

Product Photography has a high demand in the growing advertising world that helps a brand to exaggerate the appeal and design of the product to a rich quality of still life imaging for different sectors of promotions such as social media, e-commerce, Editorial prints, web banners, digital Ads and packaging.

Learning Objectives:

• To know different ways at approaching Product Photography
• To hold a strong understanding of tabletop lighting setup
• To design different types of backdrops that represents best narrative of Product
• To study creative mapping for Product photography projects
• To source props that enhance product shoot
• To develop strong grip on post production techniques

Learning Outcomes:

• Encourage creative ideas to design product shoot
• Hands-on experience over application of lighting techniques
• Strong fundamentals to initiate pre-production process
• Designing the visual narratives for Product campaigns
• Building a quality portfolio with different unique ways in Product photography projects

Makerspace

The objective of the course is to give a hands-on experience of makerspace culture to the students and provide them with tools such as 3D printers, laser cutters and various materials, allowing them to conceptualize and prototype their ideas into reality. This course provides an introduction to various materials such as paper, wood and Plaster of Paris (POP) such that they can be used for various prototyping purposes.

Learning Objectives: 

• To acclimatise students with the makerspace culture by providing a hands-on experience to various equipment and materials present in the makerspace lab.
• Teaching creation of simple 2D and 3D models which can be easily prototyped using either the laser cutter or the 3D printer.
• To help students to conceptualise and prototype their ideas into something tangible using the tools taught to them in class.