Semester 2,
Foundation Year, Batch 2023
Form in Nature
An introduction to the investigation of nature and its diversity, through documentation and digital exploration, students will explore various natural phenomena such as symmetry, fractals, tessellations, growth sequences in nature. Moreover, students will be exposed to the concept of biomimetics through a set of case studies and discussions.


By understanding the intricacies of nature, designers can create works that evoke the feeling of being in harmony with the natural world. The course includes lectures, field trips, and creative projects. Upon completion, students will have developed sensitivity toward nature’s complexity and the ability to co-create with it. The course’s multidisciplinary approach is aimed at developing a holistic understanding of nature and its relationship to design.

Liberal Arts
The Liberal Arts module aims to nurture individuals as critical thinkers and free-minded individuals. This course exposes students to the Principles of Islamic Designs, including sacred geometry and its influence across various creative domains such as graphic design, architecture, art, and artifacts. It delves into the processes and methods for form generation, rooted in Islamic metaphysics and philosophy. By understanding these principles, students are encouraged to explore and develop their own motifs, patterns, and tessellations. They leverage digital processes to create unique illustrations and artifacts, blending traditional inspirations with contemporary techniques to produce innovative and meaningful works.





Visualization through Generative AI
India’s long legacy of image-making emphasizes the visualization of ideas through detailed verbal descriptions, enhancing the clarity and depth of the visual representation. This course explores the intersection of traditional Asian visualization techniques and modern Generative Artificial Intelligence technologies.

Students choose themes to express verbally, meditate on the essence of their ideas, and describe them in detail. Using generative AI tools, students translate their detailed verbal descriptions into visual forms, creating visuals never seen before.



Learning Environments (SPPS)
This project aimed to create a rich learning environment for children aged 8 to 12 in classes 1 to 3 at Smita Patil Public School, Shirpur.


In the information age, students can access vast knowledge online, with content creators providing imagery, videos, motion graphics, and AR/VR technologies enhancing learning. Additionally, physical activities like dioramas, models, toys, and informative posters can foster intuitive understanding. This project sought to go beyond conventional book learning by integrating digital and physical methods. Students were divided into groups focusing on Music & Dance, Science by Doing, Crafts & Creativity, Math, Language, and Nature & The World, and were tasked with ideating innovative ways to facilitate learning.

User Experience Design
In this module, students learn to design user-centered digital experiences by understanding the evolving digital landscape. They explore qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, focusing on users’ behaviors and mental models. Students choose individual project topics, create mind maps, and conduct research to develop fictional user personas. By empathizing with these personas, they frame problem statements and collaboratively ideated solutions. These solutions are mapped as digital services or products, with user journeys illustrated through wireframes. Using prototyping tools like Figma, students transform their concepts into interactive interfaces.




Visual Narratives
In the visual narratives module students explore various ways of expression and storytelling through visuals. This project recreates the glory of Mandu – the City of Joy’s monuments through historical and architectural research, showcasing the lavish lifestyle of its past. Students, paired for exploration of the iconic landmarks, documented these sites with cameras, envisioning the regal activities of the past.






They created visual narratives by restoring images to their historical glory and adding people and natural elements to bring the scenes to life with use of advanced generative AI tools.
Form Visualization
In this module, students creatively transformed river stones from the Narmada River into unique forms. These sedimentary rocks, shaped by river currents, have abstract patterns and colors from collected silt and minerals. Their journey smoothens their edges, giving each stone distinctive features. Students observed each stone’s unique characteristics and, with minimal intervention and by creating a context through framing, revealed its inherent form by visualizing possibilities from different angles.




Typography
The typography module introduces students to the basics of typography, covering the history and evolution of type, typesetting, and printing technologies, along with the contributions of various countries and their regional scripts.





Through lectures and assignments, students learn about grid systems and how to adapt them for creating content across various formats. These assignments help develop a keen sense for typesetting, hierarchy, composition, and meaningful communication. Additionally, projects involve creative and dynamic exploration of letter forms using modern digital tools.
