DESIGN AND MEDIA
Designer
Products, fashion, interfaces, communication — making things useful and beautiful.
Facts checked 17/10/2026
- Class 11–12 subjects
- Any stream for B.Des at IITs (UCEED), NID and NIFT. NIFT's B.F.Tech needs Maths.
- First degree
- B.Des, 4 years. NID also has a new 5½-year integrated B.Des/M.Des.
- Entrance exams
- UCEED (IIT Bombay, for IIT B.Des), NID DAT, NIFT entrance (run by NTA), and private university tests.
- Licence or registration
- None needed to start working.
What the work is like
Product, fashion, textile, communication, interaction (UX/UI), game and space design.
The path, step by step
- Class 11–12Any stream. Keep a sketchbook and make things — the tests check drawing, observation and ideas.
- Class 12UCEED 2027: register 1–31 Oct 2026, exam 17 Jan 2027 (2 tries in consecutive years). NID DAT: apply by 30 Nov 2026. NIFT: under 24 on 1 August of the admission year.
- 4 yearsB.Des, with internships and a graduation project.
- AfterStudio or company design jobs, freelance, or M.Des (CEED for IITs).
Good to know
- Your portfolio matters more than marks after college.
- No licence is needed.
About pay: it varies a lot by city, employer and skill, and changes year to year, so we don't print salary numbers. Ask us in a session and we'll show you current, sourced figures for your case.
Thinking about designer? Message us on WhatsApp. We reply within 24 hours.