Justification for New Design Schools - 13 September 2003 - Prof. M P Ranjan

Dear Friends

I have been looking for statistics on design schools in industrialised and
newly industralised countries to develop an arguement for the setting up of
new design schools at the University level in India. I seek your support in
pointing out new sources that can be checked out for data on the population
of designers in each country in relation to the general population and if
available some information on the impact of design and designer population
on the economic and social development of countries.

I came across a very interesting study by the Japan Industrial Promotion
Organisation that dates back to 1980 and some stats from this report are
quoted below. I am looking for similar data from any country or countries on
or off the list so that this can be compiled to make my arguement for a
substantial increase in quality design educational seats in India at the
University level. I am quoting below some extracts from the report that I
had circulated to my colleagues in India in search of current data and
statistics.

QUOTE

"International Survey on Design Promotion", Japan Industrial Design
Promotion Organisation, Osaka, 1980

The survey covered 20 countries for the 'Survey of Design Activities' and
106 Organsations from 48 countries on "Summary Survey on Activities of
Design-Related Organisations.

There are a number of interesting bar charts that show the analysis of the
data that the survey has generated which is summarised below for ready
reference.

Table 2-1 Social Recognition of Design ( note: according to the JIDPO note
this stage was reached at around the 1960's and in some countries education
of designers started before this event and in some others this was a cause
for the commencement of new education programmes)

Europe
1930 - 1950 Finland
1945 Czechoslovakia
1950 Sweden
1957 East Germany
1959 Spain
1959 West Germany
1960 Norway
1965 Ireland
1965 Austria
1970 Switzerland

Asia
1960 Japan
1960 -1970 India
1969 Hong Kong
1970 Korea

America
1946 USA
1960 Mexico
1963 Argentina

Table 2-2 Number of Designers per Million Population

Finland.....................  126 (persons)
Japan.......................    95
East Germany.........    72
West Germany........    50
Czechoslovakia.......    43
Isreal........................    37
USA.........................    33
Norway....................    20
Austria.....................    19
Korea.......................    16
Spain........................    14
Ireland......................    13
Switzerland..............    12
Mexico.....................     07
Argentina.................     04
Philippines...............     03
India.........................   >01

This data is old but it does show the number of designers in the
industrialised and newly industrialised nations and India in 1980 had a very
low penetration of designer creation. The situation today is no better, on
the other hand it seems to have got much worse.

Table 2-5 Includes Year of Initiation of Design Education in the respective
countries

1900's  Finland, Czechoslovakia & Japan
1920's  East & West Germany
1930's  USA
1950's  Korea
1960's  Spain, Mexico & Austria
1970's  Argentina, Isreal, Hong Kong & India
1975+   Sweden, Norway, Ireland & Philippines

Table 2-6 Number of Design Training Institutios classified by country

1 (school) ...  Hong Kong / Norway
 2 (shcools)..  Argentina, Austria, India, Isreal, Ireland, Philippines,
Sweden
3 (schools)..  Czechlovakia
4 (schools)..  Germany (DR), Finland
15 (schools)..  Spain
16 (schools)..  Korea
20 (schools)..  Japan
21 (schools)..  Germany (FR)
30 (schools)..  USA

Table 2-8 Annual Number of Graduates from Design Training Institutions
(College or University)

America
> 10 ...........   Mexico, Argentina
500    ...........   USA

Asia
> 10 ...........   Philippines
> 50  ...........   Hong Kong, Isreal, India
100 ..........   Korea
1000 ............   Japan

Europe
> 10 ...........    Austria, Ireland, Sweden. Norway
50 + ............    Finland
75  ..............    Czechoslovakia
100 .............     East Germany
300 .............     West Germany

Source: "International Survey on Design Promotion", Japan Industrial Design
Promotion Organisation, Osaka, 1980

UNQUOTE

I would appreciate any contributions of sources on the web or in print that
we could follow up to substantiate our arguements.

With warm regards

M P Ranjan
from my ofice at NID
13 September 2003 at 7.00 pm IST

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Prof. M P Ranjan
Faculty of Design and
Head, NID Centre for Bamboo Initiatives
National Institute of Design
Paldi
Ahmedabad 380007
INDIA

Fax: 91+79+6605242
Home: 91+79+6610054
Work: 91+79+6639695 ext 1090
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