Short Term Design Courses

Title: Design Visualization

Tools: AutoCAD 2007 and Adobe Photoshop CS3

Duration: 12 days

Hours: 6.45 pm – 10 pm

Commencement: 15th June to 3rd July, 2008

Fees: AED. 1500/- Inclusive of Study Material

The 12-hour hands-on AutoCAD and Photoshop training classes will cover the basic commands necessary to create, edit, plot a drawing and add aesthetics to the drawing. Fundamental concepts of creating, editing, dimensioning, viewing, managing and plotting two-dimensional drawings are also included.

Faculty:
The course will be handled by MAHE Faculty as well as an industry expert.

Who can join:
Students who have completed 12th Standard/ "O" Levels/ Graduation/ Working Professionals.

Registration:
Last date of registration: 5th June 2008

Course Co-ordinator:
Department of Interior Design
MAHE - Manipal Dubai Campus

Telephone Number: 04 – 4291214 or 050 - 6178810

Email: cadlab.id@gmail.com; ashok_iyer@mahedubai.com

Click here to download pdf with more details

Promising future for MAHE interior designers

The Internship & Placement Week 2008 reached the last day of its course today. Industry visits were made by:

• Mr. Asheet Agrawal & Mr. Muneer Ahamed Khan, Alpha Star Wood Joinery LLC.
• Mr. Nikhil Desai & Mr. Anil Nitnaware, AMB Building LLC
• Mr. Sarang Panchal, Kalavaal Architects
• Miss Moiza Shah, 3 M Gulf Ltd.

In a word of advice to students, Ms. Moiza Shah of 3M Gulf Ltd. says, "Dubai is booming at a phenomenal pace. Experience counts! You need the motivation and a sound knowledge base. The industry demands that your comprehension levels be extremely good. Initially, it will be tough but you need to persevere. Your drive is the key element that can really take you places."

As a result of the Internship & Placement Week 2008, both the graduating batch of students and the 2nd year students have received offers. In light of this, the Interior Design Department has decided to make this event an integral part of the Academic Calendar.

Day three of ID placement week

Mr. Jayarajan, Kardoff Engineering inspects a student's work. Photo: Karen Ann Monsy

Today, the 14th of May, marks the third day running of the Internship & Placement Week 2008 at the Department of Interior Design. The department gladly welcomed Mr. Jayrajan of Kardoff Engineering and Mr. Tarun Sethi from Monarch Design Engineering Consultants in Deira. Two representatives of ETA Joinery also participated in the placement week.

Representatives from ETA Joinery contemplate employment possibilities with a student. Photo: Karen Ann Monsy

Designing futures

Day two of the Internship & Placement week 2008 was a flurry of activity as students geared up to impress as many as five different interviewers from top design firms from the region. The interviewers included Mr. Rami Yousouf, M/s Architeriors, Mr. Vijay Anand, SMD Interiors, Mr. Sen, ECD Design, Ms. Colleen Cocotos, Sr. Executive Planning & Marketing, ERCO Lighting Pte. Ltd. and Mr. Zafar Ali, Scientechnic, Agents for Siemens AG.

Mr. Rami Yousouf of M/s Architeriors scrutinizes a student's work. Photo: Karen Ann Monsy

Mr. Rami Yousouf, it must be noted, has been facilitated by the Department for his contribution to the interior design of the Manipal University, Dubai Campus. He was quoted as saying the association made one feel "just like family now." He admitted he was quite pleased with the turnout in the students work and that the possibility of taking in students would be high over the next couple of months. Although they showed much potential, there was also a lot of room for improvement.

Mr. Vijay Anand, SMD Interiors shares his ideas. Photo: Karen Ann Monsy

After viewing some of the students' work, he has also been able to gauge the level of expertise he's looking at. "The students have only a very basic level of 3D and their work in Photoshop is also fine." As far as shortlisting students for positions in his firm is concerned however, Mr. Vijay Anand is clear on what he wants. "First and foremost, the students need to be energetic. Secondly, they should possess knowledge of design language. There are things that a student must know as he enters the field: they ought to know materials, lighting, how to present to a client and also the process of design in offices (at least in theory). Attitude is extremely important."

Mr. Sen of ECD Design interviews a prospective candidate along with his assistant. Photo: Karen Ann Monsy

Colleen Cocatoos and Zafar Ali from ERCO Lighting listens intently as a student draws attention to detail. Photo: Karen Ann Monsy

The common observation this day was of the strong level of confidence exuded by the students as they calmly attended one interview after the other. With two more days left for this placement initiative, the students can expect to prepare even more as more organizations consent to the campus interviews.

Interview with Kenneth Laidler

In connection with the Internship & Placement Week 2008 being conducted for students of Interior Design from the 12th-15th of May, Mr. Kenneth Laidler, President of APID, visited Manipal University, Dubai Campus, to interview some of the students and view a demonstration of their work. In this interview with the ambitious designer, Mr. Kenneth discloses how he sees the world of interior design today.

“Dedication is obviously very important although it is very hard to come across today,” he states, simply. He wasn't mincing words when he spoke of placements. “No educational programme can ever teach what the industry requires of you. Although it is true these students are very new to the field, in the end, it is a business.” In other words, Mr. Laidler made it quite clear: no business was likely to spare chances or resources, if they were to stay abreast of the competition. “The prospective designer needs to possess an extensive knowledge of everything – from products to design styles to materials! The solution? Experience. “Nothing can teach you like experience will.”

Another observation Mr. Kenneth laid special emphasis on was that students unfortunately, are not fully aware of what they really want. "There is no post like that of ‘Interior Designer’ today. This field has so many specializations within in it that a student should know exactly what he/she is looking for. The process of design is more of teamwork now than it ever was. Therefore, what I'm seeking to do here is figure out exactly which of these specialities these students will fit into." With 35 years of experience himself, Mr. Kenneth admits he probably "expects too much" of the students. Yet, with every student who entered the cabin, Mr. Kenneth’s approach was the same: honest and frank but encouraging.

In a word of advice to upcoming interior designers, he suggests, “Start working yourself and don’t expect your university to teach you everything. Interior design education continues throughout one’s life and does not end once you finish your degree.”

One such mode of gaining experience is through travel. “Travel is one of the greatest assets you can have. The more you travel, the more you see and understand of different cultures, societies, building styles etc. And this knowledge is crucial to any designer. “You need the experience…and you need the time.”

APID is an organization formed to represent professional interior designers in the Gulf region. For more information, click here.

Striving to impress the industry

The Placement & Internship Week 2008 organized by the Department of Interior Design for their 2nd and 3rd year students commenced today.

Mr. Kenneth Laidler, President, APID, was on campus, interacting with the department faculty and conducting interviews for the graduating batch of B.A. Interior Design students.

Mr. Kenneth Laidler, President of APID, demonstrates his approach to a design problem. Photo: Karen Ann Monsy

In a separate cabin, Mr. Abraham K. from Sky Interiors conducted interviews simultaneously for the prospective interns of the 2nd year batch of students.

Mr. Abraham K. of Sky Interiors listens as a student explains the concept behind her designs. Photo: Karen Ann Monsy

Three more interviewers have confirmed their participation for the recruitment of students for the 13th of May, 2008. They are Mr. Rami Yousouf, M/s Architeriors; Mr. Vijay Anand, SMD Interiors and Mr. Sen, ECD Design.

The Internship & Placement Week has been scheduled from the 12th to the 15th of May 2008 (9.00 AM to 4.00 PM). Students have been requested to be ready with their portfolios throughout the rest of the week.

Shedding light on the matter

Mr. Thomas Schielke gestures during his lecture on lighting techniques. Photo: Karen Ann Monsy

The lecture delivered by Thomas Schielke to the students of Interior Design today afternoon lasted about an hour and saw about 90 students gathered in the auditorium.

Mr. Thomas Scheilke addresses the audience.

The lecture saw Mr. Thomas address the issue of lighting in relation to spaces. Among the subjects covered were architectural lighting, the design process as well as a bit of historical background of art and lighting.

The audience is all ears. Photo: Karen Ann Monsy

Mr. Ashok Iyer, Head of the Department of Interior Design, during his closing address after the lecture. Photo: Karen Ann Monsy

German speaker to visit ID students tomorrow

German speaker Thomas Schielke is set to enlighten the students of Interior Design on the nuances of Lighting tomorrow from 12 noon to 1pm in the auditorium. The Lecture is titled 'Light Atmosphere Space - Light between Secret and Technology' and students will be briefed on the same. The lecture is being organized by Miss Colleen, Sr. Executive Planning & Marketing, ERCO Lighting Pte. Ltd. Dubai.

All students of the Department of Interior Design are requested to kindly attend the lecture and benefit from it academically in every way possible.

IDeaZ ends on a high note!

The last day of the two-day IDeaZ design conference ended on a smooth note today, drawing high praise from every audience member present.

The itinerary for the day opened with a speech from an industry professional, who interacted with students as he took them on an interesting journey into the rapidly developing world of paints. The presentation was delivered by Mr. Manoj Ibrahim of Leigh Paints, who spoke of flame retardant paint coatings and its impact on interiors. Students learnt how these paints reduced the rate at which materials, especially steel structures, caught fire for an hour or two – which could well be the difference between life and death.

The talk was followed by presentations from five students at both Bachelors and Masters level, wherein they showcased the work they’d done the past semester. These presentations were an eye-opener to students in terms of presentation style and the importance of taking their work one step further by learning how to explain their concepts.

Mr. Manoj Ibrahim of Leighs Paints during his presentation. Photo by Anusha P.

The much-awaited prize distribution took place in the afternoon where faculty and students alike were felicitated for their achievements and contributions to the department. Among those honoured were the Visual Communication students of the Department of Media & Communication, led by their professor Mr. Sabir Haque, for their role as creators of the IDeaZ magazine.

By the close of the conference, it was evident that both parents and faculty were equally impressed with the amount of time and effort that had been put into the works showcased. As one parent Ms. Latha Venkatraman put it, "To be able to create ideas and design them into this final product the way these students do, is a truly amazing thing indeed. The conference was interesting and I appreciate the work the students put in." Other parents were unified in their opinion that the conference was "very well-organized".

Mr. Ashok Iyer mentioned in his closing notes that they hoped to make the IDeaz design conference an annual event. In light of this, Ms. Latha also had a few suggestions. "I think there's always plenty of room for improvement. For instance, I felt that the students would've done better to give more emphasis to the design aspect of their presentations than anything else. They could work on their presentation skills, such as their rapport with the audience and being more precise. With practice, they'd be great presenters too, which is very important."

Students listen intently to presentations by fellow classmates. Photo by Anusha P.

Lunch might have been the most… ‘full-filling’ highlight that sealed off the event for some. At the same time, it was an ideal opportunity for everyone to mingle, meet and strike up engaging debates.

With the positive feedback so received, we can indeed expect the Department of Interior Design to be back with a bang this time, next year, too. Conferences and exhibitions are hardly easy feats to pull off – successful ones, that is. But as students were reminded today, when strong team work is involved, the result is evident in the final output - and in this case, the IDeaZ design conference was without a doubt, tagged "Success"!

IDeaz 2008 - Day 1

The key-note speaker Mr.Kenneth Leidler

"Interior designers are not decorators."
~Designer Kenneth Laidler. M.A, FRSA, President of the Association of Professional Interior Designers (APID).

After hosting 'Kreationz-Unlimited' successfully for the last three years, the Interior Design Department has decided to go a step forward by hosting a design conference titled 'IDeaz 2008'.

Audience at the conference

IDeaz 2008 began yesterday with speeches by the Director of Manipal University, Dr. B. Ramjee’s followed by Mr. Ashok Iyer, the Chairperson for the conference. "IDEAZ is truly a platform giving an opportunity for the young students to display their creativity on par with design professionals and consultants from the industry," he said. This was then followed by the unveiling of the publication, 'Ideaz' by the guest of honour - Kenneth Laidler, along with the heads of the other departments.

Unveiling of the publication - 'Ideaz'. From left: Mr. Kenneth Leidler, Dr. Mohd. Firoz (HOD of Media & Communications) , Dr. Shahul Hameed (HOD of Management Studies), Mr. Ashok Iyer (HOD of Interior Design).

Kenneth Laidler, the President of Kenneth Laidler Design FZ LLC and President of the Association of Professional Interior Designers (APID) then gave his own presentation on the differesnt aspects of interior designing, from what an interior designer does to what were the many perceptions that existed. He spoke from his own personal experience and connected with the audience by giving them a taste of real life situations and projects that he and his team had worked on.

He emphasized on the importance of being pratical in one's design and not just focusing on one's creativity. "Though most designers focus on being creative, remember to always be practical in your approach so that the design in itself will serve a purpose," he said.

This informative and insightful presentation was then followed by presentations that showcased the works of the students titled 'The trip down the memory lane’, presented by Ms. Shraddha and another concept-based presentation, titled 'Unity in Faith' by Rabia Sheikh.

Kenneth Laidler was then presented with a token of appreciation by the Chairperson, Mr. Ashok Iyer and Ms. Vidhya Rao, an Interior Design faculty. This token was personally designed by the students of the department.

Kenneth Leidler being presented with the token of appreciation.

The conference then moved on to it's second half with a product presenation by the well-known Al-Gurg OFIS Furniture, of the Easa- Saleh Al-Gurg group. Afterwhich, there were other presentations given by faculty and students which gave students a varied outlook into the different aspects of the profession.

The 1st day ended with students looking forward to the second day of the conference.

Dept. of Interior Design hosts IDeaZ 2008

The Interior Design Department will be hosting a Interior Design Conference titled ‘IDeaZ 2008’ on the 24th and 25th of March 2008.

The objectives of the conference are:

· to look into the influence of ‘Interior Design on the Built Environment’,
· to explore the role of Professional Bodies in initiating a discussion amongst the global citizen residing in the ever dynamic built environment of today, and
· to invite the Design Professional of Today & students of the department at the Masters & Bachelors level to explore this influence through a series of papers

The Key Note Speaker for the conference will be Designer Kenneth Laidler. M.A, FRSA, who is the President of the Association of Professional Interior Designers (APID).

OFIS, Al Gurg Office Furniture, an Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group with a very high reputation in the industry, are presenting their products during the conference.

Watch this space for more updates on the design conference.

Interior Design trip to Ibn Battuta Mall

The Interior Department students' trip to Ibn Battuta mall for the movie screening of Jodha Akbar is to take place tomorrow i.e. Wednesday, the 5th of March. The educational trip aims to help them analyze the historical aspect in relation to sufism in addition to analyzing the sets, interiors and architecture to jewellery in period styles.

Interior Design Dept. picnic postponed

The picnic to Jumeirah Beach Park scheduled for tomorrow (21 February, 2008) has been postponed in light of a new memo circulated by the Ministry 0f Education which states:

- Entry to all parks is restricted to male students on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.
- Entry to female students is restricted to Monday and Wednesday.
- Entry for male and female students together is allowed only on Friday and Saturday.

The picnic has been postponed. Watch this space for further notifications.