How to Become a Design Manager: Career Guide, Courses, After 12th, Jobs, Scope, Salary

Quick Facts for a Design Manager 

What does a Design Manager do? 

The following are the different responsibilities that a design manager must do

• Design Managers coordinate all the projects and technical drawings under constructions. They are responsible for understanding the work needed at the various levels of projects, and are responsible for rationing of the budget.
• They have to make coordination among architects, structural engineers, service engineers, specialist designers and BIM technicians so that they make effective and efficient use of resources in such a manner the output would get increased.
• They are responsible for looking after teams of designers to make sure projects are produced on time as per the marked specification.
• They have to Motivate and encourage internal as well as external design teams so that the design process would become more efficient.
• They have to use technical experts to make sure that all the projects, designs and drawings are produced on time and are of high quality.
• They are also responsible for decoding various coded symbols into a normal language.
• They have to work properly so that safety and security would be maintained. They have to take care of health issues also.
• They are required to produce maximum output by reducing financial risk during construction projects in the case of the construction industry. In the case of other industry they may have to check that the products are produced as per the product specification. 
• They have to avoid errors and faults so that all the expectations are met according to the given project.
• They have to work with clients to ensure all the designs available to those who need them at the appropriate time.
• They have to maintain documentation of the designing process also.

• They have to work in an office with various occasional site visits in different conditions.

Steps to Follow 

There are some simple yet important steps to become a Design Manager. These steps are written below in detail.

Decision Making

Candidates should start making decisions about taking Design Manager as a career from the 10+2 level. But, before this, they should have subjects like Drawing, English and Computer in their 12th class. Being a very demanding job, it requires the professionals’ undivided attention and focuses on work. As a result, candidates must determine whether they are prepared for such a demanding job. The candidates should also be prepared to take responsibility because it involves bridging the gap between the various departments and being answerable to all of them. They have to decide which course to choose. They have to think properly about their college so that they can study well for their career. They can decide to start their course in any specialization which they want to choose.

Subject Choices

Major subjects such as Drawing, Fine Arts, Computer and English would be mandatory. However, no specific subjects are required for this career as the students from any education background at school level can pursue Designing or management as a Career. Instead of subject choices, there should be a work experience for better knowledge and skills. Work Experience can be in other fields also. However, in the case of subjects good knowledge in mathematics and computer science would be necessary for the entrances.

Entrance Exam Preparation

Entrance Exams are available for different levels for studying courses related to Designing. There are various Entrance Exams such as CEED, NID Entrance Exam, NIFT Entrance Exam and FDDI AIST. In the case of post graduate admission the courses that are available are CAT, MAT, XAT, CMAT or other state level entrances such as JEMAT, etc. The various colleges or universities release notice of the entrance examination that they consider for the various courses. The candidates should keep a list of the entrance exam scored by their preferred college. They should have proper reading material and knowledge so that they can crack their Entrance Exams.

Selecting Correct Colleges

The Selection of college is a must. Every Candidate should see whether he/she is going into a good University/Institute or not. Making good relationships with the teachers would be beneficial for them which could help them in future. Many Universities such as IIFD, NID, Pacific University offer courses in Designing. After checking the placement and scholarship profile of the colleges, candidates can see whether it is good for them or not. They should also look for the overall rank of the particular colleges from agencies such as NIRF, India Today or Outlook. They should also check out their information from the former alumni of the college.

Types of a Design Manager 

There are mainly seven types of Design Manager, the detail for some of the design managers job profile has been listed below

• Product Design Manager: These types of design managers are responsible for product design management mainly for marketing, research & information and design of new products. They mainly focus on aesthetic, semiotic, and ergonomic aspects of the product so that they can represent the qualities of the product as well as the brand. They also manage the diversity of the product design.
• Brand Design Manager: These types of design managers are responsible for brand design management. They mainly focus on the design decisions of branding as well as brand experience, recognition and reliability of a product. They are mainly of two types including corporate brand management and product brand management.
• Service Design Manager: These types of design managers are responsible for planning, organizing, communication and various components of a service that a company has to offer.. Managing the services would help the businesses to gain success and conquer the new markets. They also help the company to create a good experience for the customer so that the customer engagement increases and they can make a good profit.
• Business Design Manager: These types of design managers are responsible for integrating design thinking into management. They mainly focus on Architecture and design so that they can put more profits into their business. They can solve all the problems in the business through applying various processes of design management. They have a deep understanding of the businesses modus operandi so that they can modify their business.
• Engineering Design Manager: These types of managers are very knowledgeable so that they can represent the applications of management practices. They are specialized in influencing their team by planning, guiding, monitoring and controlling them. They are used in infrastructural projects for the welfare of the society.
• Urban Design Manager: They are responsible for Conventional real estate development and urban planning activities for the production of the built environment. They are specialized in doing their work by following the principles of integrative negotiation. They are used in the working of city design, land use and urban planning. They can organize the cities by which they can increase their educational and professional backgrounds.
• Architectural Design Manager: They are responsible for realization of building at an acceptable cost by giving greater satisfaction to their clients. They have been used since the 1960s and considered one of the important professions after the Second World War.The Architectural Design Manager are responsible for proper execution of a building and structure and are also responsible for creation of proper budget related to the project and also the allocation of the labour force. 

Courses to become a Design Manager 

In India various courses are available to the candidates at the diploma , undergraduate, post graduate and doctorate level in order to become a Design Manager. Candidates can pursue any of the following courses to become a duty manager in India

MBA Design Management Course 

MBA Design Management is a two years profofessional post graduate course that trains candidates in understanding what the concept of design holds for industry such as architecture, advertising, art, Information Technology, and medicine.

The average course of the MBA Design Management course ranges between INR 50000-INR 300,000. Candidates after the competition of the course are absorbed in top brand such as Steelcase, Motorola, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, etc

Admission Process

• Most of the institutions offer the course to the applicants on the basis of performance in an Entrance Exam followed by an Interview. 
• The candidates are required to visit the college website and check the entrance examination that is required to take part in the admission process. 
• After checking the eligibility criteria the candidates are required to register themselves with the examination authorities and fill up the application form and make payment. They should take out the receipt of the admission form for further use.
• After completion of the entrance exam. A score card is provided to the candidates by the entrance exam agencies. The candidates are required to use the scorecard apply to the different institute for the admission process

Entrance Exam 

Entrance Exams such as CAT, MAT, XAT are to be qualified by the candidate to take admission to MBA Program.

Important Dates for the Entrance Exams 

Eligibility Criteria for the CAT Exam 

• Candidates have to complete a Bachelor’s Degree with the minimum score of 50% is required. Candidates from the reserved categories are offered a relaxation of 5%.
• Candidates must clear all their active backlogs before taking the final admission through any of the entrance examinations.
• There is no age limit for CAT Exam

How to Apply for the CAT Exam ?

• Candidates have to go to the Official Website of the CAT Entrance Exam. 
• Candidates can register themselves by registration in which they have to create user ID and password after filling important details such as name, date of birth, email ID and phone number.
• Login again with the User ID and password generated above for completing the application form.
• Fill up all the important and mandatory information and asked- personal details, academic details, work experience, photographs, signature etc. correctly.
• Make payment of CAT application fees via debit/credit card or net banking or the mode which you want.

• Print confirmation page for future reference.

How to prepare for the CAT Exam?

• Candidates have to study all the previous question papers for the Entrance of CAT. You have to know the paper pattern of the question paper. 
• Syllabus and books should be provided to the students so that they can crack the Entrance Exam easily. 
• CAT syllabus includes important topics such as Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude.
• Clear up the fundamentals. A robust understanding of the fundamentals are going to be helpful. Most of the questions in the engineering entrance exam are from the fundamentals so clear your concepts at the beginning.
• Practice, practice, practice. Take mocks and try to solve as many sample papers as possible.

Important Links:

B.Des in Interior Design 

B.Des in Interior Design is a 4 years professional course that allows the candidates to gain knowledge about the people’s behavior to create functional spaces within a building. The course allows the students to understand how the building and its interior spaces have to be designed so that they are able form an optimum environment.

B.Des courses also allow them to manage the various teams involved in the production and design process and allow them to control.

Admission Process 

• Candidates would get admission on the basis of merit along with entrance exam required for this Course. 
• Candidates must first select the colleges where they want to study and look out for the eligibility criteria and the qualifying entrance examination. 
• Candidates need to fill up the entrance examination form by visiting the official website and put up the necessary documents.
• The students are required to visit the entrance examination website for time to time updates.

• If the candidates have cracked the entrance examination then they must visit the college website for the cutoff scores which are generally uploaded in the college website.

Entrance Exam 

Entrance Exams such as UCEED, NID DAT, FDDI AIST, SEED, SOFT CET and UID DAT are to be qualified by the candidate to take admission to B.Des. Program.

Important Dates for the Entrance Exams 

Eligibility Criteria for the UCEED Exam

• Candidates have to complete 12th class with the minimum percentage required (Generally 50%).
• A Candidate can give the Entrance Exam a maximum of two times and that too in consecutive years.
• Diploma holders whose degrees are recognized by the All India Council for Technical Education or a State Board of Technical Education of at least 3 years duration. 

• Age Limit is below 25 years (30 years for reserved criteria). 

How to Apply for the UCEED Exam?

• Candidates have to apply on the Official Website of the UCEED Entrance Exam. The Entrance Exam of UCEED is to be conducted in Online mode due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• The candidates are required to register themselves for the entrance examination.They have to fill the Application form and upload the various documents.
• Then they are required to pay the fees online in mode.After submitting the application fees the candidates are required to take out the receipt for further details.

How to prepare for the UCEED Exam?

• Candidates have to gain explicit knowledge to crack this Entrance Test. Verified Books for Designing must be purchased to be consulted by the candidates. 
• The candidates need to find out about the weightage of various sections and start preparing accordingly. 
• Make a timetable for The entrance exam and follow it strictly. Cover every topic in each subject and assign them a particular slot in the timetable. This will ensure that the entire syllabus is covered at least once.
• B.Des. Course is the first priority for becoming a design manager as it includes all the coursework of designing and it is available in different specializations. 

• Candidates have to prepare for the specialization in which they have taken admission.

BA Interior Design 

BA Interior design is a 3 years undergraduate course that allows the candidates to develop important ideas about architectural design related to construction and maintenance of housing and space management skills. The course mainly focuses on designing on interior spaces and enlightens them with an understanding of utilization of world class techniques and latest trends in design and related disciplines.

Admission Process 

The admission to the BA Interior Design courses are done on the basis of merit list or common entrance test. The following are some of the steps that the candidates must take during the admission process.

• First the candidates must look for eligibility criteria for admission to the different institute
• Visit the official institute and fill up the registration form. In case of entrance examination go to the website of the conducting body and fill up the application form and submit documents.
• Pay the application fee and submit.
• Visit the website of the institute on a time to time basis for regular updates.
• If the candidates have passed the entrance examination are called for a round of counselling or a round of GD or PI.
• In case of merit list the colleges would put forward a list of candidates that are eligible for admission