Last week, technology giants Google, Microsoft & Apple released new products which are targeted primarily to designers. Google launched Gallery and Stage for UI /UX collaboration. Microsoft launched Microsoft Surface Studio consisting a massive 27-inch touch screen with an interactive dial. They showcased the entire product keeping their primary customer, the creators in the design industry in mind. Apple’s new MacBook Pro keynote too had an entire segment dedicated to their new Touch Bar’s integration with Adobe Photoshop.
What does this mean?
Very often investors, colleagues and industry professionals question me whether the market for designers is big enough. I’ve had some angel investors tell me to not waste time and move on from this industry. People forget that everything you see around you has been designed by someone at some point in time. We have giants like Wacom, Adobe and Autodesk whose products are targeted towards designers and creative professionals for a while now and as mentioned before, in the past week itself, you can see 3 out of US’s top 5 companies launching designer-orientated products. This proves how significant designers have become.
Design in India is an $8 billion-dollar industry according to the CII India Design Report 2015. Today, companies are heavily investing on creating a great user experience through design. Housing, Directi, Paytm and Zomato are some notable examples. Not only tech but other markets also see the influence of great design. Mumbai’s T2 and upcoming Lodha properties have kept aesthetics at their forefront. Chumbak through its quirky kitsch design is successfully making a mark in the fashion industry now. Polygons by Indian designer Rahul Agarwal is re-inventing the spoon and so far, has been one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns of the year.
Design is a people-friendly industry. These $8 billion dollars are contributed in one way or another by people for people. Thus, the connection and collaboration of creative professionals in India is of prime importance. We at IndieFolio are very excited to be in the design space and every day our team works at facilitating the design industry. India today needs more design promoters like Kyoorius, Taxi Fabric and St+art which can give established and upcoming designers a great platform to shine and showcase the true power of design.
Article originally written by Kavan Antani, CEO of IndieFolio on LinkedIn