PES University Design 2026: From Traditional Craft to Modern Design

1
Why Traditional Craft Still Matters to Modern Designers

Technology has changed how designers work, but materials and human interaction remain at the heart of design. A traditional craft object can contain information about local materials, manufacturing techniques, cultural identity and the needs of the people who use it. Understanding these elements can help young designers develop a deeper appreciation for how objects are created and why certain forms survive across generations. This is particularly relevant to Product Design, where students need to think about materials, usability, manufacturing and the relationship between an object and its user. PES University‘s B.Des curriculum includes Material Exploration during the foundation stage and later introduces students to areas such as product development, mechanism design, manufacturing and sustainable design. The result is a learning approach where materials are not treated merely as something chosen at the end of a project. They can become part of the design thinking process itself.

2
What Students Can Learn From Channapatna’s Toy-Making Tradition

One of the most interesting examples of PES University‘s connection with traditional making is its student visit to Channapatna, a Karnataka cluster widely associated with traditional wooden toys. PES University reported that students from its Toy Design course visited the Channapatna toy-making cluster in May 2025. Such an experience allows students to observe craft practices in their real production environment rather than understanding them only through classroom material. For a design student, seeing craftsmen work with materials can raise important questions.

How is a shape created?

Why is a particular material selected?

How much of the process is manual?

What makes an object appealing?

How can traditional techniques survive in a changing market?

These questions can help students understand that design is closely connected with culture, technology, economics and human behaviour.

3
From Handmade Objects to Product Design

Traditional craft and industrial product design may appear to be completely different worlds. One may involve handmade processes, while the other can involve CAD, engineering and manufacturing systems. However, both ultimately involve creating objects that people interact with. PES University‘s Product Design curriculum includes subjects such as Product Design and Development, Digital Solid and Surface Sculpting, Mechanism Design and Mechatronics, Product Design Studio, CAE in Product Design and Design for Manufacturability and Cost. Students therefore get opportunities to understand both the creative and practical sides of product development. A traditional craft object can inspire thinking about form and material. Modern design education can then add research, digital modelling, prototyping, usability and manufacturing considerations. This creates a bridge between how things have traditionally been made and how products can be designed for future users.

4
Material Exploration Begins Before Specialisation

One of the important features of the PES B.Des curriculum is that students do not immediately enter a highly specialised design environment. The first year functions as a common foundation across the design streams, giving students exposure to subjects such as Design Fundamentals, Visual Arts, Analytical Drawing, Photography and Videography, Design History, Digital Graphics and Material Exploration. Material Exploration can be particularly important because students begin to understand how different materials behave and how they can influence the final design. A designer may experiment with paper, wood, fabric, clay, digital surfaces or other materials before deciding which direction best suits a particular project. This experimentation can help students move away from thinking about design only as something that appears on a screen. Design can also be something that can be touched, handled, assembled, modified and experienced.

5
Craft Can Also Influence Sustainable Design

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in product, fashion, interior and communication design. Designers need to think about where materials come from, how products are manufactured, how long they last and what happens when they are no longer needed. Traditional craft practices can provide useful starting points for these conversations because they often involve local materials, established making techniques and close relationships between makers and communities. PES University‘s B.Des curriculum includes Design for Inclusivity and Social Impact, while the Fashion Design stream includes Sustainable Fashion. Product Design also covers areas related to manufacturing and cost. For students, sustainability can therefore become more than a theoretical topic.

It can become a design question:

Can we create something useful while reducing unnecessary environmental impact?

6
Design Research Helps Students Understand People and Places

Good design requires observation. Before creating a product, service or experience, designers often need to understand the people who will use it and the environment in which it will exist. Field visits can provide a different kind of knowledge because students can observe real situations rather than relying only on assumptions. PES University‘s design activities include industry and field-oriented learning, while the B.Des curriculum contains subjects such as Design Thinking, Human Factors in Design, Service Design and Design for Inclusivity and Social Impact. A student researching a traditional craft community, for example, may discover that the challenge is not simply to redesign an object. The real challenge may involve preserving a craft tradition, improving market access, understanding changing consumer preferences or creating products that appeal to new audiences without losing cultural identity. That is where design research becomes valuable.

7
The Same Design Thinking Can Move Into Digital Experiences

Although traditional craft can inspire physical design, the principles of observation and user understanding also apply to digital products. A UX designer may not work with wood or textiles, but they still need to understand how people behave.

Why does a user struggle with an interface?

Which information should appear first?

What makes an interaction intuitive?

How can a digital service become more accessible?

PES University‘s Interaction Design curriculum includes UI/UX, User Interface Studies, Service Design, Application Design and Coding, Interactive Smart Devices, Interaction Design for Extended Reality and Conversational UX. This demonstrates how design education can move between physical and digital experiences. The material may change. The technology may change.

But the central question remains similar:

How can we create something that works better for people?

8
Communication Design Gives Traditional Ideas a New Visual Language

Traditional crafts are often connected with strong visual identities. Colours, patterns, symbols, shapes and storytelling can communicate cultural meaning even before someone understands the history behind an object. Communication designers can explore how such visual elements can be interpreted for contemporary audiences. PES University‘s Communication Design curriculum includes Graphic Design, Advanced Graphic Design, Branding and Identity Systems, Advertising, 2D Animation, 3D Animation, Infographics and Packaging Design. This creates possibilities for students to think about how traditional ideas can be communicated through modern media. A craft story could become a brand identity. A traditional pattern could inspire a visual system. A cultural object could become the subject of a digital campaign. The important part is understanding the original context before transforming it.

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Fashion Design Connects Culture With Contemporary Creativity

Fashion is another area where tradition and modern design constantly interact. Clothing can carry cultural identity while also responding to contemporary trends, changing lifestyles and new technologies. PES University‘s Fashion Design curriculum includes Fashion Illustration, Pattern Construction, Textile Science, Garment Draping, Sustainable Fashion, Fashion Styling, Fashion Merchandising and Management, Digital Marketing and Fashion Photography and Journalism. Students can therefore explore fashion from multiple perspectives rather than treating it only as garment creation. They can think about textiles, styling, sustainability, communication, business and consumer behaviour. This creates opportunities to explore how traditional textile practices and cultural influences can coexist with contemporary fashion systems.

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Bengaluru Adds Another Layer to Design Education

PES University is located in Bengaluru, a city with strong technology, startup, manufacturing and creative ecosystems. For design students, this environment can provide opportunities to observe how design interacts with technology and business. A city known for technology can create exposure to digital products and startups. At the same time, Karnataka’s rich craft traditions provide opportunities to explore materials, culture and traditional forms of making. PES University‘s own design activities demonstrate this connection through workshops, industry interactions, field visits and events. Its official design news portal, for example, has highlighted the Channapatna toy-making visit and the 2026 DISRUPT interactive session focused on design thinking.

This creates an interesting contrast for students: Traditional making on one side. Emerging technology on the other. Design sits between them.

11
Students Can Build Their Own Design Direction

The common foundation in the B.Des programme gives students time to understand different design areas before moving into deeper specialisation. PES University‘s curriculum describes Year 1 as a foundation year and Year 2 as a period of broader exposure across design disciplines. Later stages focus more deeply on the chosen specialisation, followed by capstone work and industry integration.

The programme currently includes four streams in the detailed B.Des curriculum:

This structure can be useful for students who know they want to study design but are still deciding which direction fits them best. Instead of forcing an early decision without exposure, students get opportunities to develop a broader design foundation first.

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From Field Research to a Professional Portfolio

A design portfolio can tell a story about how a student thinks. It can show the initial observation, research, sketches, experiments, prototypes, feedback and final outcome. PES University‘s later B.Des curriculum includes Capstone Phase I, II and III, along with an internship in the final semester. The university describes the capstone as an opportunity to demonstrate design thinking and problem-solving while developing a professional portfolio. This gives students an opportunity to bring together what they have learned throughout the programme.

A project inspired by traditional craft, for example, could involve:

• ✦
  Field Research → Cultural Understanding → User Study → Concept Development → Prototype → Testing → Final Design

Another project could begin with a digital problem and follow a similar process. The subject changes, but the design methodology remains useful across different careers.

13
Design Education at PES Is Also About What Happens Outside the Classroom

A design student’s learning does not have to stop when the lecture ends. PES University‘s Faculty of Design provides spaces such as an Animation Studio, Art Studio, Photography Studio, Carpentry Shop, Digital Sculpting Studio, Form Studio and Fab Lab/Design Innovation Studio with prototyping facilities. The university’s DSGNR student club also conducts art and design-related workshops and events, including workshops focused on tools such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. These activities can give students additional opportunities to practise their skills, experiment with creative tools and interact with other students interested in design. For a student, this can gradually turn design from an academic subject into a regular way of thinking and making.

✦ Final Thoughts & Key Advice

Design does not always require starting from something completely new. Sometimes the best starting point is something that already exists. A traditional toy. A craft technique. A textile. A local material. A familiar object. A cultural story. The designer’s job can then be to understand it, question it and explore how it might evolve for a different generation. PES University‘s design ecosystem creates opportunities to explore this relationship through material exploration, field experiences, design thinking, product development, communication, interaction design, fashion and practical project work. Its Channapatna toy-making visit is one example of how students can encounter traditional making outside the classroom. At the same time, students can move towards modern areas such as UX, interactive technology, AI in Design, extended reality and digital experiences. This combination creates a broader understanding of what a designer can be. Not simply someone who makes things look good. But someone who observes, researches, understands, experiments and creates solutions for people. For students looking at design education in 2026, that can be an important distinction.

PES University Design 2026: Learn From Tradition. Create for Tomorrow. Students researching design colleges, career pathways and higher-education options can explore CareerGuide.com for career planning and university research. Students preparing for undergraduate admissions can also explore CareerGuide CUET for admission and counselling resources.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)