Sri Sri University Organises Two-Day Design Thinking Workshop for Fine Arts Students

The School of Fine Arts at Sri Sri University conducted a two-day skill development workshop on Design Thinking to introduce participants to practical design methods, creative problem-solving and approaches to transforming ideas into solutions.

The workshop sessions were led by Professor Emeritus Paresh Chatterjee, Associate Director of the Craft Innovation Centre at Unitedworld Institute of Design (UID), Karnavati University, Gandhinagar, and former professor at the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad.

The sessions enabled creative thinking and learning, offering an opportunity to discover traditional and contemporary approaches towards design. The discussions and activity involved understanding design principles, techniques and different ways to approach problems.

Workshop Explores Design Thinking and Creative Problem-Solving

Design thinking is a human-centred approach to understanding problems, exploring ideas and developing solutions. It encourages designers to reflect on the needs of users, question assumptions and test out a range of approaches, moving beyond the first solution that comes to mind.

During the workshop, participants explored how design principles could be applied to practical situations. The sessions also demonstrated the link between creativity and structured problem-solving, highlighting how ideas could be evolved into solutions that responded to a need.

The focus on both traditional and contemporary design approaches offered participants an opportunity to think about how established practices and new perspectives could inform creative work.

Expert-Led Learning at the School of Fine Arts

Professor Emeritus Paresh Chatterjee led the workshop, providing his expertise on the field of design. His experience of design education and institutional practice through the Craft Innovation Centre at UID, Karnavati University, and the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad offered a strong academic foundation to the sessions.

The workshop was conducted as a skill development initiative by the School of Fine Arts at Sri Sri University, aiming to help participants expand their understanding of design and learn new perspectives creatively.

Connecting Design Education With Practical Skills

Design education involves more than developing visual ideas. It also needs skills such as observation, experimentation, reading the world around them, understanding people, and overcoming challenges. Workshops that enable discussion and practical application of design principles can enable students to explore these aspects beyond regular classroom-based learning.

The two-day programme at Sri Sri University focussed on creative exploration and application of design principles towards problem-solving, reflecting how skill development activities could enable exploring different approaches and building a wider understanding of the field.

The workshop concluded as an academic engagement focussed on design thinking, innovation and practical learning, that brought these elements into the learning experience of the School of Fine Arts at Sri Sri University.