Communication Design: Admission 2025, Fees, Syllabus, Entrance Exam, Top Colleges, Career Scope

The demand for communication designers are increasing day-by-day. A communication designer's job is to create a connection between the spectator and the visuals. A communication designer would evaluate the message they want to transmit and how to effectively engage the viewer before they know what the graphics will look like.

A communication design course will teach students everything they need to know to become expert communication designers. Some of the popular specializations in communication design include - Film and Video communication, Exhibition Design, Animation Film Design, and Graphic Design. 

Communication Design refers to designing in order to communicate emotions, message, information, data, and knowledge through electronic media. Communication Design is quite different as it not only includes the creation of message but even the creation of channels through which message will be conveyed to the target population. Different types of communication designs include:

1. Graphic Design : Graphic design is a form of visual communication that has certain goals which can be achieved through proper graphics designing. It involves aesthetically expressing the concepts by using various graphics tools. Graphics Designing entails to creating a layout and choosing the right images, symbols and words to express a message.
2. Data Visualisation : Data visualization is also a form of visual communication whereby the information and data are represented in a graphical form. The elements which play a key role in data visualization are maps, charts and graphs. These elements help the viewer to easily understand the data pattern, trends or outliners. Today a large amount of data is available at everyone disposal. However, it needs to be analyzed for better decisions with proper visualization tools. 
3.  Interaction Design : Today digital products like applications have become so popular these are being used as powerful tools to spread message and information. There are different elements of digital products and each element interacts with the user in a different way. Interaction design refers to a designing approach whereby designers focus on the ways a product & its elements will interact with the users. Through the interactive design of digital products, the necessary information is communicated to the end users.
4. Art and Illustrations : Rather than the oral means of communication, messages can be conveyed best through graphics, illustrations, photographs or pictograms.
5. Visual Identity : Visual identity refers to symbols, logos, shapes or other visual elements that different brands use in order to ACT as their identity. These are easy to remember and whenever a person witnesses the logo of a brand, he/she can correlate it with the brand.
6. Writing & Editing : Different newspaper articles, promotional content, blogs, articles, fiction novels, journals, and informational documents are a great way of communicating a message. Thus, communication design also includes creating content in such a way that it meets its intended goals.

Students who meet the eligibility criteria can complete the exams Check out popular Communication Design diploma and certificate courses below:

Students who meet all the eligibility criteria as per the course level and clear entrance exams, as demanded by the colleges, can seek admission to communication design courses. Many people are drawn to communication design courses because they inspire, encourage, and develop want to create a positive impression on the public's minds. It can play a significant role in the promotion of a message and shaping a buyer's behaviour, whether to establish a brand or shift sales. People who are creative and know typography and design skills can take up this course. Moreover, the communication design industries include print media, photography, filmmaking, game design, animation, research, interaction design and digital media.

Graphic design is a subset of communication design. While a graphic designer creates specific graphic elements, a communication designer uses those elements in designing a strategic communication plan or a complete end-to-end marketing campaign. A communication designer understands how to use these aspects to communicate a particular mood. Every design decision, from colour to font to layout to language, will have an impact on the company's brand.

A graphic designer is usually involved in handling one specific task of design creation. On the other hand, the job of a communication designer is not only about creating graphics but also communicating the organisation’s message to the audience. A communication designer is involved in the complete marketing campaign from start to finish. Check Graphic Design Syllabus

No, usually there is no minimum or maximum age limit to apply for Communication Design courses. However, some colleges may have their own eligiblity parameters. If you want to pursue BDes in Communication Design then you should be not be older than 21 years. However, if you wish to pursue BA Communication Design, BSc Communication Design or MDes Communication Design then there is no age limit.

Yes, you can apply for postgraduate-level Communication Design courses such as MA Communication Design, MSc Communication Design and MDes Communication Design after completing BTech. Make sure that you have passed the degree with at least 50% marks or 5.5 CGPA.

CEED is an entrance exam for postgraduate Design courses such as M.Des and UCEED entrance exam is for undergraduate Design courses such as B. Des. UCEED is open to all nationals (Indian/Foreign). Many reputed colleges such as Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG), Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) and Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and Manufacturing Jabalpur (IIITDMJ) aceept UCEED scores. You should have qualified for CEED exam if you wish to seek admission to Master of Design M.Des programmes at IISc Bangalore, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, IIITDM Jabalpur, and IIT Kanpur, and to Ph.D. programmes in Design at IISc Bangalore, IIT Bombay, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, and IIT Kanpur.

The NID DAT 2025 (Prelims) exam will be conducted on January 5, 2024. 

As per the official pattern, the DAT Prelims exam wil be conducted offline and will be of 3 hours duration. The test will be conducted in English language and include a maximum of 26 questions. The question paper will include both subjective and objective-type questions. The paper will be for 100 marks. Candidate who qualify in DAT Prelims have to next appear in DAT Mains.

The candidate needs to consult the exam pattern along with the syllabus to prepare for the NID that exam. Note that the National Institute of Design also has the authority to make changes to the exam pattern.

The difficulty level of the CUET exam ranges from moderate to tough. Since the CUET UG exam is held for multiple subjects and slots, the difficulty level of the exam varies from subject to subject. Sometimes, the difficulty level may also vary for different slots. The difficulty level of exam is also relative and the same exam's level of difficulty may vary for different candidates. While for the well prepared candidates, the difficulty level will be low, for the underprepared students, the level of difficulty will be on the higher side. 

Communication Design courses help students who wish to build a name for themselves in the field of communication design and technology. Students will learn everything they need to know about communication design in a communication design course. In a communication design course, students are usually taught subjects such as Sketching; Design Process; Elements of Photo, Video and Animation; Branding & Identity Design; Information Design; Publication Design and so on.

The two most popular Master design courses at UG and PG levels include BDes and MDes, respectively. Candidates who wish to pursue a Communication design course can opt for degree, Diploma or certificate-level programmes. Candidates can pursue the courses at the undergraduate or postgraduate level in full-time, part-time or online modes.

The duration of the courses ranges from a few months (if enrolled in a short-term certificate programme) to four years (if enrolled in a degree programme). 

No, you cannot pursue BDes Communication Design in distance mode as BDes in distance mode is not recognised by UGC. However, you can pursue other bachelor's programme such as BA Communication Design and BSc Communication Design in distance or correspondence mode.

In order to secure admission to reputed communication design colleges in India, you need to sit for national-level entrance exams such as NIFT Entrance Exam, NID Entrance Exam, CEED and UCEED. Admission standards in top schools and institutes are designed to select the best students and those who are ready to learn and make diverse choices.

Few of the popular communication design colleges in India are:

Yes, Communication design has a promising career. The scope of Communication design career is enormous, whether it is in the field of print or public design, or advertising and event design, and thus the academic course has expanded and will soon be one of the most important courses in any country. 

Students after passing out from their respective undergraduate or postgraduate programmes can apply for jobs in industries such as Advertising, Animation, Publishing, Web Design, and movies. People are able to showcase their artistic abilities and inventiveness through communication design. It offers a forum for individual expression as well as the chance to produce eye-catching and powerful designs.

After completing a course in Communication Design, students can join various sectors and expand their job prospects. A Communication Design graduate can join Fashion designing industry, web designing companies, boutiques, hotels etc. Depending on your level of skills and qualifications, you can work in job profiles such as Graphic Designer, Animator, Print Media Designer, Visual Designer, Brand and Social Media Manager, Creative Director and so on.

The average base salary of a Communication Designer in India is INR 6 Lacs per year. The salary, however, can increase significantly to up to INR 20 lakh per annum as a person grows in skills and experience. Job duties for such specialists include brainstorming, sketching, and design creation while keeping client needs and consumer susceptibility in mind.

• Entry-Level Communication Designer: An entry-level communication designer can earn an average salary ranging from INR 2 LPA to INR 5 LPA.
• Mid-Level Communication Designer: A mid-level designer can earn an average annual salary ranging from INR 5 LPA to INR 10 LPA.
• Senior Communication Designer: Senior communication designer can earn up to INR 25 LPA.

 To become a successful communication designer in India, you can follow the steps below.

• Obtain an undergraduate communication design degree
• Pursue a PG diploma or degree course in communication design
• Create an impressive portfolio
• Gain industry experience

In order to ace the industry it is essential to have some must-have skills for Communication Design. The basic Communication Design skillset that anyone planning to pursue a career in the field should have been mentioned below.

• Creativity
• Aesthetic sense
• Communication skills
• Commercial mindset
• Knowledge of various software
• Attention to detail
• Team player
• Ability to adhere to strict deadlines

It is very much possible to prepare for CEED without coaching. But before you embark on exam preparation on your own, you need the conviction that you can do it. If you are not convinced yourself and only decide to forgo coaching on the advice of others, the journey may be difficult.

If you prepare for the exam on your own, you need to be serious and plan the preparation smartly. For instance, after going through the syllabus, you must be able to decide the difficulty level, time it will take to cover the syllabus, and do revision. 

Remember, there are many instances of toppers who managed to ace the CEED exam without the aid of any coaching. Further, the final outcome may not depend on whether you do coaching or not, but the quality of your preparation.