This was the first newsletter published by IDC in October 1983. In the first edition of the newsletter includes many things, such as Manfred Hermann, a furniture designer from Ulm, West Germany; the National Workshop on Ceramics/Pottery; the Soft Toy Workshop; M.Des Degree Projects; and forthcoming events etc. Under the UNDP assistance programme, Mr. Manfred Hermann, a furniture designer from Ulm, West Germany, came to IDC as a visiting expert in January 1983. He was a graduate of the Hochschule fur Gestaltung, Ulm (1966). At IDC, Mr. Hermann’s main assignment was to advise in planning IDC’s proposed course in Furniture Design. He also designed furniture for IIT, conducted a two-month course for furniture designers from industry; and guided a one-month project for the junior batch of IDC students in designing school furniture for IIT central school. From May 9–13, 1983, IDC hosted the National Workshop on Ceramic/Pottery, organised jointly by IDC, SIDI (Society of Industrial Designers of India), and Vishwa Karigar—an association of craftsmen. The object of the workshop was to bring together traditional craftsmen, industrial designers, ceramic technologies and design students to create an opportunity for closer interaction. One hundred participants attended the workshop, including 30 traditional craftsmen and studio potters. Another workshop conducted was the Soft Toy Workshop. Over 30 children from IIT Campus participated in a workshop at IDC to design and make soft toys. The workshop was conducted by Mrs. Norma Hermann, who demonstrated various techniques of soft toy making using simple, easily available materials. Students of the Master of Design Degree Course (1981-1983 batch) presented their final projects. The projects were Modular Furniture Design, Design of Seat for a Luxury Bus, Design of Ambulance Interior, Design of Auto Rickshaw, Design of Espresso Coffee Machine, Design of a Power Hacksaw, Design of Industrial Canteen Furniture, Design of System Rack for Electronic Equipment, Design of a Log-Cutting Band Saw, Redesign of Moped, Design of a Fork-lift Truck, and Design of a Product Photography Stand. In this newsletter they have also added forthcoming events details such as a course in advanced photography, a 3-day course on industrial design for SAC, designing for children\'s workshop/seminar etc.

This was the second newsletter published by IDC on January 1, 1984. The second edition of the newsletter includes the "Designing for Children’ Workshop, the "Designing for Children’ Seminar, Student Work, Projects, Events, Ergonomics, and News. The Design for Children workshop was a three-week workshop on designing children’s books and was conducted in IDC by Mr. Kohei Sugiura, a graphic designer from Japan, and Mr. Fujio Watanabe, an illustrator. Participants in the workshop were students and faculty members of IDC and NID, Ahmedabad. The Designing for Children Seminar was a 3-day national seminar. The seminar was organised by IDC with a view to understanding the various aspects of designing instructional materials for children and to helping formulate a course in designing for children as part of its Visual Communication programme starting in August 1984. Mr. Kohei Sugiura, graphic designer, and Mr. Fujio Watanabe, illustrator from Japan, attended the seminar as UNDP experts. Besides demonstrating the use of air brush illustration, Mr. Fujio advised the participants in planning the illustrations for the books designed by them. Japanese designer and philosopher Sori Yanagi was in IDC as a UNDP expert in 1983. A two-month course in advanced photography was conducted at IDC by Roland Furst, a photo designer from West Germany. Mr. Alain Baillon, Technical Director of Trinome Design Group, Paris, France and visiting Professor at the University de Technologie de Campiegne, was at IDC for 5 weeks as a UNESCO Consultant. The students\' projects were also added in the newsletter and they are; Ticket issueing weighing machine, Baby carrier for train travellers, Train Indicator, Aids for refreshment Stall, Public telephone system for Railways, Display system for Railway Time Table, Luggage Handling Trolley, Facility Poles for Railway Platforms, Exterior Design of Heat Exchanger for L&T etc. In the ergonomics part, they have included Dr.R.H.Harding, of the Human Sciences Department, University of Technology, U.K., as a UNDP consultant. His main assignment was to advise IDC in selecting a computer suitable for real-time data acquisition for biomedical laboratories and also to suggest the various software and hardware specifications for it. John Kreifeldt, from the Department of Engineering Design, Tufts University, Boston, USA, was in IDC as a UNDP expert. Kreifeldt conducted a series of seminars for the IDC faculty and students on the use of multi-dimensional and individual-difference scaling techniques as a tool in Ergonomics & Product Design.Takeo Lida from the Industrial Products Research Institute, Tskuba, Japan held a number of seminars and workshops IDC as a UNDP consultant in product ergonomics. The Ergonomics Research Projects at IDC were Biomechanics of Machine Control Design, Ergonomic Data Generation on Indian School Children for School Furniture Design. In addition, they have a Master’s Degree Programme in Visual Communication, in addition to the existing programmes in Industrial Design. And they are introducing a six-monthly journal called Abhikalpa.

This was the third edition of the newsletter in April 1984. In this edition they have included Modus 84 Design Students’ Annual Meet, Projects, People, and Events. Modus 84 was the annual festival of design students that was held in IDC in March 1984 with the participation of over 80 students from NID and IDC. The first Modus was organised in NID last year by the Student Wing of SIDI to provide an opportunity for greater interaction among design students, professional designers, and the industry. The highlights of Modus’ 84 were a Creativity Workshop, Presentations of students\' and professionals\' work, a Design Clinic, an Exhibition of student’s design projects, and an exhibition of books on design organised by Super Book House, Bombay. The projects were: Community Solar Cooker, Laser Beam Centering Device, and Gandhi Bhavan Museum. The Community Solar Cooker is based on the absorption principle and has been developed at IDC by Shri C Gopinath, Prof. A.G. Rao, and Prof. B.S. Jagadish. IDC has completed an assignment on Industrial Design of a Portable Unit Housing the Laser Beam Centering Device Display Panel and Sensor for the Laser Alignment System manufactured by Jyoti Limited. IDC completed an assignment of designing a photo exhibition on Gandhiji’s life for the Gandhi Bhavan Museum in Bhopal. The photo exhibition depicted Gandhiji’s life in a chronological order using visual material from various sources. Mr. Abdul Gaffoor and the Workshop on perception and form were in the People’s part of the newsletter. Mr. Abdul Gaffoor was in charge of the Ceramic Department. On invitation from the National Institute of Design, Prof. U.A. Athavankar conducted a 3-day workshop on "Aspects of Perception in the Development of Form" for NID’s advanced level product design students. They have invitations for visual communication projects, a seminar on bus body design, an IDC design and development cell, a S.I.S.I. seminar, and so on.

This was the fourth edition of the newsletter in July 1984. IDC news is published quarterly by the Industrial Design Centre. In this edition they have included "The Chair Wear Project." IDC News presents the results of a just completed one-month student project at IDC; The Chair Wear Project. The participants were students of the Junior Batch of the Master of Design Degree course at IDC, who have completed one year of basic design training, and the chair wear project was the first of the three product design projects students are required to complete at IDC. The project brief was to design a chair that could be worn and carried around everywhere by the user. The project resulted in some very interesting concepts as every student had to come up with innovative ideas to meet the unusual design brief. The ‘Chair Wear Project’ was set up and guided by Prof. Kriti Trivedi. In the news section they have included studies on badminton players, Ergodesign 84, the Nineth Congress of the International Ergonomics Association, CAG Award for Arun Amberkar, Technology Upgradation in the Small Scale Sector etc.

This was the fifth edition of the newsletter from October to December 1984. In this edition they have included "Product Development Cell at IDC". The Government of India has sanctioned a special grant of Rs. 20 lakhs for further development of the activities of the product development cell, which was started in IDC as a part of the UNDP assistance programme. The main objective of the cell is to help the Indian industry produce new and innovative products with design and development help from IDC. The product development cell at IDC was working on several projects. The development of accessories for bicycles, including personal protection devices during the monsoon; the development of a safer and less tiring cycle rickshaw; the design of ventilated safety helmets for tropical conditions; the design of FRP toilet fittings etc. The degree projects‘ 84 were: Exploration of Flexible Material Products; Furniture in Integral Foam; Side Loader Truck; Garbage Container for IIT Campus; Clothes Washing Machine; Domestic Sewing Machine; Exploration of Spun Products in Metals; Exploration of Visual Possibilities of Turned Wood Forms; Concrete Mixer; Mini City Car; CRT Programming Panel for Larsen & Turbo Ltd; Workstation for Alphacomp Photo Type Setting Machine etc. In the news section they have added: VC programme inaguarated, Communication Kit on Energy for Rural Areas, Ergodesign 84, Seminar on Surface Finishings, Symbology Seminar etc.

This was the sixth edition of the newsletter in January-March 1985. This edition starts with the poem "A Hymn to the Symbol", written by Prof. K. Munshi. A seminar was organised on the campus entitled "The Seminar on Indian Symbology and the Science Behind Them". Indian Symbology practise and theory discussed Semiotics as a discipline is relevant to almost all branches of humanistic enquiry. It is a systematic study of signs and symbols used by human beings. As such , it raises fundamental questions about the nature of human experience and human communication because these are possible only through the medium of signs. IDC in the Visual Communication Programme has incorporated the study of the semantic aspects of design to complement the syntactic and pragmatic aspects of design which have been a part of their design education. The designer\'s study of semiotics would aid him in developing a more analytical attitude and critical response, realising the relationship between theoretical framework and practical design activity, and developing new methodologies. In the news section they have included Expo-ID, a 3 day course on Exposure to Industrial Design (Expo-ID) was conducted at IDC, and Courses on Computer Graphics, New Potter’s Wheel, Dr. R. H. Harding, Ravi Poovaiah, K. Munshi, Shri. Prashant Agarwal, M.Des (VC) student, was awarded a prize of Rs. 2500/-by the Maharashtra State Art Awards for his poster design on Family Planning.

This was the seventh edition of the newsletter in April-June 1985. This edition includes a seminar on surface finishes. A two-day seminar on surface finishes was organised by the Product Development Cell of IDC. Indian industries are entering a new phase of rapid development with recent changes in the national industrial policies, liberalisation of controls, and the growth-oriented budget. The introduction of a number of new models with superior technology, manufactured in collaboration with advanced countries, has created greater awareness of product quality and finish and brought about a qualitative change in manufacturers\' attitude towards the finish and appearance of the products. There is more attention to product finish and design features, and a number of new finishes have appeared on the market in the last few years to meet the stringent specifications. In events, they have added an exhibition on surface finishes and seminar topics were added. In the students\' work section, they have added Explorations in Product Form: New Designs for Radio-Clocks. Product design students at IDC have designed a range of radio-clocks with different formal expressions as part of the design assignment in the course ‘Analysis and Organisation of Controls and Displays’ conducted by Shri V.P. Bapat. In the News section, they have included Environmental Analysis-Case Study IIT Campus, Technology Upgradation in Small Scale Sector, Chitranagari Complex, Creativity Workshop for School Children, Design Associates for Projects, and Consultancy Services in Applied Ergonomics. They also mentioned Aksharayoga, a workshop on calligraphy, and a seminar on Indian letterforms.

This was the eighth edition of the newsletter in October-December 1985. This edition includes degree projects from 1985. The projects were a lending counter for IIT Central Library by K.Sreedhar under the guidance of Prof. Uday Athavankar. The project proposes the design of a new library counter for extended library facilities at IIT Bombay. The proposal treats the counter operations as part of a work space that combines, along with the regular activities, several other related functions of library services. Sundeep Saksena is leading the Road Repairing Equipment project under the guidance of Prof. Vijay Bapat. A standard Matador Chassis was used to design equipment for quick road repairs. The equipment is provided with a jack hammer, storage for bitumen and a mix of bitumen and grit, an air blower for cleaning the pothole, an adjustable carpet layer, and a roller which can be lifted up while moving from one place to another. Domestic Cooking Range for Indian Food Preperations project by A.g. Kulkarni under the guidance of Prof. Uday Athavankar, A Low-Cost Cinema Chair By Ravi Nafde, under the guidance of Prof. Ravi Hazra, K.P. Vijayakumar\'s Semi-Automatic Pneumatic Press project by K.P. Vijayakumar under the guidance of Prof. S. Nadkarni, Low Cost Washing Machine Project by Umesh Nevgi under the guidance of Prof. Vijay Bapat, A Compact Slide Projector, Addressograph Machine, Welding Masks, An Electric Vehicle as a Professional Carrier, Cold Carrier for Vaccines, etc. They have added heartfelt condolences to the news section following the death of Poornima Saksena in a car accident. She was an alumni of IDC. Public Transport Information Graphics: It is a project to develop graphics for standardised communication in public road transport vehicles and has been completed by Prof. S.S. Sathaye of IDC. The Creativity Workshop at NID was conducted by Prof. A. G. Rao for the students of the foundation programme at the National Institute of Design. He also mentioned the Aksharayoga workshop and seminar on calligraphy.

This was the nineth edition of the newsletter in January-March 1986. In this edition they have mentioned Aksharayoga. IDC hosted an important event last month called Aksharayoga—a workshop on Eastern and Western Calligraphy and a seminar on Indian letterforms. It was a 3-day seminar, which followed the workshop, typographic, and computerised aspects of Indian letterforms. Another event held by IDC in February 1986 was the Akshara Karyashala, where the audience listened intently to Durga Bhagwat, an eminent writer and critic. The event started with an invocation of various ‘Akshararoopas’. Akshara Charchasatra was the continuation of the activities at the Karyashala, which emerged as a beginning of charchastra. This seminar discussed the various view points as regards to the multifold identity of each and every akshara, such as its form, colour, space, place, power centres, vehicles, and the spiritual essence, etc. In the news section, they have added Industrial Design for Plastics. It was a 2-day seminar that was jointly organised by the Industrial Design Centre and the Indian Plastic Institue, Bombay. The seminar was aimed at giving the participants from various plastics industries exposure to industrial design. Other news items that were given are: the design of the cycle rickshaw, computer keyboard design, exhibition at gallery Asiatic, international design exhibition, etc. They have added heartfelt condolences to the news section following the death of Kunal Kothari. He was India’s leading audio-visual maker.

This was the 10th edition of the newsletter in April-July 1986. This edition includes Product Design Degree Project ’86, Students\' Project, and IDC Related News. The G.N. Sriram Electronic Telephone Exchange for the Visually Handicapped was designed by G.N. Sriram under Prof. A. G. Rao’s guidance. The aim was to redesign the console of the EPABX system for easy operation by the visually handicapped. The C-DOT system was taken as the basic unit with minimum changes in electronics. The initial ideas generated were based on tests by normally sighted and blindfolded people. The Electronic Braille Learning Equipment was developed by Kashmira Rathod under the guidance of Prof. Mohan Bhandari. The equipment is a modification of a product which was designed as a personal braille trainer for the visually handicapped at CEDT, the Indian Institute of Science. The new product design is based on the same electronic technology but is much more adaptable to the user. N.T. Desai\'s Educational Aid for Science Museums project was under the guidance of Prof. A. G. Rao. This project is an attempt to strengthen the concept of the Science Museum and to project that science and technology are easy to comprehend. Prof. Vijay Bapat supervises student Atul Kedia. A scooter is essentially designed as a two-seater, and though many users use it as a family vehicle for up to four passengers (two adults and two children), it is not really suitable for that use. The new family scooter is a rear-engine three-wheeler with the total length and wheel base dimensions of an ordinary scooter. The body and the seats are proposed to be made of FRP and the bumpers of polyurethane. Protective Aid for Chassis Drivers by A. H. Shelke under the guidance of Prof. Vijay Bapat. An attempt was made in this project to design a product which would reduce the driver’s discomfort and provide the minimum necessary conditions for safe driving. M.V. Simhan\'s Portable Powder Painting Equipment project by M.V. Simhan under the guidance of Prof. K. Munshi. In this project, the main design emphasis was given to increasing the capabilities, convenience, and versatility of the equipment for job coaters. The main problems while operating the existing equipment were identified, and major design improvements have been suggested in the following units. Some other projects that were included in this edition were: Portable Powder Painting Equipment, Engine Diagnostic Equipment, Pneumatic Angle Grinder, etc.

This was the eleventh edition of the newsletter in January-June 1987. In this edition they have mentioned Arthaya. On January 20th, 1987, 15 architects, 50 designers, 10 engineers, 25 teachers, a dancer, a film maker, and 48 students congregated at the IDC’s auditorium for the inauguration of Arthaya. It was a seminar on Visual Semantics that was to run for 3 days for the first time in the country, raising the whole issue of "meaning" in man-made images and products. Arthaya was to be an attempt to decode, intellectually, the expressions and processes with the view that such a process would lead to more "conscious" designing by the entire community of designers, film makers,architects etc. In the news section they have added: ergonomic aids for the physically handicapped; a course on industrial ergonomics; telephones for C-Dot; Indian symbology; Interdesign 86-Paris etc. They have added heartfelt condolences to the news section following the death of R. Subbu. His active participation in design activities and total involvement in the quality production of print media has been well known since the 50’s.

This was the twelth edition of the newsletter from July 1987–March 1988. In this edition they have mentioned Vistara-an exhibition on Indian architecture that was designed by Prof. S. Nadkarni and the Vistara committee for this festival of India project. The exhibition recalls the history of Indian civilization through its architecture as a manifestation of living parents. The physical design of the exhibition consists of a plan that takes visitors through various enclosures rather than presenting them with a typical series of panels. Instead of dwelling on the "styles" of various periods in historical order, "Vistara" takes a perspective view of the changing living patterns of successive communities. In events they mentioned Joining Hands, "Aksharayoga" exhibition returns, educational technology activities, and the Nature of Order. Joining hands was an exhibition of 13 innovative products for spastics that was held at the Nehru Science Centre. Aksharayoga was an exhibition on various aspects of Indian letter forms, including examples of works by contemporary calligraphers from India. It was planned and designed by IDC faculty and students as a touring exhibition. The Nature of Order was a 2-week course conducted by IDC as part of the quality improvement programme of the ministry of education. The Educational Technology Activity was conducted by Mr. Colin Banks, a graphic designer from England, who conducted a week’s workshop on creative planning and designing of communication/training aids with the visual communication students of IDC. In this edition they have also added students\' projects. They are as follows: Thomas Press Student Project, Vividha Keyboard, Prathama, Indian Sanitaryware Project, Signage and Street Furniture for New Bombay, CAP kit for WHO and UNEP, Gangubai HAngal Amrit Mahotsava, and so on. In the news they mentioned that New Equipment has recently acquired Apple Macintosh Desk Top Publishing System, Engineering Design and Productivity to formulate recommendations for the planning commission as part of IIT’s involvement. 3-Wheeler for Bhel, ICOGRADA-UNESCO regional seminar, new students etc.