Dr. Anil Sinha began his illustrious Design journey from Patna in the year 1973. He completed his graduation from Patna Fine Arts College, Patna University and thereafter he moved to Baroda to pursue his Post Graduation in Applied Arts from the M.S. University. Prof. Anil Sinha earned his Ph.D. in 2019. Dr. Sinha’s career in Design commenced as a Faculty Trainee with National Institute of Design (NID). He secured a permanent position of a regular Faculty member in the Department of Communication. Over the years, he attained the status of a Designer of national repute and that steered him to play multiple roles during his career at NID. Dr. Anil Sinha became the Principal Designer of the Faculty of Communication Design at National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. He completed his tenure as the Principal Designer and Head of Faculty Development Programme at NID. His long years in academia have given him a unique perspective and refreshing approach to his other roles as design practitioner and researcher. As a teacher and practitioner of Design, he has always been a firm believer of self-upgradation of knowledge and that it is a continuous process. He has constantly enhanced his knowledge and integrated that in his design practices. Dr. Sinha has worked on his weaknesses and made them his strengths. Doing his Executive Diploma Program in HR from AMA (Ahmedabad Management Association) and Executive Diploma in Marketing Management from Nirma Institute of Management were some significant initiatives. He has taken up many self-initiated research projects such as Form and Format Relationship, Type and Column Width, A journey of Bihar in search of cultural symbols to name a few. The vast experience gained from these projects has a strong reflection in his method of teaching. He also believes that Design Projects cannot be executed without applying basic research.
He chaired several initiatives like Integrated Design Service, Industrial Programme and Project, Knowledge Management Centre. He also headed the Graphic Design Discipline at NID and mentored Communication Design (Graphic, Animation, Film and Video). He was a member of the Governing Council of NID for one tenure and Policy and Planning Board of NID for many years. He was also a visiting faculty to MICA, PDPU, IIM (Ahmedabad), EDI (Ahmedabad) and School of Architecture, Nirma University. Dr. Anil Sinha was invited as a keynote speaker at DY Patil Institute of Applied Art in Pune. From designing coins (Mints) for the Government of India, souvenirs for the Rajya Sabha, trophies for the Defence and Research Development Laboratory, Hyderabad, and extending his consultation to a traffic island and a toll plaza; he has undertaken several design projects of varying challenges. Dr. Sinha has also been a regular jury member for ‘India Design Studio Awards’. Claiming to be married to not just his wife but also his work, he believes that design is about connecting and relating’. “Promise less, deliver more” is his motto, which has led to an exemplary career spanning over 40 years in teaching, consultancy, and design research. Dr. Sinha has also authored ‘Ideating Identity’, a compilation of selected identities designed by him as a part of institutional consultancy projects over the past few years. He has been a member of the jury for selection of the Indian rupee symbol. Dr. Anil Sinha also compiled ‘Symbols NID 1961 -2014: A Visual Journey”, a compilation of symbols designed by NID over the years. He was also the chief advisor to the NCERT Syllabus Committee of Heritage Crafts and a committee member for developing its syllabus for Graphic Design. He has also headed and visualised two galleries in Discovery of India, a permanent exposition at Nehru Centre Bombay and headed and visualised Tirupati-Tirumala Museum Project. He was also a jury member for the Mahindra Rise Prize for Solar Challenge. He was honoured with Rashtriya Gaurav Award by the Indian International Friendship Society in 2011 and with BIGMAS Achievers Award for Innovation and Corporate Identity Creation in 2013. In June 2016, he was invited to TEDxBITSPilani to talk about his experiences, titled ‘From an Idea to Reality’. Dr. Sinha was also one of the keynote speakers to talk on the subject of ‘Reimagining Education’ on February 13, 2021, an event organised by IDEO; OPEN IDEO, Bengaluru Chapter.
I am honoured and proud to share my thoughts on the GLS Institute of Design. I joined the GLSID team to shoulder and share the responsibility of providing our country with a much-needed Institute based on our Indian values, culture, philosophy, and way of thinking. India is a country with rich traditions and diverse cultures, which means a wide range of challenges. We can make an impact on the global scene if we can serve the variety and diversity of the world’s second largest population.
It has the state-of-the-art infrastructure along with a committed, competent and renowned faculty team, well-researched curriculum of global standards and supporting tie-ups. The concept of 3 H - Head, Heart, and Hand - which has been achieved through the right balance of Culture, Tradition, and Technology - is the highlight of the approach at the GLS Institute of Design. Design is not a new activity for Indians, or for that matter for human beings; it has been with us since ages but we have realized the power of Design very recently. With over 40 years of experience in the field of Design, I now define Design in a broader sense. Design is all about connecting and relating. As a Designer, I have always taken a cultural approach in solving Design problems to achieve desired results.
I believe culture has the ability to solve most of the problems we face today. It is critical for any Design Institute to foster an environment of exploration and experimentation, as these are the catalysts for innovation. GLSID strongly believes in this philosophy and has incorporated it into all its practices. As the Director of GLSID my approach towards my faculty members and staff is very cordial and friendly. I treat them as equals as we have contributed equally in taking our Design Institute to greater heights.
I, along with my strong team of faculty, have been able to make GLSID a great success and a class of its own. However, it wouldn’t have been possible without the commitment and support of GLS University Management. We are now focusing on taking the institute to the next level with the Management’s constant support. This is my seventh year running in GLSID and it has taken me five years to consolidate the quality which I always looked for. We are now planning to start a Masters Programme in the near future. A Design Institute and its Design practices cannot evolve if they are confined within the four walls and so we reach out to the market and society with the help of our graduates, faculty members and design users.