Guwahati: IIT Guwahati has paid tribute to Professor Sudhakar Nadkarni, the founding head of its Department of Design, recalling his role in establishing the department and shaping the institute’s identity through design.

Nadkarni, who died in Mumbai at the age of 88, led the Department of Design from 1997 to 2003.

The tribute described his contributions to the institute’s visual identity and campus culture as extending beyond academic programmes. These included the IIT Guwahati logo, convocation robes and degree medals, as well as campus festivals such as Techniche and Alcheringa.

His designs helped shape the institute’s identity and approach to design.

Nadkarni established the Department of Design in 1997 after retiring from IIT Bombay. The institute’s B.Des. programme was the first undergraduate design programme among the IITs and opened new opportunities for design education in the country.

Born and raised in Bombay, Nadkarni studied Commercial Art at Sir J. J. School of Art before pursuing Product Design at the Hochschule für Gestaltung (HfG) in Ulm, Germany. He later joined the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, when formal design education in India was still developing.

Over a career spanning more than five decades, he helped establish three design programmes: the M.Des. programme at the Industrial Design Centre (IDC) at IIT Bombay, the B.Des. programme at IIT Guwahati and a design management programme at Welingkar Institute of Management in Mumbai.

His work covered product design, visual communication, exhibition design and crafts. He also mentored generations of designers, educators, researchers and professionals, with his students working in India and abroad.

In its tribute, IIT Guwahati described Nadkarni as one of the people who helped define the institute’s character and approach to design. It recalled his belief that design should go beyond aesthetics and objects to shape institutional identity, values and experiences.

His recently published book, By Design, documents his work and experiences across his career.

The tribute concluded by recognising his lasting influence on the institute’s students and future generations of design professionals.