The Government of India set up the National Institute of Design in 1961 as an autonomous national institution for research, service and training in Industrial Design and Visual Communication in the year 1961.

The aim was to provide a multi-disciplinary approach to design, to satisfy the complex problems of India's changing environment. This year, NID completes 42 years of distinguished service in design education, design training and design practice. Today, it is internationally recognised for the quality of its programmes, which will always continue to be the hallmark of this premier national Institution. It was a change in kind, and not merely in degree.