The Foundation is broadly divided into two parts: the first semester exploring the fundamentals of Arts, Science and Liberal Arts that are essential to learn and practice Design; the second being an orientation to the Design stream chosen by the learners. While the first part of the program is dedicated to general skills and knowledge, the second semester varies from learner to learner depending upon their choice of specializations.

The First Semester is an inquiry into Science and Arts of skill and knowledge sets such as Drawing, Colour, Geometry and Structure, understanding of Space and Form (EFSS) and simple Material handling. This Semester (1st) culminates with understanding Design as a Process of thinking by doing an exposure (an excursive module) to the rural or suburban environment that allows the learners to understand the multi-disciplinary nature and cultural aspects of Design. The aim of this semester is to prepare the learners by enhancing their ability of ‘learning to learn.’

The Second Semester is designed to develop trade specific skills and knowledge in different Design professions such as Industrial Design, Communication Design and User Experience and Interface Design. The primary focus of this semester remains exposing the learners to the fundamental concepts with which one must practice Design, such as advanced material exploration and applications (for Industrial Design), community and communication (for Communication Design) and emerging technology and trends in the digital domain (for User Experience/Interface Design).

The Uniqueness of the Foundation program is its balance in exploring Science, Arts and Liberal Arts to develop the right conceptions, a lifelong learning attitude and capacity and to cultivate an inquisitive and analytical mind.

It is designed according to the pedagogy of a continuous learning process and is pivoted on the culture of mentorship, self-driven learning and peer learning. The program aspires to become a refresher course for those who would like to switch their area of expertise and take up Design as their career, or develop an orientation to Design Process and Thinking or even for those who would like to explore Design to enhance their own areas of expertise.