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The Design Masala (TDM'26) is a two-day design conclave hosted by UID-NCR, the NCR campus of Unitedworld Institute of Design, held on 9th and 10th March 2026. Alongside the Spring Exhibition 2026 - which showcases innovative student work across disciplines like Animation & Game Design, Fashion Design, Interior Design, Product Design, and Visual Communication - The Design Masala brought together design professionals, facilitators, and students for an immersive two-day conclave. Spanning sessions, Q&As, and hands-on workshops, the event featured prominent speakers such as Manish Bhatt, Kshitij Rajput, Savio Mascarenhas, and a panel by Niraj Shah, Khanjan Patel, and Abhigyan Neogi, while workshop facilitators like Nalini Tyabji, Vijay Vikram Singh, Himanshu Goel, Urvi Bansal, and Shyam Prasad led parallel creative sessions - making TDM'26 a vibrant celebration of design thinking, craft, and community at UID - School of Design campus.

TDM'26 offered eight workshops led by accomplished facilitators across a wide range of disciplines, running in parallel sessions across both days of the conclave.

Vijay Vikram Singh, one of India's most recognised voices and a seasoned communication coach known for voicing Bigg Boss and for coaching senior leaders and performers, led an immersive workshop on Communication Skills, Failure and Resilience in the VUCA World. The session addressed the particular challenges of today's Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous environment, offering participants practical tools for resilient and impactful professional and personal communication.

Himanshu Goel, co-founder of Companionz AI and the creator of Kyra - India's first AI influencer, featured on Shark Tank India, Forbes, and NDTV - facilitated a workshop on Creating AI Avatars & AI Powered Video Content. Himanshu shared hands-on insights into the process of building virtual humans and producing AI-generated video content, demystifying a rapidly evolving area of digital creativity and offering participants a practical introduction to AI-powered content production.

Nalini Tyabji, a celebrated contemporary Indian artist renowned for her whimsical, richly detailed visual worlds that blend intricate patterns, mythical narratives, and spontaneous mark-making - with works exhibited internationally and featured in prestigious design publications - facilitated Imperfectly Perfect: A Mark Making Workshop. Participants were invited to explore and create through intuition, celebrating the beauty of the unfinished line and the enduring value of imperfection in creative practice.

Urvi Bansal, an internationally awarded jewellery designer, recipient of the Goldsmiths' Craft and Design Council award - widely regarded as the jewellery Oscars of the UK - and a UID alumna, led Radical Creativity: Wonder Before Algorithm. Drawing on artisanal technique, experimentation, and curiosity, she explored how a wondering mind shapes not just design practice, but life perspective.

Sk Md Abu Sahid, a Kolkata-based AI artist and creative entrepreneur recognised as the #1 AI Artist by Favikon (2025), with over nine years of experience in design and content creation, led How Do I Do AI? - a fully practical workshop based entirely on his real-world AI journey. The session required no prior preparation or theoretical knowledge, focusing on generative AI tools and their creative application within Indian storytelling and pop culture contexts.

Khanjan Patel led the Speed Sketch Studio, a practical session designed to build speed, confidence, and clarity in design sketching. Participants worked on quick perspective drawing, proportions, line weight, and shading - developing the visual communication skills essential for juries, presentations, and professional practice.

Niraj Shah facilitated The Aha Moment, an interactive workshop exploring the phenomenon of creative epiphany. Through an examination of everyday words, meanings, and associations, participants were guided to access their natural creative process and connect the seemingly unconnected - unlocking moments of clarity that lie at the heart of meaningful design thinking.

Two parallel photography workshops - Captured Moments and Spice It Up With Your Lens - were led by Shyam Prasad, a National Award-winning photographer and Director of Shoots & Shoots Photography and Film Academy in South Delhi. With over 30 years of experience working with leading advertising agencies, fashion designers, and magazines across Delhi and Mumbai, Shyam focused the sessions on the craft of portrait photography and food photography, sharing his approach to lighting, composition, and storytelling in capturing the real soul of a moment.