NIFT cheat sheet

Elements of design: line, shape, form, space, texture, colour, value - every composition is judged on how these seven are organised.

Principles of design: balance (symmetrical/asymmetrical/radial), rhythm, proportion, emphasis, unity, contrast, movement, and pattern.

Colour wheel logic: primary → secondary (two primaries) → tertiary (primary + adjacent secondary); complementary pairs sit opposite, analogous sit adjacent.

Colour schemes: monochromatic (one hue, varied value/saturation), analogous (neighbours), complementary (opposites), split-complementary, triad, tetrad.

Hue = colour family; value = light/dark; saturation/chroma = intensity. Tint adds white, shade adds black, tone adds grey.

Golden ratio ≈ 1.618; rule of thirds divides a frame into 3×3 with focal points on intersections - both are proportion tools, not decoration.

Figure–ground relationship: the subject (figure) must separate from its background (ground) via value contrast, edge sharpness, or texture difference.

Perspective cues: overlapping, relative size, height in picture plane, linear convergence to a vanishing point, atmospheric fade, and shadow direction.

Rapid sketching workflow: thumbnail (composition) → rough (proportion) → refine (detail) → render (value/texture); each stage fixes one variable only.

Indian fashion institutions: NIFT (founded 1986, statutory body under Ministry of Textiles), NID (Ahmedabad, 1961), and IICD Jaipur are distinct bodies - do not conflate them.

Textile heritage: Banarasi brocade (Varanasi, silk + zari), Kanjeevaram (Tamil Nadu, silk), Bandhani (Gujarat/Rajasthan, tie-dye), Patola (Patan, double ikat), Chanderi and Maheshwari (Madhya Pradesh).

Handloom markers: Ikat = resist-dyed yarn before weaving; Kalamkari = pen/block-drawn and dyed cotton (Andhra Pradesh); Phulkari = embroidery (Punjab); Kantha = running-stitch quilt (Bengal).

Fibre classification: natural (cotton, jute, silk, wool) vs manufactured (rayon, polyester, nylon, acrylic); silk and wool are protein fibres, cotton and jute are cellulose.

Indian polity basics: President is head of state, Prime Minister heads the Council of Ministers, Article 368 covers constitutional amendment, Fundamental Rights sit in Part III.

Geography anchors: Tropic of Cancer crosses 8 Indian states; Western Ghats are a biodiversity hotspot; Deccan Trap soils are black cotton (regur) soils.

Current-affairs strategy: track national awards (Padma, National Film, Shilp Guru), textile schemes, and fashion-week calendars for the 12 months before the exam date.

Art movements to recognise by visual signature: Art Nouveau (whiplash curves), Art Deco (geometric zigzags), Bauhaus (form follows function), Pop Art (mass-media imagery).

Percentage change = (new − old)/old × 100; successive changes of a% then b% give a net a + b + ab/100.

Profit/loss: SP = CP(1 ± r); discount is always calculated on marked price, so SP = MP(1 − d).

Simple interest = PRT/100; compound interest = P[(1 + R/100)^T − 1]; CI − SI for 2 years = P(R/100)².

Ratio and proportion: if a:b = c:d then ad = bc; to divide N in ratio a:b:c, share = N × (part/sum of parts).

Time–speed–distance: distance = speed × time; for fixed distance, speed and time are inversely proportional; convert km/h to m/s by × 5/18.

Averages and mixtures: average = sum/count; alligation rule gives ratio of quantities = (mean − cheaper) : (dearer − mean).

Mensuration: rectangle area = lb, triangle = ½bh, circle = πr², cylinder volume = πr²h, cone = ⅓πr²h, sphere surface = 4πr².

Permutation vs combination: arrangements use nPr = n!/(n−r)!, selections use nCr = n!/[r!(n−r)!]; nCr = nC(n−r).

Probability = favourable outcomes / total outcomes; for independent events P(A and B) = P(A) × P(B).

Subject–verb agreement: the verb agrees with the subject, not the nearest noun - 'The list of items is long', not 'are'.

Collective nouns (team, jury, government) take a singular verb when acting as one unit, plural when members act individually.

Tenses: present perfect (has/have + past participle) links past to present; past perfect (had + participle) marks the earlier of two past actions.

Active → passive: object becomes subject, verb becomes be + past participle, agent introduced by 'by'; keep the original tense.

Direct → indirect speech: shift tense one step back, change pronouns to the reporter's perspective, and adjust time/place words (now → then, here → there).

Common confusables: affect (verb) / effect (noun); principal (main/head) / principle (rule); stationary (still) / stationery (paper); complement (complete) / compliment (praise).

Reading comprehension order: question stem first → locate keyword in passage → read surrounding 2–3 sentences → eliminate options that overstate or contradict.

Figures of speech: simile (like/as), metaphor (direct comparison), personification, alliteration (initial consonant repetition), hyperbole (exaggeration), oxymoron (contradictory pair).