Making a difference to design education

Says Jenny Rault-Smith, director: curriculum development for the Western Cape Education Department, "This unique collaboration between the business sector, the design industry and the formal education sector not only emphasises the importance of attracting young learners to a career in design, but also paves the way for establishing the foundations for a creative, innovative and strong South African design industry.

"The role of design is increasingly recognised globally as a vital contributor to economies - both formal and informal - and for developing discerning consumers as well as creators of products, processes, systems, services and environments. Also of particular importance in a South African context is that by encouraging design education in schools, we have an opportunity to support social responsibility and redress past imbalances without losing sight of excellence."

The guide contains more than 80 case studies by top South African designers in fields ranging from jewellery to textile design and architecture to multi-media design and is divided into four main modules:

1. Visual Communication Design covers topics such as advertising and packaging design as well as photography, animation and multi-media design;
2. Surface Design includes fields as varied as textile design, graffiti and mosaics;
3. Product Design covers craftwork such as basketry, wire work, beadwork, and ceramics, along with disciplines such as furniture design, industrial design, jewellery design and fashion design;
4. Environmental Design covers architecture, display and event design, interior design and theatre and set design.

Many of the top names in the South African design world have generously donated their time and shared their insights and expertise through the new resource guide. Among contributors are familiar names like Carrol Boyes, whose tableware is internationally recognised; graphic designer Garth Walker, whose innovative typeface features on the façade of the Constitutional Court building in Johannesburg; textile designer Sonwabile Ndamase, who created the Madiba shirt; and many others.

Core focus

"We are very honoured to have been asked by the Western Education Department to become involved in a project of this nature. Design is a core focus for Woolworths, and it was largely our sponsorship of the Design Indaba and our on-going involvement with the MySchool initiative, that prompted the Western Cape Education Department to offer us this exciting opportunity to make a valuable contribution to education in South Africa," says Charmaine Huet, head of marketing at Woolworths.

"We are pleased to have been able to produce such an innovative, exciting and informative compendium which will not only assist educators in helping learners to express their own creativity, but to appreciate creativity wherever they find it."

Praising Woolworths for its ongoing commitment to both education and to design in South Africa, Smith adds, "It has largely been through Woolworths' ongoing involvement with the South African design industry and its sponsorship of Design Indaba that other partners, such as Sappi, Adobe and the CSIR, have been brought on board. It is also the reason so many of South Africa's top designers have agreed to contribute their time and effort to making this resource guide a success."

Training and bursaries

Woolworths' commitment extends to assisting the Western Cape Education Department with on-going in-service training for teachers, as well as to offering two annual bursaries for deserving design students to further their studies at a tertiary level.

Making the Difference Through Design is being piloted by Grade 10 teachers and learners as a learning and teaching resource to support the new Further Education and Training (FET) national curriculum for Design (Grades 10-12) at a number of Western Cape schools during the current school year; plans are being formulated to make this guide available to schools throughout South Africa.

Also included in Making the Difference Through Design are guidelines for teachers and information on further educational and career opportunities. Further case studies will be added as part of an ongoing programme to ensure that Making the Difference Through Design remains current and relevant.