The disciplines of graphic, interior and fashion design are inherently rooted in the creative – but they need to be balanced with enough business and entrepreneurial savvy to be relevant in the context of a developing country.
This, says Rick Edmonds, principal of Inscape Design Centre in Rosebank, Johannesburg, is the reason for the focus on business management and nurturing of the entrepreneurial spirit. More than anything, the design industry needs to train students to become employers and job creators.
There is also a lot more to design that just making something look pretty, says Edmonds. Ultimately, it’s about adding value to society. ‘Interior designers are being brought into workplaces to optimise the use of lighting and space for better productivity and to ensure that buildings have things like proper access for the disabled,” he says.
The Inscape Design Centre takes between 20 and 30 students a year for its graphic and interior design courses. Students have the option of a three-year diploma course or a four-year degree course. There is also a six-week experiential training component. Students pay around R24 000 a year, excluding any additional art materials they may need.
Students with an artistic background are given preference, but, says Edmonds, ‘We realise that traditionally art was not offered in the township schools, so we would take that into account.”
And there’s literally a world of opportunity out there for the ambitious: ‘Graduates should not just be thinking of the South African market. In a field such as graphic design they could be doing work for clients anywhere in the world without stepping out of the country,” says Edmonds.
Des Laubscher heads up the 17-year-old Greenside Design Centre. The centre only accepts candidates who have a university exemption, but being a competent artist is not a pre-requisite. The centre offers a three-year BA programme in multi-media, graphic design and interior design, as well as a five-year honours degree course.
About 30 new students are admitted to each of the courses each year. Course fees are R27 000 a year, excluding materials.
‘In the students’ first year, they are exposed to all three fields so that they can get a better understanding of the direction they want to head in. An entrepreneurial course is also given to all the students,” Laubscher says.
The centre’s interior design students have been involved with major practical projects, including one for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) last year. One of the centre’s WSSD projects is on permanent display at the Newtown Cultural Precinct in downtown Johannesburg.
‘There is a lot that interior designers of the future can do to meet the challenges of sustainable development, including getting involved in inner-city revival projects,” Laubscher says.
In fashion design, students have to be groomed to stretch the somewhat rigid parameters of the industry. Year-in, year-out, the fashion scene is dominated by the names of the same couturiers, with only a few new ones managing to claw their way into the clique each season.
Mike Thomas, registrar of Lisof in Johannesburg, points out that a feeling for fashion is just not enough to make it in the highly competitive industry: ‘Increasingly we’re seeing that those who are successful in fashion design have a combination of creative flair, technical ability and business sense. We at Lisof are realising the need to move towards a stronger focus on business training.”
Lisof is in its 10th year and offers a three-year diploma course as well as a four-year BTech degree. Course content is revised annually, but always includes technical skills like the computer-aided design (Cad) programme. Courses cost around R22 500 per year, excluding additional materials. Ninety students are admitted each year, with about 60 students qualifying at the end of their third year.
But, warns Thomas, ‘Parents and prospective students should know that not all standards at different colleges are equal, even if they have the same accreditation. People should try to speak to those in the know – such as fashion editors – and look to see what industry specialists the colleges use and how involved their lecturers are in the industry.”
Thomas believes there is a sustainable market for local fashion. South African designers are quickly learning to capitalise on the concept of indigenous styling with contemporary twists that have an international appeal.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
The kinds of work you would do with this qualification include:
– create print-format advertising that includes posters, newspaper ads and billboards
– build brand awareness
– design corporate logos and corporate insignia
-work in web design and on other digital formats
– work in animation
INTERIOR DESIGN
The kinds of work you would do with this qualification include:
– plan shop-floor spaces so they are more attractive to consumers
– develop work spaces that improve productivity
– equip buildings to accommodate those with special needs (such as the disabled)
– work on rural community development projects, sustainable development projects or inner city revival projects
FASHION DESIGN
The kinds of work you would do with this
qualification include becoming:
– a fashion buyer for a clothing retailer
– a fashion editor
– a wardrobe/costume planner for film sets and theatre productions
– a fashion stylist