THE INSCAPE DISTANCE AND ONLINE LEARNING CAMPUS is thrilled to share some exciting news that underscores our commitment to fostering innovation, creativity, and growth within the field of design education. Inscape has forged a dynamic partnership with the Takealot Group’s (takealot.com, superbalist.com & MrD)Skills Development Programme.
According to Lesego Sebuelo, Takealot Group Learning & Organisational Development Specialist: “The Takealot Group believes that it is a business imperative to contribute to our economy in all facets and from a Skills Development perspective. Throughout the group, we have employed over 60 interns”. Eight of the 60 interns employed at Superbalist.com, have taken a bold step forward in their professional development and have been enrolled in the newly revamped Higher Certificate in Fashion Design programme through Inscape‘s Distance and Online Learning campus.
This collaboration represents a powerful synergy between two dynamic entities united by a shared passion for design excellence.
Sebuelo continues: “This qualification was selected because it fits the skills required in the business (i.e.Superbalist.com), and we believe that through programmes such as this, we are creating opportunities for individuals to gain valuable workplace experience and at the same time for us as a growing business to gain value from young brilliant minds – as this is a mutually beneficial relationship.”
Mohamed Karodia , Dean of Business and Innovation Faculty, says of the programme: “Inscape embarked on a process to renew its Fashion Design programme to ensure that students are offered a relevant, quality, and future-proof qualification, in line with Inscape’s vision of a reimagined South African fashion curriculum for a sustainable and decolonised fashion future.”
“To achieve the renewal, Inscape has shifted the programmes to include a broader perspective on fashion history, such as the impact of colonisation/decolonisation on African fashion, a focus on the local fashion industry and entrepreneurship, and discussions on changing the fashion system to a circular one throughout. Students are asked to consider economic, social and environmental sustainability and the broader strategic aspects of supply chain management, forecasting, manufacturing, merchandising, buying trends, entrepreneurship, events and experience coordination for a circular fashion industry.”
“The programme introduces students to the knowledge and skills required to design innovative and appealing garments using industry-standard software and practices, as well as circular design concepts of life cycle thinking, which includes zero-waste patternmaking, redesigning second-hand garments, and exploring circular business models for the fashion industry”.
“As we welcome these new interns into the Inscape community, we reflect on the immense potential that lies ahead. The worlds of e-commerce and design education are converging in an unprecedented way, offering unique perspectives and fresh insights that enrich our educational experience”, says Gwynedd Peters Campus Director of Inscape’s Distance and Online Learning Campus. “At Inscape, we have always strived to create an environment that nurtures creativity and empowers individuals to bring their unique visions to life. This partnership with Superbalist exemplifies our commitment to breaking down barriers and providing accessible pathways to education, regardless of geographical constraints.”
According to Miguel de Figueiredo, Inscape’s Business Development Manager, “As Inscape embarks on this exciting chapter, we look forward to deepening our relationship with Superbalist as we continue to explore avenues for collaboration. Our collective journey is a testament to the boundless possibilities that arise when like-minded organisations come together to shape the future of design.”
Finally, “To our Superbalist.com interns, we extend a warm welcome and a promise of unwavering support throughout your educational voyage. Your dedication to self-improvement and professional growth is an inspiration to us all, and we are excited to witness your creative evolution,” adds Peters.
Let us celebrate this milestone and look forward to the limitless horizons that await us. Together, we shall create a legacy of innovation and design excellence that resonates far beyond the confines of our institution.
The fashion industry makes a significant contribution to the economy, however, the negative impact of garments and textile waste, unfair labour practices, the appropriation of indigenous knowledge and designs as well as the digital divide cannot be ignored. The changing demands of the fashion world and fashion’s ‘eco-awakening’ have created new job opportunities for the industry.
According to LinkedIn https://news.linkedin.com/2022/february/our-2022-global-green-skills-report the fashion and apparel industry has seen rapid growth in demand for green skills.
In response to growing concerns and progressive change in thought regarding the manufacturing and consumption of fashion, institutions of learning must reassess the courses they offer to adequately prepare graduates for an evolving world. Inscape is therefore thrilled to announce its reimagined Bachelor of Design specialising in Fashion Design and the Higher Certificate in Fashion Design. These courses and the modules therein are designed to provide students with relevant, updated, quality and future-oriented skills and knowledge in fashion and its value chain.
Reimagining the courses is a result of research, commissioned in 2020, to review the fashion landscape and how recent changes might impact the higher education fashion programmes offered by the institution. Inscape’s accredited fashion courses include the Bachelor of Design specialising in Fashion Design and the Higher Certificate in Fashion Design.
Commissioned research was conducted by Dr Erica de Greef, co-founder of the African Fashion Research Institute and Jackie May, founder of Twyg. The findings of the research resulted in a comprehensive report in which Greef and May note “…a call to imagine and enact a fashion ecosystem that recovers, repairs and regenerates cultural and environmental diversities for future generations”. Additional insights into the future of fashion, the job market and fashion education were garnered from Inscape fashion graduates, as well as current Inscape students and lecturers.
The report provided support for Inscape’s strategic objectives as an innovative institution to centre design thinking, contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and adopt Circular Economy and Circular Design approaches to bring about change, positively impact communities and drive economies. Ultimately the institution’s objective is to enhance the student experience and to ensure a long-term positive impact on the fashion industry.
To achieve the reimagining, Inscape has shifted the programmes to include the history of local and African fashion, African archives, textiles and fabrics. Students will consider economic, social and environmental sustainability and the broader strategic aspects of supply chain management, forecasting, manufacturing, merchandising, buying trends, entrepreneurship, and events and experience coordination for sustainable fashion.
The Bachelor of Design specialising in Fashion Design is a three-year full-time course and the Higher Certificate in Fashion Design is a one-year full-time or two-year distance learning course. Numerous non-accredited fashion short courses are available via Grip Learning.Online as well as After 5.
Watch the space for more information on the reimagined fashion programmes. Visit our website for subject-specific information https://www.inscape.ac/ and to apply for the fashion course of your choice.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) hosted over 30 Circular Economy practitioners at the first ‘From Linear to Circular Africa’ workshop held in collaboration with the African Leadership University (ALU) from the 8th to the 11th of May 2022 at the Inscape Cape Town campus. The aim of the workshop was to accelerate the transition to a Circular Economy in Africa and to provide a networking opportunity for African Circular Economy practitioners. Participants came from a range of African countries including Ethiopia, Senegal, Zambia, Mauritius, South Africa and Mozambique to name a few.
The participants were guided by the EMF and ALU facilitators through a number of workshops focused on the Circular Economy and challenged to arrive at scenarios where the Circular Economy principles of eliminating waste and pollution, circulating products and materials (at their highest value) and regenerating nature were applied to African contexts.
Participants engaged in presentations, brainstorming and planning sessions as well as visits to local sites to experience practical examples of recycling, regenerative farming, insect protein farming, sustainable built environment projects, tree regeneration and circular economy.
Representing Inscape’s interests were Esther Martins, Dean of the Built Environment Faculty, and Dr Sue Giloi, Chief Academic Officer. Their attendance further strengthened the strong relationship between Inscape, the EMF and the ALU, as it seeks to gain traction in its initiatives to promote circular design principles through academic integration and practice.
In 2021, Inscape became Africa’s second and South Africa’s first higher education institution to be profiled by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Due in part to the institution’s curriculum, which promotes the design, use and management of sustainable materials and practices.
“This was an amazing workshop that gave us an opportunity to interact with a range of people from different areas of expertise, all of us with a common purpose. We, as Inscape, aim to continue these crucial conversations about the Circular Economy and Sustainable Development Goals with our staff, students and stakeholders,” said Dr Giloi.
In addition to the amalgamation of circular economic principles within its teaching and learning, Inscape has embarked on a journey to convert its campuses to achieve Green Star Rated environments by 2025. The Inscape Stellenbosch campus has achieved a 5 Green Star Rating and the construction work has commenced at the Pretoria Campus, with the redesign aimed at achieving a 3 or 4 Green Star Rating.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook or visit our blog (https://www.inscape.ac/we-are-inscape/our-stories/blog/) for more updates on Inscape’s contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals and the Circular Economy principles and stay tuned to the EMF’s website for details of future learning programmes. https://bit.ly/3LqaWBF
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Second Skin 2020
Through recycling, design thinking, and good old-fashioned hard work – our students are giving building materials a second life, one fashion garment at a time.
But First, what is Second Skin?
In its essence – Second Skin is a brief that requires the built environment students to experiment with building material to create unconventional fashion garments.
The purpose of the Second Skin brief is to develop the valuable skill of interdisciplinary research, which is an approach that merges multiple disciplines to solve problems and further understanding.
By exercising interdisciplinary research, we instil Inscape students with the confidence to approach and explore topics outside their scope of knowledge, dismantling the silo mentality of design and its discipline. In this case, students who are more comfortable with designing buildings and living spaces are now required to get in touch with their inner fashionista to inspire an outfit.
Snapshot of the brief: Using their creativity, knowledge, and skills – our students are required to:
Dynamic Adaptations in a Post Coronavirus World
In the past, a huge aspect of the Second Skin project deliverables was showcasing student designs in an engaging fashion show, often presented at industry events such as Decorex SA. However, since the global pandemic hit; Inscape has had to make dynamic adaptations to the way our students learn and submit projects.
Over and above the transition to digital classes and online learning, which presented its challenges and opportunities for triumph; our academic and marketing staff designed a workaround solution to uphold the impact of this brief and it’s deliverables without adding additional stress on the student’s shoulders.
While nothing could ever replace the excitement and pazazz of a fashion show, where students can show off their work while strutting down the runway, we wanted to create something that still embodies the essence of the brief while being Covid-friendly.
Our solution is a digital publication that offers insight into the student’s design, highlighting the materials they used as well as notable features of their garment design. Using the publication to share their work on digital media, we ensure that contact is kept to a bare minimum, so our students, staff, and all other Inscape stakeholders remain safe during these unprecedented times.
We are so proud of what our students on all campuses have accomplished this year and we cannot wait to see how they continue to excel academically!
Be sure to check out our Instagram page, as we have highlighted some of the best designs which were created by the built environment students for this year’s brief.
Overview
The BA in Digital Marketing and Communication prepares students for the multi-platform communication world in the two broad areas of marketing and communication. The programme is designed to equip students with communication, marketing and multi-disciplinary knowledge, that is applied using creative design thinking skills and digital technology. There is a strong emphasis on students using digital technology to apply Marketing and Communication theories and approaches in both local and global contexts. Graduates are equipped to provide an organisation or small business with a competitive edge to their communications and marketing strategies in an increasingly automated world. As design thinking is increasingly being used in the business world to provide innovative solutions, the BA Digital Marketing and Communication graduates bring with them multiple skills such as creative thinking, facilitation and innovative design processes that are sought after in modern companies and organisations. The aim of this programme is to work across multiple disciplines to provide students with a variety of knowledge, strategies and problem-solving skills whilst emphasising the use of digital media in the communication process.
The objectives of the course are to:
There are many inspirational individuals who have coined some profound design quotes over the years, and it is a rather fun exercise to google some of these quotes and take a moment to ponder them. We’ve selected a few quotes to inspire and motivate you in your design journey and life.
“I don’t think about art when I’m working. I try to think about life.” –Jean-Michel Basquiat
This is a quote shared by Luiza Dos Santos. Luiza completed her Higher Certificate in Architectural Technology at the Cape Town campus in 2018. She then decided to further her studies and is currently in the first year of the Bachelor of Design degree. In her own words, “I highly resonate with the wise words of Jean-Michel Basquiat, not only because he’s my favourite artist, but also because all amazing art comes from the life in oneself; inspiration from another’s life or even life in objects. Art originates from life, it is life!”
I love this quote that Luiza shared because it embodies what Inscape is about and echoes a similar ideal found on our website; “The Inscape brand and its people are represented as a ‘way of thinking’ promoting the concept of Design For Life.”
“If you think good design is expensive, you should look at the cost of bad design.” -Ralf Speth
Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, highlights the economic effect of design as well as the cost associated with good or poor product design. There is no quick fix when it comes to designing a product or service that is aesthetically pleasing, functional and enduring.
“Whitespace is like air: it is necessary for design to breathe.” –Wojciech Zieliński
Good design really needs to be something of substance and meaning but this does not require it to be complex or overly detailed. Sometimes, less really is more! What is the essence of your design? Focus on that and remove what is not essential.
“Content precedes design. Design in the absence of content is not design, it’s decoration.”- Jeffrey Zeldman
This quote reflects our Ideation Design discipline. Ideation students focus heavily on content when solving design-related problems. Time is invested in research and information gathering to aid decision making.
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like, design is how it works.” —Steve Jobs
As designers, the end user should always be considered. Put yourself in the user’s shoes and start conceptualizing from that perspective. Is your design beautiful, functional and user friendly?
Take a moment to consider one of your favourite design quotes. Now, contemplate why this quote is worthy of being a quote to live by!
As designers, we are constantly tasked with having the most creative solutions to briefs from clients or to just stand out in a sea of creatives who are all offering the same service. So how do you make sure that you are constantly striving to grow in becoming a better designer? Below are a few pointers that if practiced will help you to stand out from the crowd.
1. Live and breathe design culture
Design culture is so broad and wonderfully exciting there is so much to be experienced and discovered. Read a book, attend workshops, follow inspirational people on social media and just immerse yourself in great design. Soon enough you will pick up the lingo, the ability to observe design and even find like-minded people with whom you will be able to collaborate.
2. Be meticulous
Being meticulous is not about perfection but rather about caring for the big and small details. The best way to is to practice and practice some more. Look at examples of great work, study the principles and details and consider how you could apply this in your work. This can be through watching a tutorial, recreating a design that you love just to understand how it was done and picking up a new skill while doing so.
3. Showcase your work and ask for feedback
This is something we may likely want to leave behind in college but showcasing your work and asking for feedback is a great way to push yourself to grow. Remember to not be too precious about your work, the feedback may be brutal, and you may not always like it but it will enrich your work. Having your work be discussed helps you to form a better understanding of the “why and what” behind your design giving you a better stance from which to defend your design. Allow someone from a different industry to give you an unexpected opinion. Share links to your work on online platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram, DeviantArt, create your own website on Wix; a great way to acquire a new skill.
4. Don’t be afraid to fail
Have you ever created something you poured your heart into and it just was not received the way you expected it to? Situations like that can leave you feeling like a failure but what is vital to focus on in those moments is that failure is not permanent, if anything you can fail forward. Failing forward is a mental perspective that when such moments happen you can look from an objective perspective and identify where you can do better next time. Take on a project just for the fun of it, experiment, fail spectacularly, learn from it and then let failure propel you to a better version of yourself.
5. Self-care
Self-care is currently quite a buzz word in the wellness arena, but it is not anything new. Self-care is about taking time out to recharge, to listen to your body, get in touch with nature and so live life and in your case, a design from a calmer state. Working yourself to exhaustion will not necessarily equal productivity so take time to unplug, move away from your computer and sketch, read or take a walk.
6. Set creative goals
Setting creative goals is a great way to challenge yourself in a fun way. These goals can be anything from learning photography, making something with your hands or even joining a public speaking group to work on your presentation skills.
It’s great to set goals that challenge you but setting fun achievable goals are great for your confidence. Skills learned could make you a better designer with a greater understanding of different crafts.
7. Get daily inspiration
As designers, we sometimes need some inspiration to nudge us in the right direction. There are a number or ways that one can be inspired, the rise in popularity of podcasts means that there a great variety of audible inspiration such as 99% Invisible. Inspiration websites such a Pinterest and Instagram are amazing for connecting with other creatives and keeping in touch with what is happening in the design world.
There is no recipe for creativity but like a muscle, if you work on strengthening it over time you will get all the better at it.
As designers, we are constantly tasked with having the most creative solutions to briefs from clients or to just stand out in a sea of creatives who are all offering the same service. So how do you make sure that you are constantly striving to grow in becoming a better designer? Below are a few pointers that if practised will help you to stand out from the crowd.
At Inscape, we get you ready for the real world of work. Problem-solving isn’t just taught or discussed its practised. Through a custom blend of short to medium deadline-driven projects, we aim to develop graduates ready to tackle challenges from day one.
Design Praxis week at Inscape is a perfect example of a real-life working situation. For one week, each campus buzzes with imagination and ingenuity as groups of 1st and 2nd-year students work to complete a complex brief designed to stretch them creatively, emotionally and professionally. The brief for Design Praxis week usually focuses on conceptualisation, product development, marketing and the sale of a product for a specific client and set customers. The week fosters soft skills development; teamwork, empathy, resilience, patience, ownership, leadership, to name a few; often ignored in higher education that benefit students, particularly 1st years, during their studies and beyond. They also develop friendships that last a lifetime.
Design Praxis week takes place this year from the 11th to the 15th of March, so right from the beginning students to learn new skill sets that will stand them in good stead to be effective problem solvers in the workplace, able to think critically and with attention to detail. In this busy yet exciting week, students must work well in a team and think creatively under pressure. They need to present their ideas to a panel of judges and learn to take the constructive criticism that is given to them. Finally, they need to take that feedback and see their idea through to completion. Design Praxis give students a very good indicator of how things will be in the working world and specifically in the design industry.
In 2nd-year students take part in the 48 Hour Brief. A student competition that works together with leading organisations in their respective sectors to challenge students to respond with urgency. Students must present unique solutions that are relevant to the specified industry in the given timeframe, 48 hours. The winning ideas can then be implemented by these organisations. Our Ideation classes generally work with a representative from Standard Bank, while our Interior Design students work on a brief for Entrawood. Once again, this is a module where students learn vitally important skills that will inevitably increase their future employment opportunities.
In their third year, Inscape students must complete six weeks of Experiential training, also known as Work-integrated Learning. This is a period in the middle of a student’s third year where they need to find a company to ‘intern’ in. All the skills that our third-year students have learnt over the course of their Diplomas and Degrees, come into play when they find themselves in a design firm working on actual projects for clients. This first-hand experience and learning is a great precursor to working life after graduation. Sometimes our students even end up working for the companies they completed their in-service training with.
Prospective students can count on the fact that an Inscape qualification will prepare them for the world of work and opportunity. We see this time and time again with our Inscape Alumni and the amazing projects that they’re working on both locally and internationally.