Be the difference

The Making a Difference Through Design competition teaches high school learners about the value of design in our everyday lives.

The annual Making the Difference Through Design competition is a platform for Grade 11 and 12 learners from schools across the country to showcase their creativity, imagination and feel for design.

Sponsored jointly by Sappi and Woolworths, the competition is aimed at helping learners understand the value and purpose of design in all spheres of life. The 2010 competition also required learners to work in groups as a way of further enriching the learning experience.

The winning team from Zwartkop High School in Centurion’s team members are Bianca de Beer, Lanthe Louw, Mareli Jooste and Bianca Boschoff, who called themselves “The Freedom Fighters”.

Devising a name, logo and strap line was the first part of the challenge for the teams. Next they chose a design category (The Freedom Fighters chose fashion design), and brainstormed and designed a campaign around the launch of a new, real or imaginary, product, or to raise awareness about a social concern.

Learners also had to develop designs for things like mascots, a print ad campaign, a radio ad campaign, merchandise and a surface that could be used in the campaign or an exhibition space.

Zwartkop High School received a trophy designed by local creative Strijdom van der Merwe for their efforts.

The competition plays a vital role in helping learners understand the significance of design in our daily lives. Says Penny Luthi, programme coordinator for Woolworths: “Design not only develops new products that make our lives easier or provide us with entertainment; it can also create awareness of important social issues, help structure our lives and improve our quality of life. In fact, design is a powerful tool that can be harnessed to meet social needs and bring about change.”