Promoting and investing in the future of design, and harnessing the creative powers of tomorrow is a key concern for Design Indaba. This belief, together with the understanding that design education institutions are often the incubator for transformative creative ideas and design processes, is the basis for the graduate speaker slot at the Design Indaba Conference.
Now in its third year at Design Indaba Conference, the graduate presentation welcomes top multi-disciplinary graduates from around the world to present their work in a Pecha Kucha format. As well as giving a platform to the students, the presentation is also a showcase of the exciting and innovate projects and themes being explored at cutting-edge design institutions.
From local shores, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University graduate Laduma Ngxokolo is a knitwear designer. In 2010 Ngxokolo’s "The Colourful World of the Xhosa Tribe" collection of mohair garments earned him first place in the Society of Dyers and Colourists annual international design competition in London.
Hailing from London, Nelly Ben Hayoun completed a Masters degree in Design Interaction at the Royal College of Art in 2009. She designs experiences that make the every day thrilling, creative and passionate.
From the USA, Joseph Saavedra completed the Masters programme in Design and Technology at Parsons The New School for Design in 2010, where he is now an adjunct faculty member. Saavedra’s thesis project, Citizen Sensor, aims to empower the general public to measure environmental quality through a DIY and open-source data collection platform.
In the environment of the public sphere, Lindsay Kinkade’s work focuses on graphic design and public engagement. She is also the co-founder of Little Giant and an adjunct faculty member at the Rhodes Island School of Design, her alma mater.
Also employed at the school where he graduated, Camille Blin works as a teacher’s assistant at Ecal in Switzerland. Blin is in the process of setting up his own furniture-editing firm.
Sharing Blin’s interest in furniture is Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Dirk van der Kooij who designs furniture using recycled refrigerator plastic.
In turn, Christine Goudie takes concepts and applies them in a social context, in particular to wheelchair seating design. She is also currently completing the Master of Design programme at Carleton University in Canada.
