mugendi m'rithaa

DESIGN POLICY CONFERENCE: an African perspective…

Mugendi K. M’Rithaa Cape Town: 17-18th October 2014

Interdependence

4

5

6

7

8

Leadership

12

Mutual Support

Creativity

Adaptability

Learn from the past

Ingenuity

NURU™ LIGHTING SYSTEM: TESTING

Sustainability

Quality

Conviviality

Beauty

50

Democracy

Transformation

58

Emancipation

•DESIGN & BUSINESS

•DESIGN & EDUCATION

•DESIGN & GOVERNANCE

•DESIGN & SOCIETY

62

Embracing an evolving view of design agency:

•CELEBRATION & ELABORATION: few design specific awards are offered across the continent – most focus on fashion and communication design. Craft should be seen as a logical extension of (and basis for) design discourse;

•COLLABORATION (not merely COMPETITION): mechanisms for regional exchange are limited – no binding resolutions exist to promote bi- and multi-lateral programming;

•DIFFERENTIATION & PARTICIPATION: different design disciplines collaborate across professional lines e.g. interior design with architecture; communication design with marketing, films and publishing; industrial design with product innovation, manufacturing and engineering; and service design with governance;

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Challenges for Design Policy in Africa:

•EDUCATION & INCLUSION: didactic and pedagogic offerings differ significantly e.g. in industrial design;

•PROMOTION & CAPACITATION: few dedicated promotional institutions and organisations exist for purposes of developing and supporting the discipline;

•PROTECTION & REGULATION: designers are exploited in the course of their dealings; and

•RECOGNITION & TRANSFORMATION: the design profession is not fully recognised in many countries – few have a design strategies or policies in place. An expanded view of design should include the disciplines capacity for engaging with ‘wicked’ problems and other developmental challenges.

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Challenges for Design Policy in Africa (cont’d):

Thank you…