Our Famous Moments

Greenside Design Center, GDC, was established in 1987 and has subsequently grown into a dynamic world class design institution. This has been achieved by employing highly qualified academic and support staff who are passionate about design. The institution maintains state of the art facilities and equipment which includes the latest computer hardware and software. Our specialist library is constantly being updated with the latest international and local books and journals which support student and staff research. All degree programmes offered by the Greenside Design Center are accredited by the Council on Higher Education and registered with the Department of Education.

In addition to local accreditation the institution has an extremely high profile internationally in design education circles. Here are some of our most outstanding achievements:

  • GDC was the first design college in the Southern Hemisphere to gain membership to the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers,
  • GDC was the first design college in South Africa to belong to both the International Council of Graphic Design Associations and the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers,
  • GDC students were the first in the Southern Hemisphere to sit the International Society of Typographic Designers' examination and become licentiate members of that organization,
  • GDC was the first design college worldwide to receive the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers' Socially Responsibility Design Award for design participation in local communities,
  • GDC was the first local design institution to seek and gain international recognition for its courses with a reputable institution overseas. This was established through its validation service with Nottingham Trent University in the UK.
  • One of our most prestigious accolades was to be chosen by INDEX to be the sole design college on the African continent to participate in a global design event entitled
  • "Design to Improve Life". Seven of the worlds leading design schools were selected to produce designs for INDEX, Copenhagen Denmark – 2005
  • In 2007 we were once again invited as the only design institution from Africa to take part in INDEX 2007. We sent our Head of Department Graphic Design and two honours students, one from the Interior Design Department and one from the Graphic Design Department to the Summercamp in Copenhagen,
  • Another great honour achieved in 2007 was to become a member of Cumulus, the International Association of Universities and Colleges of Art, Design and Media. Cumulus is an organisation of 130 institutions from around the world and is the only one of its kind focusing on current global debates on research, professional practice and higher education in art, design and media. GDC was admitted as a full member, the first member from Africa. Cumulus offers a valuable forum for the forging of international partnerships and the transfer of knowledge and best practice between colleagues from different global contexts,
  • In 2009 the institution won the prestigious IFI Design For All Award. This award recognises work done in the field of Socially Responsible Design and we were rewarded for our 10% Community Project. This was a particularly proud moment as we competed against designers from around the globe.

The center also prides itself on its information technology hub, which we believe will keep us as leaders in design education both locally and abroad.

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