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Des is at present Vice President of the International Council of Design (ico-D). He has just been appointed as the international coordinator for design education. In this post he heads up two working groups, research and curriculum development.

He is a Past President of the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI) and a parliamentarian of the federation. IFI represents the interests of designers worldwide in 60 countries. Des wrote the IFI Position Paper on Social Responsible Design. He also served on the Strategic Planning Committee of IFI and received a lifetime achievement award and a fellowship from the federation at their General Assembly in Kuala Lumpur in 2014. He has attended every General Assembly of IFI since 1991 till today.

He is a Fellow and was an Executive Board Member of Design for the World, based in Barcelona, Spain, which is a multi-disciplinary organisation concerned with humanitarian aspects of design.

In 2001 he was appointed as a Visiting Professor of Design at Nottingham Trent University because of his achievements in promoting socially responsible design on an international level. His appointment was vetted by interior architects in Sweden, Denmark, Australia, Korea and Ireland.

Des has presented papers related to design issues in many countries around the world, including Korea, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, China, the Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, England, Brazil, Chili, Mexico and the USA, to mention a few. He has also been a juror and chair for many design competitions internationally. Along with this he curated an exhibition entitled NEWAFRICA which saw South African designs from all disciples exhibited in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2007.

He was instrumental in founding the African Institute of the Interior Design Professions, IID. Under his leadership as President the institute set new standards in professionalism within the industry culminating in professional decorators, designers and interior architects receiving recognition of their titles from the South African Quality Authority (SAQA).

He is an advisor on design matters for the Department of Art and Culture in South Africa as well as being on an expert panel formulating a design policy for the government. Des is at present working with a team of designers, teachers, Umalusi and the Department of Education to introduce ‘design thinking’ to all programmes at secondary school level. Entrepreneurship is included in the concept of ‘design thinking’. He is one of the founding members of the IDEA Collective, Innovative Design Education Africa.  

He is at present CEO of Greenside Design Center, College of Design, South Africa, a world class design education institution he co-founded with Ingrid Leujes in 1987. 

Ivor graduated with a Bachelor of Architectural Studies from UCT in 1997 and a Bachelor of Architecture from WITS in 2002. He joined Greenside Design Center in 2003 and has lectured in the Interior Design Department ever since. He is now Head of Academic Planning and a member of the Executive Committee as well as the chair of the Academic Board, Critical Studies, Post Graduate and Teaching and Learning Committees. He is an educational member of the South African Institute of the Interior Design Professions and represents GDC at the Design Educators Forum of South Africa. In 2014, Ivor co-presented a workshop on GDC’s 10% initiative at the international Johannesburg Cumulus Conference entitled “Design with the other 90%” which was co-hosted by GDC and FADA. He also sat on the abstract and paper review committees for the conference and, with Robin Turner, was responsible for presenting the initial proposal for the conference to the Cumulus Executive Council in London, 2009. In 2007 he had work exhibited at the “Post-apartheid Johannesburg, emerging / diverging metropolis” exhibition which was hosted at the Accademia Architettura, Mendrisio, Switzerland and was curated by Professor Lindsay Bremner from Wits and Pep Subiros, a visiting professor at the Academia. At the same time he coordinated and participated in GDC’s first international lecturer exchange programme which saw him lead a studio project in the UK with architectural students from the Nottingham Trent University. As a student he received several awards and worked with the artist Rodney Place in the production of unSUNg CITY, a multimedia event launched in conjunction with the Arts Alive Festival in 2000.

Marina has attained experience across a wide range of architectural projects. With unique experience in urban design and regeneration principles that further development, uplift people and integrate transport systems in South Africa. She also has attained extensive experience in the commercial, industrial, community, residential and health care sectors. Marina also has 10 years of tertiary education teaching experience in the architectural and interior design fields at both public and private institutions.

Marina believes that Architects and Designers should be dynamic, with a range of skills and experiences that can be drawn upon to inspire place and cultivate the user’s abilities to flourish in the space. Her passion is about the expression of Architecture and Psychology – specifically how the two integrate and translate through space. Over the last couple of years she have been furthering her interests in environmental psychology, with a focus on the psychological aspects of both positive and negative spaces and how designers use these subtle psychological practices to control and affect people’s psychological wellbeing.

Ivor graduated with a Bachelor of Architectural Studies from UCT in 1997 and a Bachelor of Architecture from WITS in 2002. He joined Greenside Design Center in 2003 and has lectured in the Interior Design Department ever since. He is now Head of Academic Planning and a member of the Executive Committee as well as the chair of the Academic Board, Critical Studies, Post Graduate and Teaching and Learning Committees. He is an educational member of the South African Institute of the Interior Design Professions and represents GDC at the Design Educators Forum of South Africa. In 2014, Ivor co-presented a workshop on GDC’s 10% initiative at the international Johannesburg Cumulus Conference entitled “Design with the other 90%” which was co-hosted by GDC and FADA. He also sat on the abstract and paper review committees for the conference and, with Robin Turner, was responsible for presenting the initial proposal for the conference to the Cumulus Executive Council in London, 2009. In 2007 he had work exhibited at the “Post-apartheid Johannesburg, emerging / diverging metropolis” exhibition which was hosted at the Accademia Architettura, Mendrisio, Switzerland and was curated by Professor Lindsay Bremner from Wits and Pep Subiros, a visiting professor at the Academia. At the same time he coordinated and participated in GDC’s first international lecturer exchange programme which saw him lead a studio project in the UK with architectural students from the Nottingham Trent University. As a student he received several awards and worked with the artist Rodney Place in the production of unSUNg CITY, a multimedia event launched in conjunction with the Arts Alive Festival in 2000.

Rob is a graphic designer who began his training at the Vaal Triangle Technikon, honed his skills through an Honours degree programme at the Greenside Design Center, and sharpened his teeth through a series of design agencies. He has a passion for anything digital, which has as a result, led him to break into the New/Multimedia design arena. He is subsequently completing a master’s degree in digital interactive arts through the University of the Witwatersrand. He is particularly interested in interactive design, and specializes in physical, or human computing, which is an area of interactive design that explores that potential of human/computer interactions that do not require the use conventional digital inputs such as keyboards and mouse.

Marina has attained experience across a wide range of architectural projects. With unique experience in urban design and regeneration principles that further development, uplift people and integrate transport systems in South Africa. She also has attained extensive experience in the commercial, industrial, community, residential and health care sectors. Marina also has 10 years of tertiary education teaching experience in the architectural and interior design fields at both public and private institutions.

Marina believes that Architects and Designers should be dynamic, with a range of skills and experiences that can be drawn upon to inspire place and cultivate the user’s abilities to flourish in the space. Her passion is about the expression of Architecture and Psychology – specifically how the two integrate and translate through space. Over the last couple of years she have been furthering her interests in environmental psychology, with a focus on the psychological aspects of both positive and negative spaces and how designers use these subtle psychological practices to control and affect people’s psychological wellbeing.

It’s not what you add to a space but that which you take away… inside you I have a BA Hons Interior Design and am also registered with the South African Council for the Architectural Profession as an Architectural Technologist. I am also involved in teaching. This includes teaching interior design and architectural draughting as well as CAD. I have worked in all 3 areas (Interior, Architecture and Teaching) since 1994, shuffling fulltime and part-time roles in all 3 fields.

Jean Wiid is a lecturer in Interior Design at Greenside Design Center. Having finished his BTech Interior Design at the University of Johannesburg in 2010, he has a drive to share information and bring spaces to life. His work includes furniture design, product design, two dimensional design, and interior design. He has been involved academically at the Greenside Design Center, the University of Pretoria, and the University of Johannesburg. Jean has also been involved in design projects throughout South Africa and Angola.

Des is at present Vice President of the International Council of Design (ico-D). He has just been appointed as the international coordinator for design education. In this post he heads up two working groups, research and curriculum development.

He is a Past President of the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI) and a parliamentarian of the federation. IFI represents the interests of designers worldwide in 60 countries. Des wrote the IFI Position Paper on Social Responsible Design. He also served on the Strategic Planning Committee of IFI and received a lifetime achievement award and a fellowship from the federation at their General Assembly in Kuala Lumpur in 2014. He has attended every General Assembly of IFI since 1991 till today.

He is a Fellow and was an Executive Board Member of Design for the World, based in Barcelona, Spain, which is a multi-disciplinary organisation concerned with humanitarian aspects of design.

In 2001 he was appointed as a Visiting Professor of Design at Nottingham Trent University because of his achievements in promoting socially responsible design on an international level. His appointment was vetted by interior architects in Sweden, Denmark, Australia, Korea and Ireland.

Des has presented papers related to design issues in many countries around the world, including Korea, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, China, the Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, England, Brazil, Chili, Mexico and the USA, to mention a few. He has also been a juror and chair for many design competitions internationally. Along with this he curated an exhibition entitled NEWAFRICA which saw South African designs from all disciples exhibited in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2007.

He was instrumental in founding the African Institute of the Interior Design Professions, IID. Under his leadership as President the institute set new standards in professionalism within the industry culminating in professional decorators, designers and interior architects receiving recognition of their titles from the South African Quality Authority (SAQA).

He is an advisor on design matters for the Department of Art and Culture in South Africa as well as being on an expert panel formulating a design policy for the government. Des is at present working with a team of designers, teachers, Umalusi and the Department of Education to introduce ‘design thinking’ to all programmes at secondary school level. Entrepreneurship is included in the concept of ‘design thinking’. He is one of the founding members of the IDEA Collective, Innovative Design Education Africa.  

He is at present CEO of Greenside Design Center, College of Design, South Africa, a world class design education institution he co-founded with Ingrid Leujes in 1987. 

Lindi is a multimedia design lecturer and multi-disciplinary freelance designer. They have been involved in design education since 2012 as a lecture, international guest lecturer, subject matter expert, online short course facilitator and active researcher. Lindi completed their Master’s in Design focused on Information Architecture and queer visibility in online spaces.

Rob is a graphic designer who began his training at the Vaal Triangle Technikon, honed his skills through an Honours degree programme at the Greenside Design Center, and sharpened his teeth through a series of design agencies. He has a passion for anything digital, which has as a result, led him to break into the New/Multimedia design arena. He is subsequently completing a master’s degree in digital interactive arts through the University of the Witwatersrand. He is particularly interested in interactive design, and specializes in physical, or human computing, which is an area of interactive design that explores that potential of human/computer interactions that do not require the use conventional digital inputs such as keyboards and mouse.

I studied Graphic Design through Greenside Design Center and furthered my degree to an Honours through the institution. I started out as a temporary lecturer at GDC while freelancing and later became full-time lecturer in the Graphics and Multimedia Department. I furthered my skills in Web design through short courses with University of Cape Town. My passion or obsession lies with Typography mainly which was heightened during my study of hand-lettering and sign painting for my honours degree, which earnt an ISTD Pass and a Bronze Loerie. My love of typography has allowed me to branch out into the fields of Type design, Calligraphy and Hand lettering.

Gideon is an artist, graphic designer and lecturer based in Stellenbosch. He graduated with a BA degree in Information Design from the University of Pretoria in 2015 and since 2016 has worked as a graphic designer for various companies in the Cape Winelands. He lectured in graphic design at Stellenbosch Academy of Design & Photography from 2017-2018 and has been part of the creative team at Stellenbosch Gemeente from 2017-2019 as a designer, lecturer and youth leader. Gideon graduated with a MA degree in Information Design from the University of Pretoria in 2021. His dissertation offers a philosophical hermeneutic of design, by exploring the connections between design and William Desmond’s metaphysics. Parallel to his

academic vocation, he runs Gideon Nel Studio (gideonnel.com) which specialises in contemporary artworks for specific interior spaces, as well as illustration and graphic design. His work is driven by curiosity, enthusiasm for new ideas and a passion for the intersections between visual art, design and philosophy.

Suzanne Erasmus is a Senior Lecturer in Critical Studies at Greenside Design Center, College of Design, where she has lectured full-time since 2011 whilst raising her son. Suzanne participated in various solo and group exhibitions. Prior to her teaching career, Suzanne worked in the art industry, taught part-time, and was involved in multiple community art programmes. She has a robust academic background providing her with a critical and systematic approach to her work. Her interest in project-based work honed her skills to work closely with all participants and stakeholders on projects.

I studied Business Communication Studies (BKS) at the North-West University, Potchefstroom. My subjects included Corporate Communication, Graphic Design.

I studied Business Communication Studies (BKS) at the North-West University, Potchefstroom. My subjects included Corporate Communication, Graphic Design.