In 2012
the Western Cape Government’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism
(DEDAT) collaborated with us and other key role-players to develop a
Design Strategy to unlock innovation in the province. We were tasked with
driving the implementation of the strategy with a wide range of stakeholders.
A first for South Africa, the Western Cape
Design Strategy broadly aimed to achieve four things:
Design-ready Businesses
To ensure sectors of the economy and civil society integrate design into their
business and organisational practices to unlock innovation, competitiveness and
progress
Business-ready Design Practitioners
To establish an enabling environment that supports a thriving design ecosystem
and a competitive design industry
Design in the Public Sector
To ensure the transformation of a public sector into one that embraces design
and design-thinking methodology in policy formation and practical
implementation across all spheres and tiers of government
Involved Citizens
To create public awareness and appreciation as to the value of design in every
aspect of our lives, in particular towards socio-economic upliftment and a
better quality of life for all.
The CDI was mandated to play a central
role in the coordination and facilitation of the strategy, and to implement various projects coming out of it. One of these projects was to foster the growth of design competencies
and skills in the sector.
Another is the ongoing Better Living Challenge, which surfaces design-led solutions for
low-income communities.
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