Cape Peninsula University of Technology

The Cape Peninsula University of Technology is at the heart of technology education and innovation in Africa. An internationally acclaimed institution, it is the only university of technology in the Western Cape and is the largest university in the region with an enrolment of more than 30 000 students.

The university has six faculties offering a wide range of accredited undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the fields of Applied Sciences, Business, Education and Social Sciences, Engineering, Informatics and Design as well as Health and Wellness Sciences.

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Visualising feminism: The role of graphic design used in the Dove campaign on gender advocacy 2004

AuthorInstitution
Angela Netshidzati, Angela NetshidzatiEduvos (Previously CTI, MGI and PIHE)
Hugo, CheriCape Peninsula University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Graphic Design & Visual Art
Visualising feminism.pdf

Graphic design has long been a powerful tool for feminist advocacy, shaping public discourse and challenging societal norms around gender and equality. This research explores how graphic design has amplified feminist narratives, influenced public perceptions, and contributed to social transformation. By examining feminist design movements, campaigns, and the work of influential designers, this study investigates how visual communication functions as a catalyst for activism. Using a qualitative approach, the research analyses advertisements, print media, and illustrations to assess how design elements have been employed to promote inclusivity and female empowerment.

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Small, local, open, connected: Cosmopolitan localism as a framework for sustainable fashion design

AuthorInstitution
Jack, SiviweCape Peninsula University of Technology

Keywords: 

Small, local, open, connected.pdf

This paper explores how the principles of Cosmopolitan Localism, specifically the Small, Local, Open, and Connected (SLOC) framework, can be operationalised within sustainability-focused fashion design education. Drawing on a practice-based, qualitative research study conducted within an undergraduate fashion design programme at a South African university, the paper analyses a pedagogical intervention aligned with the global Fashion Revolution movement. The intervention included a three-week experiential learning module, the Fashion Revolution Designathon, and a campus-wide clothing swap event to embed ethical awareness, material circularity, and critical design thinking into the student learning experience.

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Investigating the role of embedded tactile and sensory technology as a digital disruption in technology-integrated design education

AuthorInstitution
van Zyl, IzakCape Peninsula University of Technology
Havenga, SarelCape Peninsula University of Technology
Snaddon, BruceCape Peninsula University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Design Education Strategy
Investigating the role of embedded tactile and sensory technology as a digital disruption in technology-integrated design education.pdf

This study investigates the integration of Embedded Tactile and Sensory Technologies as digital disruptions in South African design education, exploring how additive manufacturing and tactile interfaces can bridge theory with experiential learning. Grounded in Experiential Learning Theory (ELT), a Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology was employed to develop and test an educational intervention at a South African University of Technology. The research examined how the embedded technologies enhance student engagement, inclusivity, and creative problem-solving within a context of limited resources.

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Feet on the ground, eyes on the design: An immersive design approach to spatial design education

AuthorInstitution
Stock, GailInscape Education Group
Dreyer, MarethaCape Peninsula University of Technology
van Zyl, IzakCape Peninsula University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Architecture & Built Environment
Stock - Feet on the ground, eyes on the design.pdf

This research investigates the transformation of studio-based learning environments within spatial design education, focusing on the increasing need for adaptability, immersion, and sustainability. With roots in Interior Design and Architectural Education, traditional studio models have historically centred on fixed, institution-bound environments. However, shifts in ecological consciousness, technological advancement, and pedagogical priorities demand a rethinking of the studio typology. This paper proposes an alternative: the immersive nomadic studio.

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African Abacus: Mapping praxis for inclusive online short course design in architecture

AuthorInstitution
Morkel, JolandaStadio
Delport, HermieUniversity of Cape Town
Horn, ChelseaStadio
de Vos, MargaStadio
Gomba, ZolaniCape Peninsula University of Technology
Ncube, ZanaCape Peninsula University of Technology
Busuku, SandileCape Peninsula University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Architecture & Built Environment

This paper explores learning experience design as an iterative, reflective, and inclusive praxis through the development and application of the African Abacus, a visual taxonomy designed to map and evaluate inclusive learning design processes. Responding to gaps in the literature on collaborative reflection within non-formal learning contexts in the Global South, the study examines how multidisciplinary design teams conceptualised and created online short courses for a newly established architecture school in South Africa. Anchored in Freirean praxis and ecosystem-of-learning theory, the research adopts an autoethnographic approach in which seven contributors reflected on their roles, decisions, and projected student experiences.

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Using SLOC as a co-design inquiry tool into nomadic pedagogy for a Design+Ecology project

AuthorInstitution
Assibey, Ginn BonsuCape Peninsula University of Technology
Chisin, Alettia VorsterCape Peninsula University of Technology
Snaddon, BruceCape Peninsula University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Design Education Strategy
Assibey - Using SLOC as a co-design inquiry tool into nomadic pedagogy.pdf

Design educators have been trying for the past decades to frame real-world problems in the context of studio-based practices through the lens of economic design logic as the status quo. Such studio-based design pedagogy distances students from real-world problems, leading to poor problem definition resulting from poor understanding and not experiencing the problem firsthand. In order to counter such a conservative design problem-solving approach some design educators have adopted nomadic pedagogy, which promotes curious-emphatic design approach that embraces performative enactment to generate solutions based on a well-defined problem.

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Enhancing awareness in interior design education: A life-centred approach to designing for ageing-in-place

AuthorInstitution
Di Ruvo, MonicaCape Peninsula University of Technology
Cocotos, ColleenCape Peninsula University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Interior & Furniture Design
Di Ruvo - Enhancing awareness in interior design education.pdf

By 2025, the number of older persons globally will surpass the number of young individuals (World Health Organization 2022). Research consistently highlights the preference for ageing in a familiar home environment, enabling the elderly to remain in their homes and avoid institutionalisation. In order to facilitate this, homes need to be adapted to cater to the changing physical and emotional needs of the elderly. Design professionals responsible for these adaptations are typically trained to address the functional requirements of the built environment. However, they may overlook the importance of a life-centred approach, which prioritises the long-term well-being of the users.

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The digital supervisor: Key to access or shortcutting research?

AuthorInstitution
Cilliers, RynaCape Peninsula University of Technology
Barnes, VeronicaCape Peninsula University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Design Education Research
Cilliers - The digital supervisor Key to access or shortcutting research.pdf

Postgraduate students in South Africa and other developing nations face substantial hurdles in completing their research, despite efforts to boost research output and garner subsidies from the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). Key issues include research capacity development and supervision burdens. The potential of conversational AIs, like ChatGPT, as research assistants, has been discussed, but more research needs to be focused on using ChatGPT to support novice and student researchers, especially within resource-poor Global South contexts. Large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT can support the scientific research process, assisting in generating research questions, developing methodology, creating experiments, analysing data, and writing manuscripts.

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Studio jewellery processes for the post-cyber designer

AuthorInstitution
Caru SmutsCape Peninsula University of Technology
Di Ruvo, MonicaCape Peninsula University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Fashion, Jewellery & Textile Design
Studio jewellery processes for the post-cyber designer

The cyber revolution has emphasised the dialogue regarding perceptions of value between the mechanically produced and the handmade jewellery piece. The application of modern digital design technology with traditional methods of working by hand in the studio jewellers’ practice raises questions of authorship, authenticity, and artisanship.

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Representations of Agency for Female Documentary Subjects in Selected Films on Netflix

AuthorInstitution
Theo, LJ (Nic)Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Bechan, NirvanaCape Peninsula University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Photography, Film & Multimedia
Representations of Agency for Female Documentary Subjects in Selected Films on Netflix

Communication design for documentaries is changing with online distribution through global platforms like Netflix. Actuality and entertainment are increasingly often elided in a single program, which confuses the genre categories that tend to underpin the scholarship of documentary as a field of study distinct to that of entertainment. Certain programs are marketed as documentary/docu-series alongside fictional ‘based on real events’ stories and fiction but are constructed as much through significations used in pure entertainment as through those associated with informational and educational media.

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Typographic Shifts Arising from the Connection between the User, User Interface and Typographic Layout

AuthorInstitution
Lee, So-DamCape Peninsula University of Technology
van Zyl, IzakCape Peninsula University of Technology
Ralarala, MonwabisiCape Peninsula University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Media & Communications Design
Software, UX & Game Design
Typographic Shifts Arising from the Connection between the User, User Interface and Typographic Layout

Typography is constantly shifting its form according to technologies and audiences. Understanding the constant motions of typography is critical in designing forms of visual communication. In addition, current digital technologies provide novel opportunities for users to participate and co-create new typographic conventions. Online ‘fandoms’ consist of communities with interests in cultural phenomena, ranging from fan art to celebrities, to artefacts. Fandoms are an example of user-generated content with strong typographic shifts.

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Towards a Design Thinking Mindset in Academic Staff Development: Cross-continental design principles for blended learning course design

AuthorInstitution
Gachago, DanielaCape Peninsula University of Technology
Cruz, LauraPennsylvania State University
Morkel, JolandaCape Peninsula University of Technology
Parker, MicheleUniversity of North Carolina Wilmington

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Design Education Strategy
Towards a Design Thinking Mindset in Academic Staff Development: Cross-continental design principles for blended learning course

As a contemporary and boundary spanning approach, design thinking is entering higher education yet is unestablished in academic staff development. This study aims to reflect on two staff development interventions, one offered in the United States and one in South Africa, on blended learning course design, aimed at promoting a ‘design thinking mindset' among university lecturers. By analysing the design process and features of both programmes, we discuss the implications and potential of design thinking for academic staff development. Across these two contexts, there exists an increased awareness of and empathy for a diverse student body, the value of interdisciplinary collaboration, peer mentoring, and reflective thinking.

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Nomads and Narratives: Navigating personal and professional literacies in design education

AuthorInstitution
Di Ruvo, MonicaCape Peninsula University of Technology
van Graan, Janet PurcellCape Peninsula University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Design Education Research
Nomads and Narratives: Navigating personal and professional literacies in design education

South African students in higher education face many challenges other than the requirements of the academic programme. This places additional demands on academic staff tasked with delivering specialised content in support of student success rates. In response, we have introduced a subject intended to support first-year design students in navigating studio and theory subjects in a trans-disciplinary way. This subject covers academic, personal and professional literacies. Personal and professional literacies are the subject of this investigation, in which we question how we can support students in preparation for fast-changing future environments?

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Embracing Cosmopolitan Localism for Sustainable Graphic Design Practices in Ghana

AuthorInstitution
Assibey, Ginn BonsuCape Peninsula University of Technology
Chisin, Alettia VorsterCape Peninsula University of Technology
Cronje, JohannesCape Peninsula University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Graphic Design & Visual Art
Embracing Cosmopolitan Localism for Sustainable Graphic Design Practices in Ghana

This study expands the concept of cosmopolitan localism by Manzini (2010), which supports the approach of contextualised design solutions and not necessarily a global approach due to context differences. The research adopted an ethnographic approach for studying emerging sustainable graphic design practices with the aid of Sustainability Development Analytical Grid and Activity Theory. The results show the practice of sustainability through the aid of Ghana Food and Drugs Authority and Ghana Environmental Protection Agency who checked the content and materials of graphic design products for conformity to set standards.

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Exploring design strategies to determine information needs of caregivers

AuthorInstitution
Debrah, RatlitsaCape Peninsula University of Technology
de la Harpe, RethaCape Peninsula University of Technology
M’Rithaa, Mugendi K.Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Media & Communications Design
Exploring design strategies to determine information needs of caregivers

In this paper, the authors present information needs required by caregivers in a resource-constrained community during their health-education activities with considerations to design ethics. The role of visuals and technology in facilitating health communication, the need to design “with” users and the benefits thereof are discussed.

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Mapping Empathy and Ethics in the Design Process

AuthorInstitution
Barnes, VeronicaCape Peninsula University of Technology
du Preez, VikkiCape Peninsula University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Product & Industrial Design
Mapping Empathy and Ethics in the Design Process

There is no doubt that the role of product designers has changed considerably, not least with the rise of human-centred design. While Papanek’s 1971 “Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change” seemed radical at the time, his ideas seem entirely at home in the 21st century, including his call to adopt more social responsibility in design. These views are echoed in the contemporary  findings  of  professionals  and  researchers  associated  with  ICSID,  the  International Council of Societies of Industrial Design. The focus has shifted, from the designer as the expert to the user, or community, as the expert in their own environment; and Co-design, Participatory design, and Universal Design are but a few examples of such people-focussed design approaches.

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The social dimension of studio space: face-to-face and beyond - exploring online learner experience

AuthorInstitution
Morkel, JolandaCape Peninsula University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Architecture & Built Environment
The social dimension of studio space: face-to-face and beyond - exploring online learner experience

There is wide acceptance that the studio stands central to architectural design education (Bakarman, 2003, 2005; Kuhn 2001; Forsyth., Zehner and McDermott 2007). It is a social environment (Gross, 1997; Chen and You 2010:152) which is characterised by communication, critique and collaboration. The studio is a physical place that facilitates pedagogy that supports community-centred instruction. It utilizes the theories of apprenticeship, social constructivism, socio-cultural theory of learning, collaborative learning, situated learning in communities of practice and enculturation.

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Finding Thought: an investigation into the development of critical thinking skills in Industrial Design

AuthorInstitution
Barnes, VeronicaCape Peninsula University of Technology
du Preez, VikkiCape Peninsula University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Design Education Research
Finding Thought: an investigation into the development of critical thinking skills in Industrial Design

In higher education today, it is imperative to equip students with the skills required by their future profession. One such skill, as required of a professional Industrial Designer, is the ability to find creative and suitable solutions to often complex problems. As decision making and problem solving are key elements of a professional industrial designer‘s practice, they should be developed and encouraged as part of the tertiary programme. The trend towards learner driven investigation and research, as well as interactive mixed methodologies, have facilitated many projects requiring thinking skills. But does the learning environment support and develop these skills?

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The Ethical Dilemma of a Rapidly Receding Watering Hole: Implications For Design Education

AuthorInstitution
Van Niekerk, JohanCape Peninsula University of Technology
M’Rithaa, Mugendi K.Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Design Education Strategy
The Ethical Dilemma of a Rapidly Receding Watering Hole

Ethos, the origin of the word ethics, originally meant a place where animals frequent. When the herds gather at the watering hole how do they interact with other herds, species or competition? How do they behave in a way that they will be welcomed back?

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Pedagogical approaches to learning and curriculum development in Design for inclusion and self-reality

AuthorInstitution
Chisin, Alettia VorsterCape Peninsula University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Fashion, Jewellery & Textile Design
Pedagogical approaches to learning and curriculum development in Design for inclusion and self-reality

The study investigates appropriate approaches to new curriculum development and educational practice at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT).This is necessary in order to ensure success of the multi-cultural student body and facilitate the creation of ethical and culturally unique design solutions by the Bachelors of Technology (BTech) Fashion and Surface Design learners at CPUT.

By using the research dissertations and studio work of six learners as examples, possibilities of best practice and challenges with regard to this diverse context are highlighted, as the success of these learners in the 2006 BTech programme is analysed in a qualitative manner.

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