This paper will discuss selected issues of transformation and Graphic Design education at the Department of Graphic Design, Durban University of Technology (DUT), and draw preliminary conclusions from recent research. It will begin by discussing the context in which both transformation and Graphic Design education take place at this institution, particularly with regard to the pressures of Globalisation.

It will then discuss certain problems of the relationship between Graphic Design and Indigenous Knowledge, and suggest some methodologies derived from recent projects in our department, as possible ways forward. The Indigenous Knowledge of the amaZulu people is the source consulted in this case.

The paper seeks to demonstrate the importance of Indigenous Knowledge to Graphic Design research in the contemporary context of the department and KwaZulu-Natal in general, whether that knowledge itself be contemporary or historical; and the value of integrating Indigenous Knowledge with Graphic Design as a potential means of promoting transformation in the department.