Creative Cape Town

This month we feature the Find Design website started by a professional architect Sebastian van Greunen in Cape Town.   Sebastian discovered that information on design, whilst available, is scattered all over the web.  “New South African design can be found on international blogs instead of local ones.  Local creative blogs are often filled with lots of international design information that the blogger finds inspiring.  None of this makes it easier to find local design information. There is plenty of local design talent that is on par with international standards, and I though it should be easily accessible to everyone,” says Sebastian.

The main idea behind the Find Design site is to create a user friendly design database that is edited and reviewed for quality. The aim of Find Design is to show just how good SA design is. The site is categorised into the main fields of design from advertising to web, and all information is easy to find.

Each creative accepted gets a portfolio page with all the key info and sample work. They also get a pressroom which facilitates the easy addition of news and events to the profile and helps keep the public up to date. Public users who register on the site can review the listings, add their own news and events or even suggest good books to add to the library and interact in the online community through discussions, forums, photos and video uploads.  The site will be user driven, as creatives and general users submit quick news snippets or events and interact.

Importantly the site does not charge the designers who are accepted.

Sebastian’s intention is for the site to become the country’s key destination for sourcing creatives & local design information, all in a highly structured and searchable way. He says, “we are nearly finished with the job portal which will list design jobs for the various industries. Future plans include design collaborations and an upliftment program to give deserving applicants a future in design. For us design is the future and most problems are solved through good design. The site is still in its infancy, live for only about 3 weeks and has had a wonderful response so far, but we are hoping to spread the word with proper marketing campaigns so keep an eye on the media.”