Cape Town Hosting World Design Capital 2014

South African’s with  based in the Western Cape Province have up to July 31 to apply to the World Design Capital Cape Town 2014 (WDCCT).

The World Design Capital Cape Town 2014 forms part of a broader vision to transform Cape Town, through design, into a sustainable, productive African city, bridging historic divides and building social and economic inclusion.

Cape Town was designated World Design Capital 2014 at the International Design Alliance (IDA) Congress in October 2011 in Taipei. This prestigious designation is bestowed biennially by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID). World Design Capitals recognise the value of design thinking, and are dedicated to using design as tool for social, cultural and economic development.

The submissions are open for South Africans with great design ideas are urged to apply to the epic design event, which is in Africa for the first time.

Sarah Blake, Silicon Cape’s liaison officer for WDCCT, commented, “I am seeing World Design Capital as a catalyst for two types of conversation. These umbrella design events recognize technology and our tech startups as design as well. From a tech point of view we are doing ourselves a disservice by not recognizing what we are doing is design.”

One of the four themes WDCCT is focusing on is titled “African Innovation. Global Conversation”, and Gugulethu Mhlungu, who is a community engagement manager at WDCCT, picked out South African chat app Mxit as a good example of how innovation in the country can boost connectivity.

Furthermore, any submissions accepted by the organizers to contribute an event or service during the celebration will be endorsed by WDCCT branding, but they will not receive funding support.

WDCCT has however enlisted the services of Metropolitan Republic for communications and branding and Quirk for its “digital needs”.

While trying to describe what kinds of contributions they want, the organizers said the requirements were very broad.

In addition, initiatives taking in areas around the Western Cape Province and even in the Eastern Cape Province could be submitted to celebrate the City of Cape Town’s position as World Design Capital.

Cape Town is the fourth city to hold the position of World Design Capital, after Torino, Italy, in 2008, Seoul, South Korea, in 2010, and Helsinki, Finland, in 2012.