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Mission Statement
Our vision is to be the leaders in design higher education, to nurture innovative and responsible designers for the greater good of humanity. GDC is a private higher education institution that specialises in design education and which Promotes: – innovation and critical thinking in the design process – sustainable design and design for social development – an optimal environment for teaching and learning – the use and production of research
International Role
GDC has a strong reputation for its international collaborations, which include the following: 1) Memberships with international design bodies including – International Federation of Interior Designers/Architects (IFI); GDC has been an educational member since 1997 – International Council of Graphic Design Association (ICOGRADA): GDC has been an educational member since 1997 2) Inviting distinguished design professionals and educators as verifiers to our institution each December. The verifiers participate in our final assessment process as a benchmarking exercise. 3) GDC has signed memorandums of understanding with several international institutions and welcomes new partnerships 4) GDC invites student and lecturer exchanges, and to date has had several international visitors join as both lecturers and students. GDC students have also participated in initiatives abroad including INDEX 2005, and Kolding University’s Master Classes.
National Role
GDC strives to be a leader in design education within South Africa, and to this end has achieved the following: 1) GDC is a founding member of the South African professional body of Interior Designers, the Institute for Interior Design Professions 2) Is fully compliant with all statutory quality assurance frameworks 3) GDC invites local design educators and professionals to participate in our final assessment as moderators. Moderators are invaluable in benchmarking our programmes in relation to the national norms.
Main Focus
Higher Education in Interior Design / Graphic Design / Multimedia Design
Faculties and Departments
Interior Design Department Graphic Design Department Multimedia Design Department
Bachelor Level Programs
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interior Design – 3 years full time Bachelor of Arts Degree in Graphic Design – 3 years full time Bachelor of Arts Degree in Multimedia Design – 3 years full time Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree in Interior Design – 2 years full time Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree in Graphic Design – 2 years full time Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree in Multimedia Design – 2 years full time
Master Level Programs
GDC plans to offer masters programmes in the near future.
Research Activity and Main Areas
Academic staff at GDC are encouraged and incentivised to produce recognised research outputs. Recent research outputs include: 2014 Des Laubscher and Ingrid Templer,Book Chapter: Design intervention for social upliftment 2013 Kathryn Pope, Conference Paper: A case study on the application of institutional research in the development of a community engagement initiative. 2012 Lindi Maritz, Conference Paper: Everything is here, wish you were beautiful 2012 Lindi Maritz, Conference Paper: Fuck it! New media, art, design and (re)presentation 2012 Corlia de Swardt, Conference Paper: Animal enrichment, a playful tool 2012 Lindi Maritz, Conference Paper: Hypertext narrative and the representation of the avatar, a simulated coming out story 2012 Ray Whitcher, Conference Paper: From page to cell, the animated adaptation of Spiderman and venom 2012 Monica Di Ruvo, Conference Paper: South African public interiors: redressing the past, crafting the present 2012 Paul Cooper, Conference Paper: The Significance of Place as Site in a Study of Selected Contemporary Site-Specific African Art 2012 Paul Cooper, Conference Paper: Transient site-specific art practices and the problem of the “participative” city: a critical appraisal. 2012 Jennifer Kopping, Presentation for a Colloquim: Tenuous Threads the Ties that Bind. Pointure as Jewish Identity and Hauntological Manifestation in Contemporary Art Praxis. 2012 Suzanne Erasmus, Symposium Paper: Grafting Garment: Constructing Hybrid Identities 2012 Suzanne Erasmus, Book: Hybrid Identities in Johannesburg: Grafting Garment, City and Self 2011 Corlia De Swart, conference paper: Zoo enrichment design 2011 Lindi Maritz, conference paper: Apostasy: Imagining a queer Posthuman 2011 Lindi Maritz, Journal article: Apostasy: Imagining a queer Posthuman 2011 Lindi Maritz, conference paper: Thrice Othered: The (in)visibility of diversity 2011 Paul Cooper, conference paper: The Significance of Spatial Contingency in Selected Examples of Contemporary Site-Specific African Art 2011 Paul Cooper, Conference paper & Journal article: A Critical Edge: Recent African Site-Specific Installations in Urban Design Contexts (a story about shopping and travelling)
Doctorate Level Programs
n/a
Subject Areas for Exchange Students
As the curriculum is project based, and the projects integrate the subjects in an outcomes-based approach, exchanges would occur for the duration of a project. Projects typically last between 4 and 8 weeks.
Application Deadlines
6 months before intended exchange period
Teaching Languages
English
Semester Dates
Term 1: Jan – Mar Term 2: Apr – Jun Term 3: Jul – Aug Term 4: Sep – Nov
Cost of Living Per Month (Studying and Living)
The annual costs for a student enrolled at the college are approximately R65000 tuition fees R8000 fees for materials R6000 subsistence
