Vega School Students And Lecturer Win Big At The Africa International Design Awards (AIDA)

The Vega School at Emeris’ four campuses recently entered the Africa International Design Awards (AIDA) for the first time and earned an impressive 20 wins and seven honourable mentions.

The Vega School at Emeris uMhlanga earned 13 of the 20 wins and three of the seven honourable mentions. Third year IIE Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design and third year IIE Bachelor of Communication Design students along with their Communications Design lecturer earned recognition in the Emerging Designers and Independent Designers categories.

The AIDA celebrates African and international designers whose work is deeply rooted in Africa, recognising creative solutions which address the unique challenges faced by African communities. All submissions were evaluated by a panel of judges which consisted of leading professionals, educators, cultural figures and creative industry experts from Africa and the wider design community.

Vian Roos (Communications Design Lecturer at The Vega School at Emeris uMhlanga) achieved four awards and two honourable mentions. Two of his awards were for work submitted as a Master’s student and two were for work submitted as an industry professional.

“I was so excited when I received the news. Having four wins and two honourable mentions is a big,” said Roos who is currently studying towards his IIE Doctor of Philosophy in Brand Leadership through The Vega School at Emeris’ Online Centre.

He believed competitions such as the AIDA provides valuable opportunities for students to receive recognition beyond the lecture room.

“Students often hear feedback from their lecturers and their parents, so hearing it from external judges and getting this recognition confirms they’re on the right track and it boosts their confidence”.

One of the student winners was Nandipha Matyumza (third year IIE Bachelor of Communication Design at The Vega School at Emeris uMhlanga) who won in the Print & Digital / Book and Magazine subcategory for YARNE, a crochet magazine celebrating the creativity, versatility and growing popularity of crochet among younger generations. The project began as a campus assignment to create a magazine based on a personal hobby.

“I love to crochet. My aftercare teacher in primary school taught a bunch of us how to crochet, knit and sew because she didn’t like that we were always watching television. YARNE was a way to show younger people how to crochet and that it’s not just for one specific generation,” explained Matyumza.

She was shocked when she received the email announcing her win. “I sent my mum a screenshot of the email and the next thing I know, I’m getting phone calls and messages from my whole family. My mum had sent the screenshot to our family group chat,” she laughed.

Another winner was fellow third year IIE Bachelor of Communication Design student Waseela Khan who won in the Print & Digital / Other Graphics subcategory for Shoreline, a custom typeface inspired by her mother’s love of the ocean.

“For me, the choice was immediate. My mother has always been drawn to the ocean. It is her way of destressing and of finding peace within herself,” said Khan.

She said receiving news of her win came as a surprise.

“Personally, I loved the project and poured my heart into it, but I didn’t think it would be up to award standard. This was a huge confidence boost”.

Other The Vega School at Emeris uMhlanga AIDA winners included third year IIE Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design students Taylor Jordaan and Stephanie Waugh, and third year IIE Bachelor of Communication Design students Demi-Leigh Bell, Racheal Keats, Shaye Cornish, Joash Gounden and Diya Rabikisoon, whose work was recognised across Spatial Design and Communication Design respectively.

For many of the students, the awards provided an opportunity to see their work recognised alongside designers from across Africa and beyond, while reinforcing the value of creativity, collaboration and innovative thinking.