By Avuyile Dube, Emihle Mlotana
The Graphic Design department held its annual exhibition at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) City Campus, showcasing students’ projects.
The exhibition was showcasing the student’s portfolio of work that they worked on throughout the year. The exhibition was a success for both students and coordinators.
Final-year student, Siyaphila Mbuyazi who obtained the student of the year award at the exhibition shared how this journey has contributed to his success.
“The first year was quite challenging because I was not the best at drawing. Adjusting to software was not easy but overall, I gained a strong foundation. Being the top achiever twice in a row is insane.
“Third year has taught me so much, together with the opportunities it came with. Through determination and hard work, I was given the platform to represent DUT in a student competition. I have learnt a lot in such a small amount of time,” explained Mbuyazi.
First-year Graphic Design student Aphelele Ndwandwe said she found joy despite the challenge of stepping out of her comfort zone and shifting from digital work to more physical drawing.
“At first, it was kind of hard because we did physical drawings. Working with a pencil, paper and eraser was kind of difficult for me. I was more dependent on the digital space, but when my family saw my work, they were proud of what they had seen and my sleepless nights did not go to waste, it actually produced good work,” expressed Ndwandwe.
Akhona Ndaba, a final-year Graphic Design student, also spoke about his experience of working in a creative space. He explained the challenges he faced and the beauty of reaping fruitful results of hard work.
“Third year was a difficult year, however, I found it to be a much smoother year because I was a lot more confident in my design skills, despite the crazy workload, fortunately, the people around me were very supportive,” he said.
Graphic Design lecturer, Mariene Wasserman, expressed her pride in the students’ work ethic and commitment.
“It is a very demanding course as people have seen at the exhibition. It is conceptual and technical, and our students have come to the party with so much eagerness,” said Wasserman.
Wasserman said she is confident about the students’ prospects as some have already been approached by big companies.
“They never complain, and they are always hungry to learn. They are curious and enthusiastic students, which makes it a joy to teach them. I encourage as the final year students step into the real world, they need to put themselves out there,” she said.
The exhibition was filled with enthusiastic engagement, guests spoke directly with the young artists and their incredible talent and dedication which was evident as parents and guests would not stop appreciating the work.
