Cape Craft & Design Institute offers design training courses

As Cape Town gears up for World Design Capital 2014, designers can attend this quarters subjects, which are an introduction to drawing, getting ready to retail your product, and techniques to stimulate creativity during the innovation process, amongst others.

The CCDI also offers a user-friendly environment called the Product Support Space. Here, during free one-on-one consultations of 50 minutes each, users can experiment and progress from idea conceptualisation to physical manifestation. Tools and processes range from design computers to 3D printing and scanning, digital embroidery to laser engraving and cutting.

Free rural workshops

Out-of-town craft producers and designers also benefit from the organisation's service offering. The CCDI is running a two-day workshop (at no charge) in 12 towns in the province during February and March. These will introduce participants to biomimicry and design thinking: getting inspiration from nature in order to design answers to human problems.

The dates for the rural workshops are George (3-4 Feb); Oudtshoorn (4-5 Feb); Stellenbosch (10-11 February); Ceres (11-12 Feb); Worcester (11-12 Feb); Knysna (17-18 Feb); Mossel Bay (18-19 Feb); Plettenberg Bay (19-20 Feb); Genadendal (4-5 March); Hermanus (4-5 March); Prince Albert (10-11 March); and Vredenberg (11-12 March).

For more information, go to www.ccdi.org.za