The Department of Graphic Design at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) has teamed up with Telkom South Africa to launch a competition inviting UJ’s second-year graphic design students to create graphic work around the theme of “Telkom Convergence.”
The competition is in line with the student’s curriculum for the subject Independent Practice. The second-years were briefed to create graphic works in any form, including: sculpture, poster, art on paper, painting, mixed media and electronic medium. As part of Telkom’s initiative to promote recycling through the visual arts, the students were given blue boxes and frames – donated by the Telkom Art Collection – to express what “Telkom Convergence” means to them through graphic design.
Earlier this year, Telkom Business claimed its position as South Africa’s converged solutions enabler in its then newly-launched advertising campaign, and this is what the designs of the students will speak to – the concept of “Telkom Convergence” and how they intepret it.
All entries into the competition will be photographed and the photos will be placed onto Telkom SA’s Facebook page for the judging segment. Thereafter, 15 finalists will be selected from the student group of 38. Lecturers at UJ will select the finalists and their works will then be uploaded to the Facebook page.
Final judging will be conducted by a panel of lecturers and the Telkom art curator; where three overall winners will be chosen who will each be awarded a mobile device.
According to Sophia Van Wyk, Telkom’s Art Curator, this competion will see students gaining valuable insight into and experience of working for a client in the industry, and will also introduce them to the business world.
“This collaboration is an opportunity for Telkom to engage with the youth as well as show our support for a tertiary institution. We are proud to be part of a partnership that lends itself to our continued investment in the future of the cultural and visual heritage of South Africa,” concludes Van Wyk.
