The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti), South African Furniture Initiative (SAFI), Proudly South African,
and their partners , invites South African Designers to participate in the Furniture Design Competition. Entries
are opened in the following categories:
• Student categories – Designed Students registered in South African Educational Institutes
• Established Furniture designers/ Manufacturers – For Manufacturing Companies/Designers.
The aim of the competition is to: raise and nurture design capabilities in the country, raise the image of the
South African Furniture Manufacturing Industry, and to advance local industry through the introduction of new
products industry.
The Department of Trade & Industry and its partners call on South African designers – Design Students
and Professionals Furniture Designer and/or manufacturers – to submit design entries for household furniture
under the theme ‘LivingSpace’. Furniture must respond to peoples’ changing lifestyles and respond to the
way people live and use their space. This make furniture pieces important, and their need to reflect individual
lifestyles should be captured in design. The submitted pieces submitted must also reflect the furniture trends,
using different textures, colours and shapes. Your furniture piece must provide solution to these constantly
changing needs and provides storage for the household.
Your design should
• Promoting innovation
• Significant component of the furniture piece should be wood;
• Should be a movable piece (not attached to the wall);
• Appeal to the export market;
• Promote the use of local inputs e.g, wood, textiles, prints etc;
• Design for a space not bigger than 3×2 square meters space.
• The design must have a target market in mind, which will be highlighted in your attached concept
document.
Compulsory Information to submit
The entrants will be expected to submit the following to be considered:
A technical drawing of the product (design). This should including the final product dimensions and 3D
drawings). Your design must be 3D printable.
Description of materials and inputs to be used in production. The use of local inputs is encouraged.
The design must be accompanied by a description of the design, also explaining the concept and
motivation behind the design.
Brief copy of your CV
Guidelines to Entry
Competition can be entered in one of the following categories:
▫▫ Student Category – students registered in South African Academic Institutions
▫▫ Established Manufacturers – companies registered and operating in the country
Click here to access the full information brochure. Download the competition entry form here.
