World Class Designers to Focus on Sustainable Rural Transport

World Class Designers to Focus on Sustainable Rural Transport
Designers from 17 countries joined their South African counterparts in Rustenburg on Sunday, 3 April to solve problems around sustainable rural transport. Interdesign 2005 is an initiative of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Designers (Icsid) and is organised locally by the Design Institute, a division of the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS). The National Department of Transport supports this venture and it is endorsed by the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda).

The two-week workshop was officially launched by Mr Martin Kuscus, chief executive officer of the SABS on Sunday afternoon. In the course of the two weeks, the designers will work in four groups, designing animal-drawn carts, bicycles and tricycles, alternative modes of transport and considering the communication aspects related to the issue of sustainable rural transport.
The workshop will kick off with field trips into rural North-West Province where the designers will acquaint themselves with the unique problems faced by developing communities. Designers will then get to work on different aspects of non-motorised transport. A computer centre with 24-hour connectivity has been set up to involve colleagues from around the world who could not make it to South Africa.

An interesting aspect of Interdesign 2