4. All about the Nando’s Hot Young Designer competition

Conceptual designer Katlego Tshuma is the winner of the 2020 Nando’s Hot Young Designer talent search – and there were so many talented designers on the shortlist, we decided to showcase some of our favourite runners-up.

In its third iteration, the Nando’s Hot

Young Designer competition drew a plethora of entries from across South Africa, all responding to a brief to design a seating bench that encourages social distancing and is adaptable for life after the pandemic.

“Throughout the research process and the design of the bench, I kept true to the brief by creating areas that allow two people to sit and still maintain social distance,” says winner Katlego Tshuma. “I created isolated areas on the bench by incorporating the traditional mat as a divider and back support.”

“We embarked on a thorough judging process, which included an initial round of judging by local design industry specialists and senior Nando’s design-focused team members,” says Tracy Lynch, creative director of the Nando’s Design Programme. “From my perspective, Katlego won because his design was one of the most unique, jaw-droppingly beautiful, brave pieces entered.”

The local panel of judges included Thabisa Mjo of Mash.T Design Studio and Mpho Vackier of TheUrbanative; VISI editor-in-chief Steve Smith; VISI editor-at-large Annemarie Meintjes; Tracy Lynch of Studio Leelynch and the Nando’s Design Programme; editor Malibongwe Tyilo of the Nando’s Design Programme; art director Jo Skelton of the Nando’s Design Programme; and Michael Spinks, property and development director for Nando’s; as well as the international heads of design for Nando’s UK, US, Canada and Australia.

For more information, visit clout-sadesign.co.za.

Katlego Tshuma’s winning design – the Sangu Bench – is a reinterpretation of traditional African grass mats. The bench is inspired by “the organic forms found in the movement and shape of the traditional grass mats that have been used across various African cultures as carpets, screens and room dividers,” he says.