Atang Tshikare’s Zabalazaa Designs wins Future Found Award for 2014 I am pleased to tell you that on 28 October 2013, the Southern Guild has announced Zabalazaa Designs as the winner of the Future Found Award for 2014.

According to Southern Guild, my company “has shown innovation and has achieved a degree of excellence with limited resources”. The aim of this award is to aid young designers by assisting them to put the necessary business infrastructures in place, to improve their stability and output and to support design and production development”

This is a huge honour and I see it as recognition for hard work and perseverance. At the award ceremony, Trevyn McGowan, director of Southern Guild, said the following: “Atang has dynamism, commitment and focus that is rare and inspiring and he impressed us particularly because of his ability communicate and collaborate across multiple categories and industries. He is professional and shows great potential for business growth in the immediate future and we are proud to have him as our Future Found Award winner. We look forward to working with him during the next twelve months to assist with his development”

According Cathy O’Clery, Programmes Director of 100% Design South Africa, “Atang’s work is redolent of a new dynamic urban dialogue that is emerging in the design consciousness of cities across Africa. It is fresh, striking and bold and has a confidence which strikes at all the clichés young Africans have to deal with. He is part of a new generation of designers who are set to challenge our perspective and he does this with graphic surface design which is appealing and approachable. One to watch.”

Ceril Zammit, Fair Director of Design Days Dubai, also commented: “We had the chance to welcome Atang for the second edition of Design Days Dubai in March 2013. His work demonstrates how strong and creative the young art and design scene is in South Africa. We believe in his talent and undoubtedly in his future success.”