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Dumisani Tshabalala

Entrepreneur | Award-winning Industrial Designer

Johannesburg, South Africa
+27780183496 be.net/Dumisani_Tshabalala
I am an experienced, award-winning industrial designer, entrepreneur and former head of production. I have 5 years of graphic design and industrial design experience now and I have been involved in a variety of industries including — but not limited to — health and safety, furniture, advertising, luxury brand curation, signage and branding, and FMCG. I am currently the Director of a functional homeware brand, Autonomic Living (Pty) Ltd. I have also completed a SETA-accredited course in New Venture Creation and Entrepreneurship Development.

I have also freelanced since 2016 to provide graphic design and industrial design services for some, but not limited to the following clients: Web Garden, Land of Lark, Conceptual Eyes, Mobi Dixon™ and VBS Luxury Group.

Work Experience

David Krynauw

Industrial Designer

I worked closely with the Director to transform his sketches and ideas into physical products (particularly furniture). I designed the products through CAD and liaised with suppliers and the in-house manufacturing team to bring the products to life. I also liaised with couriers to deliver products to an established clientele. The products varied from bespoke luxury items for clients such as Marianne Fassler and Southern Guild, to new limited-edition items for 100% Design®.
May 2015 - November 2015 South Africa

Woolworths South Africa

Industrial Designer

CAD and engineering drawings of store equipment. Value engineering and managing costs and timelines of projects. Quality control of newly developed equipment. Ongoing research on new technologies in retail.
January 2023 - South Africa

The Ideamongery

Industrial Designer and Art Director

In this role, I assisted a team of four industrial designers (including the Director) throughout a detailed design process for developing bespoke products and installations for a variety of projects. I was involved from the ideation sketching phase to product prototyping/engineering phase for mass production. As a team, we executed projects for private clients and some reputable companies such as Ogilvy Cape Town, SAB and ASCO. I also co managed a number of interns ranging from high school learners to BA final year university students.
January 2016 - January 2018 South Africa

Conceptual Eyes

Head of Production

I was managing all operational activities, from executing a brief through graphic design and industrial design processes, to managing logistics and setup of installations or decor items at clients’ events. All projects were for the internal communication objectives of numerous clients such as Tiger Brands, EY and Smollan, to name but a few. I managed a small team, as well as external suppliers, who executed the design, fabrication, packaging, logistics and setup process. This role enabled me to establish a smoother process in executing all (especially major) projects and keeping my team organised and delivering good-quality work.
February 2018 - June 2019 South Africa

Autonomic Living

Director

I’m in charge of managing/executing all operations for my company, from designing and selling the functional modern homeware products online, to managing the branding, marketing collateral and marketing platforms.
June 2019 - South Africa

Education

University Of Johannesburg

NDip: Industrial Design

February 2012 - December 2014 Johannesburg, South Africa

Awards

Cobra

Cobra Product Design Award

2016

Skills

Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Indesign, Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk Fusion 360, Autodesk Fusion 360, Collaboration, CorelDraw, Design Language, Design Thinking, Dessault Systemés SolidWorks, Entrepreneurship, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Layout, LUXION KEYSHOT, Microsoft Powerpoint, Microsoft Word, Operations, Product Design, Time Management, Value Engineering,