Ithateng is co-founder of the design and branding consultancy Gamatong. He is also co-organiser and curator for TEDxJohannesburg and TEDxSoweto. A graphic designer by profession, he recently added speaker coaching to his list of superpowers. Ithateng started his career as an art director at the Johannesburg office of the advertising agency Leo Burnett, in 1997. Since then, he has worked in various creative roles for a number of communications agencies, including Brand Union, Coke Lounge, and DraftFCB. He is a founding member of Mandela Poster Project, a global design initiative. Ithateng has judged at industry award shows, and his work has been recognised at the Loeries, at the New York Festivals, and at Cannes. He maintains a keen interest in blended learning and transmedia storytelling. Ithateng trained to become an architect at the Universities of KwaZulu-Natal and Pretoria, before he pivoted into advertising prior to the end of his studies.


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I spent my formative years of design education studying towards a bachelor’s degree in architecture. Architectural design was naturally the course that I enjoyed the most, but I also derived great pleasure in reading and writing on architectural theory. Those early years exposed me to valuable lessons in interpreting briefs, solving complex planning problems, translating those solutions into sketch form, working in 3 dimensions, developing a habit of rapid prototyping as a design aid, presenting my work and backing it up with solid argument, and accepting and responding to constructive criticism. Read Less