FESPA Africa And Sign Africa Announce T-Shirt Design Competition Winner

Tshepo Welcome Mahlangu was crowned the winner of the FESPA Africa and Sign Africa T-shirt 2017 Design Competition. Entrants were required to submit a design for a printed T-shirt, inspired by the Dare To Discover theme of the expo. The top eight entrants’ designs were then printed and showcased at the event’s registration area, where Mahlangu’s design was voted the favourite.

27-year-old Mahlangu shared his background with Sign Africa, along with his methods, highlights of his career and some invaluable advice for aspiring designers who wish to follow in his footsteps.

He was born in a small village, Kameelrivier B, situated in the low-veld region of KwaNdebele in Mpumalanga. He has a passion for design, which led to the establishment of BoyfrndLabel (Pty) Ltd, a small Kasi (township) fashion and branding clothing company.

His long term business goals include owning over eight well known brands across the borders – he mentioned that he still has a long way to go, however he is working hard and hopes that winning this competition will help attract investors who will fund his business. He would like to alleviate poverty and unemployment by introducing his community to the world of design and equip them with the necessary skills needed when applying for jobs.

He decided to use the African map graphic for his design, to which he added some roots as Africa is where his roots are.

Mahlangu’s advice to designers is: ‘Don’t copy and paste an icon you found on Google, be original and create your work from scratch. Ensure that you follow all competition rules. I think designers could get more votes if they visited the FESPA Africa and Sign Africa expos and ask visitors to vote for their designs, like I did. I mean the expo is free!’

‘A big thank you to the FESPA Africa and Sign expo team for putting together the event and this competition, it gave designers a platform to showcase our talent while adding to our portfolio and it assists in getting designers recognition in the industry. Like the 2017 expo theme, I dared and I discovered,’ he added.