rockpaperink

July 6, 2012

Sister Raye

People I Admire: Mzwandile Buthelezi

Author: Robynne Raye

Topics: Handmade, Product Design, Profiles

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South African Designer Mzwandile Buthelezi sitting in front of a really cool mahogony door.

South African Designer Mzwandile Buthelezi sitting in front of a really cool mahogony door.

Designer Mzwandile Buthelezi grew up in Soweto, where he developed his unique graffiti-style typography built from his twelve years as a graffiti artist. The graffiti influence is evident in Buthelezi's bold use of type in his design work and in his layered-vector images.

After studying graphic design at the University of Johannesburg, Buthelezi worked in the advertising and branding industry for three years before leaving to pursue his art and develop his design style. Buthelezi runs Satta Design, a small studio specializing in graphic design, illustration, and graffiti art. A solo exhibition is planned for 2011, and he isconstantly working toward his lifetime pursuit: to have a graffiti piece in every African country.

Buthelezi's work is inspired by nature, culture, politics, protest poster art, and his favorite album covers. In addition to running his own studio, Buthelezi is the art director for the first black-owned skateboard company in South Africa, Funisu (a Zulu term meaning "the search for a solution"), run by his friend and colleague, Wandile Msomi, a pro skater who rides for DC Shoes SA, Funisu, and Skull Candy. The Funisu logo subtly embodies the meaning of the word through its suggestion that a peaceful heart is "king."

Buthelezi's skateboard designs blend earthtones and iconic African images with bold original typography, projecting a multitude of impressions: modern yet primitive; soft and edgy; altogether fresh, yet still grounded in his native land.

Profile by Marty Jourard, from Inside the World of Board Graphics, Rockport 2011.

All Images © Mzwandile Buthelezi

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