David Tshabalala is a 27-year-old graphic designer and illustrator whose Run the World project is currently under way for a third successive year.
Run the World is an Instabition (Instagram exhibition) which shares a daily illustration of the women who have inspired Tshabalala throughout the entire month of August.
Tshabalala, who studied Graphic Design at the Central University of Technology (CUT) in Bloemfontein, says the world and the people around him also have a significant influence on his work.
“These are a combination of women I’ve met and they’ve left me inspired after our conversations about projects they are busy with. Some of them I’ve never met before, but I follow them closely on digital platform and I feed off their energy through their blogs and enjoy the content they share and create,” he says.
“I didn’t select them based on their CVs or popularity, but rather on how they are influencing me personally regardless of their accolades and achievements,” he adds.
Having been based in what could be arguably be the commercial art capital of the country, Johannesburg, for the past few years, he says he also established this initiative in order to do something with real purpose, something that is self-initiated and not necessarily profit-driven.
“Women’s month served as the perfect platform for me to create something with meaning that resonates with every South African. People usually commemorate Women’s Month by reflecting on our past and struggles, rather than the present and future, which is what I’ve done by profiling our women of today,” he says.
He describes his style as pop-inspired, fun and refreshing. Some of the talented designer’s achievements to date include being on the Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young South Africans list in 2015 as well as being chosen as one of 40 Emerging Creatives at the Design Indaba in 2013.
The Run the World Instabition can be viewed by following @slaying.goliath on Instagram.
Moeketsi Mogotsi/Courant News
