Our Institution

A private higher education institution that remains relevant and considers its impact and what it leaves behind.

Established in 1981, Inscape was the first multi-disciplinary design institution in South Africa. The institution has evolved from a family-owned business to a diverse array of learning hubs offering several undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications underpinned by design thinking. We prepare, versatilist, as opposed to generalist or specialist graduates. This ensures, comprehensive knowledge, deep skills, wide scope of roles, broad experience and the ability to traverse and be recognized in other domains. Our alumni are known to be confident, self-respecting and responsible citizens who actively pursue careers that bring about change, impact communities and drive economies. This realisation is cultivated through the recognition and celebration of each individual’s uniqueness.

We are leaders in South Africa for doing things that work, differently. Providing opportunities to our students and our wider communities ensures that our actions are authentic and true to our core values.

As leaders in private higher education:

  • Our programmes, aligned to our ethos, are progressive and break down the silo mentality of design and its disciplines. We were the first institution in South Africa to offer a Bachelor of Design degree as well as the first institution to offer Ideation Design. 
  • Our programmes align to international design programme standards.
  • Our graduates define the industry.
  • We have an established scholarship initiative. Since 2015, we have financially assisted over 124 students to access quality higher education.
  • Our activities in the international tertiary market allowed us to partner with institutions worldwide. We select institutions who align with our ethos and culture; who will find value in partnering in either projects, community development or enrichment programs. The international student exchange program exposes our students to alternative teaching methodologies, cultures and environments.
  • Relationships with industry players who provide 48-hour briefs as a part of our student learning experience, prepare our students for a real-world with real limitations, challenges and opportunities.
  • Driven by technology, creativity, design, integrated learning and unique thinking; the institution encourages independent learning through custom developed software and applications connecting students, institutions and industry.

Inscape Defined

Dictionary definitions include the following:

  • "The unique inner nature of a person or object as shown in a work of art, especially a poem." - (Oxford Dictionaries, 2023).
  • "Inward significant character or quality belonging uniquely to objects or events in nature and human experience, especially as perceived by the blended observation and introspection of the poet and in turn embodied in patterns of such specifically poetic elements as imagery, rhythm, rhyme, assonance, sound symbolism, and allusion." - (Merriam Webster, 2023).

 

The term Inscape was coined by Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889), a renowned poet and Jesuit priest known for his unique contributions to literature.

Hopkins believed everything in the world had a unique design or ‘inscape’ that made it special, like its own fingerprint. This design isn’t static but dynamic, meaning it could change.

Everything in the world, including us, shows its own special design by how it acts. Hopkins saw it as the job of the poet or artist to create images that will ‘nail’ the inscape down for readers so that they can recapture the poet’s perception and experience.

Our Vision and Mission

Inscape Vision
  • It is quality-driven - ensuring
  • It defines what is important to us - every participant
  • It denotes collective responsibility - active participants
  • It answers to purpose - challenge, work, life, society
  • It is solutions-driven - ready

The Inscape Way

The Inscape Way philosophy emphasises the importance of shifting from egocentric to eco-centric behaviour choices. This means accepting oneself, understanding one’s context in the world, and committing to betterment through good practice.

The three core values of the Inscape Way are quality, authenticity and relationships.

  • Quality at Inscape goes beyond just meeting standards. It is about deliberately choosing to continuously enhance and improve our curriculum and our processes, approaches, and methods and bringing about positive change.
  • Authenticity means staying true to yourself and expressing your unique blueprint. This requires accepting your past, focusing on the present, and striving to become a better version of yourself.
  • Relationships at Inscape are about realising how you affect the world and the people and things within it.

The Inscape Way is all about choice, which is the basis of freedom. By making intentional choices, individuals have the power to learn and advance. When people make deliberate choices, they can grow and progress. The Inscape Way highlights the significance of understanding the importance of one’s ability to choose (agency) and take responsibility together. This means that we are all responsible for the betterment of our immediate community and society at large.