Huston Malande, founder of Design Afrique, felt most entrepreneurs in the business were ripping off clients by not creating original sites. This prompted him to launch a new product to showcase original African web designs.
Malande, also the chief executive officer of Skyline Design, thought of listing the top 25 well designed websites in Kenya, receiving numerous responses. This persuauded him to start an online product to celebrate and recognise web designers in Africa.
“The aim of Design Afrique, therefore, is to serve as a central place for designers and design enthusiasts to go find inspiration from their fellow designers right here in Africa,” Malande told HumanIPO.
“Designers will submit their web sites, allowing them to instantly have a platform for publicity and for getting feedback from other site users. A panel of judges consisting of respected African designers will score the designs based on a set of criteria and have a site featured on the homepage each week. Fans keep a list of their favorite designs and get to know and interact with the people behind the design work.”
The site offers designers similar services such as awwwards.com and CSS Design Awards. African Digital Art is probably the closest competitor to Design Afrique. But Malande says their product is still ahead of the rest.
“What makes Design Afrique stand out is its focus on Africa, its emphasis on original content, and the importance of user submission and inter-user collaboration on the site,” Malande said.
Malande says Design Afrique will be the go-to place to find ideas, inspiration, and creative web designers in Africa. A thriving, active community and trust in the weekly awarding process is essential to make this happen.
Currently the site is taking in registrations ahead of its official launch in June 3, 2013.
