Abstract:

Experiential and community-engaged learning are widely recognised pedagogical approaches in higher education, emphasising learning through real-world engagement, reflection, and socially situated practice (Kolb, 1984; Eyler & Giles, 1999; Healey & Jenkins, 2009). While these approaches are well established across many disciplines, their integration within design education presents unique opportunities for connecting studio practice with real societal contexts. However, less attention has been given to how student design work can simultaneously contribute to meaningful social outcomes within community contexts.

This paper presents the Sibanye-Stillwater Mining Hub project at North-West University (South Africa) as a case study of industry–community collaboration embedded within a fourth-year graphic design curriculum. The project formed part of a broader transdisciplinary regional initiative funded by the Sibanye-Stillwater Mining Group aimed at exploring sustainable post-mining futures in the Far West Rand through heritage, education, and community development. Within this context, senior graphic design students were tasked with developing a visual identity for a newly established mining hub intended to serve surrounding communities.

Working with a real industry partner and informed by community research data collected through focus groups, students moved beyond simulated studio briefs and engaged directly with questions of place, identity, and local context. Through the development of place-based branding and visual communication strategies, students explored how design can contribute to the formation of shared identity and belonging within emerging civic spaces, reflecting broader participatory and co-creation approaches within contemporary design practice (Sanders & Stappers, 2008; Manzini, 2015).

The project demonstrates how experiential learning initiatives can produce reciprocal outcomes: meaningful professional learning for students and tangible contributions to community place identity. For students, the project fostered deeper engagement with stakeholder dialogue, social responsibility, and the broader implications of design practice. For the community, the resulting visual identity contributed to the symbolic presence of the hub as a shared place of gathering and belonging.

This case study contributes to ongoing scholarship on community-engaged learning in design education by illustrating how industry–community partnerships can function as pedagogical environments in which students experience design not only as professional practice, but also as a socially embedded form of knowledge production.

Keywords:

Experiential learning, Community-engaged learning, Graphic design education, Place identity, Industry–community partnerships, Studio-based pedagogy, Design for social impact.