His passion for drawing started early in his life and was inspired by his mother, a clothing designer and pattern maker in a factory in Athlone. He said, “She always wanted to paint so she always had paint brushes and colours lying around. Naturally I would pick them up and start playing with them.”
The impressive calibre of creative work he now produces at age 21 has earned him a unique opportunity at the Advance Design Group (ADG), owned by alumni of the old Peninsula Technikon.
During the second year of Veon’s National Diploma in Graphic Design, he printed his assignments using ADG facilities. It was during this time that his work was ‘discovered’ by ADG Managing Director, Clinton Arendse and his business partner, Jason Desai, both alumni of the institution. Impressed by his work and his commitment, ADG offered to pay for the remainder of his studies with a guaranteed position upon graduation at the end of 2006.
Veon said, “This is a great achievement for me and removes a great weight off my shoulders, especially in terms of finance for my studies.”
The Institution has left an indelible impression on Clinton since he graduated from the Peninsula Technikon in 1984. Since then, he has ploughed a great deal of time and financial resources back into the old Technikon and the newly founded Cape Peninsula University of Technology. He returned in 1994 as a graphic design lecturer and later headed the department as senior lecturer before leaving in 2002. At the time, Jason, who now owns 40% of the company was one of his students. The confidence in the quality of students produced by the institution is indicated by the fact that the majority of his staff compliment are alumni of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
*ADG is a creative agency that specialises in concept creation, development and production. They have made creative contributions to Foschini group, Oceana, Engen, Auction Alliance, Phillip Morris, Golden Arrow, South African Breweries, Juta Gariep, UWC, Stellenbosch University, Medical Research Council and the Food and Allied Workers' Union.
Caption:
Alumni giving back. (From left): Veon Haupt, Jason Desai and Clinton Arendse
