Shades of design

Born in Pointes aux Sables on the west coast of Mauritius, Jean Francois Col has been married since 2009 and sports an easily recognizable beard since 2011. This date was soon after the birth of his son. He is a family man who admires his wife more than anybody in the world, and she, in turn, is very supportive in everything he does. They have been through some tough challenges together, where she proved that she is a powerful woman.

Jean Francois also keeps an eye on his aging parents and tries to be there for them. He still remembers that when he got his first salary, he got the groceries for his parents from Jumbo. His aim to be a kind person, someone who can help others.

At night when the world is asleep, Jean Francois is often hard at work on his computer. That’s when he becomes JFC, the designer on a mission: to make design a respected profession. Ever since he started as Mac Operator at Circus after completing his diploma in Graphic Design in 2002 at CTI, then DCDM Business School, this has been his goal.

He believes that design is a very demanding job requiring a lot of skills that are often not appreciated. He regrets the absence of a design community in Mauritius even though the number of designers keeps growing. He wishes someday to be able to bring the many talents to work together and improve the future. In the meantime, he tries to put into practice in Gandhi’s philosophy, to be the change you wish to see in the world. He follows renowned design evangelist, Christ Do, whose ideas he finds inspiring. He hopes to attend Design Indaba, a prestigious international event in the field of design.

XTM; 2019.