About
Hello, I’m Rudi
I’m an independent developer in East London, South Africa. I’ve spent about thirty years in visual communication, and I now use that to build websites, apps and platforms that are clear to use and good to look at.
My story
Rudi Louw, East London
- 01
The newsroom
About 19 years at the Daily Dispatch, then Media24 in Johannesburg as Senior Designer and National Graphics Editor, and Visual Editor at the Sunday Times. The job was making complicated things clear on a deadline, with typography, hierarchy and a lot of editing.
- 02
The web
As newsrooms moved online, I moved with them: interactive reports and data graphics first, then WordPress and Elementor websites for clients, and a clear sense of what makes a site fast, findable and easy to look after.
- 03
Platforms & apps
Now I write the code as well as design it. Custom websites, web applications, iOS apps and publishing platforms like The Coastal, built with the same instincts: lead with what matters and leave out what doesn’t.
Recognition for graphic journalism
- 2010CNN African Journalist AwardsTeam winner, online digital category: Slumlords
- 2016Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism AwardsWinner, graphic journalism
- 2018IAB Bookmark AwardsSilver, special features: A Medical Milestone
The path
- About 19 years
Daily Dispatch, East London
Newspaper design and graphic journalism.
- 2010
Senior Designer, Media24
Moved to Johannesburg.
- 2017
National Graphics Editor, Media24
For Media24’s newspapers and websites.
- 2018
Visual Editor, Sunday Times
Sunday Times newspaper group.
- Alongside
Websites for clients
WordPress and Elementor Pro, then custom builds.
- Today
Independent developer
Websites, web apps, iOS apps and publishing platforms. Co-Founder and Technical Lead of The Coastal.
What I work with
- Build
- Next.js, React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Node.js
- Apps
- Swift, SwiftUI, CloudKit, push notifications, StoreKit
- Data & services
- Supabase, PostgreSQL, Prisma, SMTP and transactional email, PayFast
- WordPress
- WordPress, Elementor Pro, Yoast SEO, WPForms
- Hosting
- Vercel
- Design
- Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign
Start a project
Got
something
to build?
A site that needs to be better, an app that needs to exist, a platform that has outgrown its tools. Tell me what it is and I’ll tell you honestly how I’d approach it.
hi@rudilouw.com