When Alyssa Reyersbach watched an aircraft move toward her on a Cape Town runway, she burst into tears. Splashed across the tail of the Airbus A320 was her colourful design, a piece of art that began on an iPad and is now flying thousands of feet above the country.
Reyersbach, an alumna of The Vega School at Emeris uMhlanga, was recently announced as the winner of a national design competition hosted by local airline LIFT to celebrate its fifth birthday.
Growing up my dream was to see my designs somewhere in the public eye, and what a privilege it is to see it on an aircraft.
— Alyssa Reyersbach, graphic designer
The airline invited South Africans to design a limited-edition tail for one of its aircraft. Out of thousands of entries, Reyersbach’s artwork was selected through a public vote and is now featured on an Airbus A320.
LIFT brand manager Haydn Halim-Henning said, “Alyssa’s artwork celebrates our rich culture, heritage and true South African spirit. Inspired by our collective unity and diversity, it tells a visual story of a country alive with creativity, culture and ‘lekker’ vibes — a true reflection of who we are,” said Halim-Henning.
For Reyersbach, the moment was unexpected. She was in a Monday morning meeting at Lemonade Design Co., where she works as a graphic designer and content creator, when she received the call informing her that she had won.
“Haydn strung me along at first, making me think I hadn’t won,” she said. “When I realised that I had, I started screaming and crying at the same time. Everyone at work started screaming. It was so surreal.”
The competition came at a time when she felt creatively stuck. She had seen the advert repeatedly on social media and decided to enter just three weeks before the deadline.
“I was going through a creative slump, and the advert kept popping up on my Instagram feed. It felt like a blessing in disguise,” she said.
Designing for an aircraft tail presented technical and creative challenges due to its scale.
“I knew I wanted to do something detailed and intricate, but obviously the size of an aircraft tail compared to my iPad is a bit of a size jump.
“I had to consider each element individually so that it would still translate to such a large scale, still telling a story and feeling visually strong. It was definitely an exciting challenge,” she told TimesLIVE.
Determined to avoid clichés, Reyersbach pushed her creativity by reinterpreting familiar icons, including a springbok with strelitzia flowers forming its horns.
Recently flown to Cape Town to see the aircraft in person, she described the experience as a full-circle moment.
“Growing up my dream was to see my designs somewhere in the public eye, and what a privilege it is to see it on an aircraft. It reminds me that your dreams are never too far out of reach,” she said.
She said the win has given her confidence to dream bigger as a young South African designer.
For the designer who once entered an aviation-themed drawing competition at the age of 10, seeing her work take to the skies has reaffirmed one lesson: “The sky truly is the limit,” said Reyersbach.
TimesLIVE
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