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Privacy Policy.
How we look after the personal information you share with us, in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).
Last updated: 21 October 2026
The short version
- We only collect what we need to reply to you, quote, do your project and get paid.
- We never sell your information or use it for advertising.
- This website uses no analytics or advertising cookies.
- Some trusted services we use, like email and WhatsApp, store data outside South Africa.
- We keep tax records for at least five years, as the law requires. Everything else is deleted when we no longer need it.
- You can ask to see, correct or delete your information at any time.
1. Who we are
Blume Designs is a creative design studio in Durbanville, Cape Town, offering graphic design, website design, social media design and interior decorating. When we decide why and how your personal information is used, we are the “responsible party” under POPIA.
2. What we collect and why
When you contact us
Through our contact form, email or WhatsApp we receive your name, email address, phone number, the services you are interested in, a rough budget and anything you tell us about your project. We use this to reply to you, give you a quote and plan your project.
When you become a client
We keep your contact details, business or billing details, your brief, the designs and files we create, photos of your space, and our correspondence. We use this to do the work, invoice you, keep proper records and support you afterwards.
When you visit this website
Like any website, our hosting server records technical details such as your IP address, browser type and the pages requested. These logs are used only to keep the site secure and working. We do not use them to identify you.
Our portfolio
We only show photos of a client's project on our website or social media with that client's permission, and we never show patients or other people without their consent.
Our legal grounds
POPIA allows us to process your information because you gave consent, because we need it to prepare or carry out a contract with you, because the law requires it (for example tax records), or because it is in our legitimate interest to run our business, as long as that does not override your rights.
We do not intentionally collect special personal information, such as health information, and we do not use automated decision-making.
3. For medical practices
We never need your patients' records. Our work is about your space and your brand, not your patients.
- Please don't send us patient files, lists or any health information. If something like this reaches us by accident, we will delete it and let you know.
- When we photograph a practice, we make sure no patients, files or screens with patient information are visible.
- Designs for prescription pads, certificates and forms are created as blank templates. We never fill them in or handle completed copies.
4. Who we share it with
We never sell, rent or trade your personal information. We share only what is needed, with:
- Service providers who help us run the business: our website host, email and cloud storage providers, WhatsApp, and our accounting software. Under POPIA these are “operators”. They may only use your information on our instructions and must keep it secure.
- Suppliers on your project: for example printers, signage installers, furniture suppliers or contractors, and only the details they need to deliver or install.
- Professional advisers and authorities: our accountant, SARS, or anyone else the law requires us to share information with.
Information stored outside South Africa
Some of these services, such as email and cloud storage providers and WhatsApp (owned by Meta), store data on servers outside South Africa. We only use providers that are bound by data protection laws or agreements that give protection similar to POPIA, as section 72 of POPIA requires.
5. Cookies
This website uses no analytics or advertising cookies, and no tracking pixels. Our fonts and images are served from our own website, so loading a page does not send your details to other companies.
WordPress may set a few strictly necessary cookies, for example when an administrator logs in. If you tap our WhatsApp button, WhatsApp's own privacy policy applies once you leave our site.
If we ever add analytics or advertising tools, we will update this section first and ask for your consent where the law requires.
6. How long we keep it
We keep personal information only for as long as we need it, then delete or de-identify it.
| Information | How long |
|---|---|
| Enquiries that don't go ahead | Up to 12 months after our last contact |
| Project files, briefs and correspondence | Up to 5 years after the project ends, so we can support you and reprint or update your work |
| Invoices, payments and tax records | At least 5 years, as required by the Tax Administration Act, or longer where another law requires |
| Portfolio photos | Until you ask us to remove them |
| Website server logs | A short period set by our hosting provider for security |
7. Security, and if something goes wrong
We protect your information with password-protected and two-factor secured accounts, encrypted (HTTPS) connections on this website, up-to-date software, and access limited to the people who need it.
If we believe someone has accessed or obtained your personal information without permission, we will tell the Information Regulator and you as soon as reasonably possible, as section 22 of POPIA requires. We will explain what happened, what it could mean for you, and what we are doing about it.
8. Your rights and how to make a request
Under POPIA you have the right to:
- know what personal information we hold about you, and get a copy;
- ask us to correct information that is wrong or out of date;
- ask us to delete information we no longer have a reason to keep;
- object to us using your information, and withdraw consent you gave earlier;
- stop receiving marketing messages from us at any time;
- complain to the Information Regulator.
Making a request
Email our Information Officer, Chantelle Vorster, at chantelle [at] blumedesign.co.za and tell us what you would like us to do. We may ask you to confirm your identity first, so we don't share your information with the wrong person. We will reply within 30 days, and there is no charge for asking what we hold or asking us to correct or delete it.
Some information we must keep by law, such as tax records. If we can't delete something, we will tell you why.
9. Children
Our services are for businesses and adults. We don't knowingly collect personal information about children under 18. If you think a child has sent us their details, please contact us and we will delete them.
10. How to complain
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please talk to us first. We would like the chance to put it right.
You can also complain to the Information Regulator of South Africa, using the complaint form on its website:
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time, for example if we add new tools to our website. The date at the top shows when it last changed.
