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11 )'Publisher’s note

13 )'Foreword

14 )'The Renaissance of the prawn starter

22 )''This is the current ‘sexy’ of South African furniture design

32 )''Confessions of a sideshow popstar: Shotopop tells the tale up to now

40 )''Home-grown and sustainable with a natural flair for world-class products

44 )'Designing our world for 2050

50 )'Views on design education

52 )'Grand Daddy’s trailer flash

58 )''FOXP2: the product of an inspirational environment

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Cover image courtesy of Lung Animation and

The Parlotones

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64 )'Lung animation creates top entertainment

72 )'Shy the Sun: Crafting each spot to perfection

80 )'A storyteller rooted in Africa

88 )''Xin: Icograda World Design Congress 2009, Beijing

94 )'How big is Barbie?

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7)')'(56613+('*+5328%/+93

142 )'Following PIG 05049

144 )'Street Swags: People’s choice at INDEX: Awards

148 )''Young design talent gets the SABS stamp of approval

184 )'The Eco Fashion story

188 )'Creative Future Scholarship changes lives

190 )'Woolworths is making a difference

":;')''<'$8/2=2(56#%*+*+53/

194 )'Inspiring young talent

198 )''Details of design: Investigating the element of design analysis

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130 )'Designing the future of water

134 )'Designed for Africa

138 )''Co-creation produces INDEX: Award winning Chulha stove

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110 )'Highlights of local fashion trends for 2010

122 )'CIFF Summer 2010 trend forecast

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154 )''House and Leisure and Woolworths join forces to nurture local eco-friendly design

160 )''Elle Décoration’s SOLVE New Talent Search

164 )''The Carrol Boyes Metal Awards 2009

212 )'When is a box a window?

216 )'Student reflections on industrial design

221 )''The winning stand at Design Indaba 2009

224 )''The Design Academy Eindhoven

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98 )'Supporting young product designers

102 )''Creative thought and exchange flourish at Dutch Design Week

106 )'Jamming with creativity

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168 )''Very important egos: Who are the fairest of them all?

176 )''Seven Ideas that Matter grants for social good

180 )'VUKANI! Fashion Awards 2009

204 )'Desirable products that leave a soft footprint

206 )'Through the eyes of a goldsmith

211 )'A first for Africa: Design Grade 10

B*)'

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+#,-'./!0*1*$!(*)

Cameron Bramley

cameron@designmagazine.co.za

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Jacques Lange

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Suné Stassen

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Jennie Fourie

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Marieke Adams, Jason Aldridge, Veronica

Barnes, Lucilla Booysen, Charl Blignaut,

Fatima Cassim, Olivia De Gouveia, Vikki du

Preez, Casper Franken, Ewaldi Grové, Ayesha

Kamalie, Angie Hattingh, Des Laubscher, Heidi

Liebenberg, Adrian Madlener, Weyers Marais,

Robyn Mitchell, Carin Standford, Sarah

Stewart and Hilton Tennant

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Jeff Malan

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Charl Lamprecht

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Lana McLachlan & Michelle Swart

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Jacques Lange

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DESIGN Information

Tel: +27(0) 82 882 8124

Fax: +27 (0) 86 678 8448

www.designmagazine.co.za

DESIGN ) EDUCATION is produced by DESIGN Information. All material is strictly copyright, with all

rights reserved. No material may be reproduced in part or whole without the express permission

of the publisher. No responsibility will be accepted for unsolicited material. The publisher accepts

no liability of whatsoever nature arising out of or in connection with the contents of this publication.

The publisher does not give any warranty as to the completeness or accuracy of its contents. The

views and opinions expressed in DESIGN ) EDUCATION are not necessarily those of the publisher, its

endorsers, sponsors or contributors.

© 2009 Design Information.

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The curator of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA, NY, USA), Paola Antonelli, was once asked to comment on the future role of designers in global society. Her response was quite straightfor-ward and prophetic: “People think that design is styl-ing. Design is not style. It’s not about giving shape to the shell and not giving a damn about the guts. Good design is a renaissance attitude that combines tech-nology, cognitive science, human need, and beauty to produce something that the world didn’t know it was missing.”

Furthermore, when acclaimed designer, Paula Scher, was asked what it takes to be a relevant designer in the 21st century, she advised: “Be culturally literate, because if you don’t have any understanding of the world you live in and the culture you live in, you’re not going to express anything to anybody else.”

The ethos of Antonelli’s and Scher’s statements en-capsulate the philosophy behind what the publishing team of DESIGN ) EDUCATION (or just call us ED)) aims to achieve: A better informed and better equipped future generation of designers who have a clear grasp of the challenging roles and responsibilities required by a new age, infused by technology, yet anchored in the solid values of designing a better future that serves all of humanity.

The launch of this exciting new publication has long been an act of passion for the minds behind the publishing team who have always believed that design is a valuable career option for young people. Moreover, we have always believed that design is a career that can make a difference to the world we live in today because de-signers have an inherent ability to deal with challeng-es and solve problems, big or small. However, the designers of the future will have to solve more com-plex problems than any of their predecessors and this publication aims to contribute to empowering them by stimulating new thinking, showcasing best practice examples from experienced industry stalwarts, as well as highlighting emerging talent.

The mandate of ED) is multi-dimensional: To inspire talented young minds to pursue careers in design, convince parents to support their kids to embark on careers in the wonderful world of design, empower art and design teachers with relevant teaching resources and solicit greater respect for the discipline amongst career guidance teachers, school headmasters and education administrators.

We wish you an inspiring read.

Cameron Bramley, Publisher & Jacques Lange, Group Editor

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Introducing you to the launch edition of DESIGN) EDUCATION, or ED), makes me feel like a kid in a candy store. I hope that ED) will become your best friend when it comes to design news – whether you are a design stu-dent or an up-and-coming creative. Our editorial team is made up of a gang of passionate and incredibly talented young designers who love to get behind the scenes of the industry and who has produced a world-class publication filled with exciting and meaningful editorial content that entertains and also informs.

As a biannual publication,ED) not only focuses on trendy and valuable design titbits, but also informs the industry about people like YOU – showcasing the cream of the crop of new talent in a variety of design disciplines. Our editorial team delves deeper than the usual show-and-tell and shares valuable insights into home-grown, world-class productions and designs. We hope that you’ll be inspired!

ED) focuses, in particular, on the designer as thought leader in a world that’s desperate for creative, critical and strategic thinkers. We offer you the opportunity to develop design thinking, while also focussing on the traditional understanding of the practice of design.

This first edition of ED) takes you on a journey where we not only look at product development, but also con-sider the vital role of the creative industry in entertain-ment like music, animation and movies – a vital way of sustaining our humanity and keeping the balance between work and play. Claudio from Lung shares some behind-the-scenes stuff about producing music videos for the popular rock band, The Parlotones, and we find

out more from the creators of the latest Skunk Anansie music video, Because of you. We also visit a powerful product design duo, better known as LIV design, who represents a new generation of sustainable and re-sponsible designers and we take note of local and international fashion trend forecasts for 2010.

Some of the problems experienced on planet Earth are the direct result of past greed and badly designed prod-ucts, systems, environments and processes. Today we are forced to use our knowledge and skills in a more responsible way. We hope that governments and non-creative industries will start acknowledging the vital role of the creative industries to come up with innovative ideas and solve problems that are environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. The time has come for design to be considered a stem subject for vital skills development and that, combined with science, technology, mathematics and languages, we will be able to develop a future workforce who are equipped with the necessary skills to become more entrepreneurial in their thinking and sustainable in their doing.

ED) aims to assist in creating a new generation of re-sponsible creatives who will be able to redesign a sustainable world and a better life for all.

I want to thank our incredible team of contributors who directed their passion towards this launch edition of ED). Their vast energy defines this publication.

Suné Stassen

Editor, DESIGN ) EDUCATION

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Whilst many bemoan the funding issues and SABC goes into freefall, the heart of South Africa’s film and TV – although strained – is slowly but surely thumping and pounding as only the African drum can. Carrying the torch for this newfound vitality is writer/director Neill Blomkamp’s movie District 9. Unlike many other sci-fi films set in default New York or Washington DC, the entertaining South African caricature Wikus van der Merwe’s (played by Sharlto Copley) misadventures with the government and prawns, is set in Johannesburg. This world created and realised by the movie is futur-istic but still deeply affected by our country’s past, segregating the al-iens in homage to the infamous District 6 or even recent xenophobia camps. The movie is one that doesn’t wax lyrical on the usual issues of apartheid/dying African child/AIDS/poverty/White guilt that inter-national audiences lap up or expect, and is an unadulterated, action-packed ride with believable charac-ters – no fake accents.

The success story seemingly begins when Blomkamp started working

for Sharlto Copley, whilst still at school. This producer saw him as quite a talent: “I started a production company immediately out of school. I mean that really was a joke, hiring Neill, because he was still in high school. I didn’t actually hire him, but I did get him to do some stuff for free... He had this incredible talent for animation and he kept on doing stuff that was inspiring me even at his young age,” said Copley in an interview for vanityfair.com.

Blomkamp subsequently left for Canada after matric, and the two worked on many other projects (com-mercials, TV) separately and togeth-er, culminating in him casting his friend in the role for his first feature film. The missing link? After cutting his teeth and working up the food chain in the commercials industry, Blomkamp was going to direct the Halo movie, which eventually fell through. Peter Jackson (director for Lord of the Rings, King Kong) – who was producing the Halo production – decided to give Blomkamp his full producing support in allowing the young director to start the journey to District 9. According to Blomkamp,

Jackson said he could make the film he wanted to make and he echoes our thoughts when he says on movieretriever.com: “It’s pretty rare for a first-time filmmaker to get to ‘go off and make what you want to make.’”

The concept for this film came from Blomkamp’s incredible short, Alive in Jo’burg, which he never consciously thought of making into a feature until much later. “I did the short film [Alive in Jo’burg] because I wanted to do science fiction in South Africa. It was purely messing around on an artistic level...Never once did it occur to me that I was doing it to try and make a feature film out of it...I just started to realise I wanted to make some-thing that was my own.” (moviere-triever.com)

You might wonder why is there so much focus on other worldly genres like sci-fi or fantasy these days? Besides the geek factor, or huge appeal of effects-driven action se-quences, escapism is on the rise. Whilst economies took a bashing and people are earning less money, when it comes to movies, the crazier

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the better – take the audience away from their daily problems into an-other world of fantasy. Then of course a number of facets in the film can present itself as current realities or as predicted developments for an unknown future, which is some-thing that will always be intriguing. According to Blomkamp: “All of these topics I feel will become more important to the first world in the coming years – wealth discrepancy,

gated communities. I feel like I’m actually in the future in Jo’burg. I have the sense when I’m there that it’s a scaled-down version of Blade Runner. Every single house in the suburbs has an electric fence. It just feels like this place is abso-lutely electric and futuristic. It’s where it’s actually going. That’s why I love it. Not the same as in Hollywood”.

The lead conceptual designer for District 9, Greg Broadmore from WETA workshop, had this to say about his initial thoughts on the project: “Knowing the film was going to be set in South Africa was a major part of why I found District 9 such an appealing film to work on. Working in the film industry as a conceptual designer, you get to see a lot of different projects and unfortunately, most of them are

"@*)'

incredibly derivative and safe. Neill’s take on sci-fi, his decision to cast unknowns, shoot it in a faux documentary style and to set it all in Johannesburg are all brave deci-sions – both for him and for Peter who produced the film. It’s these kinds of risks that make a film feel unique and stand out from the usual suspects. It was really a no-brainer to work on something so fresh.”

Developing this world in South Africa and more specifically Johannesburg, gives the film a very relevant visual edge, as well as social constructs between humans and aliens that mirror our country’s past segrega-tion, providing a new and clever injection of optimism for how we can depict this country in the proper context. But what other ref-erences came into play to con-struct this visual feast? Broadmore

enlightened us as to his visual ref-erences: “For my job as lead concept designer, and focusing on the tech-nology of the film, I took from many inspirations. Growing up in New Zealand I think allows an interesting perspective on eastern and western cultures. I grew up with Star Wars and Aliens and was able to discover Japanese movie design through Nausica and Akira – these and a mul-titude of other references come

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together and I hope distil into some-thing different. It was also my and Neill’s intention to reference 70s and 80s sci-fi design, like that of Chris Foss. However, nothing I’ve designed in the film is a literal translation of design ideas, it was my intention to try and create something new.”

Developing and executing the visuals of the MNU (police-like force or or-ganisation) or aliens, with the South African context in mind wasn’t bla-tant or in-your-face. According to Broadmore, “the setting didn’t consciously affect the technology or design of the aliens. They had to stand separate and define themselves, but I’m sure there are

subconscious connections being made to South Africa. The costume and graphic design of the MNU secu-rity forces are for instance refer-enced from existing private security forces, which were often taken from South Africa. In MNU’s case, they were dialled up in the tech-nology stakes with slightly futuristic looking armour – intended to look as if MNU had gleaned something however small from the aliens’ materials technology”. Parallels can, however, be drawn with the ‘No Prawns Allowed’ signs, and ‘Slegs blankes’ (Whites only) signs of the past as well as the MNU’s look and feel of ADT (security com-pany) on steroids.

David Meng at WETA workshop was the lead designer for the prawns and he gave us his thoughts on the conceptual processes behind the creature design in D9. The main references for the aliens are derived from humble enough sources: “mostly we took inspiration from crabs, lobsters, praying mantises, and more”.

On how far they were willing to push the design of the aliens, Meng says there was a strong emphasis on the character of the aliens as the social outcasts of society. “Neill would reject certain things as being too flourished or fantastical. On the other hand he did want a lot of things going on within the alien

">*)'

anatomy, for them to be very busy. He was not at all afraid to make the aliens inhuman or ‘disgusting’. But again, there was still a mundanity about the alien design, which ended up being very fitting for the movie. In the film the human populace are completely over-towering the aliens, and think very little of them. You are supposed to accept them as real, and like much of reality, they are un-remarkable. I didn’t think this movie was the kind of film where the crea-tures needed to be showcased, such as in Alien or Predator. It would have defeated the purpose if the aliens stole the show.”

In the context of the reality of the D9 world, Meng says, “visually the

aliens had to look real, dusty and beaten up, reflecting the environ-ment they lived in and their social status.”

So with the success of a multitude of sci-fi films, the medium of film is choc-full of futuristic, post-apocalyptic, fantastical elements of design, which sometimes can feel like an overload of rehashed clichés. District 9 seems to be very unique within its genre, striking a perfect balance between real and fantasy that is not so unbelievable or implausible so that the audi-ence will loose engagement. Whether this is the case or not, Broadmore says “...we strive to make our designs feel authentic...

We always try and go as wild as we can with designs at the start of a project and reign it in as the films’ story dictates. Even though a device may be doing something incredibly far-fetched, it’s our quest to make these things feel practical with common sense in some way, espe-cially in a film like D9 where the rest of the setting and performance is so gritty and grounded...Science fiction and fantasy is certainly as popular as ever before, but as to whether that gives more opportu-nity for diverse design thinking and risk-taking, I’m not so sure. Holly-wood is not taking too many risks at the moment given the state of the financial world, but ultimately it’s all up to the filmmakers. There

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0;*)'

are certainly many important people

in the film industry who are currently

making safe and boring decisions,

but eventually it’s up to us and the

rest of the up-and-coming film

makers to push for more new ideas.”

The prawns also weren’t too similar

to what audiences have previously

seen, and Meng says ”there’s also

a number of permutations that work

aesthetically. If you have designed

a creature within the confines of, say,

a bipedal organism, there is a certain

anatomy that makes sense for that...

Designers will do certain things

because they look good and because

they work. They intuitively make

sense, for instance, like an inborn

language shared by everybody.”

So one would assume that only so

many variations that would work

could ever be realised.

Meng goes on to say, “I also think

that as we move further into the

future, the backlog of creature de-

signs gets bigger and bigger and

there’s that much less stuff left to

try. Things like Giger’s Alien and

Predator could only happen once.

But on a brighter note, you still see

unique creations being designed

even now. I loved the creatures in

Pan’s Labyrinth, and the monster

in the Korean movie The Host.

These really inspired me, especial-

ly how they managed to kick down

walls during a time when it seems

that everything has been done all

ready.”

District 9 is a great movie, which

resonates with everyone across

different generations in South Africa

and in making an honest South Afri-

can story, the universal themes in

the movie shine through to an inter-

national audience. So, ultimately,

what did we learn? What type of

movies should we be making? Blom-

kamp puts it simply: “I made this

film because it was something that I

wanted to see. I think that’s why film-

makers make certain films because

it’s the kind of movie they want to

watch” (movieretriever.com).

And if good, successful design in

the film industry is nothing more

than passion, a belief in what you

are working on and something you

yourself would want to watch,

then we should stop producing films

simply on request by commissions

if people won’t actually watch it. If

District 9 teaches us anything, it

would be that quality filmmaking

does not mean safe or conventional.

It demands risk-taking and that we

should stay determined to keep

writing, filming and talking about

the films of our generation. A genera-

tion influenced by apartheid – but

not a bi-product of that past – and

with a view to represent South Africa

and Africa as a whole is more than

just a safari or history lesson 0

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By Suné Stassen

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Danielle Ehrlich and Ewaldi Grové recently moved to

Cape Town and begun working with DesignFaktorii, a

satellite company of TWIICE International. They are cur-

rently working on a new range of sustainable furniture

while also developing interior environments that follow

a progressive sustainability philosophy. Their work is

refreshing, quirky, exhilarating and unique with a serious

touch of cup cakes and an array of wonderlands. With

the amount of detail entailed in all of their product

designs it is surprising to see how effective they are in

anchoring sustainability in each and every aspect of

their design solutions.

These two girls are a wealth of information on sustain-

able product development. They had this to say in an

interview with ED).

ED ) Explain the uniqueness of this design duo.

Danielle ) We are two unique individuals who love to

dissect and question life and design. We do not take

anything at face value and we love to delve deeper

into superficial solutions, question them, dissect

them and re-make them in a way that makes sense to

us. Ewaldi is my soul sister, and Liv Design is the crea-

tion of our shared magic. We are able to mirror and

elevate each other to reach our potential and become

a power team.

Ewaldi ) We also keep each other in check, making

sure that we keep our integrity and that we stay well-

grounded.

ED ) Your background and training?

D ) I studied a BA Interior Design degree at the Green-

side Design Center. The course really helped me to con-

ceptualise and dream up magical and interesting spaces.

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However, I was always more inclined to designing

for society and considering the environment and

always spinning the brief in that direction.

After college I travelled to Israel where I was blown

away by the ingenuity of the simple yet highly effec-

tive design of daily life, generated with very few re-

sources. Inspired by this form of thinking and fed

by the Green Apprenticeship Course run by Kibbutz

Lotan, I became motivated to create new sustainable

models in South Africa. Living, learning and building

in an eco-village shifted my thoughts entirely towards

sustainable design.

E ) I grew up in a home that celebrates art, music,

food and design. After school I travelled through

Europe and Australia and came back to study interior

design at Greenside Design Center. I then moved

down to Cape Town to study industrial design at

Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Industrial

design was challenging. It stimulated and fulfilled

my need to create and manifest my creativity in a

3D world.

ED ) What is your take on sustainability and the

responsibility of designers as such?

D ) It is a huge responsibility to be involved in socially

responsible and conscious design. The methodol-

ogy, materials and concept of the end product, if

considered in the design stage, could make a drastic

difference in the way that products are perceived and

consumed. Items made from carefully considered

materials that are either biodegradable or able to be

disassembled at the end of their lifecycle and re-

used or recycled. I also believe that by creating prod-

ucts with soul, stories and careful consideration,

helps to create a product-consumer link that auto-

matically lessens the likelihood of landing up in a

landfill. This creates products with a longer lifespan.

E ) Most contemporary designers don’t conform to

any ‘isms’, yet I believe that the work that we produce

fuels consumerism, an addiction to consume and

persistently replace products and lifestyles. I am

trained to produce desirable products but I’ve chosen

to use this skill in a responsibly. Design is so power-

ful and influential. It is constantly changing the way

we appear, move, perceive, think and negotiate. My

long-term goal is to solve the moral predicament

of the consumer-age by implementing sustainable

and realistic alternatives that perhaps could lead

to healthier ‘isms’.

ED ) In hindsight, what changes would you propose

to the curriculum of the design training you have re-

ceived and why?

D ) More emphasis should be placed on nature with

ample examples of elements that are successfully

designed. Observational skills can be better explored

and developed, especially when it comes to the built

environment so that more sustainable techniques

and materials can be realised and used.

Explanation of carbon footprint and chemical impli-

cations when producing materials should be better

explored, especially questioning the design norms

and ethics and whether they are in fact compliant

to current best practice. Furthermore, there should

also be more factory visits where students can come

in touch and are connected with the processes in-

volved in the materials that they so casually spec

for interiors.

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E ) Sustainable studies, green technologies, eco-logical design and other related studies need to be introduced into academic curricula. It can’t just be taught as abstract ideas or philosophies. These philosophies need to be considered and applied to design briefs.

ED ) Tell us about the beginnings of LIV Design and describe that special moment when you both realised that ‘people get your ideas’.

D ) It all started with an exciting journey into factory waste bins in Jozi that resulted in a product range and a company which exuded uniqueness and the re-thinking of all the design formulae and methodology that we had been taught. For us, it remains an ever-evolving social experiment that questions thinking about design and its relevance and resonance to society.

E ) Ours is a story of shared ideology. Within four weeks after us starting to work together, we created a whole range and it only made sense to start a com-pany. Ten days before the Decorex Expo we requested a stand, having no expectations or any idea what the response to our new concept would be. We put our-selves on a public ‘chopping board’ but never envi-sioned the butterfly-ripple effect that would soon transpire. Decorex was an ideal platform to launch our company. The event inspired and motivated us to carry on with the work that we are so passionate about, allowing us to grow and learn and to continue empowering and uplifting design and craft in South Africa. The fact that we won a couple of awards since then, the great media exposure and the public accept-ance that we received is amazing and a great bonus.

ED ) You seem to have found a happy place where you successfully combine crafts, high-end industrial

design, ergonomics, interior and even surface design. Tell us more about this successful combo and the balance you strike to produce new product ranges.

D ) I believe in collaboration between materials, styles, ideas and people. Society has a funny way of boxing, sorting and categorising things. This leaves very little room for originality, diversity and magic to happen. By testing our new design ap-proaches, we open up other ideas that become rich with the flavours of many other philosophies.

E ) I think it’s really important to stay in touch with different communities and cultures. Local and inter-national youth culture – ranging from fashion to film to music and graffiti – keeps me connected to the desires and needs of our contemporary world. Youth culture is always a good source of things to come in the future. The craft world, on the other hand, keeps me grounded and humbled and it reminds me that I come from Africa. It’s like a balancing act to try and find a symbiotic interaction where diverse worlds and needs meet.

ED ) What makes your products unique?

D ) We like to think that our products offer an element of quirkiness, sophistication, soul and originality that become highly talkative and special ‘little creatures’ in their own right. Every aspect of their creation has been specifically de signed with con-sciousness, care, fair trade and generally good vibes. They also speak a South African language that everyone can understand but do not fall into any stereotyped brackets.

E ) We design products with a conscience. Our ethos is aimed towards sustainable design. To us, this

means design that acknowledges human beings,

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that is sensitive towards culture and the community,

that makes economic sense and that considers the

impact it has on our planet.

ED ) What process do you follow when selecting

materials for your new products?

D ) We choose the materials based on the concept

and sometimes the materials become the product

brief. We have also begun looking at the qualities

of manufacturing, examining their attributes and

choosing them specifically based on the sustain-

ability approach. For example, the pros and cons

of a material: how it can or cannot be reworked, re-

polished or recycled, looking at it’s longevity as well

as it’s durability and deciding consciously whether

or not we can spec it. Sustainability is definitely not

a straightforward equation.

E ) At varsity you are given a brief and this is followed

by research, concept development, cadding or draft-

ing, material and manufacturing exploration and

prototyping. However, in professional practice, we

often find the materials or manufacturing process

first, explore its potential and then design a brief or

product around it.

ED ) Tell us more about the crafters who you employ

to produce your products.

E ) Finding the right crafters was quite a long and

frustrating process. The ‘crafters on the streets’ are

often the sellers and not the actual craftsmen who pro-

duce the products that are sold. We had to dig deep

into the heart of Berea, Hill brow and Troyeville in Jozi

to find real talent. The African informal sector is very

different to traditional Western business constructs

and it took us a while to gather a skilled and reliable

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team who could work with us and our specifications.

After much effort, we managed to source a great

team that understood the long-term vision of what

we are trying to achieve and they are producing

our products to spec.

ED ) And the impact on their lives?

D ) Unlike many NGOs, we allow our crafters to be

independent from us, otherwise it is not sustain-

able. We deal from a business collaboration point

of view and encourage our crafters to be entrepre-

neurs. We do however manage them and do strin-

gent quality control in order to ensure standard high-

end production.

ED ) What is the philosophy behind your AfroDutch

collection?

D ) This is our contemporary African interpretation

of the traditional Afrikaner Ball and Claw tradition.

The pieces in the range question the excessive use

of material by responding with very little material.

We achieved this by reducing the frame back to the

original line drawing (our wire frame). The frame is

hand crafted by skilled wire artists and the claw

feet are finished off with beads. The wire is finished

off with powder coating to protect it against rust

and wear.

E ) For us it symbolises transparency, honesty and

explores cross-cultural pollination by taking a very

traditional piece and turning it on its head and hand

crafting it from something unexpected. Phillippe

Starcke achieved a similar effect with his Louis

Ghost series by taking a very traditional piece and

injection moulding it in plastic and basically, creating

tension through the unexpected. The AfroDutch col-

lection is an African rendition and it uses the appro-

priate skills and material that speak the language of

our rich and exotic culture.

ED ) What is in stall for you in 2010?

D ) Our products are in the development stage with

DesignFaktorii, which will enable us to deliver higher

quality products in higher quantities and distribute

to more countries. We are also working on new prod-

ucts specifically for DesignFaktorii that explore new

and exciting design approaches and techniques as

well as sustainable interiors. In other words…

watch this space.

E ) Settling into our new Capetonian playground.

I really look forward to rediscovering the magic,

creative influx, nature and sub-cultures that this

beautiful city presents. It’s about system design,

brand placement and market research to root us

firmly in local and overseas markets.

They say, “Let go of limitations, try with the correct

intentions and explore your own creativity.” 0

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We would like to think of the Shotopop brand as an

evolving roly-poly. We currently have a font that we gen-

erally use to write the name ‘Shotopop’ and an image

of a deer’s skull that started as our email signature and

has been adapted to a few other bits and bobs (call it

a logo or identity signature if you want), but we don’t

want to view them as our definition because they could

change tomorrow depending on a whim. That’s the nice

thing about being in the creative industry – you’re not

expected to be a one- trick pony; your worth isn’t based

upon your ability to add two and two and make them

equal four. For all we care if the sum looks prettier as

nine, then nine it is.

We entered the ‘real world’ of design one trick at a time.

We started off by freelancing and doing a bit of Shoto-

pop work on the side in every spare moment we had until

such time when we realised that the Shotopop work was

taking up more time than freelancing and so the studio

was born. We now also have representation in France

through Valerie Oualid and Wizz, both who source a large

percentage of our work.

We’ve been really lucky to work as the ‘illusionists’ for

various clients and being able to conjure various visual

delights for the likes of Computer Arts, Orange, Derrick

Santini, Asics, Chris Chameleon, Skunk Anansie and

Absolute Vodka amongst others.

If we think back, the projects that really made us back-

flip on the tightrope were probably the Skunk Anansie

and Chris Chameleon music videos and the Absolute

Vodka Wall in Milan. The Absolute wall was a bit of a

spin-off from the Skunk Anansie stuff we’d been doing

already like their website, music video and album art-

work. Skin, the lead singer of the band, was approached

by Absolute to be their official spokesperson for the

new Rock edition bottle which is covered in black leather

and studs and she asked us to be her designers on the

project. The wall is the size of a six-storey building in

central Milan, Italy, and has become a space for Absolute

to merge art and urban spaces. It was really exciting

seeing our work on such a large scale and the outcome

was fascinating.

Skunk Anansie as a project, has been a ‘phantasma-

gorical carousel’ journey. It started with the logo revamp

which metamorphosed into the website, album artwork

and music video for Because of You, their first single

off their new album, Smashes and Trashes.

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While busy with the website we realised that the band

would soon be releasing a new music video so we asked

if we could pitch a concept. They didn’t have much of a

brief other than the visual portrayal of the new single’s

lyrics. The only limit we really had was time – very little

time!

The first step was to repeatedly listen to the song, inter-

pret the lyrics and come up with a visual concept. Initially

we had a few ideas floating around but eventually settled

on a narrative of a tragic love affair between unlikely

lovers – a bird and a balloon – with interplay between

tranquillity and turbulence. Through a cruel fate the

infatuation of the duo is also their demise as a kiss

between the lovers destroys the balloon causing the

bird’s heart to break sending it plummeting back to earth

from its astral love journey. The climax of the song sees

millions of black balloons rising from the ocean to fill the

starry night sky as they float out into space. We initially

pitched it as a predominantly animated production.

When we first pitched the idea for the video, the band

was really enthusiastic about the narrative. Their only

concern was that since it was the first single of their

comeback album, the band would need to feature more

prominently. As a result we realised the necessity for

the combination of live action with animation. As we were

not ready to let go of our animation roots, we decided

to also pitch a concept that would tightrope down the

middle and we jumped into a whole live action video.

Frighteningly, we realised that we only had one day with

the band to shoot live footage, so a lot of groundwork

had to be done. It was really important that every single

shot should be planned in detail so that we would know

exactly what had to happen on the day of the shoot. We

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worked alongside a Brighton-based film company,

Fractured Films, who helped us out with filming and

production.

We started with the outline of the narrative which devel-

oped into a detailed shot list and supporting animatics.

We were responsible for organising various things for

the shoot day – from make-up and wardrobe to catering,

light and sound equipment. Once we had the rushes from

the shoot, we could start to edit the first footage. We

used this edited version to set the animation ball rolling.

By this stage the designs had already gone through a

few changes. Getting the look and feel right was the

toughest part. We needed the animation and the live

action to flow as one and not look like a tale of two halves.

The one needed to support the other. The animation bit

was a mix between after effects, cell animation and 3D on

which we had a little help thanks to Stu. Once we have

finalised the edit and animation we graded everything

shot by shot and added the effects and sparkle.

Overall we always believe that once you have a good

design, it is so much easier to produce and get away with

a stylised and simplified animation version. In the case of

the Skunk Anansie video, we had to deal with crazy time

limitations so simplification was crucial. We only had one

month from start to completion, which only allowed

for two weeks to develop and produce the animation.

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For the Chris Chameleon video for the song All of Me the

brief was very open. Chris had written a basic storyline,

about a worm that falls in love with a flower. The story

changed a bit in the execution, but everyone was happy

with the outcome. Wizz, our animation representatives

in France, wanted to produce a Shotopop video at the

same time we got the brief from Chris and offered to put

us up in Paris for a month. As a catalyst to be on their

directors’ roll, he also gave us a team to work with. Realis-

ing the potential for the two opportunities to coincide,

we had to jump – a month in Paris, a whole team of ani-

mators, cameras and gadgets at our disposal and a high-

budget looking project later, we had a music video.

Chris allowed us visual carte blanche and Wizz’s only

concern was that we produce a high-production value end

product. We came up with a few initial boards to set the

style and tone and to give both Chris and Wizz an idea

of the direction that we were planning. We wanted to

build a paper world and in keeping the rest of the team

going in the same direction, we realised the necessity

for a storyboard. This also assisted in structuring and

developing our ideas. The next step was to build a set.

This became a more fluid process as we went along. Plan-

ning is necessary but too much sometimes spoils the fun.

We had to strike the correct balance for the task at hand.

This project was a rare opportunity, as we were trusted

to make all the creative decisions and it was really fan-

tastic to have such creative freedom. The concept was

never formally presented to anyone. Chris saw a few

sketches and mood boards as we went along, but no-

body seemed to mind that we just got on with it.

As we received the storyline it was time to embroider

around it and add extra flourishes that we thought

would add greater value. Although we initially created

the storyboards, we decided not to follow them reli-

giously. This allowed us to use the storyboards as a

guideline and to develop further ideas. However, the

storyboards still played a vital role, especially since we

were working on a music video. As it was really easy to

get lost in this overwhelming creative process, the story-

boards helped us to stay informed of the allowed time

for each shot. All the stages after storyboarding hap-

pened simultaneously. While we were building and

shooting sets, the 3D people were hard at work con-

structing the main protagonist – the worm. We took

some photographs of thick oil paint, which became

the visual inspiration of the oily worm. At the same

time, we were feverishly cutting and filming. After com-

pleting all the shots, it was time to string together the

3D bits, animations and effects. Once the entire thing

was animated and in a semi-understandable linear

flow, we graded it and added the final touches.

Planning is good especially if you’re directing and work-

ing in a team. On the flip side, too much planning can

also make a project tedious and visually overworked.

We kept changing and mending as we went along,

continuously trying new things, replacing what didn’t

work even if it took three days to build. It’s important

to make mistakes, but even more important to pick

yourself up from your foibles and try again.

In essence Shotopop is the recollection of a man and the

curiosity of a little girl animated on the dusty surfaces of

old diaries and desktops. Back then, Shotopop didn’t

necessarily imagine all the finer details of where they

are today – but there was definitely an urge to see the

world and introduce its travelling bag of goodies to all

the inquisitive folk that might want to take a look. 0'

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By Suné Stassen

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Contemporary designers are faced with a dilemma. We can no longer only concern ourselves with developing trendy products. Sustainability, environmentally sound processes, systems and materials, as well as job creation and in many cases, social and ethnographic sustainability should also be part and parcel of today’s entrepreneurial pot of considerations that designers need to deal with in daily practice.

Ironically, our past greed has now forced us to become ‘responsibly trendy’ in the decisions that we make and the lifestyles we aspire to and that we now advocate. Consequently, we have noticed a paradigm shift towards producing products that are not only great because they are trendy but also because they solve problems and speak of social and environmental consciousness.

Today it is not enough to be an ingenious product developer or an entrepreneur in the development of systems and workable environ-ments that will only benefit a few. We should also have the ability to be responsible creators who consider how every choice we make can be life-changing for others and the environment.

How many of us can proudly say that we are responsible designers who consider all, any or most social and environmental develop-ment aspects in our day-today-operations and take aspects like impact studies into account in our consulting work?

South Africa, like Brazil, India and a number of other developing countries, is one of the special places where opportunities for such developments are naturally presented and there are many admira-ble examples of successful sustainable community projects that prove the viability of the ‘homegrown sustainability approach’. The developing world, particularly designers from Africa, know best how to address our continent’s unique challenges and we should stop depending on the developed world to offer solutions to Africa’s unique problems and challenges. This is the exhilarating part of being creative. Africa offers end less inspiration and oppor-tunities and there is a lot we can create for ourselves and for others.

Following this philosophy, textile designer, Ronel Jordaan started investigating the possibilities of using felt as a creative medium 26 years ago and today the Ronel Jordaan™ label is sold across the western world, from Canada, the USA, UK, France, Germany and The Netherlands to Italy. But part of the success of this African

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home-grown business is that its foundations remain firmly cemented in sustainability, social, environmental and economical development and job creation for many more than only the elite that buy its products.

When Jordaan started out, felting in South Africa was not exactly a booming industry and information about the specialist craft sector was difficult to come by. To become a master felter takes many years of precision training and the consistency of the felt is vital for the production of quality products. So, despite the fact that this was not an easy business direction, Jordaan has – through persistence and an abundance of passion for her craft – managed to develop original and unique products that have found an immediate market. The most recognisable of all her products are her felt pebbles and rocks.

From the word go, job creation was an integral part of Jordaan’s business plan. This was pretty forward-thinking for those times and today she can say that having your heart in the right place has definitely paid off: life and business revolve around good human relations.

At present, 40 previously unemployed women between the ages of 19 and 40 have been trained and they can count themselves part of the small global community of master felters who can certainly compete with the best in the world. Jordaan has also trained women at the Wes-Randse Christelike Gemeenskap Feeding scheme in Johannesburg to knit specifically for the Ronel Jordaan™ label. Then there is also a self-help co-op of women in the Western Cape supplying the brand with felt sheeting.

Just outside Johannesburg in Sebokeng a small group of men are also produce wire sculptures that eventu-ally become the support of exotic felted lamps that for part of the brand’s extensive product range.

Nature is the main inspiration for all Jordaan’s products and the Ronel Jordaan™ label functions in harmony with nature with all the processes implemented in the workshop being eco-friendly.

But before we get to grey water and organic foodstuff, we first need to understand a little more about the history of felt and the felting process.

Felt originates from Genghis Khan’s Mongolia in the 13th century. These people were nomadic warriors so, one can only imagine that for them, felt was extremely valuable as the fibre is warm, waterproof and very strong. This explains why they produced shoes, blankets, clothes and even tents that could be easily transported from stop to stop as they migrated.

These warriors discovered that when you rub wool fibres together each minute follicle of the strand inter-locks. When you continue to apply the same process, layer upon layer, you will eventually be left with a very matted and dense surface. Even though this process and production of felted sheets has been mechanised in modern times, hand felting is still widely preferred as the best solution for producing the highest quality product – machines can simply not produce the same quality felt that what the human hand can produce.

Jordaan’s company receives its wool from Port Elizabeth in large bales and they only use wool of the highest quality. They then card and dye long strands of raw wool and only when these strands are completely dry will it undergo a second carding process before it will be ready for the felting process.

Biodegradable soap is then rubbed over these long fibres to open all the follicles, similar to the process used by the nomadic warriors in the 13th century. Fur-ther layers of fine strands of wool are then added and rubbed and as soon as hot water is added, the wool shrinks because the follicles cling together. The re-sult is the matted and dense surface. At this stage, strands of different colours are added to create a marbleised effect and/or combined with other natu-ral fibres like cotton and silk for more colour and tex-ture. The result of this combination adds the magic to the final products.

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The Ronel Jordaan™ workshop is situated in down-town Johannesburg and it has a number of containers on the building’s roof which are used for organic food gardening. After the felting process is completed, the residue waste water is re-used to water the rooftop garden. The vegetables harvested from this garden are distributed amongst the workforce to either take home or to resell as an extra income.

The soap used in the felting process of Ronel Jor-daan™ products is completely biodegradable and the dyes used, although imported from Germany, are specifically selected because they are lead-free and meet the European eco-standards. The products are also completely free of harmful acids that are tradi-tionally used to clean wool.

If you are not familiar with the extraordinary range of tactile products, treat yourself with a visit to www.roneljordaan.com to experience a world-class act of textures and shapes, of leaves and flowers, webs, thorns, hides and bark, scarves and thorny cushions that has secured Jordaan with accolades from around the world.

In 2006 Jordaan was awarded the Elle Magazine Dec-oration and Design award in the soft furnishing cat-egory; the same year she also received an Award of Excellence in Montreal; in 2007 Visi listed Jordaan as one of their top 10 designers; in 2008 she was a finalist in the Best Product award in Sweden. Overall she has managed to have had a different product for three consecutive years that secured her a finalist position at the Design Indaba’s South Africa’s Most Beautiful Objects awards from 2007 up to 2009.

The Ronel Jordaan™ business is sustainable on many levels – creating jobs and fostering good relations with staff on various levels, highly regarded for skills develop-ment, recycling and making environmentally friendly decisions, while also producing high-end products that are recognised and acknowledged not just for their beauty, but also for their world-class quality. 0

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If someone asked me what I think about design in the year 2050 I’d have to say the first thing that comes to mind is a super-futuristic landscape where the balance between natural and man-made is tilted heavily towards the artificial. I’d also think of it as a time far into the future, yet when I take a moment to consider it, 2050 is not so far away; in fact I shall hardly be 60 at the time. This makes it quite a relevant topic for thought. In 2009, the member countries and organisers of the International Council of Societies of Indus-trial Design (Icsid) World Design Congress turned their collective focus to this very near future and asked the question: How will the solutions we design for our current global challenges shape our world in 2050?

A prominent bi-annual international event focusing on the ad-vancement of the industrial design industry, the Icsid World De-sign Congress, held in Singapore in November 2009, extended its focus beyond industrial design to deal with questions about ur-ban development, healthcare, mobility, education, climate and agriculture in 2050. While extending their focus and boundaries, the organisers also decided not to go the conventional one-too-many-speaker route, but to rather combine keynote speakers, studio design leaders, as well as the congress delegates to all interact during the congress. In a prelude to the congress, Prof. Carlos Hinrichsen, the then Icisd president, remarked that he looked forward to see “great design solutions arising from creative collabo-ration that will shape our desired future”. This alluded to the main theme, Design2050 Studios, which were structured to facilitate such collaboration and consequently deliberate future mapping.

On day one of the congress the Design2050 Studios the principal advisor, Arnold Wasserman, introduced the concept as being designed with an awareness that our journey towards 2050 is one that will require combined wisdom and dynamic networking. To this end, the Design2050 Studios were to be led by prominent international design leaders who would facilitate studio teams in developing design propositions aimed to initiate a practical plan towards a sustainable future. This meant that the studios would see interaction between delegates and design leaders from all over the world during a process that would generate a roadmap to the future.

One of the streams that particularly caught my attention was Proto-farm 2050, directed by Ravi Naidoo of Design Indaba, South Africa. At the core of Protofarm 2050 is its definition of farming as “the B

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sustainable cultivation of a renewable source”. The proposal con-siders farming as one of the few renewable production systems existing today. In an introduction to the proposal put together by the Protofarm studio, however, facts about the influence of farming on the global environmental tell a less positive story than this definition would inspire. Agriculture is currently contributing to green-house gasses in alarming quantities which are ever-increasing due to the growth in the demand for fresh produce. This same demand has increased the distance between farms and points of sale to a global scale and it is not expected to decrease. While the demand for food is on the increase along with population figures, biofuel production is threatening to shrink the land dedicated to food production.

Amongst these and other facts about population and climate change, Protofarm 2050 still considers farming for food and sustenance on a smaller scale as the basis for global sustainability. It suggests replacing larger carbon-emitting farms with more widely dispersed, smaller farms designed to be self-sufficient. It also proposes review-ing existing agricultural practices and replacing them with farming methods that could transform farms from carbon emitters into carbon sinks.

Taking up the challenge outlined in this dark climatic picture are five Protofarm 2050 design companies who have stepped up to open their minds beyond predictions existing in the public domain today and envisage scenarios that would yield the sustainable cultivation of renewable sources in the future.

The first of these is Futurefarmers, a group of San Francisco-based designers whose work focuses on what is most relevant to our cur-rent context and surroundings. The Futurefarmers scenario is called the ‘Multinational Feedback Loop’ and is a collaboration between Amy Franceschini and Noah Murphy-Reinhertz. The Multinational Feedback Loop is based on the concept that where there is an excess of waste, there are new pastures for harvesting by future farmers. This concept far surpasses recycling, because it does not speak of mere re-using, but rather a new way of using through merging, adapting and reassembling what would be considered obsolete.

When I was in playschool, we would arrive in class every morning and there would be a plastic sheet full of old packaging boxes, toi-let rolls, plastic containers, wooden blocks, paper, glue and paint.

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The task was to use your imagination and make something, any thing, out of what you found in front of you. Today we are faced with a very similar heap and recycling that heap is not enough – we need to re-inhibit the heap. That is the scenario of Futurefarmers for our world in 2050.

The Paris-based group of 5.5 Designers is made up of Vincent Baranger, Jean-Sébastien Blanc, Anthony Lebossé and Claire Renard. For their 2050 scenario, the 5.5 Designers considered the ever-di-minishing relationship between humans and nature, specifically in the context of urban living where all your so-called ‘natural produce’ is brought to you with such efficiency; you cannot even smell or see the dirt of its origins. The product of their scenario is ‘The Guide to Free Farming’, a project which is aimed at re-establishing the links between us and the origins of our food. The difference, however, between conventional farming and the ‘free farming’ is that free farming is undertaken on an urban farm situated in a city eco-system. The free farming guide is designed to help urban dwellers to discover the sources of food veiled in our concrete pastures. Examples include instructions for plucking pigeons as opposed to chickens and collect-ing street flowers for salads. Guidelines such as these will make The Guide to Free Farming invaluable in 2050.

London-based Dunne & Raby designed the third 2050 farming scenario. Anthony Dunne and Flona Raby’s scenario is called ‘Designs for an over-populated planet: No. 1 Foragers’ and is centred on a United Nations’ estimate which suggests that over the next 40 years, there will be too many people and too little food. Dunne & Raby’s solution to this scenario considers the possibility of modi-fying ourselves to consume non-human foods, giving us nutrition through sources only animals would have found in the past. This project is also based on the premise that these types of solutions will not come from the top down, but will rather emerge from the bottom up where the need is mostly felt.

Echoing Dunne & Raby’s Foragers concept is Revital Cohen’s ‘Electro-cyte Appendix’ with its concept of human-modification for adapta-tion to 2050 scenarios. Cohen’s scenario suggests the design of an artificial Electrocyte Appendix, inspired by electric eels, which will allow humans to be self-sufficient producers and farmers of electricity from their own bodies. Cohen suggests this scenario as a natural progression in self-sufficiency from today’s virtual networks which allow us to stay in contact and receive the social attention

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we seek without ever leaving our homes. The artificial appendix is a way of redesigning the human body to better sustain its pos-sible new way of living in increasing seclusion. Although this kind of design enables us to design our own evolution, I cannot help but consider our holistic nature and wonder how much of its com-plexity we can really redesign to ensure smooth transitions from one way of being to another. This, however, is the nature of Revital Cohen’s work as it provokes and explores scenarios of contrast between the natural and the artificial – a subject for that could well become a great deal more common by 2050.

The fifth and final Protofarm 2050 scenario was called ‘OOGST’, designed by Frank Tjepkema’s studio, Tjep from The Netherlands. Through an investigation into agricultural self-sufficiency, Tjep started out by asking if self-sufficiency is even the answer to a more globally sustainable world and if so, on what scale it is workable. The result of this investigation was three design proposals for farms: Oogst 1 for one person, Oogst 100 for a 100 people, and Oogst 1000 Wonderland, a self-sufficient farm, restaurant, hotel and amusement park that could accommodate a 1000 people in one day. The findings of this project were that technologically, these scales were in fact plausible, but perhaps there is still food for thought when we consider the idea of self-sufficiency and its vi-ability for creating a more sustainable 2050 society.

In his keynote address on the second day of the congress, Ged Davis from Global Energy Assessment, Austria, proposed three different generic futures or future paradigms we could use to in-form our thinking: one that is shaped by history and global trends, one that we choose to envision and shape ourselves, and one that is completely unknown to us and will surprise us.

When considering Protofarm 2050, even though it was only one of the studios at the 2009 Icsid congress, it becomes quite clear that employing only one of those paradigms is not enough. Per-haps to really be equipped for 2050 and the years leading up to it, we have to start living in complete peace with all three para-digms presented by Davis. Perhaps we should take complete re-sponsibility for designing our future whilst being aware of where we have been and still leave enough space for the elements of surprise. 0

All information and images courtesy of Design Indaba Magazine.

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This magazine has been a long time in the making and it has now finally arrived. It is hoped that this publication will generate much needed healthy debate between academia and the profession and ultimately between designers and the end-users of their creations.

From a South African perspective most design institu-tions are still stuck in the modernist era, and more specifically are still using the Bauhaus model, a model developed in the 1930s. Basically this means design disciplines have their own silos and boundaries that are very clearly defined. Everything is neatly placed in boxes, labelled as Jewellery Design, Industrial Design, Graphic Design, Fashion Design, Interior Design, and more and put on the shelf. Never mix the boxes up!

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This is not in line with 21st-century thinking which is already deeply imbedded in the post-modern era. Ac-cording to N. Katherine Hayles, in The Condition of Vir-tuality, the world is made up of permeable membranes rather than leak-proof barriers. This concept applies to design practice as well as design education. In solving design problems the boundaries between research, analysis, creativity and communication are permeable. In teaching design this fluidity between the key ele-ments of design production is best achieved through a constructivist learning approach.

From the constructivist viewpoint, learning is an active process in which the learner engages with the world in order to construct meaning. The learner not only constructs meaning but also systems of meaning. Thus the learner learns to learn. This viewpoint is supported by Donald Schon who, in describing a ‘Re-flection-in-Action’ approach to learning mentions learning how to learn. He states that learning involves several kinds of learning, which are interwoven. These include learning to recognise and appreciate the qualities of design, to produce these qualities in learning, and learning how to learn.

A constructivist teaching approach concentrates on the fact that learners create meaning from interac-tions with researched data, their own previous learn-ing and the context in which they are forming new knowledge. For example, in an educational setting, which is the context, students will be asked to design a studio cum study area. Students would research precedents both aesthetic and functional. They would apply this knowledge to their own experiences in terms of studying/designing. In the context of the learning environment knowledge gained is shared

with the lecturer/facilitator and fellow students. Through sharing, first assumptions are modified. The underlying principle is that knowledge is not stable but constructed and it is the teacher’s role to assist the student in constructing new knowledge.

When design education is not focused on individual design disciplines but on the student being facilitated to make new knowledge, we will produce designers who will contribute to the economy of the future. It is now well documented that knowledge-based economies will lead countries into the future, beyond the manu-facturing mentality of the past. We cannot compete with the competitive output of the Chinese in this regard. The thinking that produces problem-solving individuals is very unique to design disciplines. We need to blur the boundaries to ensure our learners understand the ‘Big Idea’ and are not restricted to solving discipline-specific problems. This is not to say design educators should produce ‘Jacks of all trades and masters of none’. Rather than learning a specific range of unre-lated skills design education should focus on the ‘Big Idea’.

The ‘Big Idea’ is to produce designers who are problem solvers, able to work through a seamless process to produce meaningful results that impact on the end user. Designers should be able to contribute to solving the issues of climate change, social responsible de-sign, and many other areas related to design for hu-manity. In fact, we know design touches all we do; from the time we wake to the time we go to sleep. Our education system is not doing us justice. We need to rethink, redefine and set up some kind of forum to dis-cuss the road ahead. I hope this is possible. 0

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The Airstream Penthouse Park is the ultimate location for the traveller who seeks novelty without giving up on comfort. The trailers came to rest on the roof of The Grand Daddy Hotel only months after Jody Aufrichtig and Stefan Botha went to America to source the highly collectable Airstreams.

The visionary owners of the much-awarded Daddy Long Legs Art Hotel, Aufrichtig, Botha, Nicholas Ferguson, Sergio Dreyer and Francois van Binsbergen, were quick to hand over their newly imported vintage Airstreams to a talented crew of local artists and designers for a fantastical creative makeover.

The Airstream Penthouse Park takes this artistic theme to a new and playful level, resulting in a surprisingly

affordable adventure into an American apple-pie yester-year with a distinctly South African future.

So let’s meet the trailers and their creators.

The Afro-Funk trailer’s earthy colours set the tone for an African experience – minus the wildlife. Architect Carla Soudien was inspired by the street fashion of Cape Town and this is represented in her careful atten-tion to texture.

The Ballad of John & Yoko was created by fine artist Tamsin Relly, textile designer Cara Rosa and Chloe Townsend who has her own leather accessories label. Their trailer is a tribute to peace, love and total relaxa-tion with a bed that you would want to stay in. Guests

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also have the opportunity to spread their messages of love and peace on the trailer’s creativity board and, if so inspired, pick up a musical instrument to add onboard acoustics.

The Ballad of John & Yoko has a fantastic en suite bath-room with a shower that will have you whistling in no time.

Sarah Pratt, a fine artist and a lecturer at Michaelis was responsible for the sublime Dorothy Airstream.

Dorothy has a duck-egg-blue foundation colour which is covered with white polka dots. Some of the dots are three-dimensional and hinged to contain mini exhibi-tion items. Surprisingly, the dots are far from dizzying. In fact, it’s a serene and relaxing space to return to after a day of exploration.

Tracy Lynch used her signature colour pink as the key inspiration for the Love of Lace Airstream which has a feminine appeal and an intriguing seclusion that says boudoir not bordello. Lynch invited iconic South African women to select ‘heart-stoppingly beautiful’ lingerie, which are decoratively framed for added ef-fect. Pop open the bubbly and lock the door, there really is no reason to leave.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears is a fantasy Airstream designed by Mark and Jo Stead which becomes the mini set for a much-loved bedtime story about a little blonde girl and some bears. This Airstream serves it up in threes – just like the fairytale and even has a bear suit and a Goldilocks outfit to inspire play. This is the only Airstream with a bunk bed and is suited for couples with children. Adults will appreciate the more obscure interpretations on the old theme with gor-geous bear art and naughty bear humour.

According to designer Liam Mooney, the Pleasantville Airstream is a trip into the 50s with Louis L’Amour novels and plenty of Formica. It is a utopian heaven incorpo-rating a wide variety of period colours and fabrics.

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Cheesy romance novels, ferns, wall ducks and blue melamine will have you wishing for the days when Mom hosted Tupperware parties and Dad was home by 4:30 PM for a hot cooked dinner around the family dining table.

The Moontides Airstream, designed by Susan Wood-ley and Brigitte Dewberry, is a dreamy, ethereal world below the waves.

Freeworld’s Earthcote Paints collaborated with The Grand Daddy on the project, supplying edgy coatings and working closely with project developer Jody Aufrichtig and his team of artists. Woodley and Dewberry com-bined crushed and layered materials with Earthcote Worn Leather in midnight blues and greens and Tidal-cote, a coating containing bits of crushed pearlescent marine material.

Woodley and Dewberry vinyl coated the entire bed-room of Moontides in pitch black and then layered it with shapes that look like luminous jellyfish. “This is kind of like a place where love and magic collide, giv-ing visitors a subliminal feeling of the strands and layers that connect us,” says Dewberry.

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Wherever possible, choices regarding materials were governed by a regard for environmental sustainability. All woods used in the creation of the timber decking are FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) approved and the plants selected for the landscaping are entirely indigenous and watered by a drip irrigation system.

The Park supplements its power demands with a solar grid. The trailers are equipped with low-energy extrac-tor units to lessen the power demand created by the air-conditioning units.

Of course, aluminium trailers are not championed for their biodegradable properties, but it is not anticipated

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Park. Liam shoves open the door of the vintage lift and we rise to the top. I am met by big shiny silver bubbles and canvas kites hovering above – it is as if I have just stepped into a fantasyland. It then becomes clear that the bubbles are trailers and the kites are the canvas covering above the wooden deck that con-nects all the trailers to a communal dining and per-formance area. Each trailer has been beautifully re-stored and placed along the perimeter of the rooftop, complete with a quaint garden. Packing that extra 1950s punch are the letterboxes, proudly on display and bearing a phrase that hints at the inspiration for each of the trailers.”

AK ) Liam what led to you becoming a designer?

LM ) It was either architecture or product design, and I went for product design. I come from a design back-ground – my grandfather was a master craftsman, my aunt an architect and my sister a sculptor. I applied for a point-of-sales position after graduating, but was turned down. I am so grateful that it happened be-cause my career turned out for the better.

AK ) Off the top of your mind, name a few things from which you draw inspiration.

LM ) Materials and the whole manufacturing process are what fascinate me most; for instance, the joining techniques of timber. Also, how to do something new with an old material. My personal history also influences me a lot; such as the pieces we had in the home when I was a child.

AK ) Cape Town is full of interesting contrasts. How did your idea for the Trailer Park on top of a boutique hotel come about?

LM ) It was collaboration between Jody, the owner of the hotel and myself. Initially, we wanted it to be a moving hotel, kind of like the ‘Madame Zingara Tent of

that these old beauties will be going anywhere soon, recycled as it were, into a new life miles away from their origins.

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Ayesha Kamalie met up with Liam Mooney, creative director of Whatiftheworld and also the creative director of The Airstream Penthouse Park project.

Kamalie shares her first impressions: “We meet at the ground floor of the Grand Daddy in Long Street, of which the rooftop is home to the Airstream Trailer

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Dreams’ concept, but it proved to be too tiresome in terms of logistics and moving/carting these 50s trailers around on the road would be a mission!

AK ) What part of the design process is most impor-tant to you?

LM ) I was creative director of this project and the biggest challenge was working with the trailers. We are not technicians and we knew little about trailers, so we had to get creative in dealing with the more technical aspects and conceal problems such as water-proofing and insulation.

AK ) What were some of the challenges you faced while designing and during construction?

LM ) They were different for each trailer. Since we were dealing with a four-star hotel, we had a standard to maintain for each of the bedrooms in the six-foot trailers. There was minimal space, but a good quality bathroom is essential in four-star hotel. Other than that there was quite a bit of artistic freedom.

To get the trailers to the location we had to block off Long Street and had them lifted into position by crane. The entire project took about six to seven months to complete, one month of crazy concepts and ideas, and one day to erect trailers by crane.

The Airstream Penthouse Trailers is definitely a project that is testament to quality design with crazy and won-derful ideas, and why not? 0

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The FOXP2 office is a futuristic ‘science lab’ where bold thoughts evolve into grand ideas. Table Mountain forms the dramatic backdrop to this all white interior. Frameless glass partition walls separate public and private spaces. Bold graphics are intentionally juxta-posed against the surrounding white space which in turn reflects light throughout. All of these elements were the direct result of consciously-made decisions.

Rotem Shachar was responsible for the spatial layout and conceptualisation of the FOXP2 office and worked on this project with FOXP2 creative director Andrew Whitehouse. Together they discussed a visual aesthetic for the interior. As Shachar is married to another fellow FOXP2 director, Justin Gomes, she was familiar with the ethos and image of the company and the needs of the staff. Shachar described the discussion phase

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as being very low-key and relaxed with a lot of design decisions being made over rough sketches.

The original brief for this office was to create a space that would encourage and stimulate staff to be more creative. The agency wanted an open plan studio that accommodated the possibility of future expansion with space for more staff members. Offices needed to be private and a photocopy room was to be hidden in order to hide unsightly office supplies. A stimulating library, bar and boardroom needed to visually em-body the spirit of the FOXP2 brand.

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The agency’s visual image and philosophy are mirrored in simple, clear and clever solutions. FOXP2 derives its name from the creativity gene. This visual image led the design team to create a concept and visual language around a sci-fi laboratory. A hexagon forms the FOXP2 logo and this motif is repeated to form a frosted block

graphic on glass dividers throughout the office. The boardroom table is made up of a series of brightly coloured resin-filled test tubes positioned in the shape of the hexagon logo. These test tubes are not only a reference to the concept of a laboratory but also to pixels which are integral to communication design.

Shachar began conceptualising by researching the visual world of science. She did this by pouring over images, visiting the University of Cape Town’s science department and consulting with a taxidermist. She con-tacted a laboratory glassware distributor to ensure the authentic use of beakers for the bar. Budget proved to be the only constraint, with Shachar having the rare privilege of total creative freedom on this project.

The project took five months to complete with concep-tualisation beginning in January and FOXP2 moving into their premises in May. Shachar was also responsible for overseeing the physical production of the project. She chose sub-contractors whom she thought would be the most successful at producing her ideas and stresses

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the importance of giving sub-contractors clear instruc-tions – be pedantic.

There were problems along the way – it took several attempts to ensure that the correct colour ratio resulted in opaque coloured resin test tubes. A more serious hitch was the need to redo the screeded concrete floor a sum total of four times.

“We are all products of our enviroments. As a creative advertising agency FoxP2 needed to both reflect its brand identity and inspire its staff. The space is un-mistakingly a FoxP2 space and the agency has just won best performing ad agency at the Loerie Awards and awarded a Grand Prix [for the Category: Architec-ture and Interior Design]. I guess one can say that they are inspired,” says Shachar.

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After completing a year of architecture at WITS University in her hometown of Johannesburg, Rotem relocated to

Cape Town to study art direction at The Red & Yellow School of advertising. After finishing her studies, she worked as an art director in the USA.

SS ) You spent several years in New York. What were you doing there and what did you learn from living in that city?

RS ) I was working as an art director in advertising, first at Ogilvy and later at TBWA Chiat Day. I think that New York is the epicentre of the creative world. There’s a great saying that goes something like this: when it’s 1967 in London, it’s four o’clock in New York City. I love that city. It’s exciting and large and at the same time, small and ‘villagey’. You have access to everything and sometimes feel like you are nothing. This contrast and dilemma allows you to take in so much stimulation, fill up with inspiration and reference and then spend the rest of the time neurotic about what to do with it.

SS ) What are five sources of constant inspiration to you?

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RS ) My books. Big cities. A good meal. The problem. Ugly spaces.

SS ) You’ve worked as an art director, photographer and now own and curate an art and design bookshop. What have you learnt from your experiences and what particular skills have you developed?

RS ) As an art director I learnt the importance and strength of a good idea. As a bookshop owner I have met many talented and interesting people. As a busi-ness owner I have learnt how difficult it is to make money and to appreciate it when it comes.

SS ) Your initial approach to tackle the FOXP2 office interior?

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RS ) I look at space as a 3D sheet of paper that longs for a concept – I did the same with FOXP2.

SS ) What other projects you are currently working on?

RS ) A reference room for a contemporary art gallery, a coffee shop and a wellness lounge for an investment company.

SS ) Who would you like to collaborate with?

RS ) Andy Goldsworth, Takashi Murakami, Gregory Crewdson, Maartin Baas, Herzog & De Meuron, Gregor Jenkin and Tara Donovan. 0

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“How difficult can it really be to run your own studio?”

asked Claudio Pavan and Arri Reschke who had worked

together for four years before opting to establish

their own little studio, Lung Animation.

These two describe their creative shop as a “no non-

sense and humble” place where you will find a well-

balanced environment that ensures high quantity and

high quality work. Besides producing a lot of other

work, they are certainly best known for the produc-

tion of music videos for The Parlotones.

In 2009 Lung won a South African Music Award for

best music video for their production of Overexposed.

Claudio explains: “We think the fact that it had funny

little characters that inhabit our world made it appeal-

ing and unique to people watching it. We also believe

the hand held camera motion made it a little more

believable as it added a grungier real feel to every-

thing.

“The main question was how to get a good video done

in only three months with only a handful of people

working on it during downtime. We came up with the

idea of making a stylised version of the band; the

band members had to be recognisable off bat by their

fans but stylised enough to help them fit into the video

seamlessly with all the other wacky characters.

“Once we knew the direction we were going to take,

we had to shoot the background plate and the little

kid that links our world to the animated world. We got

our friends at The African Attachment to shoot it for

us in one day on a shoestring budget. We also wanted

the animated characters to have the same movement

as the real band members and since we didn’t have

budget for motion capture we got the band members

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to film themselves with a regular hand cam while per-forming the song. We then took the footage and used it as a base for our animation. We decided to push the animation further to exaggerate it and make it feel snappier.”

Claudio shares some more insights into the studio’s work:

ED ) What feedback have you received from The Parlo-tones after this production?

C ) The band is no stranger when it comes to awards but they had never won a SAMA for a music video. Kahn (the lead singer) and the rest of the band have always been extremely supportive of what we do and we make a great team.

ED ) Three years ago you started production on charac-ters and animation for the fully animated commercial for United Airlines, produced by the famous The Black Heart Gang. Tell us more about this.

C ) Well, this was Lung Animation’s first job. Jannes Hendrikz, the animation compositor and director of Blackheart Gang and Shy the Sun used to work with Arri and me at Blackginger studio. Arri and I had to breathe life into the awesome characters designed by Ree Treweek, the illustrator of Black Heart Gang. That involved modelling and texturing, and then rigging and animation. Once it was rendered we would pass it on to Jannes who was responsible for compositing it and giving it that over all feel that makes Shy the Sun. What they do is absolutely beautiful and it was a pleasure to work with such talented team. (View this project on page 71)

ED ) 2007 seemed to have been a great year for Lung. In March you won Best Animated Music Video on MK89 for The Parlotones’ Dragonflies & Astronauts and a month later you were nominated for a South African Music Award for the same video. In November you received an Animation Excellence Award from Animation SA.

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C ) The Cape Film Commission decided it was time to start recognising animation as a vital and growing role player in the film industry. I think this award was based on the very first music video I did for The Parlo-tones’ Dragonflies & Astronauts and to be honest, I never thought of winning any kind of award with this production. In the end I don’t think the video was per-fect but I think it was a good start and inspired me to want more.

ED ) Tell us about the main character in Dragonflies. He seems to represent a specific stereotype in society.

C ) The gist of the story was about this blue-collar worker that is just bored with his lifestyle and he dreams of more. In the subway Kahn’s character walks in and trips, with his Parlotones flyers flying all over the train. One lands in our lead characters’ lap, which sparks off a fantasy and at this stage, we cut to his imaginary

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world where he is the hero fighting evil robots. From then on every time the character sees something that has to do with The Parlotones or his dreadful life, he fades off into his fantasy world.

ED ) How long did it take to produce this production?

C ) It took eight months from start to finish. With Dragon-flies & Astronauts I didn’t storyboard at all. I just kind

of did it as I went along. I now understand how important a storyboard and structure are. If I could go back I would have planned it a little better.

ED ) What feel were you trying to create?

C ) The main feel I wanted was to create this almost ‘Apple iPod’ feels to the interior of the spaceship while keeping a gritty and raw feel to the outside. I wanted

@;*)'

the interior well lit and peaceful. The kind of space

that would be relaxing and non-invasive. My friend

and colleague, Jason Stapleton, has an amazing eye

for architecture and helped me get just the right look

for the interior. Once that was done I noticed that we have

a bunch of guys on a ship and it was seriously missing

a female presence, so I decided to add a female looking

robot just to soften it a little more – after all what is a

spaceship without AI? Marcelle Maris who has joined

Lung earlier last year helped me design and create the

robot – I love the work he has done on her.

ED ) Lastly, tell us a little about the latest music video.

What can The Parlotones fans expect?

C ) The video is for the single, Stars fall down, which will

soon be released. I hope it will be a clean sci-fi styled

video with some eye candy for the person watching. The

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overall concept explains that Kahn and the band have

somehow left earth since it is dying or pretty much

dead already. There is also a last goldfish and the last

plant. Throughout the video the plant starts growing

and taking over the entire ship (in a non-violent way). I

guess in a way I think nature will find a way to survive,

with or without us. 0

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ED ) Tell us more about the beginnings of Shy the Sun?

StS ) Shy the Sun’s history starts a while before it actu-ally opened its doors. It was found because of a short film, The Tale of How, created by The Blackheart Gang. The short film created a huge uproar at film festivals, leading to the gang being approached by different production companies and agencies to do commercial work. Jannes and Ree, two of the three members of The Blackheart Gang (BHG), then realised that they did not want to associate the BHG with other people’s concepts and brands, so we, together with producer Nina, started up a separate commercial company, called Shy the Sun.

We were approached by Duck Studios in Los Angeles and signed up with them. We then signed up with Pas-sion Pictures and also form part of their list of directors for Strange Beast who represents us in Europe. Our first job, United Airlines, kick started the company in Septem-ber 2007. It was a unique project because we were given an open brief to do what we wished with enough time to craft it to perfection.

We’ve been working on fun campaigns with creative freedom in terms of styling and concepts ever since.

ED ) What inspires you and what really stimulates your creative juices?

StS ) People that inspire us: Todd Schoor, Patrick Wood-roff, Ernest Hackle and Jim Woodwring. Travelling inspires

us, as well as traditional art from all over – Mayan, Indo-nesian, African, Indian, Medieval and much more.

ED ) How would you explain your work?

StS ) We consider ourselves to be artists, crafting each spot to perfection. With each spot we try to do something completely different, pushing our own boundaries, trying things we’ve never done before.

People react very well to our work. Fantasy provides an escape from the mundane and it seems that people in general want to be taken to places they’ve never been. We take all the pain of the world on our shoul-ders when creating these portholes for the human race. One minute of happiness and then it’s all gone.

ED ) How did you came up with the company’s unique name?

StS ) The name had to be epic, like a title of a storybook. After weeks of thinking and searching we decided to phone Markus, the third member of The Blackheart Gang. As a last resort, he read us some poems and stories that he had written. Then, as if a beam of light shone upon us, he read: “To slip from sight | to shy the sun | So sleeping eyes | shall see no one | I am the slight | of hand in spell | I leave no footprints | where I dwell.”

Ree and Jannes then created the look and feel on a happy day.

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ED ) Tell us more about the creation of your ground-

breaking commercial for the United Airlines.

StS ) The agency, Barrie D’Rozario Murphy, came up

with a special one-line brief: Sea creatures serenade

a passing plane.

Our story goes like this: We open on a bird/fish sitting

on his lookout post. He spots a glint in the far away

background and he blows a signal. Suddenly a huge

structure, sitting on the back of a huge sea turtle, rises

from the deep revealing an orchestra. Our conductor

sets his orchestra in motion. We are introduced to our

string section, then brass and then percussion. We

cut to a few close-ups and then cut to a wide where we

reveal the shadow of an airplane entering the frame.

ED ) Talk us through some of the challenges during

the design and production of this commercial.

StS ) The most challenging part was setting up the com-

pany while beginning this job. We bought a whole lot

of new equipment in preparation.

The trickiest part of the production process was synch-

ing animation to music. Gershwin’s track is 13 minutes

long. The big challenge was to pick the best part, com-

pressing it into a minute to tell our story. We created

an initial base track that accompanied our animatic.

That was then given to Trivers & Myers Music who was

the composers; they then supplied us with a closer to

final track to animate to. Finally a recording was made

as the orchestra played live to our final animation.

Barrie D’Rozario Murphy understands the dynamics

of working with artists. The agency is professional,

always progressive and constructive. Throughout the

process we made suggestions. They were happy as

long as we stayed true to the original concept of sea

creatures serenading a passing plane. This made it

possible for us to concentrate on our strengths.

ED )'Looking at the Bakers commercial?

StS ) Ogilvy Johannesburg briefed us to create nursery

rhyme characters scrambling for biscuits.

We were given a basic brief/script with the freedom to

interpret it in our own way and come up with our own

creative solutions. We had a very good relationship

with the agency right from the start. Trust and open

communication played a big role, enabling us all to get

as much out of the project as possible.

We went wild in our interpretation of the brief. First we

chose our favourite characters, gave them all person-

alities and then devised ways for then to interact with

one another. We decided to hold a grand tea party in a

forest clearing to tie them all together, making it seem

that the magical arrival of Bakers Biscuits is the event

on which this entire environment is built.

Casting the characters was difficult. Nursery rhyme

characters all come with baggage. We’ve all heard the

story of the three blind mice and the carving knife...that

sort of thing happens over and over in this industry.

Trying to fit all of our creative ideas and sub-plots into

a 60 second commercial was a challenge. Peter Pumpkin

Eater was always trying to chat up Polly whose really

dating the Gingerbread man. It created a lot of tension on

set. The mice constantly came to work drunk and some-

times the big red ‘make-it-look-good’ button got stuck.

Cape Town’s unpredictable weather caused problems

during the live action shoot with CAB films, resulting in

damaged sets and massive continuity problems. Nearly

all the plates were reconstructed, roto-scoping the

children off every shot, adding more trees, plants and

rocks and enhancing each background plate of the

commercial with matte paintings.

Our clients were great, they really trusted in our process,

and us even though for much of the project they had to

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really use their imagination to envision the final out-

come.

Two weeks before the shoot the rough shapes were

modelled to depict each character, allowing the team to

set up the shots. By taking photographic reference on

location before the shoot we were able to reconstruct the

layout of the forest. The area where the action would be

taking place was modelled and used for blocking the

shots before any camera was turned. Using those rough

shapes as scale guides, Blackginger’s modelling team

continued to build the characters and add detail. Once

the characters were 75% complete they were sent to

rigging, any stage later and we would not have com-

pleted Bakers on time.

During the last weeks of the production character ani-

mation and compositing happened simultaneously, get-

ting more and more detailed as the days went on. A lot

of effort was put into making the 3D blend perfectly with

the real life elements used.

ED ) What’s in stall for the gang in the near future?

StS ) The Blackheart Gang just published The Tale of How

coffee table book. There’s talk of translating The Tale of How into a puppet show next year. Yes, we are in pre-pro-

duction for The Tale of Then, as well as developing con-

cepts for future projects...the trick is finding a way to fit

them all together.

ED ) Some words of wisdom?

StS ) Follow your passion – working in this industry

consumes your life – sometimes totally. If you don’t

love what you do, it’ll squeeze you dry!

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As the daughter of an artist it was no surprise that Nina

developed a love for the taste of paint but her parents were

astonished to discover Nina’s first words when she point-

ed at a chandelier and said “symmetrical arrangement”.

Over the next few years Nina stopped eating paint but

continued to surprise her parents with her ability to

arrange, organise and conduct activity in her room.

Nina studied Visual Communication and eventually

arrived at the logical stage of producer.

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Brought up by Zulu warriors, Jannes is an artisan with a

driving lust for life. He found that his interest in moving

pictures and music offered great artistic satisfaction.

Completely self-taught, he set out vigorously on a

mission from which he would never return.

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Ree grew up on a farm near Kokstad, on the Transkei

Border. It was here that she received her real education

being surrounded by stories, both mythical and histori-

cal. As most farm girls do in that area, she was sent off

to boarding school in Pietermaritzburg where she

spent most her time in the art room. Ree went on to study

Fine Arts in Durban. At that time she focused mostly on

street art, creating miniature fantasy worlds to hide

in the cracks and paths of the streets. She then went

travelling for two years where she was inspired by In-

donesian craft and architecture and the stories sur-

rounding them. She has spent the last seven years

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B;*)'

Hilton Tennant, founder and partner in the company Tennant McKay, knows a lot about storytelling. Based in Johannesburg and represented by The Ebeling Group in the USA, their projects range from illustrations, promos, programme and channel identities, to animated and live action commercials. According to Hilton it is really difficult to offer a single descriptor for what they do. He says: “The most inclusive title would most likely be Communication Design and Commercial Direction.”

Working with many established brands from around the globe, Hilton shares his story, as a designer and as a storyteller from Africa.

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Our company was formed in Johan-nesburg 2003 and because of our representation in North America we also have access to a global network of clients. The one element that over-laps in the majority of our projects is the inclusion of stories. From logos to commercials and even in the case of non-narrative communications there is always a story evoked.

South Africa is a place of stories . Stories of suffering, stories of hope, stories of injustices and stories of reconciliation. These all inspire us.

Before I get into discussing some of our work and processes, I would like to first take you through a brief his-tory of the story.

Since prehistoric times storytelling has been part of human nature. Moth-ers would sit around the fire and tell

their children tales of the monsters that lived in the flames, monsters who would reach out and hurt them if they got too close. Their fathers, on returning home after an unsuccess-ful hunt, would fabricate elaborate tales of creatures that almost killed them while in pursuit of their dinner and how they barely escaped if it wasn’t for their stealth and vigour.

These two examples constitute two primary themes of all stories through-out history, either individually or in combination. These are stories of warning (based on fears) and stories created by virtue of human vanity.

People in these times travelled far more than you would imagine, spreading their stories as they moved, leaving their imprint on the minds of their new audience. These stories were told and re-told, and

in the process, dressed themselves in local costume, becoming part of the widely differing cultures we see today (Rob Parkinson).

Different stories and the different ways of telling the same story did shape distinct cultures. People’s stories are often similar to those of other cultures, but distinct in themselves. A culture’s stories be-come part of their self-identity (Jamie Wilson).

It is plausible to suggest that all culture is rooted in stories. When we invented stories, we invented gods, heroes, villains, and magic. The roots of psychology, of teaching, of reli-gion, all lie within stories. But to primitive man, storytelling was magic. Cave paintings are our first storytell-ing art, but also our first visual art, our first cartoon, and our first narrated

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slide show. The technologies we use today are new, but the methods for storytelling are ancient.

Our world is shaped far more by the stories we tell and repeat than we like to acknowledge, something that is as true today in our media-dominat-ed world as it was a thousand years ago. Stories show life as it might be, should be, shouldn’t be and never could be. Basic social values, skills, wisdoms and just about everything you can dream of show reveals itself in stories.

Storytelling has evolved drastically. The oral traditions of folk legends made way for the printing press, allowing stories to travel far and wide, and allowing artists to mix words with images to further convey their thoughts, ideas, and experiences. Today storytelling is an integral part of our lives – from the daily papers and novels that we read, what we see on television to all the millions of stories transmitted globally via the Internet. Good storytelling has the ability to transcend all these medi-ums, help people relate to a theme and (most importantly for us design-ers) cohesively combine content with communication.

Not everything has to have narrative to tell a story. Take logos, for example, and their use of semiotics. When I first started working I never fully appre-ciated the importance of pitching or presenting an idea, but over the years

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I have come to realise it is probably the most crucial skill to master.

I plan to give you an insight into not only how we employ stories in com-mercial communications but also how various disciplines like graphic design, illustration, drawing and photography all contribute and combine to create a cohesive final product.

Similarly our approach to animation hardly ever sees us utilising a single technique of animation in isolation. The desired tone of the final product generally dictates the techniques we use but more often than not a com-bination of 2D, 3D, stop frame and cell animation are all combined in varying degrees to achieve the desired treatment and outcome.

For the Hotels.com project the client required a spokesperson to be devel-oped which would be able to trans-late across any media platform. He needed to be accessible, smart and appeal to the average American busi-nessman. First, we started with what we call a ‘character exploration’, which looks at various visual nuances within a character theme. Here we knew the spokesperson should be a businessman, that he should not look too young – still you can see for yourself by looking at the characters that the slightest change of propor-tion or hairstyle alters his visual personality dramatically.

Although this is not a live casting ses-sion where the director tries to find

the correct character, it is still para-mount to find the perfect personality for the role. Of course, the only differ-ence is that these guys take a little more time to produce than just a call to book a casting session with a model agency.

From this point we select the char-acter we feel best suits the tone of the brand and his required communi-cation before developing any sec-ondary characters. While the char-acters are being developed we will do colour explorations based on the client’s identity system. We are gen-erally looking to see how far we can push the combinations of the accent colours before it stops resembling the client’s identity.

The physical appearance and treat-ment of characters ‘in the real world’ influence the way the audience re-lates to them but most importantly it defines a set of expectations: The further we move the character away from the simplicity of the one on the left, (see the central panel on the fac-ing page) the greater the audiences expectation will be of him – judging him more closely on the physics of the scientific world where the physical attributes of nature and of reality is used as a reference point of how we expect these characters to behave.

The one on the left relies heavily on the theory of Gestalt which describes the brains capacity to fill in the missing detail so the animation is a little more forgiving while the one on the right requires far more subtle

animation and lighting to make it successful.

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Ytv is a Canadian youth TV channel that approached us to develop 12 5-second channel branding stings.

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As we all know, most often simple

animated logos are used to tell us

which TV channel we are watching.

For Ytv, we decided instead to write

stories and introduce the logos

through short narratives. By doing

so, we hoped to attach associa-

tions of creativity, fantasy and im-

agination to the Ytv brand.

Featured here are some of the char-

acters we have developed for the use

in the different narratives.

Finally, after a couple more weeks of

animation rendering and composit-

ing, we managed to deliver a number

of short narratives.

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Five directors, one from each conti-

nent were asked by Coke to create

individual short stories to visually

explain their unique interpretation of

‘BetterWorld Optimism’. These short

stories came to life as music videos

– each set to music tracks from differ-

ent indie musicians.

It was important for us to capture

something uniquely African without

utilising any clichés, both in concept

and visual execution. Because each

campaign was being made acces-

sible to audiences all over the world,

it needed to have international ap-

peal, and more importantly, because

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it was targeted specifically at the

youth market, the design solution

needed to resonate with them too.

When conceptualising our short story,

we drew inspiration from the African

myths, legends, fables, songs and

proverbs that define the birthplace

of mankind. We found that they had

striking similarities with so many

cultures that have developed in op-

posite corners of the world. African

mythology most often manifests

itself as carved figures so this be-

came a stylistic inspiration for our

character who is based on an East

African spirit called Malaika, which

is said to be sent from heaven to help

people in a time of turmoil.

Selecting the right track to create a

music video was quite challenging as

there were a lot of great choices from

some amazing independent musi-

cians. In the end, though, Fischer-

spooner’s track All We Are felt like

the perfect soundtrack to our inter-

pretation of ‘BetterWorld Optimism’,

and became an inspiration in itself

for the visual tone of the whole

campaign.

Having created the story we proceed-

ed to extend the design language into

print and various other merchandis-

ing solutions. Drawing inspiration

from the animation we designed the

label for a collectors’ edition alumin-

ium Coke bottle.

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These were printed using seven spot

colours including two fluorescent

inks which allowed the bottle to glow

in night clubs and bars. Because

the project was aimed at the youth

and club scene, Coke did not fill

the bottle, instead they left space

in the bottle to be filled by a choice

of spirits without having to decant it.

The merchandising extended into

t-shirts, iPod covers and a vinyl toy.

Finally we developed posters to be

used at the launch of the project

around the world. 0

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By

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More than a year after the Olympics,

Beijing was host to another mile-

stone event: the Icograda World

Design Congress 2009 and the

first ever Beijing Design Week. The

World Design Congress that ran from

26 to 30 October is a bi-annual event

held by the International Council

of Graphic Design Associations

(Icograda). Founded in 1963, Ico-

grada is a design body that is active-

ly engaged in promoting commu-

nication design and encouraging

cross-disciplinary design dialogue. In

keeping with these aims, the Icograda

World Design Congress 2009 was

a simmering hot pot fuelled by

pressing issues and contemporary

design challenges.

Beijing, with its bright lights and ubiquitous cultural history, also proved to be an interesting backdrop for the international event which saw over 2 000 design practitioners, educators and students attend.

On the first day of the congress, after many a hand signal and sketch (owing to our foreign vocabulary void), my colleague and I managed to make our way from our hotel to the cultural and political hub of the city for the opening ceremony. It was held at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, an impressive futuristic structure. The centre is an icon of modern Beijing and stands in stark contrast to the surroundings, including Tiananmen Square and the Great Hall of the People, as well as

the Forbidden City.

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B>*)'

Inside, the centre was teeming with

people, eager to listen to the keynote

speakers. The theme of this year’s

conference was based on the Chinese

word Xin – literally translated as

message or letter and signifying

human communication. In keeping

with the conference theme and the

meaning of the word Xin, the visual

identity of the conference was

made up of black and white over-

lapping envelopes. I felt that the

organisers really pushed the enve-

lope in this instance by cleverly

applying the identity on all the col-

lateral for the event, ranging from

the innovative conference bag to the

event signage. The title sequence

that was designed especially for

the opening ceremony was partic-

ularly impressive.

The day’s proceedings began with

speeches from officials and keynote

speakers. It was encouraging to

see that the mayor of Beijing and

other high-ranking government min-

isters were present to lend China’s

support to the event. Don Ryun

Chang, Icograda president, also

acknowledged this when he stated,

“design is an integral force fostering

socio-economic growth, innovation

and sustainable development for

many countries and communities.

The support of the Beijing Munici-

pal People’s Government, the Min-

istry of Culture and the Ministry of

Education is a testament to the

value that China places on design”.

The content and theme of the open-

ing ceremony focused largely on the

central idea of China moving from a

manufacturing economy into a crea-

tive economy and the role of design

within this changing environment.

In his address, Long Youngtu, the

Secretary General of the Boao Fo-

rum for Asia, also spoke about this

transition and maintained “a coun-

try without a design industry is a

country without a future”.

The rest of the day saw an impres-

sive line-up of speakers including

the influential Dutch designer Jan

van Toorn and American designer Sol

Sender, to name a few. Sender’s pres-

entation entitled Designing for

Change was about the conception

and evolution of the branding for

Barack Obama’s presidential cam-

paign. He spoke about the complexity

>;*)'

of identity and symbolism and trans-

formative design strategies for so-

ciety.

In light of Sender’s call for designers

to “architect and implement solutions

that can realise a better today”, the

highlight of the day for me was the

memorable David Kester, the chief

executive of the British Design

Council. Kester continued with the

topic of China’s growth in the crea-

tive industries and the inherent

role of design. He mentioned that

Lenovo China (the multi-national

technology corporation) began with

only one designer in their in-house

design office three years ago and

that number has subsequently in-

creased to 150.

Kester also reflected on innovative

design strategies in the United

Kingdom. In particular, he referred

to service delivery and innovation

within the healthcare industry. All

his examples pointed to design at

the front end of innovation where

design is no longer considered an end

in itself but rather as a strategic way

of thinking which is employed as a

means of creating value and pro-

viding meaningful change. In con-

clusion to his presentation, Kester

urged the audience to pursue new

ways of thinking by saying that “if

we tap into creativity and if we tap

into design and if we collaborate

together with technologists and

manufacturers we can be part of

solving some of the big problems

that we face today in our world”.

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The focus on the increasing power

and current responsibility of design-

ers recurred throughout the subse-

quent two days of the congress which

was held at Beijing’s Central Acade-

my of Fine Arts (CAFA), also one of

the organisers of the event. Once

again, the signage and wayfinding

system at this venue was superb.

The banners that hung from the cam-

pus buildings and the well-marked

venues were not only a visual feast

but also facilitated the delegates’

route from one stream to another

without any frantic nods or flailing

hand gestures. Eager CAFA students

were also always on hand to an-

swer any questions.

Using the theme of Xin as a point of

departure, the conference explored

four overarching issues, namely

‘access, balance, communicate

and define’, and their influence on

contemporary communication de-

sign. Each issue was presented as

a separate stream, which ran par-

allel to one another. Although the

parallel streams spoilt the dele-

gates for choice, it was quite a

challenge deciding which streams

to attend because they all sounded

very promising with their own list

of influential speakers.

The ‘balance’ stream covered top-

ics such as design dialogue and

collaboration between East and

West, sustainability and design re-

sponsibility as well as ecological

policy making. The ‘access’ stream

complimented the ‘balance’

stream rather well as it focused on

the accessibility of and within con-

temporary design practice. Topics

such as designing life in urban

spaces, proactive intellectual

property rights policies in design,

and communication design for in-

formation environments were cen-

tral to this theme.

Two noteworthy presentations were

that of Victor Margolin and David

Berman. Margolin is the Professor

Emeritus of Design History at the

University of Illinois, Chicago. He is

a founding editor and now co-edi-

tor of the seminal academic design

journal Design Issues. In his presen-

tation, Building a Sustainable World:

What We Need to Know, Margolin pre-

sented an overview of changing de-

sign practice and focused specifically

on the idea that designers today are

engaged in “politics of survival” as

opposed to “politics of protest”.

David Berman, author of the book

Do Good Design also advocated the

importance of designers to take

responsibility and action in making

design more accessible for the

masses. Much of what Berman said

was in response to Bruce Mau’s well-

known question: “Now that we can

do anything, what will we do?”

Both Margolin’s and Berman’s com-

mitment to their subject matter was

admirable and, surprisingly, their

presentations were the first and

the very last presentation which I

attended. In a way they stood tall as

bookends, which enclosed many

interesting titles between them

over the second and third days of

the conference.

It was apparent that the presenters

were not there to play a game of

Chinese whispers. The message was

loud and clear: Design can make a

difference. 0

>:*)'

Celebrating 10 years of the Adobe Design Achievement Awards! The 2010 Adobe Design Achievement Awards give higher education students from around the world the shortcut to brilliance to propel their careers in the future. Enter in 12 categories in 3 media areas endorsed by industry. Cash prizes will be awarded during Adobe MAX 2010 in Los Angeles. Submissions close June 4, 2010. For more information and to submit entries: http://adaa.adobe.com Adobe and the Adobe logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

© 2010 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Adobe Design Achievement Awards

12 categories in 3 media areas

2010Interactive Media categories

Browser-Based Design

Non-Browser-Based Design

Application Development

Mobile Design

Installation Design

Video and Motion categories

Animation

Live Action

Motion Graphics

Traditional Media categories

Illustration

Packaging

Photography

Print Communications Media Sponsors

>)*)'

/(8*,'2*'.*,%0,'!D*By Suné Stassen

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What can be bigger than our world’s blonde, busty Barbie? In many fields it is probably not really a challenge but in the global consumer market this is an enormous task. Last year saw the world celebrating the 50th birthday of this iconic figure. For most this was a great celebration and bags filled with nostalgic moments but within the context of poverty, HIV/AIDS, war and economic downfalls, not really a celebration with a lot of heart and added value.

Deep down south on the African continent you can find a community project with humble beginnings that is adamant to become bigger than one of the world’s most recognisable stereotypes. You have to hand it to them – this is a pretty hearty and hefty goal but this one has soul. Some might say they are setting themselves up for failure and others, present company included, are still admiring them for the shear magnitude of their aspirations. “There’s so much product out there in the world, but there’s so little product that makes a difference. Monkeybiz makes a difference,” says Donna Karan from the fashion world of New York.

The original task they set themselves was already a hefty one but the women behind the Monkeybiz project do have their hearts in the right place. And this makes all the dif-ference. “We want to alleviate poverty to uplift the people, empower them and provide them with skills,” says Jack-son. As a true blood Capetonian I can, like so many others, testify that Monkeybiz is iconic to our creative city. It is a well-driven and successful project that is truly making

!"#$%&'()

>!*)'

inroads into changing the lives of many – not just the needy, but their products continue to put a smile and new zest for life in the hearts and homes of everyone that owns a ‘monkey’ of this nature.

It was in 2002 when Tina Davis, director/pro-ducer of Bigger than Barbie, first spotted these funky creatures at a friend’s house in Nor-way. “I got completely enchanted by them, I thought they had great expression, I loved the colours and kind of crazy quirkiness they have,” says Tina.

Not knowing the origin of these beautifully crafted beaded dolls; it was love at first sight. “Three months later I saw them in a shop window in Oslo and bought a couple of dolls,” Tina continues. “And only with my second visit to the same shop did the lady who works there fill me in on this amazing project in Cape Town and its philosophy of empower-ing women.” Tina then decided that it could be interesting and viable to check it out.

“My first visit to Monkeybiz and meeting with the women behind the project was a life changing experience. I saw how they were working in the office in Cape Town but also how these women were working in their homes in the township. At that stage I al-ready knew it was a project that really de-served more attention but I also liked the story behind the project. I wanted to show how these women, somehow against all

>7*)'

odds, were doing something so positive, so creative and also making beautiful art using a great South African tradition like the craft of beading to create these beautiful dolls. This tradition was dead because of apartheid but Monkeybiz rekindled it, which is great!”

In the documentary Bigger than Barbie we have the opportunity to meet the special women behind Monkeybiz and how, through crea-tivity, they learn to fight against HIV/AIDS and overcome poverty.

In dealing with such heart-felt and heavy topics like HIV/AIDS, it is quiet challenging to produce a piece of filmmaking that reflects positivism, hope, love, valuable friendships, support, dearness and strong human relations. Yet this documentary is a shining example of positive energy. “When I see these dolls they are like a symbol of hope,” says the iconic singer/superstar and activist, Annie Lennox.

It is a fun and informative documentary that will educate the world using the honest and sincere portraits of the women behind this project as a very valuable vehicle to communicate to the world. We also meet the dolls as the movie’s leading characters, taking us on their exciting journey from the dusty roads of Khayelitsha township to Donna Karan’s high fashion store on Madison Avenue, New York, to the Mandela concert for HIV/AIDS in Norway. And this was all done in the spirit and belief that they can become Bigger than Barbie while making a real difference in the lives of so many.

Monkeybiz supplies colourful beads, thread, cotton and skills to the women. On delivering the final product, the women are paid according to the merit of their work. It is then the responsibility of Monkeybiz to market their creations in galleries and in a number of shops worldwide.

This project also has a Wellness Centre that provides nutrition, yoga classes and healthcare to the women who live with HIV/AIDS. Today the Monkeybiz community of women is about 450 strong.

Monkeybiz is big on economic development and invests about R1, 4 million annually through paying the women for the beaded dolls they produce. Monkeybiz is also a non-profit organisation and all the pro-ceeds from sales go directly back into the community. As one can only imagine, for the women it is a great help to work from home, as they are now able to look after their children while not spend-ing a cent on transport to get to work. Their production line also

!"#$%&'()

>@*)'

reflects a sustainable and environmental

friendly way as they use leftover and dis-

carded off-cuts for the fillers of their dolls.

“Monkeybiz help the people to help them-

selves,” says Desmond Tutu.

Director Tina Davis and co-producer, Thomas

Robsahm from Speranza Film manage to

engage the viewer and give a powerful

insight into the lives of some of these wom-

en and into the business context of this

project, while highlighting their victories,

great and small and one step at a time.

To work between two very distant continents,

with Monkeybiz situated in Cape Town, and

with the team living in Norway, created its

own challenges. It took them four long

years to complete this documentary.

The film includes special appearances from

Desmond Tutu, Donna Karan, Annie Lennox

and Nelson Mandela.

Up to now this documentary has been

screened in 20 countries on television and

at film festivals in Turkey, Germany, Sweden,

Norway, France, the Ukraine and Taiwan, to

mention just a few. Because of the educa-

tional value, Bigger than Barbie has also

been screened at many educational insti-

tutions such as Harvard University in the

USA and Brighton University in the UK. 0

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The word ‘ingenious’ means clever at inventing, con-

structing or organising. It also means skilful and re-

sourceful. South Africans have always been resourceful

to survive in a harsh and unforgiving environment,

but can they take their ingenious plans to compete

on the international market? It is here that design

can make the difference.

For the past 40 years the SABS Design Institute has been

passionately involved with design – product design

in particular. Over four decades more than 600 out-

standingly designed South African products have re-

ceived SABS Design Excellence Awards. Some of

these products have gone on to make a huge impact

on world markets.

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What characteristics should one have to become a prod-

uct designer? The Princeton Review, a reputable source

when it comes to tertiary training in the USA, explains it

as follows: “A product designer combines a talent for

design with an understanding of the production and

marketing of consumer goods.”

The Review continues: “It’s important that the prospec-

tive designer be able to work as part of this team, which

means understanding that his personal preferences

may not be chosen. Besides the time spent actually

working on designs, the remainder of his time is spent

working with graphic designers and cost estimators in

order to coordinate the production of potential product

lines. Because of the collaborative nature of the process,

this job requires strong interpersonal skills. … While

aesthetic skills are obviously critical to product design-

ers, business savvy is just as important. Successful

product designers are equally comfortable producing

three-dimensional models of their designs and provid-

ing cost estimates to production executives.”

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World-renowned German industrial designer, Dieter

Rams, whose Less and More – the Design Ethos of Dieter Rams exhibition is on at the Design Museum in

London from 18 November 2009 to 7 March 2010, of-

fers his ten commandments of good design. These

should be intrinsically part of the thinking of every

potential product designer.

1. Good design is innovative.

2. Good design makes a product useful.

3. Good design is aesthetic.

4. Good design makes a product understandable.

5. Good design is unobtrusive.

6. Good design is honest.

7. Good design is long-lasting

8. Good design is thorough down to the last detail.

9. Good design is environmentally friendly.

10. Good design is as little design as possible.

!"#$%&'()

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Design education has always been high up on the agenda

of the SABS Design Institute. The Institute has been

instrumental in promoting leadership amongst young

designers for more than 20 years. Back in 1987 the

Design Achievers Award was born of the belief that

opportunities should be created for young designers

to define the future and to prove that South Africa is

a country with great creative potential. This initiative

is based on the assumption that design leadership is

imperative for momentum to grow the industry.

Design Achievers is a unique award scheme insofar

as it not only recognises design talent, but also seeks

out and awards leadership in design and entrepre-

neurial potential.

The Design Institute was also responsible for initiating

the Joint Standing Committee on Design Education which

was the forerunner of the Design Education Forum of

Southern Africa (DEFSA), a professional organisation

of design educators. The main aim of the forum is to

foster design education in the southern African region

and to host annual conferences to bring design educa-

tors together under one umbrella, offering academics

the opportunity to present academic papers towards

accreditation.

The Guide on Design Education, with information on

design career options and study opportunities, has

been published since the early 80s at regular intervals

to keep potential design students informed of possible

educational avenues they would like to pursue.

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In an attempt to support new product development,

the SABS Design Institute assists product designers

with working prototype models to get their proto-

types out of the garage and on their way to produc-

tion through the revamped Prototype Initiative that

started in 2008.

The Prototype Initiative includes a free consultation

with design experts, a patent attorney and a fund

manager. The design expert advises product designers

on the design aspect of the prototype, the patent attor-

ney explains how to protect the intellectual property of

the designer, whereas the fund manager looks at the

viability of the product and the chances of acquiring

funding for further development.

Consultations are confidential and applicants can be

sure to receive expert advice and opinions. The con-

sultation sessions are held in major centres in South

Africa and by entering their prototypes, designers

also become eligible to attend the Idea to Product

seminars presented at these centres, free of charge.

These seminars deal with common problems experi-

enced by product developers.

A total of 44 aspirant designers benefited from the

2009 Prototype Initiative consultations.

For more information on the SABS Design Institute, to

view products that won Design Excellence Awards in the

past ten years, to find out more about the Prototype

Initiative and design careers and training institutions,

visit www.sabs.co.za and click on Design Institute. 0

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By Adrian Madlener

What makes Dutch design Dutch? Every October the city

of Eindhoven is partially transformed by the Dutch

Design Week into a mecca of creative thought and

exchange. Needless to say it makes for Eindhoven’s

bread and butter. For students, this non-commercial

fair that spans over 200 locations and over a hundred

events, provides the perfect exposure to the current

design climate.

Sceptics say that Dutch design can’t weather the current

global economic storm. Yet, during the opening speech

the trend forecaster and design guru, Li Edelkoort said

that designers should embrace the economic downturn

as a means for allowing creativity to flourish. For students

there is no better time to be studying design.

Everywhere you went during this week, you were pre-

sented with the theme of change or at least the attempt

to change.

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The main locations during the Design Week centred on

three hubs. The first hub was the Witte Dame (White

Lady); the old turn of the century Phillips light bulb fac-

tory, which has been transformed into a multi-purpose

building with shops, design bureaus, and most impor-

tantly, the famous Design Academy, Eindhoven. The

academy’s graduation show generally sets the tone

for the entire week. It is a view into the future as the

graduates prepare to move into the design and busi-

ness worlds, ready to make their mark. The graduation

projects are less professional but rather on the haute couture end of what’s on show around town.

In this area there were also exhibitions like Paper Zoo at the MU gallery and Happy Living, a small show pre-

sented by the local technological industry authority,

Brainpoort Design Point.

The next major hub was the Strijp S where the more

commercial portion of the Dutch Design Week featured

a huge number of company and school exhibitions.

The last hub was the Stadhuisplein (Town Hall Square)

with the Designhuis’ European Talent exhibition, the

Dutch Design Awards pavilion and a few other shows

in the actual Stadhuis. The world-renowned Van Abbe

Museum hosted most of the lectures and debates

throughout the ten days.

There were also many other hubs or clusters of exhi-

bitions which tended to be more focussed but no less

interesting, like the Technical University, Eindhoven,

which showcased its industrial design department

graduation projects as well as the architectural depart-

ment’s latest work.

It was also worthwhile to venture outside of these main

hubs where one could find other pleasant surprises. It

seems like anybody with the smallest affiliation to

creativity or commerce gets involved or at least tries to

get a piece of the Dutch Design Week’s action.

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In October the Strijp S was expanded to include the

Strijp X, where the studio of Kiki van Eijk and Joost van

Bleiswijk was open to the public, a pleasant look into the

workshop of an emerging Dutch design label that calls

Eindhoven home. Next-door is the collective Atelie-

dorp’s Chaos/Order half-store, half-showcase of highly

conceptual design. The original Strijp S also changed

things a bit, adding a purely automotive design section

and a material production portion. This place can be

somewhat of a whirlwind – it was jam-packed and a

whole afternoon or even day was necessary to experi-

ence everything. The crowd of 100 000 people over

the entire week did not make it any easier.

Eindhoven takes on a new hue during the Dutch Design

Week and provides us with what is lacking during the

rest of the year. Many doors open and inspiration flows.

Certain themes and practices become evident as trends,

helping along the understanding of what is to come

in the future.

In 2009, paper in all of its forms and properties seemed

to be popular, as was the theme of death and rebirth.

The state of design is changing but it seems that what

was shown during this week was an attempt at holding

on to a type of Dutch design which is only accessible to

a few. I was surprised by the fact that many of the exhib-

its did not address the need to be sustainable or so-

cially responsible – obviously, there were exceptions.

No doubt, the 2009 Dutch Design Week was invaluable

for students looking at new trends in materials, colour,

processes and conceptual frameworks. It created the

basis for discussion but also personal development

in intellect and practice. 0

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With our brains divided into two

hemispheres, development of both

is necessary to process information.

Reading, writing, arithmetic and

science are activities that are primarily

controlled by the left hemisphere of

the brain. The right hemisphere con-

trols imagination, visual and spatial

perception. However, right brain

activities are often neglected and

seen as less important when, in fact,

it should be a no-brainer to realise

the benefits of engaging in creative

activities. Research has shown that

it enhances problem-solving skills,

assists in thinking out of the box and

develops a sense of individuality.

These are some of the reasons why

Artjamming™ has become increas-

ingly popular. Already a hugely suc-

cessful worldwide phenomenon,

Artjamming™ was launched end of

July 2008 in South Africa by local

fashion and textile importers and

distributors, Ralph Israel and his

daughter Leora. After extensive re-

search they realised the need for

this kind of activity as amusement

and distraction from everyday stress.

Whether it’s playing, painting,

sponging or spraying, Artjamming™

is about putting on an apron to face

a blank canvas and unleashing your

own individual creativity. It allows

you to create your very own unique

full-colour art piece by fusing crea-

tivity and colour to a chill out beat

and is dubbed the most fun you can

have with a paintbrush.

According to Paul Lee, founder of

UniqArts and Technologies over-

seas, five or six is an ideal age for

children to develop creativity and

artistry as they are not conditioned

in logical thinking at this stage and

their fine motors skills are devel-

oping fast. Of course, it is never too

late for any child to be exposed or

trained. Even adults can re-learn

these free-thinking artistic and

creative abilities. The best part is that

it’s a fun way for parents and chil-

dren to connect by being innovative

together and to express what can’t

always be translated into words.

Artjammers are provided with a

menu of 12 differently sized canvas-

es, easels, a choice of non-toxic

acrylic paints on tap, brushes and

tools to freely express themselves.

Participants are not given instruc-

tions or classes, and no drawing or

painting skills are required, but for

those who would like a helping

hand or some inspiration, there

are qualified artists at the studios

to assist and give guidance.

The Israels decided to bring Art-

jamming™ to Cape Town first and

have also acquired the sole rights

for South Africa. The first studio was

opened at the trendy Wembley

Square Shopping Mall in Gardens,

Cape Town, and since then it has

become so popular that another

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studio opened in November 2009

at the unique lifestyle shopping

centre, the Cape Quarter. The first

Gauteng studio will open on 1 Feb-

ruary 2010 at the Blubird destination

shopping centre in Birnam, Illovo.

On average the two Cape Town

studios host 70 birthday parties,

team building exercises and cor-

porate events per month.

For young artists, design students

and art enthusiasts Artjamming™

is a great resource with various

professional art materials, brushes,

sketchpads and top quality brands

including Gouache from Australia

on sale in store. Student discounts

are given and the Wembley Square

studio is situated in the middle of

the student buzz and close to various

design schools.

For as little as R95 you can create

your own artwork without having to

carry the cost of buying expensive

materials needed for projects, ex-

ams or portfolio examples. With 45

colours to choose from, a variety of

drawing materials, different tools,

paint brushes in all sizes and even

a hairdryer to create special effects

or speed up the drying process, Art-

jamming™ can also become your

own studio in an environment which

oozes creativity.

Artjamming™ has been involved

with many innovative projects such

as hosting the first ArtFusion Ex-

periment (AFE) in South Africa in

January 2009 as part of the Southern

Ink Xposure International Tattoo

Convention, the biggest tattoo event

held on African soil and in the south-

ern hemisphere. The AFE is a collabo-

rative art demonstration where some

of the world’s most accomplished

tattoo artists, including Paul Booth,

worked together on three extra large

canvasses. The canvasses, donated

by Artjamming™, was auctioned

off at the convention and the pro-

ceeds were donated to MaAfrika

Tikkun, a non-governmental non-

profit organisation that works to-

ward the transformation of South

African communities by caring for

vulnerable children and orphans in

townships.

Another event, in which they were

involved in April 2009, was the Urban

Art Write on Africa Mural Fund

campaign. Six of South Africa’s top

local urban artists (the new PC

term for graffiti artists), including

internationally recognised Faith47,

Mak1one and Senyol, created rare

works of art which were auctioned

to raise funds for Write on Africa,

an organisation that aims to create

inspiration in the form of murals

for the youth to encourage social

upliftment within underprivileged

communities.

In July 2009 they facilitated a team-

building session for the BestCities

Client Imbizo, hosted by the Cape

Town & Western Cape Convention

Bureau (Cape Town Routes Unlim-

ited), an important platform that

converged significant meetings of

representatives, managers and sales

officials from the BestCities Global

Alliance of convention bureaux with

representatives from cities including

Copenhagen, Dubai, Edinburgh,

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Melbourne, San Juan, Singapore

and Vancouver.

Artjamming™ was featured in Top

Billing’s “Artist Workshop” in No-

vember 2009 as the hosting studio

for up-and-coming Cape Town art-

ist, Daniel Popper, who presented a

workshop to 20 children on creat-

ing puppets from canvasses, lycra,

wood, buttons and sequences.

Even KykNet’s “Boer soek ‘n vrou”

found Artjamming™ to be a fun

event for the ‘boer’ and his ladies-

in-waiting to explore their inner

artist and show their true colours.

Artjamming™ also presents drawing

classes, different medium work-

shops and hosts exhibitions. 0

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By Lucilla Booysen

Few fashionistas would dare to match their knowledge of the South African fashion design industry with that of Lucilla Booysen, one of the grand dames of the African fashion industry and founder of the SA Fashion Weeks.

ED) asked Booysen to review the 2010 Sum-mer and Winter collections presented at SA Fashion Weeks in 2009 and show what and who’s hot and fashionable this year.

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Romantic, soft fabrics combined with wool, knits and leather create a very individual look for the different labels.

One can see the focus on detail within the design and the use of certain fabrics to enhance the same detail.

The long day dress, as well as the full-length evening dress is back in fashion.

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The overcoat featured in most collections and is suggested to be a lighter in-between season overcoat.

Print detail on fabric develops the individual styles and looks of different designers.

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Variations of long and short pants were features in the 2010 Winter Collections. There is most definitely a move away from the very tight to a more loose and comfort-able look. Jumpsuits and bodysuits will follow this look.

Bodices and dresses that leave the shoul-ders uncovered. This style should not be confused with the bustier that includes the lace-up at the back we had in the past.

Masses of sheer came through strongly and this romantic look will be huge in the next season.

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Bits and pieces of leather came through. This might get bigger for the next winter season.

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Men’s suits will have a lot of detail. We can see that Lunar showed a more relaxed ver-sion of the suit while Clive added his detail through print on women’s suits.

We have not seen the cardigan for a long time. It is making a strong comeback, es-pecially since Michelle Obama wore a car-digan when she met the British Queen recently.

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Black is still playing for the A-team.

We found more detail in the shoulder de-sign, which emphasises bigger shoulders.

Emerging creatives to watch are:

1. Anisa Mpungwe

2. Marize Malan

3. Megan Perks

4. Elme Bekker

5. Amber Jones

6. Celeste-Lee Arendse

7. Liza Benson

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By Angie Hattingh

Reprinted with permission from (iFashion

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BACK TO THE FUTURE )

A new beginning showing optimism and progress. Technology becomes playful in a sweet way. A new positive high-tech is restarting with references to the naivety of the 50s.

COLOURS )

Fresh, acidic tints that evoke chemical elixirs and experimental emulsions. The flashy, slightly pop colours of vitamin-charged smoothies: green, pink, turquoise, yellow and acidic orange. They are ac-companied by a second range of more faded and somewhat veiled, greyed tints.

SILHOUETTE )

A blend of functional, resolutely modern strictness in 60s structured shapes. We see clean appeal, sharp-cut lab coats or absolutely simple basics re-worked in luxurious, technical fabrics. References to medical bandages and an 80s sporty mood in fitted pieces are also forthcoming.

MEN )

A very clean style in fresh colours. This simplicity enables experimenting with new associations and new manners of wearing garments.

FABRICS )

Taffeta, coated canvas, cotton, jacquard and thick linen – textured surfaces with miniature motifs in clean, precise graphics. Elsewhere, a futurist mood is illustrated by synthetic, compact, girdling fabrics with technical finishes. Transparent harmonies and layering are more refined.

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AN HOMAGE TO NATURE )

Modern ceremonies, half-pagan, half-religious, which evoke the god-desses and vestal virgins of antiquity, pre-Raphaelite paintings and symbolism. A romantic, spiritual, poetic appeal.

COLOURS )

A soft, serene palette with kaolin accents. Chalky, light, faded, powder and talcum colours are accompanied by more intense shades of taupy beige and mauve. A range of dynamic, springtime pastels is added to this base: pink, greenish yellow, orange, vibrant green.

SILHOUETTE )

It is stretched in length to emphasize vertical structure for skirts, dresses, tunics or fluid, vapoury pants. The antique toga inspires one-piece garments like cover-up or T-shirt dresses and jumpsuits, but also details such as random drapings, drawstring shapes, twisted effects, knots or braids. The accent is on elegant ease: pants adopt the suppleness of pyjamas while fluid jerseys soften a tailoring mood.

MEN )

A nonchalant look, minimal, elegant and sober treated in a supple, almost homewear style: limp volumes, large comfortable shapes, naturally crinkled aspects, rolled hems and finishes.

FABRICS )

They are light and fluid: crepe, crepon, voile, gauze or fine tulle are worked alone or in layers for a young, romantic mood. In a natural atmosphere, we see refined, rustic effects: muslins or silk shantung worked in light weaves. In complement, vegetation or natural motifs are sometimes blurry or undefined.

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ALTERNATIVELY CHIC AND MORE WILD )

A woman-child with a retro look set in a Twin-Peaks universe. She looks like Mom and he looks like Granddad. A playful, girly mood juggling vintage patterns and faded 60s and 70s Americans colours creates a mundane atmosphere with a twisted angel.

COLOURS )

A cheerful, yet slightly faded range evoking 70s colours, which seem to have been softened in the washing machine. Muffled tones: pale blue, faded beige, soft khaki. A range completed by more intense hues of yellow or violet with stronger accents of red or sky blue.

SILHOUETTES )

A blend of retro elegance à la Jackie O reworked more romantically with fitted, high-waisted, slim-bust jackets and tops with jewel-like embroidery worn with mid-knee length, slim pencil skirts or Capri pants … and the campus inspiration of worn denim mini blousons and high school tops paired with tulle tutus.

MEN )

70s style, composed of bellbottom trousers, floral shirts and fitted jackets. A rock vintage spirit with military jackets and boot-cut jeans. Retro campus style with a polyamide blouson worn with a baseball T-shirt and bleached snow-coloured jeans.

FABRICS )

They cultivate a vintage mood with cottons and wool being worked to seem used, faded, softer and suppler. In a 70s, sporty mood, a range of relaxed fabrics: supple denims, thick canvases, casual fleece, washed out, checked yarn-dyes. A more sophisticated, Halston-style of chiffons, crepes and satins for a femme fatale look.

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WE HEAD TO SOUTH AMERICA )

A creative melting pot in a mix of influences and civilizations. From this universe, we rediscover both the appealing glamour of seductive movie actresses like Maria Felix and the humble elegance of tradi-tional folklore outfits.

COLOURS )

Vibrant, joyous party tints in splashes of colour. Blazing red and deep violet blend with more neutral shades evoking dry, South American landscapes: ochres, clays, beiges, cactus greens.

SILHOUETTES )

They take into account Latin America’s diversity. A military uniform mood reworked with a city attitude. Big, rustic shapes inspired by Indians and ornaments, which take their cue from Aztec motifs. But also: defined waists, the tapered, chic lines of gauchos, 50s seductive women and tango artists.

MEN )

The silhouette is inspired by retro-Hispanic elegance, black-trimmed jacket and floral shirt. The preppy look in a bad boy version from the Latino districts – full of fantasy. The ‘resort’ style nylon jacket is sportier and more modern calling on the comeback of boat shoes.

FABRICS )

A folklore inspiration: rough looks, rustic weaves, fresh cottons resem-bling household linens. On a more refined note: laces and macramés. A more precious inspiration with fabrics decorated by opulent ornaments, embroideries and appliqués. 0

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(6*8%&!0*By Suné Stassen

To compete for a $10 000 grant in an international design challenge

is not too shabby for a student. Originally about 450 students

from 28 countries competed for this prestigious prize. An inter-

national jury selected seven finalists that eventually competed

for the INDEX: AIGA Aspen Design College Challenge, Designing Water’s Future.

The Aspen Design Challenge is a joint project developed by AIGA

and INDEX: with the purpose of engaging the millennial generation

in solving an emerging set of global issues. The idea for Designing Water’s Future grew out of discussions at the World Economic

Forum in Davos, Switzerland, led by Brian Collins, chairman of

Collins, a New York-based communications and design firm, and

journalist J. Carl Ganter, co-founder of Circle of Blue, the inter-

national network of journalists, scientists and communications

designers that reports on the global fresh water crisis.

The finalists attended a three-day workshop where they met

design and business experts who helped them to refine their

products. These experts taught them how to develop a business

plan and how to emphasise their focus whilst presenting the

product and business plan.

According to Richard Grefe, the executive director of AIGA, the

idea was to take these concepts, work with the students and

help them to develop their ideas into viable realities, but also

to guide them in finding the correct partners that would assist

in executing and distributing their new product.

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Troels Lund Poulsen, Danish minister of environment, said at the award ceremony that the collaboration between high-end design products and green tech-nology is something to celebrate and to explore as a viable option for the industry.

Jo, who won the 2009 INDEX: AIGA Aspen Design College Challenge with her Veggie Patch project recently moved from Australia to the Netherlands to join the Masters’ course at the Design Academy in Eindhoven.

ED ) Who is Jo?

JS ) My name is Joanna Szczepanska and as an adopt-ed Australian, I’m generally just known as Jo. I gradu-ated in Industrial Design from Monash University with Honours and I’ve also dabbled in multimedia design, collage and set design but nothing too formal.

I was born in Poland to two Solidarity activists who felt they needed offspring to carry on the fight once they were jailed for ‘crimes against the state’ under the martial law imposed in Poland during the early 1980s. After my birth my mother and I were under house arrest for three years until, through the peti-tioning of Amnesty International, we were given the opportunity to leave to the country of our choice.

My mother was both highly idealistic and practical, a real survivor at heart. I can attribute my ability to empathise to being the child of a migrant, a single mother, and

a woman from a non-English speaking background. With the freedom to explore my passion I found design, more specifically social design and environmental sustainability because they are avenues for change.

ED ) In your portfolio you showcase stunning free-flowing visuals that are more graphic than just the tra-ditional technical feel of endless perspective drawings.

JS ) I’m not too sure what a real industrial design portfolio should look like, but I think most of what I produce reflect what is going on in my mind. I tend to have a need to organise thoughts and processes in the hope that it can help others if they come up against the same problem or issue. I enjoy sharing my findings and research. For that to be communi-cated well, I need to use graphics and imagery. I’ve never really studied graphic design, even in high school I opted for fine art and woodwork instead, but I think designers have that knowledge instinctively, which is why they are designers. Being able to com-municate your work and being proud of your process is an important part in your design evolution.

ED ) You seem to have projects and interests that are clearly diverse.

JS ) A lot of the projects I have on my portfolio are quite conceptual and they arise from a range of briefs. I guess their range of diversity reflects on what I found captivating at the time. I think each project is

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a fantastic opportunity to explore new things and push

yourself as a designer. For the Zirh bra, for example,

the brief was sporting goods, and I concentrated on

the aspect of protective products, and it just so hap-

pened to lead to the gap in the market for women

who play contact sports.

Then I have also worked on toys, interfaces, packaging

and educational products and my most recent full-time

job was working for Victoria Police, in crime scene re-

constructions. I find designs that are centred on the

user tend to bring about greater personal outcomes

and some interesting deviation and discoveries.

Veggie Patch has been my longest running project,

but in terms of which project I am most proud of to

date, I would have to say Refugee Realities. It was a

project run through Oxfam Australia where we built a

refugee camp in the middle of the city. My role was

that of creative assistant, but it meant overseeing all

the design in the project, from the set design, to a

website, advertisements, movies and a range of edu-

cational materials, all of which aimed to raise the

awareness of refugee issues among schoolchildren

and the wider community. For me as a refugee it was

very close to home, and it was great to be able to use

my design skills to give something back. Physically it

was demanding, but it was a very successful project

and I think it made an impact.

ED ) Explain why you decided to do your thesis on

the Veggie Patch.

JS ) The core of my project developed from the topic

of food and sustainability. I had many different solu-

tions, but in order to make the most impact you really

have to ‘grow’ your own food whether they are meat

or vegetables. By doing so you reduce food miles,

you can control chemicals, you have no packaging,

things are fresh, and you use a lot less water. And if

you include composting at the end of the food cycle,

you produce less rubbish. Composting your own food

scraps also reduces the likelihood of toxins from the

rubbish leaching into the water supplies and contam-

ination, and most importantly, growing your own food

makes you value it.

ED ) How did you end up in Copenhagen?

JS ) I ended up in Copenhagen, and Aspen thanks to

the INDEX: Aspen Design Challenge. The topic for last

year’s competition was water conservation and among

other features Veggie Patch reduced water consump-

tion when compared to mainstream agriculture. Growing

":0*)'

your own vegetables at home has been shown to use

half of the water used by commercial growers.

I met many inspiring and intelligent people, from dif-

ferent fields, who not only listened to what I had to

say, but gave me invaluable feedback and advice on

how to ‘sell’ my idea and further develop my product.

Although they were all very encouraging, they defi-

nitely didn’t hold back with their opinions, and, when

they needed to, they were brutally honest.

Winning the award was fantastic, and overwhelming

at once. I was so amazed that all these other people from

across the world believed in my idea as much as I did. I

also made many contacts with entrepreneurs and human-

itarian agencies who are continuing to assist me in

making this product a reality. $10 000 dollars isn’t re-

ally enough for me to start a large scale production of

the Veggie Patch but it is enough for me to create new

prototypes and distribute them for testing. It also gives

me the ability to recruit help to create an educational

kit with Veggie Patch which I am very excited about.

ED ) What is in stall for Jo?

JS ) Right now I’m taking baby steps into a totally

new environment. I just moved to Eindhoven in the

Netherlands. The Design Academy has a totally differ-

ent approach to teaching design in general and I can

only hope I learn as much as I can so that I can become

a well-rounded designer. I am really excited about the

prospect of designing practically in the field as part of

the course. This degree is not just for the sake of get-

ting another piece of paper with a stamp on it, but it’s

about having the experience of living far away from

home, exploring Europe, and immersing myself in de-

sign. After that I’m still not too sure. Going home and

enjoying the sun is definitely on my list, though.

ED ) Any tips for aspiring designers?

JS ) I guess my tip for aspiring designers is to take

every opportunity, to give things a shot. I think, as

designers, we are very self-critical and we censor and

choose not to share our work and ideas. It is impor-

tant to remember that none of us are perfect, we are

all learning constantly and that it is only from external

feedback we can make great ideas happen.

I would like to invite other young designers and stu-

dents to join me on my blog that I am currently running

for my Master’s programme http://sites.google.com/

site/joszczepanska/ 0

"::*)'

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As a designer you have a social re-

sponsibility to the people for whom

you are designing. Being aware of

what is going on around you can

be the starting point to creating

the next life-changing solution.

John Hutchinson (chief technology

officer), Philip Goodwin (industrial

designer) and Stefan Zwahlen

(electronics designer) and their

collaborators are individuals

whose designs do change lives and,

in fact, save them. The Freeplay

Energy team are individuals who

are actively aware, they are con-

stantly investigating, and they en-

courage discussion amongst

themselves and enthusiastically

seek collaboration with others.

Their efforts have not gone unre-

warded. Their latest design is the

INDEX: award-winning Freeplay

Fetal Heart Rate Monitor that is self-

powered by a hand crank. INDEX:

is the largest monetary design award

in the world and is dedicated to

change global mindsets by show-

ing and exploring how design can

improve life.

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In 2005, 500 000 women died in

childbirth – 99% of these deaths

occurred in South Asia and Africa.

The absence of basic healthcare

was the primary cause of their

deaths, meaning that with the

medical technology available today

these deaths were preventable. In

sub-Saharan Africa, a woman’s risk

of dying from complications in

childbirth is 1 in 22, in comparison

to the risk of 1 in 7 300 of women in

developed areas.

Four out of five maternal deaths

are the direct result of obstetric

complications and could be avoid-

ed with the presence of skilled

healthcare workers and basic

medical equipment. The Cape Town-

based Freeplay Energy team wanted

to do something about this situation.

Freeplay Energy is a consumer elec-

tronics company that balances profit

with humanitarian need by design-

ing and developing camping gear

while also providing NGOs with

products that meet educational and

medical needs in developing coun-

tries. Freeplay Energy’s company’s

goal is to make energy available to

everyone all of the time. They de-

sign and manufacture products

that empower the user to be self-

sufficient.

African clinics are littered with

remnants of western medical

equipment that is either broken

from harsh use or discarded

through a lack of electricity. Hutch-

inson and his team work closely

with the NGOs that use Freeplay

Energy products and are thus

more aware of this problem. After

conducting research of their own,

the team became aware of the

drastic infant and maternal mortality

rate in Africa and South Asia. The

team felt pressed to use their re-

silient designs and self-powering

hand crank technology in developing

medical devices.

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Freeplay Energy design team begin

the process by having vibrant dis-

cussions. They put down on paper

what they want the proposed prod-

uct to be able to do and develop a

‘want list’ and a ‘need list’. Hutchin-

son explains that the need deter-

mines the design and that by ask-

ing questions, possible problems

that could arise can be dealt with

before they do. Hutchinson stress-

es that the success of a product is

determined by fine-tuning the rel-

evant issues of cost, production

volumes and quality. The product is

doomed to fail unless each of these

three issues is deliberately consid-

ered regardless of how relevant the

product might be.

The second issue is the design it-

self. Hutchinson and his team felt

that designing a fetal heart rate mon-

itor would be relevant and could

possibly be the first step to making

a significant difference in dropping

infant and maternal mortality rates.

If a mother’s blood supply to the

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placenta is inadequate the baby

reduces its oxygen requirement and

subsequently slows its heart rate.

This is a sign that the baby is stressed

and not coping. A fetal heart rate

monitor will not prevent an emer-

gency but it will inform the medical

worker of the problematic situation

and then can either delay the deliv-

ery or seek more specialised help.

The device needed to be hardy and

resilient to dust and frequent use.

Zwahlen was responsible for the

design and the positioning of the

electronic hand crank. The wind-

ing of the external crank turns sev-

eral internal gears which in turn

charge a rechargeable battery. One

minute of turning the crank by

hand will result in ten minutes of

operation time. The hand crank

has been designed for the cadence

of a human arm which means that

the gears have been optimised to

make the turning of the crank easy

to wind at a fast pace. An On/Off

button allows the energy to be

stored and saved for time of need.

A numerical display shows symbols

to indicate the cardiac response of

the heartbeat and an audio compo-

nent amplifies the heart beat. The

Cape Town team lacked experience

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and CE accreditation to design and

produce the medical Doppler ul-

trasound technology responsible

for tracking the cardiac response.

For this device, they sent their

product to Welsh company Ul-

trasound Technology to install

the ultrasound component.

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The next step for the team was

to start testing the product. The

heart rate monitor was sent to

the Elsies River Community Health

Centre in Cape Town. This test-

ing centre was close by, and, as

Hutchinson says, one does not

have to go far away from home

to help people. Hutchinson made

contact with Dr David Woods at

the University of Cape Town who

put the team in contact with Mé-

decins Sans Frontières (Doctors

without Borders) who also test-

ed the monitors in the Philip-

pines. The feedback was highly

positive with the Elsies River

midwives not wanting to return

the product and Médecins Sans

Frontières reporting that they

also experienced success with

the product.

The medical fraternity is known to

be highly conservative, electing

to only work with and endorse

products that they know well. A

development that proved to be

highly beneficial to Hutchinson

and the team was the involvement

of John Wyatt, a professor of neona-

tology at the University College

of London Hospital. Wyatt was

eager to help and give the monitor

his vote of confidence. Wyatt

was able to acquire funding from

the Sir Halley Stewart Trust to

financially assist the monitor’s

development.

L(-:&.7;&$(7'*='

The process of researching, de-

signing and testing the Freeplay

Energy Heart Rate Monitor took

nine years to perfect. What the

team is left with is a thoroughly

considered design. Its form was

deliberately bulky in order to

withstand constant and vigorous

use. It has a universal plug point

if electricity is available, but the

sturdy hand crank has been de-

signed to be reliable at any time

and in any condition.

This product was conceptualised

and put into production because

it is socially relevant and will

make a positive impact.

In an age where natural resources

are becoming depleted at a rap-

id rate and where user consump-

tion is at an all around high, this

self powered medical device will

be beneficial to all in both devel-

oping and developed regions.

This fetal heart rate monitor is

an example of design that has

triumphed. 0

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$/#-/%*.&(4!**By Olivia De Gouveia

The Chulha, a low-tech stove designed to limit the dangerous health conditions caused by the traditions of indoor cooking in rural areas of the developing world, is truly an award winning solution, which could only have been made possible by including co-creation in the design process.

Philips’ Philanthropy by Design programme was launched with the generous idea of donating creativity to design meaningful solutions and the Chulha is its founding project. Through this proposal Philips Design made a significant attempt to support the work of NGOs in order to explore opportunities to create innovative humanitarian propositions and in turn, enable better living conditions for low-earning end users.

“For many women in rural India it is normal spending several hours a day cooking over an indoor open stove. What these women fail to realise is that there is an invisible killer in their kitchen: burning biomass fuels causes almost 500 000 deaths every year in India alone,” states a report by the World Health Organisa-tion in 2009.

Initially the Philips Design team was challenged to come up with a solution for healthy and safe cooking with a minimum smoke output. Secondary to that, and even more importantly, the result had to be designed to suit the local context of rural and semi-urban India,

taking both social and cultural factors into account. This is an example of where it can become difficult as a designer to create solutions to problems one is un-familiar with and where using a process like co-creation can be most beneficial.

The design brief specifically required the designers to question how their product could reduce indoor pollu-tion and as a result, minimise health-related diseases. They also needed to research how they could respectfully consider local culinary habits and cooking behaviours in order to model a solution that would be appropriate to users’ daily routine and dietary requirements.

Chulha users say: “The house used to be full of smoke but now it is much clearer because most of the smoke goes out of the house.”

The designers not only paid attention to an easily acces-sible product, but also had to ensure that it was easy to use and maintain. And on top of everything they needed to construct an intelligent production process that would allow it to be manufactured at low cost, ensuring its spread into the marketplace.

The designers obviously needed all the help they could get, and a set of ‘personas’ were created to get them to try and understand the end-users’ circum-stances. These ‘fictional characters’ provided insights

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into a day in the life of the targeted communities. Case studies, testimonials, as well as individual and collective stories, which reflected people’s require-ments and ambitions, were used to investigate their interactions with certain products and services.

An intuitive understanding of these people gathered from both statistical data as well as subjective infor-mation were then used as design tools to help create a human-focused design. Emerging opportunities and context-specific technological challenges were also mapped out from this research. However, with-out personal interaction with the users or first-hand experience, the designers still lacked a complete un-derstanding of the context in which their product would exist. In order to design a truly effective solu-tion they needed to get to the heart of the problem – rural India. This is where the most holistic part of the experience came in – co-creation.

Together with an organisation called Green Earth, a local sustainable development agency that dealt with grass root behaviours and social studies, they were able to gather more specific insights into the com-munity. An introductory visit with people from the vil-lages of Kerwadi, Phaltan, Maltan and Karad, in the state of Maharashtra, was followed by a week of observa-tion and extensive interviews, which were focused on four rural and two semi-urban families. This included

not only studying all the family members, their behav-ioural patterns and routine but, most importantly, the role of the women who were in charge of the cooking activities. These rather informal interviews were conducted in the local language, Marathi, to ensure that the indi-viduals would be able to express themselves clearly.

After an intensive research phase and personal inter-action, it became clear that there were a number of important things to consider when designing the stove. It had to be adaptable to different biomass fuels, for example, the most commonly used are cow-dung or wood but they are only available either seasonally or geographically. The stove needed to be able to accom-modate the non-standard sizes of cooking pots that are used in the rural areas, as well as be flexible for the cooking of different kinds of meals, for example, steaming rice, boiling water or preparing chapatti (bread).

Chulha users continue to say: “The second pot is very helpful for boiling water or milk and the stove is es-pecially good for cooking regular meals.”

Major design innovations were proposed by the de-sign team as the next step. They needed to create a modular design to make the stove easier to trans-port, distribute, install and repair. Ensuring the chim-ney could be cleaned easily and safely was another

important aspect, as well as considering more variety in terms of use such as roasting and steaming.

These alterations were integrated in the ‘Sampoorna’ and ‘Saral’ models of the Chulha. The ‘Saral’, a dou-ble oven with a hotbox, is priced at around !11/±R122, while the more sophisticated ‘Sampoorna’ which in-cludes a steamer, is priced around !15/±R166. These stove solutions and their chimneys are constructed mainly of concrete modular units which have been covered with clay. This system, which makes use of smaller components, allows for the easy replacement of parts over time that could require repair, as well as more economical transportation. By cleverly utilising the waste by-products of agricultural storage, the stoves are packed in recycled woven polypropylene bags to complete the cycle of sustainable thinking.

The next most important part of the process was to do a technical assessment of the stove in a labora-tory. Heating efficiency, rate of cooling, soot reten-tion, as well as time and fuel required to boil a litre of water were all tested. Tests showed that equal heat distribution resulted in faster boiling/cooking, reduc-ing the overall time by three minutes in comparison to standard stoves.

By installing a soot collector the amount of soot that actually reached the chimney was reduced and resulted in cleaner air. Other benefits included reduced pipe obstruction due to soot build-up as well as a decrease in the time it would take to repair the chimney.

Conventional chimneys are known to be hard to clean. One of the earlier designs featured a chimney that was split into three separate parts that would allow it to be cleaned from the inside but this posed problems too, as soot had more opportunities to fall in the surrounding area of the stove. Adding a chim-ney connector with a connective joint closer to the top of the pipe ensured easier cleaning and ensuring that any escaping soot would be directed to fall back conveniently inside the Chulha.

The designers faced particular challenges from the outset. More intensive one-on-one research and incor-porating collaboration into their process definitely helped them to make informed design decisions but also resulted in the task of trying to build community trust and engage with the inhabitants to communi-cate the stove’s value and possible benefits.

Difficulties weren’t only present at the beginning of the project, but also during important decision-making during the development stage. By giving a voice to the rural and semi-urban individuals who would use the end product, the team had to represent their viewpoints in the discussion with the project’s stake-holders. This part of the co-creation process proved to be problematic to ensure that all opinions were taken into account for the final designs and resulted in a prolonged process that required patience and diligence. However, the hardworking team perse-vered and in the end, the product speaks for itself.

According to Dr P Karve, Chulha has a better chance of succeeding than other concrete smokeless stoves because it is more attractive, and has improved func-tional features.

Currently Philips intends to go beyond only a scien-tific evaluation of their stoves’ performance, but also to assess their long-term economic and social accom-plishments.

In the meantime, they can bask in the acknowledge-ment they received through winning an INDEX: Award in the Home category. This is the biggest global design award scheme and supports the INDEX mission to generate design that improve the quality of life glo-bally. The Chulha stove received top honours because of its ability to burn biomass fuel efficiently and direct cleaned smoke out of the house through a chimney, as well as the open-source business model for the distribution of the design. 0

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6(--(8')2*+'2*>?>GA**By Marieke Adams

What do a bullet, a porcelain deer, a cardiac valve and bubblegum have in common? They are four of the 186 products that came from one pig. Dutch designer, Christien Meindertsma is the designer behind the project, PIG 05049, where a real pig was followed, from a Dutch farm, through slaughter, and on to the production of over 186 different products all around the world.

Meindertsma conducted this three-year-long project to communicate and create an awareness of the products that we consume and the materials they are made of and won a prestigious INDEX: Award last year. The intent was to “help people in a highly mechanised and ‘pack-aged’ world understand how things are made and where they come from so that the resources involved can be cared for by enlightened, informed people.”

Some of the particularly unusual or unknown out-comes discovered by Meindertsma include a production process with gelatine, where it is used to inject gunpowder smoothly into the bullets. Yet another is the use of pig-related components in food items. Gelatine, pro-duced from this particular pig, was used in confec-tioneries, gums and desserts, while protein from the pig’s hair was used to make bread soft. Bone ashes were used in the production of bone china and porce-lain. Pork fat was also found in an array of cosmetics, such as anti-wrinkle creams, make-up and shampoo. And these diverse and unusual outcomes are but a few of the 186 products documented in the book PIG 05049 that highlight the general alienation of final products from their origins and their raw materials.

The extensive three-year research project culminated in a clean and understated brown covered book with

yellow tag. This simple cover, with a copy of the yel-

low ear-tag that the original pig wore, compliments

the relatively simple idea it stands for. However, this

simple starting point stands in stark contrast with the

unexpectedly complicated information that it led to.

The book is filled with one-to-one scaled photo-

graphs of all of the products resulting from the pig in

question, while simple diagrams are included, illus-

trating which parts of the pig were used for which

products. Divided into the chapters Skin, Bones,

Muscles, Blood, Internal intestines, Fat and Other, the

book visually documents all of the resulting products

that came about, either directly, or via production

methods, from this one pig. With such a subject mat-

ter, the book could justifiably tend towards a critical

or moral commentary about the treatment and condi-

tions of animals, or the unspecified use of pig parts

in cosmetic creams or food substances, which could

raise religious concerns for some. But this is not its

aim. Instead, it provides an informative and non-

judgmental approach, with the sole purpose of com-

municating interesting information.

As winner of the INDEX: Play category, Meindertsma

received !100 000 with which she plans to continue

with similar communication design projects. Her next

project also stems from the farm. She is working on a

series of colouring books that each revolve around a

different type of farm, using yet another approach to

communicate, inform and create awareness in society

where so much gets lost and where there is a lack of

understanding that often leads to ignorance. 0

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By Suné Stassen

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At first glance, Street Swags is a bed and a bag designed to provide more

comfort, warmth and protection from weather for people living on the

streets. But, Street Swags is much more than just a well-designed product

that addresses the immediate needs of a minority group who are often

sidelined by society. It is an integrated concept that engages many

stakeholders in addressing the multiple and complex issues of being

homeless in contemporary urban society.

The Australian social entrepreneur and creator of the Street Swags

project, Jean Madden, who won the coveted INDEX: People’s Choice

Award 2009, shares some insights into the project and her views on life

and design in an interview with ED).

ED ) Who is Jean Madden and what do you value?

JM )'I was brought up in a big Catholic family where doing charity work

and helping out in the community was a very normal thing. At university I

studied to be a school teacher whilst completing a second degree in fine

arts and music. I then went on to complete a Masters in Theology, special-

ising in Eco-feminist Theology. I still teach religions and ethics part-time.

ED ) What was the original thinking behind the Street Swags concept

and how did this grow into the product we see today?

JM )'To me the world is a single organism with all components reliant on

each other for their existence. It’s like playing with a ball of Plasticine,

when one part is raised another part must go down. Wealth and status

always develop at the expense of others. The earth will not be able to run

smoothly if it continues to be pulled out of kilter.

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As a teenager I had worked with

the local homeless for many years

and I had seen their situation dete-

riorating. The numbers were increas-

ing and local authorities were

making things even harder for

them. It was up to the community

to look after their own and to take

responsibility for each other. The

Street Swags project is a means of

educating and changing the way

that members of the community

relate to each other.

ED ) What are Street Swags about?

JM )'Homeless people, who live in

dire poverty and fear, needed a

portable shelter, bed and blanket in

which they could carry their extra

belongings. It needed to be com-

fortable, yet able to withstand harsh

weather conditions. Most impor-

tantly, though, it needed to not look

like bedding, as to protect these

people’s safety, particularly that of

the women and children. It needed

to be simple enough so that un-

trained helpers could produce

them by the thousands and cheap

enough to be disposable.

Based on the concept of a single

sheet of folded piece of paper, I

sewed the first couple of designs

on ‘Barbie doll’ size, which was

about the extent of my sewing ca-

pabilities. I used felt instead of

foam and ribbon for strapping. My

mother then made the first full size

model. Mum and I love the benefits

of natural fabric so we went look-

ing for cotton canvas and we found

a wholesaler who sold a very spe-

cialised super-light weight, water-

proofed canvas. He helped is to find

the kind of foam that we were after.

We then trailed them and made fur-

ther refinements.

The media was also vital in spread-

ing the word and telling the com-

munity what we were aiming to do

and together, within a couple of

weeks, we had a nearby prison

making hundreds for that up-com-

ing Christmas period. Since then

we have bedded over 12 000 people

across Australia, and beyond.

ED ) Explain the extended design

process and philosophy.

JM )'A bag with room for extra be-

longings, the Street Swag is made

of super lightweight waterproofed

canvas with a high-density foam

mattress. It offers its users a degree

of comfort, warmth and protection

from the weather.

Street Swags empower and bring

together all levels of community.

Corporates, private entities and

service providers donate funds to

sponsor these specially designed

beds. Prisoners sew, gaining work

readiness skills and qualifications.

Disadvantaged indigenous com-

munities gain from government

employment, home industry skills

and their finished product for their

families. School children roll and

package Street Swags with blankets,

pillows, hygiene packs and knitted

winter essentials and numerous aid

organisations, hospitals, community

groups and volunteers distribute

them.

ED )'Tell us about winning the INDEX:

People’s Choice Award 2009.

JM )'It was a very long way for me to

come from Australia to Denmark,

and it was an even bigger deal to

leave my husband and little boy for

the ten days, but I felt I had to go.

What I value most from my big jour-

ney are the amazing people I met.

It was such an honour to be in the

company of some of the cleverest,

most creative and caring people in

the world and for that I am truly

grateful.

ED )'What did you do with your

stunning prize?

JM )' My Egg chair designed by

Arne Jacobsen in 1958 is an iconic

Danish design and the ‘swag’ is an

iconic Australian design, which I

adapted. You may have heard of ‘the

Jolly Swagman’ who is the character

in a very famous Australian song

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‘Waltzing Matilda’ (Matilda is his

swag). So I thought it was a beau-

tiful gesture to honour one coun-

try’s iconic design with another.

The Egg sits gloriously in the main

room of my house and my little boy

loves giving rides to all our guests.

He thinks I bought it back for him.

ED )'What are the future plans for

your product?

JM )'As an Australian charity gov-

erned by our countries taxation

laws, Street Swags Ltd could only

send 10% of what we make over-

seas. So in order to respond to the

massive need and interest for

Street Swags generated by INDEX:

we started a second company,

wholly owned by the charity, Walk-

about Beds Pty Ltd. This subsidiary

company not only has the ability

to supply the Street Swags to aid

organisations in other countries,

but it also sells a new version de-

signed for emergency relief, The

Walkabout Bed. The website www.

walkaboutbeds.com shows what

these are about.

I also plan to further my work,

pushing communities to take the

next step in caring for each other

and their world and changing peo-

ple’s minds on how they value

these relationships. 0

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By Weyers Marais

Until June 2009, if I encountered the acronym, SABS, I would think of the little white SABS stamp of approval symbol on the window of my dad’s old VW Citi Golf. On long trips I used to stare at this symbol while the scenery hazed past in the background. As I grew up, I learnt that this stamp of approval meant that a product had been tested by the SABS to make sure it is a quality working product that adheres to strict local and inter-national standards. In June 2009, however, I learnt that since 1987, the SABS has also been putting its stamp of approval on young design talent, and more specifically, leadership and entrepreneurship development in South Africa, resulting in great talent being uncovered, pro-moted and given opportunity to grow and thrive.

In the mid-eighties, the SABS Design Institute started taking steps towards becoming involved in design edu-cation with the end goal of promoting young design talent to, in turn, benefit South Africa and its people. During that time, Adrienne Viljoen, now manager of the SABS Design Institute, took her inspiration from the international success stories of designer Kenji Ekuan and the Abe Bailey Award Scheme. Viljoen believed that,

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like Ekuan and the students involved in the Abe Bailey travel bursary, young designers in South Africa could be empowered by an initiative that exposed them to inter-national design. She also believed that this platform could inspire such young designers to take ownership of design in their own communities and as a result, new South African design leaders would be born.

This developed into the SABS Design Achievers Awards initiative. To the same end of inspiring young designers to plough back into their own communities and country by the means of creativity, the Achievers Awards have for the past 23 years been judged with a focus on talent, leadership and social entrepreneurship. This focus has for many years unlocked or emphasised the participat-ing students’ potential and has resulted in many suc-cess stories of past Achievers.

The first Design Achiever winner was Jacques Ros-souw, a graphic design student from the University of Stellenbosch. Today, Jacques heads a leading com-munication design consultancy based in San Francisco, USA, which has won numerous prominent awards.

The second winner, Jacques Lange – yes, another Jacques – a former graduate from the University of Pretoria, went on to become president of the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda) and co-chair of the International Design Alliance (IDA). Jacques is creative director and partner at Bluprint Design, group editor of the DESIGN) stable of publications and will chair the jury for the 2010 Design Achievers Awards.

The first female winner of Design Achievers was Monica Di Ruvo, a former interior design student from the Tech-nikon of the Witwatersrand. Today Monica heads an in-terior architecture firm which operates in several African countries. She has also remained involved with the Achievers Awards acting as chairperson of the adju-dication panel from 2007 to 2009.

These are only three of the many and varied success stories of past Design Achievers and although it seems too good to be true that so much success can come from one initiative, I can personally vouch for the ex-tent of the influence this award scheme has on a young designer’s life.

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In April of 2009, while still completing my fourth year in Surface Design at Cape Peninsula University of Technology, I was encouraged by a past Achievers Awards finalist to enter my thesis project. My research topic was based on making a design difference through social entrepreneurship and fitted quite well into the judging criteria. At first, all I could think about was going there to win, winning a trip to an international workshop and experiencing international design. After writing my entry motivation and compiling the port-folio required, I sent in my entry and waited with great hope. I soon heard that I had been selected as a finalist and along with 24 other students from across South Africa I was flown to Johannesburg to present my project and personal ideas to a panel of discerning judges, representing many different industries, dimensions and perspectives.

From the first day spent with the other students, I started to realise that this opportunity was about much more than a trip abroad, and definitely about much more than winning a competition. At the time I was surrounded by some of the top young design minds in South Africa and not only did I get to meet them, but I got to spend time talking to them about their work, their ideas, their paradigms. I was able to network with like-minded people of my own age an many inspiring mentors who have made their mark in the design industry.

Before Design Achievers, I thought I was the only person who worked and thought the way I did. However, when I met the other Design Achiever finalists, I was greatly humbled and inspired to find there are others who share and exceed my burning passions and my thoughts about ploughing back into my community and country. I did not only meet students, I met industry leaders with amazing ideas and thoughts about design. This expe-rience encouraged me and filled me with hope for our country’s future.

To me, Design Achievers was a journey that still con-tinues today because I know I shall stay involved in some way or another in future. After the rigorous adjudication process I was selected as runner-up and although this was an incredible honour, I still look back and what really stands out are the people I met and what I learnt from them. Two of those people are Sidhika Sooklal and Ntibile Zonke. Sidhika (Sid) was the first Indian woman to win Design Achievers and did so in 2008. At the time she was studying Information Design at the Univer-sity of Pretoria. Sid won Design Achievers with her design of a cervical cancer prevention campaign for South Africa called ‘One in twenty nine’.

Ntibile, who won in 2009, was at the time a fourth year Visual Communication Design student from Stellen-bosch University. He entered his fourth year project, an

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educational game for young children based on games already familiar to the children in the Cape Town townships.

Recently, I met up with them again and asked them to share their Design Achievers experiences.

WM )'Ntibile, tell me a bit more about your thinking behind the game you designed for Design Achievers Awards (DAA).

NZ )'Because I think it is important for the game to have a South African identity, I designed my game based on existing indigenous games, I grew up with like ‘diketo’. The main aim is really to educate children and I believe that games are an effective way to do so because chil-dren enjoy learning while they play. The game is rooted in my own backyard. it’s about my community and the issues that I am exposed to. I want to use my design skills and apply them to help children in my community.

WM )'Do you have future development plans for your project?

NZ )'At the moment the game is still an idea that needs to be developed into a final product, but I do plan to do this as part of a Masters study project.

WM )'Being the awarded Design Achiever 2009, your prize was to attend the Zsennye Design Workshop that was held for a week in Hungary in September. Tell us more about this experience.

NZ )'I represented South Africa at this workshop, which in itself was a huge honour and a great responsibility. There were different groups that you could partici-pate in – automotive design, catastrophe design, phi-losophy in design, eco-media design and eco-design. I chose the latter which was about understanding the role of the designer in the whole product life-cycle.

There were designers from Hungary, Taiwan, Malaysia, Turkey, Poland and the Czech Republic. The different groups were given briefs and we had to come up with new ideas. Our group was very focused on finding ways to tackle the ecological problem that the world currently faces. One of our ideas was to build a place that could teach children about recycling. There were also presentations from different university professors. I enjoyed every-thing and I’ve learned a lot during my time in Hungary.

Interview with Sidhika Sooklal (SS)), the 2008 DAA winner

WM )'As the winner of 2008 Design Achievers, tell us a bit about your experiences.

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SS )'DAA 2008 was a phenomenal experience. As a finalist I had the opportunity to meet other young design-ers from around South Africa as well as Africa. DAA 2008 allowed me to engage with young people from other institutions and disciplines, as well as learn about the calibre of design education at various insti-tutions. One aspect that DAA has introduced in re-cent years is the involvement of young designers from other African countries. Personally I really en-joyed not only seeing South African design from a lo-cal context, but from a continental perspective as well. The structure of the DAA programme allowed me to build personal relationships and networking opportunities. It also provided us as students with presentations on things you may not learn about at university, such as public speaking and intellectual property law and many other aspects. Being a finalist in itself, was a memorable and invaluable experience and has changed my ideas and concerns about design.

Being surrounded by 20+ other passionate, hard-working and committed designers and chosen as ‘the best out of them’ all is a very humbling experience.

WM )'As the overall winner, you were awarded a trip to Nagoya, Japan, to attend an international student design seminar. Japanese culture and design must have been quite viscerally contrasting to what we are used to in South Africa. What stood out for you with regards to the country’s culture and their way of thinking about and approaching everyday life?

SS )'Japan is definitely a culture shock to the average South African. Culturally what stood out to me is the amount of respect instilled in the culture. Japanese people exude respect in everything, from etiquette to work ethic. Respect depicts the ultimate value and gratitude people

have for other people, their occupations, the environments and so forth. Their attitude to respect, hard work and dedication was awe-inspiring.

WM )'What stood out for you in your trip with regards to the Japanese’s approach to design and how did this influence your personal design approach?

SS )'Japanese designers are very hard-working and dedicated. Contemporary Japanese design is defi-nitely moving towards a user-centred and humanistic approach. I think brands such as MUJI testify to this emergence. Furthermore, I think the conventional thoughts of Japanese design conjure up images of Manga and Anime, as well as the use of illustration in way-finding systems. The Japanese are definitely very playful and creative in their design solutions, such that they are unique, culturally specific and striking.

I think the experience has made me consider the im-plications of everything I design. The experience of both DAA and Japan has made me realise that design is not a vacuum. We as designers have a responsibil-ity to respect what we do and fulfil our obligations to the best of our abilities.

WM )'Your thoughts on DAA and award schemes in general?

SS )' I am very grateful for the experience that the DAA allowed me. I think in South Africa the initiative has numerous values. First of all, awards schemes are motivations for young designers. It motivates de-signers to want to produce exceptional design work and aspire to be recognised for their abilities. DAA is based on the concept of using design to solve social issues. It therefore allows designers the opportunity to

"!0*)'

engage in problem solving a social issue. All the design books in the world state design is a problem solving activity. What better use of design skill, than using it to solve social issues. DAA is for some students the only opportunity and exposure to this realisation. It there-fore can be a gateway into a new career path, innova-tive new product or just a realisation of the power of design. The initiative and media-hype surrounding it is an awesome platform to build public and govern-mental awareness of the power of design.

The SABS Design Achievers initiative is doing invalu-able work towards promoting and investing in South Africa’s design future, but this is not where it ends. The international design arena has always been char-acterised by constant change. As a result, Design Achiev-ers has never been static in its development and has stayed in a constant state of flux since inception. I briefly spoke to Design Achievers founder, Adrienne Viljoen, to find out more about where Design Achievers is headed next year and also asked her about her long-term vision for the initiative.

“Design Achievers has never been static and we have kept our forward motion by encouraging past finalists and winners to be involved as mentors in the pro-gramme after their participation, whether it is through speaking at our weekend of judging or being a part of the judging panel,” said Adrienne. She went on to say that these same mentors are really the ones she sees as responsible for the programme’s direc-tion in future.

When asked about Design Achievers 2010, Adrienne shared her long-term vision as the context for the 2010 programme. “A country is strong when its neigh-bours are strong, for this reason we want to invest in

and develop design in Africa, not just in South Africa. We have been inviting African students to the Achiev-ers judging week for the last few years, but in 2010 we want them to participate more actively as the South African students will.”

While elaborating about the future of Design Achiev-ers, Adrienne also spoke about plans for 2011. The SABS plans to see Design Achievers 2011 held in an African country where students from South Africa and other African countries will meet for the Design Achievers Awards. With this in mind, the 2010 Design Achievers, again from both South Africa and other African countries, will participate in a workshop where they will ask questions about what value de-sign could have for Africa as well as discuss the theme, content and possible outcome for the 2011 Design Achievers meeting. Next year and 2011 will be made possible by a collaboration between the SABS Design Achievers Awards and the Network of African Designers – a relationship which will continue to play a vital role in the future growth of design in Africa.

While, in my mind, the SABS has always been synony-mous with quality approved South African product design, it is clear that their stamp stretches far wider than design within our own borders and that beyond the quality of products, they are investing in the qual-ity of young design leaders from our continent. With this knowledge, one cannot help but share Adrienne’s vision that such investment will prove invaluable in the development of those who will inevitably be our future design leaders. 0

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/(#.!*%)"*-!'.#0!*%)"*8((-8(0&/.*C(')*6(0$!.*&(*)#0&#0!*-($%-*!$(<60'!)"-5*"!.'2)*Now in its second year, the House and Leisure Green Designers at Woolworths competition aims to promote an emerging generation of eco-design stars. Students are en-couraged to take green prototypes from idea to retail.

Over a seven-month period House and Leisure features the creations of students from various tertiary design institutions around the country. House and Leisure and Woolworths then select the top ten designers, who will take their prototypes one step further, by sourcing manufacturers able to convert their designs into shelf-ready product.

“The aim of the competition is to allow South Africa’s young designers the opportunity to give expression to their eco-friendly designs,” says Naomi Larkin, editor of House and Leisure magazine. “We then profile the best of these creations in House and Leisure. This year, together with Woolworths, we have decided to take the concept further and have

challenged students to source appro-priate manufacturers to help them turn their prototypes into reality. “Eco-friendly design is not only about creating things that will make our lives better without harming the en-vironment, but is also about being responsible in terms of the suppliers and partners used in creating the final product,” concludes Larkin.

This sustainable approach to design resonates with Woolworths, which is again sponsoring the competition this year, and which hopes to see some of the designs in its stores. “Over the last five years we have taken major steps in supporting local design,” says Paul Duncan, head of design, homeware at Woolworths. “This year we are pushing the stu-dents to think further than just con-cept. We’re encouraging them to work where possible with our suppliers in an effort to come up with a product that has commercial value. Good ideas are one thing; good ideas that sell product are quite another. These are the realities of retail.”

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The cream of the local design scene has agreed to

mentor students from seven South African tertiary de-

sign institutions. “Students have the privilege of being

mentored by some of the top creative minds the industry

has to offer,” says Larkin. The mentors for this year’s

competition are: Melissa Kerkhoff, owner of Lula Fabrics;

Sally Arnold, owner of Karoostar Interiors; Lise Butler

and Amanda Haupt, owners of Design Team; Richard

Hart, owner of Disturbance; Kate Carlyle, owner of

Mustardseed & Moonshine; Philipe Bousquet, Jewellery

Designer; and Pierre Swanepoel, owner of Studiomas.

And access to great mentors is not the only thing stu-

dents stand to gain. Each of the finalists will receive a

R1 000 Woolworths gift voucher, and the three overall

winners (who will be announced at Design Indaba in

February 2010) will each receive a MacBook.

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Melissa Kerkhoff, owner of Lula Fabrics ) What are

South Africa’s design strengths? “Our rich heritage

and recycling – look at township art and Heath Nash’s

fabulous lighting.”

Sally Arnold, owner of Karoostar Interiors ) On why

she is involved in this competition: “I like helping to

create design that’s good for the soul, the environ-

ment and the purse.”

Lise Butler and Amanda Haupt , owners of Design

Team ) On why they are involved in the competition:

“We gained valuable knowledge ourselves through

industry-related project while studying and believe

it’s appropriate now to offer inspiration and guidance

from a professional point of view.”

Richard Hart, owner of Disturbance ) What is South

Africa’s design strength? “I think there’s a joy and

expressiveness in South African design that’s unique.

We just need to learn to believe in our own sense of

style.”

Kate Carlyle, owner of Mustardseed & Moonshine )

On why she is involved in the competition: “I’m excited

to work with young, innovative, lateral thinkers who

believe they can change the world…and will do so.”

Philipe Bousquet, jewellery designer ) On what he

would like to take away from this mentoring experi-

ence? “To meet students full of dreams and to feed

mine too.”

Pierre Swanepoel, owner of Studiomas ) On what he

would like to teach the students: “Share more. Commu-

nities can achieve more as a collective.” 0

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A lighting design inspired by South

Africa’s iconic vuvuzela has won a top

award for John Edwards (24), a Uni-

versity of Cape Town School of Archi-

tecture student. Edwards’ design

was selected from over 120 entries

in the eighth annual SOLVE New

Talent Search award. The ceremony

was held at the Green Point, Cape

Town outlet of Weylandts Home-

stores at the end of last year. The

prestigious annual competition,

organised by Elle Decoration mag-

azine and sponsored by Weylandts,

was, for the first time, open to both

students and amateur designers.

The other finalists were Carly Warren

(20) of the BHC School of Design

in Cape Town, Stiaan Bester (30),

partner at KarbonBlack Creative, a

Pretoria-based information design

studio, and Micha Koren (26), an

architecture graduate who is the

founder of korigin.com, a fledgling

design company in Cape Town.

The judges looked for a simple and

unique design that captured the zeit-

geist and a solution that was eco-

friendly and showed an understand-

ing of design as part of a process,

from its origins to how the waste

materials are dealt with. A clear

understanding of the brief was es-

sential and the production cost

should not exceed R1 800.

“I have wanted to enter the com-

petition every year since its incep-

tion, but I never thought I had a good

enough idea” said Edwards. “I

thought I’d just try out an idea this

year – and the outcome has way

exceeded my expectations.”

“Inspired by the 2010 FIFA World

Cup, I wanted to design something

soccer-related. The first idea I had,

ended up as the one I submitted –

a light based on the vuvuzela. Visitors

to South Africa will want to take home

more than a plastic curio – the design-

savvy visitor will look for something

more. The ‘Vuvu lamp’ will be made

of timber and will be turned to get

the right shape.”

Edwards admires South African

designer Adriaan Hugo for his in-

dustrial-like, simple designs. Inter-

national inspiration comes from New

Zealand designer David Trubridge.

“In terms of architecture, I really ad-

mire the work of the local OMM De-

sign Workshop and, internationally,

Peter Zumthor.”

Judge Chris Weylandt said of the

winning design: “Perfectly pitched

simplicity means that ‘Vuvu’ can suc-

cessfully migrate from one room

to another throughout the home,

and it also translates well from a

standing lamp into a bedside lamp

and pendant.”

“As we source much of our home-

ware and furniture from all over the

"70*)'

world, it is through this competition that we can

discover and nurture new local talent. Although I

travel the world in search of beautiful and rare pieces

of furniture that change, inspire and offer solu-

tions to people’s homes, nothing gives me greater

pleasure than to find some of these solutions on

home soil in South Africa.”

The competition judges are all well-known in the

design industry. Adam Hoets is an architect and

garnered the Elle Decoration International Design

Awards 2008 Lighting Design and 2009 Designer

of the Year Award, along with business partner

Sian Eliot, for their work on Willowlamp’s chande-

liers. Paul Pamboukian lectures on lighting design

and runs the Paul Pamboukian & Associates Light-

ing Design studio.

Ravi Naidoo, the founder of Interactive Africa,

gives the world the Design Indaba Conference and

Expo every year – one of the premier design events

in the world today. Chris Weylandt of Weylandts

was the fourth invited judge and the winning de-

sign will be manufactured and sold by Weylandts.

The other judges were décor stylist Doreen de

Waal, Elle Decoration’s editor, Karen Roos and

deputy editor, Lauren Shantall. 0

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What a lovely affair. The perfect setting to a prestig-

ious event, Carrol Boyes’s studio played host to the

Metal Fruitfull Awards which saw ten finalists pre-

senting their beautifully crafted prototypes for all to

see. With so many well-executed pieces, it would

surely be a tough decision.

While photographing the scene, I was attracted by a

fascinating piece which seemed to emulate bubbles

on the surface of water. The designer was third-prize

winner Christiaan van Aardt. After studying Industrial

Design at CPUT, Christiaan was employed as a de-

signer at point-of-sale for a company called Todwil in

Paarl. “I stumbled upon the competition on the Inter-

net. I collected images I could add to my library of

inspiration. My ‘library’ became my reference to come

up with something that was out of the box and to put

the ‘Fruitfull’ theme into context,” says Van Aardt of

his inspiration for the brief. The biggest challenge he

faced while designing the prototype was trying to

find time to produce it, as his full-time job takes up a

huge chunk of his time.

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Not following any particular style, Van Aardt lets his

feelings take the lead when going about the design

process, sketching and experimenting with ideas in a

3D modelling programme. “I aimed to work within a

limiting size for ease of production and produced a

3D modelled mould using in-house CNC technolo-

gies. The model was then turned into a physical

mould, and a vacuum form was then produced from

the mould. The mould was trimmed, sanded and

sprayed and this resulted in the final prototype.”

Van Aardt is delighted to have received recognition

for his design of ‘Bubbly’. “Knowing there are people

out there recognising the potential of young design-

ers is very pleasing and means that all the hard work

paid off. Just having my name linked with a well

known design company like Carrol Boyes means so

much to me, and hopefully this will only lead to greater

things in the future.”

Second-prize winner, Oupa Vusimusi Mokwena, de-

signer of the hand carved ‘Swivel Tsonga’, is as ex-

cited about the prospects the recognition of this com-

petition holds, as he is passionate about his love for

wood. “Making the prototype required using ma-

chines, but I reverted to the handmade touch. Stem-

ming from handcrafted products, I carved my bowl

from wood. It would be original as I see that most

guys are blinded by the material – metal – but I stayed

true to myself because I love wood.”

Deeply influenced by his culture, Mokwena says his

style is constantly changing and because of this, in-

terpreting the brief was difficult at first. “I hit a brick

wall when coming up with initial ideas, but then I

tapped into my culture and looked at tribes in Africa

for my inspiration. I was able to build and produce it,

adding my motives afterwards. As I am so fond of making

things by hand, I set about doing some sketches and

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then carved the prototype out of the wood by hand,

sanding it just a bit to get a smoother look.”

A 2001 graduate of Pretoria Technikon, Mokwena is cur-

rently self-employed, keeping himself occupied with

working tools, commissions and the occasional handy

work stint. “It feels good to get recognition for my hard

work. I think things will change a lot after this as it is

a great boost to my business venture.”

The overall winner was Martin Doller for his Origami-

inspired ‘Ga-mi’. Doller had this to say in an interview

with ED ) .

ED ) Where did you study?

MD ) I graduated in 2005 after studying Industrial

Design at Cape University of Technology.

ED ) Where do you currently work?

MD ) I am self-employed. It allows for more freedom

as a designer.

Although I don’t limit myself to lighting, a lot of my

recent work has involved custom-built chandeliers.

ED ) How did you interpret the brief?

MD ) I looked at table decorations and the folding of

the serviette, which led to origami and paper as inspi-

ration.

ED ) What were some of the challenges you faced

while designing and producing your prototype?

MD ) Preserving the fruit was crucial, as fruit tends

to go off really quickly, so my focus was to design a

product using the appropriate material and shape to

protect and hold the fruit while allowing for a lot of

air ventilation.

ED ) Carrol Boyes’ designs have a very distinct style.

Do you follow a particular design philosophy?

MD ) As I am relatively new to the industry I have not

established my own signature style yet. That takes

time, but I would consider my style more simplistic

and minimalist. I see beauty in simple shapes.

ED ) How did you go about the design process?

MD ) Once I had established the functional require-

ments for storing and preserving fruit, it was simply

a matter of building a 3D form that incorporated and

addressed these principles.

Drawing inspiration from the concept of origami, I also

used a material that not only simulated paper but was

strong enough to hold fruit, which in this case, was

stainless steel sheet metal powder coated in white.

ED ) How do you feel about winning the award?

MD ) It’s exciting and very new to me! I have entered

once before but have never been recognised like this.

ED ) In what way does that add to your experience as

a designer?

MD ) It gives me confidence in my ability to continue

doing what I enjoy most – designing and creating

beautiful products.

As I have been making custom-built feature chandeliers

I am now working on doing a range of mass-produced

lights and I am quite excited about this new develop-

ment. I have a few projects on the go with various

architects and enjoy the challenge of interpreting

their ideas into functional objects that not only look

good but do the job they intend to be doing. 0

You’d be forgiven to think that Hollywood had descended upon Cape Town as hoards of well-dressed creatives gathered at the Cape Town Convention Centre for the 31st Annual Loerie Awards. Even typical Cape Town weather couldn’t keep the crowds from pitching at what has been voted as the best cere-mony in Loeries’s history. Delegates were treated to interesting fare with food following the Feed your ego/7 deadly sins theme.

Grand Prix were scooped up by Naledi Network, TBWA/HUNT/Lascaris JHB, FOXP2 and Ogilvy JHB. There was a great sense of camaraderie up in the gallery section, especially among Jupiter Drawing Room who were ’drumming up support’ with drumsticks and Ogilvy, who sported red pom-poms and mini Ogilvy flags.

Students were also recognised for their efforts, with a Gold Loerie awarded to Jano Booysen, Stephen Galloway, Elske Nel and Barbara Cilliers from the University of Pretoria and a Craft Gold in Illustration awarded to Bruce Mackay of the AAA School of Advertising.

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The awards are judged according to five criteria; an

innovative concept, bringing new and fresh thinking,

excellent execution, relevance to the brand, the target

audience and to the chosen medium.

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Bronze Loerie: Posters

ED ) What inspired the concept behind your winning

piece?

JH ) I thought about bands and events and the arbitrary

side of actually being entertained. The band itself, of

course, was also a great inspiration. I also looked at big

shows, stadiums, events and general photomontage,

as well as electro-music and the type of imagery that

compliments the music.

ED ) Anything extraordinary we can expect from you

in the future?

JH ) I’ve always been into illustration and the process

of creating imagery, but more set on motion graphics

and animation for future work.

ESTIAN FOURIE, UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA

Silver Loerie: Publication Design

ED ) What inspired the concept behind your winning

piece?

EF ) My aunt’s names, Charlotte van Vuuren – Van Vuuren

meaning ‘from fire’. This book is about my aunt and her

very complex personality, eclectic life and the nature

of fire.

ED ) What was the strength of this project?

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body. So that led us to the idea of ‘dirty’ secrets, and

an obvious product benefit of Tuffy bags is that they

are so strong. Therefore, strength equals their silence

over your indiscretions.

ED ) Explain the design process.

JG ) I went for a newspaper cartoon-style illustration.

It was not too difficult to find references. I kept the

style really simple and consistent through all three

executions.

ROMANO CARDINAL & STEPHANIE ZIETSMAN, AAA

Silver Loerie: Newspaper & Magazine Advertising

ED ) Your inspiration for your winning concept?

RC ) My language and Afrikaans culture. If you dig

deep into your own experiences, that’s when you get

original stuff.

SZ ) Our grannies, especially Romano’s ouma, and child-

hood memories of all the time they used to spend in the

kitchen, baking and whipping up delicious puddings.

ED ) Explain the design process involved.

RC ) Good research. Good Photoshop skills. Good coffee.

SZ ) We came up with the concept, and the headline

shortly afterwards. We then spent quite a lot of time

sourcing suitable images. Once we’d found ones we

liked, it was up to Romano to work his magic on

them. While he was busy with the final touches, I

wrote the radio ads.

ED ) Which designer or agency’s work do you aspire

to and consider to be your role model/s?

RC ) I don’t believe in role models, I do my own thing.

I also rarely look at what other agencies are doing,

‘cause I don’t want it to influence my thinking proc-

ess. But my favourite piece of work is a print ad that

DraftFCB did a few years ago called “Waar die hart

EF ) I think the strength of my project lies in its simple

design process, concept and detailed execution, and I

feel that any piece with these three qualities will always

succeed. I think the judges liked the project because it

is bold and simple, yet very detailed. The design proc-

ess began with trying to understand my aunt and her

extremely complex personality and then involved many

photos that I took in and around her house and many

hours of Photoshop, typographic crafting and paying

great attention to page layout.

ED ) Anything extraordinary install for the future?

EF ) Absolutely! I’m working with a company called the

Kinetic this year and I think it is the start of some great

work.

ZOLNA MINIK, CITY VARSITY

Bronze Loerie: TV & Cinema Commercials

ED ) Your inspiration for your winning concept?

ZM ) I heard the Gringo soundtrack from the movie

Hot Rod and suddenly, my imagination was filled with

cowboys.

ED ) Why do you think the judges thought that your

entry was different, unique and spot-on? What was

the strength of your project?

ZM ) I wanted to portray a clichéd Western moment

– the suspense between a bandit and sheriff. I think

the strength lies in the fact that you are expecting a

shootout, but get a disco ball instead.

JENNY GLAZIER, RED AND YELLOW

Bronze Loerie: Newspaper & Magazine Advertising

ED ) Your inspiration for your winning concept?

JG ) We started thinking about how black garbage

bags have an almost sinister quality. You never really

know what’s in them – perhaps stolen cash or a dead

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van vol is.” This inspired me to go into advertising and do what I do.

SZ ) I really love the work that Angie Batis is doing for Net#workBBDO in Jo’burg. I also think Hanlie Kriel, who used to do the Klipdrift posters is amazing.

GREG DARROLL, DURBAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Bronze Loerie: Collateral Design

ED ) Your inspiration for your winning concept?

GD ) I wanted to create something different that new-comers to the university would enjoy. I took each word and created a character/scenario around it, incorpo-rating bits and pieces, and illustrating them all as uniquely as possible in order to grab someone’s at-tention and for them to stare at it for ages.

ED ) Explain the design process involved.

GD ) The postcards were predominantly illustration with a touch of type here and there; the first step was pen and paper – planning all the twisted body parts and layout. This was all done roughly, just to get a basic shape. Then it was redrawing them all in Illus-trator, and slowly adding more and more detail. Last-ly it was a case of choosing colours and planning the layout for the backs of the cards.

ED ) How do you see your future as a designer?

GD ) I’m just really enjoying everything that’s happen-ing at the moment. I decided to specialise in illustration for my final year at university. I’ve had a truly amazing year, winning contests with my t-shirt designs and my work appearing in various media. So who knows?

ELSKE NEL, STEPHEN GALLOWAY, BARBARA CILLIERS & JANO BOOYSEN

Gold Loerie: Mixed-Media Campaign, University of Pretoria.

ED ) What inspired the concept behind your winning campaign?

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ESBJ ) The concept of ‘Rock It’ started off as a joke

while we were brainstorming after the briefing. We

needed something that could really carry the weight

of a music festival and we felt that the rocket theme

could do the job and at the same time also easily ex-

tend into visual imagery.

ED ) As a group entry, explain a bit about the design

process that was involved.

ESBJ ) Our group comprised of pretty strong person-

alities and we were all in the top-end performers of our

class. Yet, we balanced this by focussing on individu-

al strengths and divided the workload accordingly.

Because we had a pretty strong concept, we felt that it

could lend itself easily to further design extensions.

In hindsight, we believe our campaign was super-well

executed. We utilised the elements associated with

rockets to compliment a music event. The concept was

simple and strong but could only be elevated through

meticulous design. The latter was the key element

since all our team members are passionate about de-

tail and crafting. It paid off in the end.

BRUCE MACKAY, AAA

Gold Loerie: Craft Gold – Crafts: Illustration

ED ) What inspired you to develop this winning entry?

BM ) I have always wanted to write and illustrate a

book. The basic idea behind it is how people will always

look for ways to avoid dealing with the inevitable.

ED ) How do you see your creative future?

BM ) I’m busy working on getting my book published

and working on a prequel as well as a new book.

MARLI HEUNIS, NORTH WEST UNIVERSITY

Silver Loerie: Design – Logos & Identity Programmes

and Craft Certificate

ED ) What inspired the concept?

MH ) For the development of my fictional company I tried

to think of new words to describe graphic design. I

have always been very passionate about design and

illustration because of the endless possibilities it pro-

vides. The concept behind the ‘Royal Visual Invention

Convention’ is built on my belief that graphic design

is all about having fun.

KATIE MYLREA, VEGA Cape Town Campus

Bronze Loerie: Design – Logos and Identity

Programmes

ED ) What was the strength of your project?

KM ) My project was very simple. It is conceptually

strong, not just pretty. I took the idea of an imper-

sonator and turned it on its head. It is playful, fun,

easy to read, uncluttered and illustrated in a fun, dif-

ferent, quirky style. I think the main strength defi-

nitely laid in the concept as a fresh, new, original ap-

proach to corporate identities.

Research is key. It took me ages to find a good meta-

phor for my logo for an Impersonator (wolf in sheep’s

clothing). Upon finding this quirky theme, all the oth-

er elements of the corporate Identity fell into place.

Throughout the design the wolf is seen to be hiding

in sheep’s clothing and becomes the impersonator.

Execution of an illustration style and hand-done font

took ages. I decided to keep it very simple in black

and white that really added to the concept and de-

sign. Endless drawing and research followed, con-

tinuously going back to the drawing board for hours

on end in search of the best result.0

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Ideas that Matter offers the design community an opportunity to showcase their creative talent and come up with ideas on paper for social good. Applications made to Sappi to help promote specific social causes are evaluated by a panel of creative gurus and judged on the effectiveness, creativity and practicality of the campaigns. Grant funding to design students, professional designers and design agencies covers the costs for implementation to either create awareness or raise funds for the social causes.

Now in its tenth year, the programme has benefited many causes around the world. André Oberholzer, group head of Corporate Affairs for Sappi Limited comments: “The programme is testimony to Sappi’s support for the design industry and commitment to so-cial responsibility. It also demonstrates the effectiveness and creativity of using paper as a communications medium.”

In the South African region seven grants were made to causes varying from environmental to humanitarian and animal rescue programmes. These causes address social issues communicated through the creative applications of brochures, leaflets, corporate stationery and various other elements.

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The judging panel comprising Lisa Walters (Chilli Factor), Carla Hall (It’s a Go) and Sean Fandam (Fandam Design) said that they looked for overall impact and arresting images that communicate the message effectively, as well as the ability to evoke a response from the recipient.

The 2009 Sappi Ideas that Matter grant recipients for southern Africa region were:

Designers Institution Organisation

Amy Bruce, Kyle Mac Donald, Michael Merrett and Megan Wessels

Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town

Volunteer Wildfire Services

Carey Cawood, Kerri-Jane Mitchell and Joanne Stone

Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town

Jikeleza Dance Project

Isola Ashipala, Lindelihle Bhebhe, Brent Peters and Sergio Samuels

Cape Peninsula University of Technology , Cape Town

Sikhula Sonke

Amor Coetzee and Jedd Mc-Neilage

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth

Save a Pet

Dominic Roberts Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth

Wilderness Foundation

Michael Walton Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth

The Summerstrand Cheshire Home

Jaco Burger, Corrine Erasmus, Catrine Louw, Lauren Moses and Sanja van der Berg

North-West University The Daphne Lee Centre for Differently Abled

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Three young designers were awarded the ultimate commendation

for their creations at the 15th Annual Vukani! Fashion Awards. The

designers, Angelique du Randt, Lindiwe Makoyi, Zandile Meyiwa,

scooped awards from a pool of 13 designers competing in the pres-

tigious competition held at the Arena, Maponya Mall.

Zandile Meyiwa, a 20-year old designer from Cape Town, won the

Vukani! Overall Collection award for her collection which featured gar-

ments blending international trends with a contemporary approach

to African style for women. “Being recognised for my designs is

amazing,” she said.

Judges, including leading emerging designer Mosa Mokoena and

fashionista heavyweight Eleanor Ford, were impressed with Meyiwa’s

attention to detail in a collection which combines earthy tones in

her elegant yet humble range that is inspired by pushing boundaries,

African chic with a fusion of influences from Asia in terms of shape

and styling.

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Angelique du Randt, a 21-year old impressed the judges and the

crowd of close to 1800 guests with her dramatic designs. Her signature

style is inspired by comfort, beauty, innovation and confidence.

Angelique’s range is intentionally sexy and cheeky. She was awarded

the Metropolitan Vukani! High Fashion! Commendation for her

eye-catching ball gown.

The Bernina Vukani Most Innovative Dress award went to Lindiwe

Makoyi, a third-year student at the Victoria Toma Institution of Fashion.

This 23-year old gained the favour of judges for her origami-inspired

pleated shapes as well as intricate detailing in finishing off the

garments.

All three Vukani! Fashion Award winners received the very latest

start-up kit from Bernina, worth a whopping R94 000.

The awards ceremony marked the official closing of the 2009 Vukani!

Fashion Awards and Fair, which took place at Maponya Mall in

Soweto. To tie in with this spirit of fashion, Maponya Mall also

hosted an exciting showcase of the ‘must-have’ Autumn/Winter

fashion trends for 2010. All shows were open to the public.

“I am passionate about improving indigenous fashion in the South

and African Diaspora”, says Sonwabile Ndamase, executive pres-

ident of SAFDA and founder of the Annual Vukani! Fashion Awards.

“The awards stimulate the creation of innovative fashion that reflects

the cultures of our country, while exposing and promoting great

local talent. And, of course, it offers fantastic training, education

and career possibilities to promising South African designers.”

Guests, including the Her Royal Highness Queen Mantfombi Zulu,

wife of King Zwelithini Zulu, Mr Moss Leoka and local fashionistas,

were treated to fashion shows celebrating creations from across

the continent, with leading designers from Mozambique, Angola

and South Africa presenting their collections.

Be on the lookout for the 2010 stars of the Vukani Awards in May

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ED )'How did it all start?

Debbie Bird )'In 2002 the City of Cape Town was

planning to exhibit at the World Summit on Sustain-

able Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg. Sheryl

Ozinsky, then head of Cape Town Tourism, was on the

organising committee and asked me and other indus-

try colleagues to brainstorm some ideas for an envi-

ronmental festival in Cape Town that would bring the

feel of the WSSD to the city.

We approached the Frank Joubert Art & Design Centre

to do an exhibition of art using recycled materials to

display at the 360-year-old Castle of Good Hope.

Principal Jill Joubert and her team were thrilled as

they had been looking for a space to exhibit their

year-end work.

Whilst we were scrutinising the work I noticed some

stunning, cutting-edge fashion designs – all made

from recycled junk. Seen from afar the garments

could have been worn to the opera but up close these

marvellous creations were made from cork, bottle

caps, bubble wrap, CDs, woven shopping bags,

crushed magazine covers and more. I decided then

and there that these garments must go to the WSSD

as part of the Cape Town exhibition. We secured

sponsorship and called on celebrities to model the

Eco Fashion creations. Celebrities proudly carried the

message to reduce, reuse and recycle.

The slogan for the show was: Real people, with real

bodies, wearing real art. And so Eco Fashion was born.

The WSSD is a serious affair with lots of global issues

being addressed. But when the colourful Eco Fashion

with its vibey tunes and beautiful people showed off

its important message it was as though a breath of

fresh air had breezed through the huge dome. The

world’s media turned their cameras to the show and

the next day Eco Fashion appeared on the front pages

of newspapers and on television around the globe.

Every year since then, Grade 10, 11 and 12 students

from various schools in the Western Cape have been

given a theme – Frida Carlo, Savanna, Paper..., and

every year they have been amazing us with their cre-

ativity, talent and innovativeness.

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ED )'What made this year different?

DB ) We were working on the launch for the new re-

tail development at Cape Quarter so the students

were given the following brief: “Your client owns a

store at the Cape Quarter. Create a design that best

translates the lifestyle of your client’s store.”

We had approached the Frank Joubert Art Centre to

once again participate but soon realised that the

number of tenants in the new Cape Quarter required

many more students, so I approached Stellenberg

High in Tygervalley and Rustenburg Girls High in

Rondebosch. Both Wilna Coetzee and Zelia Simpson,

the design teachers at the respective schools, loved

the uniqueness of the project and realised that it

would give the students a real life experience that

could shape their future.

Next we approached each of the tenants at Cape

Quarter and explained the concept to them, inviting

them to participate.

ED )'How did the process evolve?

DB )'I facilitated the meeting of the stores with the

students. We called three meeting date options

where the students could sit face-to-face with their

store owners and discuss the brief. With nearly 80

stores and 80 students this was a mammoth task and

we had 80 different experiences and reactions rang-

ing from amazement to enthusiasm, to a cynical:

“This little person is going to do WHAT for my shop?”

Follow up, follow up, follow up – the success of any

venture. Never assume it’s all going to happen with-

out continual nagging. We collected materials to take

to schools, collected students to bring to the Cape

Quarter, appeased confused parents … all in the

midst of planning an 11-day launch programme of

which this was just one component.

ED )'And on the night?

DB )'After months of planning the Cape Quarter’s

grand opening happened on the 6 November. We

planned for the Eco Fashion Show to be the highlight

of the VIP/media event and repeated it the following

evening for the public. The students mostly wore their

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own creations and as their designs hit the catwalk the

audience went wild with delight. After the show the

students were on cloud nine with excite ment, thrill and

relief and they shared their experiences with each

other, their proud teachers and their proud parents.

All the designs were then installed in their appropriate

stores and even the most sceptical of store owners now

proudly displayed their outfit in a prominent space.

ED )'How did the stores react to their garments?

DB )'Owner of Victorian Bathrooms, Margaret Goodall,

was thrilled and amazed at the talent of her student,

Jamie-Lee Jansen, and kept in close touch with her

throughout the process. Jamie-Lee on the other hand said

that she got the impression that Margaret had taken

one look at her and did not believe that she could fulfil

the brief. “That is what really inspired me to do my very

best,” she said. Her mother said that she had never

seen Jamie so passionate about a project before.

Caroline Gibello who owns a photographic gallery of

the same name briefed her student, Leila Khan, and

gave her a whole bunch of photographs to work with

and was amazed at the outcome. According to Caroline

this student just got her – she reflected the essence of

her as a photographer and as a person.

Melam from Gonzenhauser Fine Rugs had been very

worried about her student, Gazelle Swanepoel, as she

had not heard from her. Gazelle was really struggling

with how to translate a rug store until Melam emailed

some pictures of their rugs and that was all it took for

Gazelle to do an amazing translation of her intricate

design that successfully reflected the feel and look of

a kelim through her beautiful full-length design with

bustier top.

Joclyn and Justin from Extreme Eyewear had met with

and given their student, Zayaan Farouk, some of their

shopping bags and he created the funkiest outfit, which

they were very proud to put on display in their store.

Lisa King (Lisa King Gallery) and her mom, Pat, were

thrilled with their outfit and Pat asked their designer

Nadia Darries if she would wear it – it was the perfect fit.

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La Petite Tarte was given to five girls at Stellenberg High to work on. Their teacher, Wilna Coetzee told the girls that only one design would be chosen for the show. However, when we saw them it was impossible to choose so we showed all five.

Debbie Zeelie from Culinary Kitchens was also quite sceptical after she met her student but was thrilled with the design of Robyn Parker-Ross. The tunic dress of crushed pamphlets with woven leaflet halter top is amazing.

One of the most innovative designs created done Pierre Cronje. Without a briefing session the student did her own research. Finding it difficult to design a garment that must reflect wooden furniture, she made the most stunning full skirt from cork with cut-out designs, finished off with a bustier top made from linoleum with wood grain pattern.

Pieter de Bruin and Pieter Pienaar from Palette du Fleur said that they knew exactly what they wanted in a design and came to the briefing session with Natalie Maggott very well prepared with designs, ribbons and

foliage. They were very happy with the result.

Art Jamming met with their student from Stellenberg High

quite late in the project. The student produced work from

paper folds and rolls of such precision that owner Leora

Israel commented that it looked like a professional art-

ist’s work and not that of a Grade 12 student.

Two top art students from Rustenburg Girls High were

commissioned to create a male and female outfit for

the Cape Quarter itself. This was the last design to

be worked on and students Caitlin and Zarah were

put under pressure. The students were given paper

rolls with the Cape Quarter logo and bubble wrap

which they embellished with sparkling mosaic chips

to create the feel of this inspirational centre.

ED )'Will you do it again?

DB )'Every year I say never again, but its success

shows that it has its place. More importantly, the

message that it sends out has lasting implications:

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – a philosophy that we need

to take very seriously. 0

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In 2008 The Loerie Awards launched The Creative Future

scholarship to enable a talented student from a disad-

vantaged background to further his or her studies in any

area of brand communication at a tertiary institution.

The scholarship also aims to increase awareness of the

creative industry as a viable career path for disadvan-

taged students and to increase the flow of creative talent

into the industry.

“It was important for us to create a scholarship that not

only made it financially possible for a student from a

disadvantaged background to study, but also ensured

that they were supported in their studies in a meaning-

ful way,” says Andrew Human, CEO of The Loerie Awards.

To this end, the scholarship makes provision for fees,

accommodation, study materials and living expenses,

as well as offering mentorship and guaranteed employ-

ment in the creative industry after graduation.

The scholarship was created in partnership with SABC

Commercial Enterprises, and implemented with the as-

sistance of the Woolworths Making the Difference

through Design (MTDTD) programme, which created the

platform for the scholarship to reach out to potential

candidates through the Woolworths MTDTD schools’

network.

The SABC is an avid supporter of creativity in South

Africa, and embraced the opportunity to partner with

The Loerie Awards on a project that creates awareness

of the creative industry as a career path in this country.

The SABC already sponsors The Loerie Awards Travelling

Exhibition, an essential tool in spreading the message

of creativity around the country, showcasing the best

work in advertising, communication design and expe-

riential marketing.

“The SABC has, over the last few years, increased its

investment and strengthened its partnership with The

Loerie Awards in order to support the creative industry,”

says Nisha Jones, SABC sales director and acting mar-

keting director. “Broadcasting and creativity go hand

in hand in pushing the boundaries of communication.

Because we see the need to fortify and celebrate

South African creativity, the SABC has also partnered

with The Loerie Awards in the establishment of the

Creative Future Scholarship.”

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In 2008 over 100 schools in KwaZulu-Natal were invited

to enter students for consideration for the scholarship.

From those entrants a shortlist was drawn up. Those

students were invited to a selection day where their port-

folios were reviewed; they were interviewed and set a

three-hour creative challenge to assess their writing

and drawing skills and creative thinking processes.

Last year, 400 schools from three provinces – the Western

Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng – were invited to

participate. From the entries received, a shortlist was

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drawn up, taking into account the entrants’ academic

records with particular focus on their achievements

in language, maths and art or design.

The students on the shortlist were invited to bring a

portfolio to an interview venue to be examined by a

panel comprised of Andrew Human, Suné Stassen,

design consultant to the Woolworths Making the Dif-

ference through Design programme, David Mashabe-

la, creative director at SABC, and a representative

from a design or brand communications school in

each province.

While the panel assessed the portfolios and academic

records, the students wrote an exam that tested their

creative, language and writing skills and posed intel-

lectual challenges to assess their three-dimensional

thinking, represented through sketches.

“The point of the scholarship is to try to find a student

who for instance has the potential to become a creative

director of a company one day,” says Stassen. “They

need strong writing skills, as well as to be creative and

analytical, and have strong conceptual skills and vis-

ual literacy. We’ve set the bar very high because we

are really looking for a talented, deserving learner.”

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In 2008 the full scholarship was awarded to Zwelisha

Giampietri, a student at Durban Girls High School. A

year down the line, having chosen to attend Vega, The

Brand Communication School, she has continued to

excel, coming out at the top of her class, and filled with

enthusiasm about the industry to which she has been

exposed.

In 2008 a second scholarship was created for Siyabonga

Ntambela from the Phoenix Lenarea Secondary School

so that he could take part in Vega’s Imagination Lab – a

one-year bridging course that teaches disadvantaged

South Africans critical skills with an emphasis on

creative communication and expression.

In 2009 Busisiwe Mahlangu of Benoni High School

emerged as the forerunner in the selection process to

receive The Creative Future Scholarship. “It’s exactly

what I wanted to do,” says Mahlangu. “It’s what I am

talented at, and I was going to try to follow that in my

career.”

The judges concurred with Mahlangu’s own assess-

ment that the creative industry is where her talent

lies, and selected her as the overall best candidate to

receive the Creative Future Scholarship. “She has an

amazing understanding of the creative industry,”

says Stassen. “She’s extremely mature, seems to be

a leader, and is a strong all-rounder with unbelievable

communication, problem solving and creative skills.”

Over two years, the course of three lives has been

dramatically altered by the Creative Future Scholarship.

In all cases, financial aid was given to students who

would not have had the opportunity to further their

educations, who will now actively pursue careers in

the creative industry. In addition to changing three

lives, though, it is the broader aim of the scholarship

to create awareness and influence many more than

those it influences directly.

“Creativity is an essential tool for business, for life

and for personal development,” says Andrew Human.

“The Loerie Awards and our partners aim to create

awareness and further the understanding that it can

also be a career path for many students coming out

of our schools. With our scholarship, we are delight-

ed to have changed the lives of these deserving indi-

viduals, as well as being confident that we have in-

spired others to reach for their dreams as well.” 0

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The annual ‘Making the Difference Through Design’ (MTDTD) competition, now in its fifth year, is sponsored jointly by Woolworths and Sappi, and is held in conjunction with the Woolworths ‘Making the Difference’ education initiative. MTDTD currently sup-ports the design curriculum at some 400 schools in the Western Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

Each year, art and design learners in Grades 10, 11 and 12 are invited to enter projects in categories including visual communication design, surface design, environmental design and product design, which could incorporate the design of packaging, furniture, clothing and fashion accessories.

The idea behind the competition is to inspire learners to use their creative abilities and demonstrate them practically, as well as to develop their awareness of the environment. Every year learners are only allowed to use waste or recyclable materials in creating their designs. As Penny Luthi, Woolworths brand manager: ‘Making the Difference Through Design’ programme explains, “As part of our Good business journey, Wool-worths is committed to supporting educa-tion, as well as to protecting the environment. Limiting students to recycled materials helps them understand the amount of waste that ends up in landfill every day and

challenges their creativity in finding new uses for it.”

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The theme for the 2009 competition was ‘Zwakala – Bring it on!’ and entrants were asked to imagine that they had been selected as one of South Africa’s top designers en-trusted with the task of branding their coun-try, as well as showcasing and reflecting the spirit of its people to local and international guests through their final design.

The 2009 national winner Lauren Bauer, a Grade 11 learner from Krugersdorp High School, took top honours for her ‘hat/bag’; a functional and imaginative reversible hat-cum-bag made up of hand painted Hessian hex-agons featuring the logos of well-known South African household brands. The judges were impressed not only by the creativity shown in her concept, but also by her skill in creating small-scale paintings on a diffi-cult material. They could also envisage the design as one that could go into full pro-duction and live beyond the World Cup.

The other provincial winners for 2009 are Dèna De Reuck from Lientjie Blok Art Centre whose ‘biker jacket and denim soccer skirt outfit on mannequin’ took top honours in the Western Cape, and Daniella Bussy of

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Durban Girls’ High, whose black and white mural made from recy-cled Perspex and sponge, took top honours in KwaZulu-Natal.

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To show Woolworths’ continued championing of design educa-tion, six high school design learners will this year have their designs printed onto delegate bags and T-shirts for the 2010 Design Indaba. As part of the ‘Making the Difference Through Design’ programme, some teach-ers were asked to nominate their top design students for this work-shop and entrants were asked to design a new emblem or coat of arms symbolising South Africa whilst at the same time honour-ing a local design hero, brand or product. All designs needed to draw inspiration from, and incor-porate, indigenous fauna and flora or a representation of in-digenous knowledge into their designs.

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The young designers produced intricate and insightful emblems rep-resenting local culture and heritage. Danica van der Merwe a Grade 10 learner from Stellenberg High School was inspired by sporting brands – the Proteas and the Springboks – as well as local wildlife.

Emile Uys another Grade 10 learner from Stellenberg High School based his emblem on modern design elements which were concep-tualised by South African designer Garth Walker of Orange Juice Design fame. Joel Zanon, in Grade 12 from the Frank Joubert Art Centre, reinterpreted Heath Nash’s ‘Flowerball’ as a soccer ball en-capsulated in a traditional crest offset by organic lines and flour-ishes. Kaylin Ball, Grade 10 from Stellenberg High School, was in-spired by South Africa’s national bird – the blue crane – and its elegant wingspan which, for her, symbolised independence and freedom anchored by the strength and solidity of the African ele-phant. Nomaswati Sopotela a Grade 10 learner from Rustenberg High School drew inspiration from the iconic skylines of Johannes-burg and Cape Town, as well as the majestic African lion. Finally, Lasché van Heerden, another learner from Stellenberg High School, chose to represent the wealth South Africa has to offer in the form of gold, diamonds and wildlife.

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The ‘Making the Difference Through Design’ website is an exciting addition to the programme. The website features customised re-sources for design teachers, design students and parents who sup-port the FET Design curriculum. The website also offers advice on viable career choices and the top design schools across the country. Furthermore, design teachers and students are able to view and download information and entry forms for the annual ‘Making the Difference Through Design’ competition as well as download the programme’s resource manual, which is rich in design content ranging from communication design, surface design, environmental design and product design.

For more information log on to www.makingthedifference.co.za/high or search for ‘Making the Difference Through Design’ on Facebook and become a fan. 0

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Stellenberg High School recognises the essence of process work. They teach a thorough understanding of design and production processes and most of all, they instil the importance of thinking and doing in both 2D and 3D.

Walking through the matric exhibition was highly mo-tivating. Only the school uniforms were constant re-minders that the viewer is in fact looking at matric work and not the final expo at a university. These young creative minds’ work speaks of well developed concepts, brilliant skills and professional work ethics.

During the run of this exhibition I tracked down two of the talents who really made an impact with their con-cepts and the brilliance of their technical execution.

Annchen Marais and Chantelle Grové, both grade 12 learners at Stellenberg High School, share their view on their work and the future.

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Overall concept: ‘Revealing vs. Concealing’

Title: ‘the things we lost’

ED )'Explain your main inspiration behind the pieces for your final matric expo in 2009.

AM )'Technically, my main inspiration for the project was the work and work processes of William Kentridge. Ever since I saw his animations in grade 9, I’ve always wanted to do something similar. I finally mustered up the courage to try and do it at the end of the year. Con-ceptually, the other main inspiration was a personal experience – the death of my father in 2001. This was the first time that I used my art cathartically, linking it to a deeper meaning. The overall concept was ‘Reveal-ing vs. Concealing’ – the significance of revealing of carefully concealed emotions and experiences. Each of the animations is linked to a specific memory or emo-tion concerning the absence of my father (hence the title of the project – ‘the things we lost’).

The animations are personal, but also general enough for others to relate to. I really wanted the viewer not only to see my feelings and emotions, but I wanted them to become aware of theirs too. The animations were installed in a public bathroom – kind of bringing the private to the public. I was very happy with the end result and I think it was successful. The reaction I received was very positive and I am encouraged to take this much further.

ED )'Tell us more about your creative input and spe-cifically about the choice of materials you selected for this series.

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AM )'Since this was the first time I did this kind of thing, I had no idea what the process would entail and how it’s really supposed to be done. Therefore, I used compressed charcoal and chalk, as this is what William Kentridge uses for his animations. I also add-ed colour using a soft pastel. I then started the draw-ing process, taking pictures of the alterations as I went along.

ED )'How would you describe the quality, texture and movement of the pieces you have produced and how did the materials contribute to the look and feel of the end products?

AM )'The quality of the drawing is a combination of rough and sketchy drawings and finer detail in some objects. I wanted the drawings rough, dirty and dark to communicate the nostalgic feel and the idea of raw emotion and to create a more eerie, old movie feel. Because charcoal cannot be completely erased, dur-ing the process of drawing and erasing, a kind of ghost trail was formed. This contributes greatly to-wards the feel of the whole exhibition – these trails make this type of animation so unique. The viewer can literally see the process from beginning to end. These trails also add a whole new layer of meaning. The movement quality of the animation is also a little jerky, so as to convey the old, nostalgic, vintage feel.

ED )'Why did you choose animation as a tool to con-vey your concept?

AM )'I chose animation and specifically this type of animation, because it creates the feeling of the art-work coming alive before one’s eyes. Unlike with some other art forms, I feel that animation, with all the lines and movement, can really convey true emotion. I want-ed to draw the viewer in and make it more personal having to follow moving objects on a screen and I feel that animation can actively involve the viewer.

ED )'Explain the process that was involved in pro-ducing the pieces.

AM )'I basically did a few drawings and made thou-sands of alterations on them. You draw a little, take a picture, erase, draw again, take a picture, erase, and so you create the movement. I started out with a gen-eral idea of what I wanted to draw, and during the process the idea evolved further. In the beginning I had no idea what to expect and how things should follow. For example, when I started at the base of the birdcage, I had no idea what would happen when I finished the cage. The cage then started growing out of the base and by the time it reached the top (sev-eral hours later), I decided that I would like to add a bird. And so my ideas developed during the process. Henry Uys, one of my friends who currently studies at

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AFDA, then put the pictures together in a movie for-mat and I exhibited these animations on television sets in the cubicles.

ED )'Define the importance of the design process you followed in producing the final pieces.

AM )'The works and actual animations were rooted in automatism, with very little planning involved. The de-sign process was extremely important in the design and layout of my exhibition space. The inevitabilities of a public bathroom (mirrors, basins, and more) were all problems that I needed to solve. I spend hours rede-signing the space. The exhibition space had to tie eve-rything together and create the atmosphere, so the lay-out was an integral part of my exhibition in which the design process was an absolute necessity.

ED )'Who are your creative role models and who would you like to work with, should that be possible?

AM )'I have so many creative role models in different art forms – Diane Victor, Jane Alexander, Oliver Jef-fers, of course William Kentridge… If I could work with any artist right now, it would be the guys from Shy the Sun. I have only recently seen what they do and I

am absolutely awestruck. I would love to meet them and see how they work.

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ED )'Explain your main inspiration behind the sculp-ture pieces you produced for your matric expo.

CG )'My exhibition commemorated the unnoticed hero, the horse. In my opinion the horses were the un-sung heroes of the wars. Power-hungry rulers exploit-ed their power, strength and endurance. Because horses were such valuable resources in war, they be-came the target of the enemy. The bodies of dead hors-es were used as protective barricades for soldiers, showing that even after death they were of great val-ue. In my pieces I tried to portray the beauty, majesty and elegance of the horse – to show that the horse isn’t just a tool for war, but has great magnificence.

ED )'Tell us more about your creative input and more specifically, the materials you selected.

CG )'My sculptures were made from wire and alumin-ium mesh. There was one made from found objects in

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a similar style to the work of Willie Bester. These found objects were very personal as they were from my late grandmother. The material was an important part to the sculptures because the mesh used really produced the life-like quality I was looking for. The mesh was easy to work with; I would cut a piece of mesh in the desired size and then I would start play-ing with it in the same way that a child would play with play dough. Once I achieved the desired shape and feel I would cut another piece of wire and cover the entire horse so that it looked like there were mus-cles under the skin.

ED )'Who are your creative role models and who would you like to work with, if you could?

CG )'Willie Bester’s work like Trojan Horse 11, Who let the dogs out and Dog of War really inspired me. His use of found objects really made a big impact on my exhibition. Esther Benedict also inspired my work. She works with single layer wire in the form of life size horses. Heather Jansch made life size sculptures of horses out of driftwood. Her sculptures are unbe-lievably realistic and capture the essence of the horse. But if I had the chance to work with any artist it would be Willie Bester. His works have so much

character and impact on the viewer. The strength of his work is incredible and it would be amazing to work with the mind behind those masterpieces.

ED )'How would you describe the quality, texture and movement of the pieces you have produced and how did the materials contribute to the look and feel of the end products?

CG )'The aluminium mesh has a smoke-like look to it, making the sculpture look almost surreal. The wire mesh has a greenish tinge but gives the sculpture great definition, showing all the muscles. The found objects were used in a way that every object seemed to be a different muscle or bone on the horse’s body. The material helped to create the life-like quality the sculptures have.

ED )'Why is the design process vital if you want to be successful in your final product?

CG )'You need to research your ideas first so that you can select the best possible solution. Thumbnail sketches are important for you to get a feel for your idea and then final sketches are used to summarise all your ideas. 0

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Henry Thoreau and Stephen King are two indi-viduals from different fields, backgrounds and even centuries. Yet it is interesting to note that both these gentlemen comment on the impor-tance of ‘seeing’ something and paying attention to the details, instead of merely looking at it. You may ask what the difference is as we use the terms look and see almost interchangeably these days. The following article helps describe why these terms are different when it comes to design and offers a few guidelines to help you ‘see’ the world and designs around you.

There are also so many things that influence how we see, react and interpret images and designs. The first thing we need to consider is how we see images and designs. Again this may seem like a simple concept but have you ever really consid-ered how you see things? Your eyes are exposed to thousands of visuals every day, including TV advertisements, magazine advertisements, post-ers, road signs, people’s faces and every other little item or situation that you experience while you are awake. Your eyes observe these and send the information to your brain where it is sorted and stored. This may be a very over-sim-plified version of the process but it does high-light the almost unimaginable number of things you are required to ‘see’ every day. In the modern world it becomes more and more difficult to pay attention and analyse what we see because there is simply so much of it. The effect is that people become more prone to simply ‘look’ at the world around them – implying that they do not actively register, analyse and interpret what they are looking at.

For a design student this is an unacceptable situ-ation and often new students need to focus and develop their analytical viewing skills that are re-ferred to as visual literacy. Visual literacy is the ability to view, interpret and understand different types of images. These images may be influenced

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by a specific culture, may be used as propaganda or may call the viewer to action. A design student must be able to read images, almost like a language, and understand what influences it. To help develop their visual literacy students are often required to analyse design or art examples, such as the Notre Dame cathedral, as part of their course.

One way to examine examples is to complete a formal and con-textual analysis. Anne D’Allena’s book How to Write Art History (Laurence King Publishing) is a wonderful source that you can use to help you understand and complete a formal and contextual analysis. The contextual analysis places the example in space and time. What influence did culture have on the example? What was the political milieu when it was created? These type of questions help us understand why an example looks the way it does. A for-mal analysis is a visual investigation of an example. It focuses on exploring the elements of art and design that can be identified in the example and the visual results of these elements. In future editions a number of design elements and characteristics will be discussed but the following section introduces a few of the ele-ments that can be identified and explored as part of a formal analysis.

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There are a number of basic elements of design which can be looked at in a formal analysis. These include line, shape and form, texture, colour, rhythm, scale, space and balance, as well as composition, among others.

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Lines (Figure 1) are the most basic building blocks of an image. It usually indicates a mark that moves from one point to another and it can be straight, curved, random, thin, thick, even, uneven and more. Lines can also be described as organic and natural or angular and rigid. The direction of line can also be a focus in your formal analysis. In examples where lines are mostly horizontal there is generally a sense of calmness to the composition where-as vertical lines produce a more dramatic character. Compositions using mainly diagonal lines are more dynamic with a greater sense of movement.

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A shape is the two-dimensional area which is created when lines are joined. The most basic shapes include circles, triangle, rectan-gles, amongst others, but shapes can also be irregular and or-ganic (figure 2). Form is usually discussed as a characteristic of three-dimensional examples. You can, for example, discuss the form of a car, building or a modelled dress. Very often a form is made up of shapes and it is the effect of light (shadows) which creates a form.

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Texture refers to the surface quality of the shapes and forms in an example. These could be quite specific like tree bark or more ge-neric like smooth, rough, velvety, and more. Textures can be tac-tile or visual (figure 3). If a texture is tactile is means that it is re-ally there – if you touch a brick you can feel that the surface is uneven and rough but if the texture is visual it means that the texture is ‘fake’ (for example when an artist paints a cobbled road in a painting – the surface of the painting is smooth but it looks like there is a texture).

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Colour is one of the most important elements to consider when you complete your formal analysis. Colour is one of the design elements that elicits the most reaction from people and it can even influence how people feel. All over the world colours are viewed in different ways and carry specific symbolism. Blue, for example, used in a Zulu Love Letter (figure 4) represents hope and faithfulness but in many Asian cultures blue represents wealth. For this reason it is important to analyse the use of colour, as well as the context of the example to fully grasp the meaning of the colour selection.

The first step in analysing colour usage is to identify the colours, or hues that are used and their relationships. This can be done by using a colour wheel (figure 5). A colour wheel is a diagram showing the different colours and it makes it easy for us to find out what colour share special relationships. One such relationship is com-plementary colours (figure 6), colours which are on opposite sides of the colour wheel, like blue and orange. Another relationship is

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analogous colours which are next to each another on the colour wheel like yellow and yellow-green.

Once you have identified the specific colours that have been used and their relationship to one another you can also analyse the use of colour in the example as a whole. For example, if only reds, browns, oranges and yellows are used, you could say that the example has a warm colour palette. Examples could also have cold colour palettes (blues, violets, greens) or a monochromatic colour pallet - when shades and values of only one colour is used in an image (figure 7). Often the colour in an example can also be described through the name given to the palette such as earthy tones, natural palette, and more.

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When an example has a number of repetitive shapes, forms or even colours these elements contribute to the rhythm observed in an example. When there is a sense of repetition it creates a greater sense of harmony.

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Scale quite simply refers to size, but not just the size of the exam-ple your analysing. Ask yourself questions like, ‘How big it this object or example in relation to me?’ and ‘Are the elements in the example different sizes?’. In modern product design, such as cell phone design, the trend over the last few years has been to pro-duce smaller more powerful appliances. An important aspect of scale, when referring to mobile phones, is how the size of the phone relates to the size of a human hand.

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Space and balance are closely linked to composition (figure 8). Positive and negative spaces make up an image. These spaces are created by various shapes and forms found in the example. Posi-tive space is the area where you can see shapes and forms and negative space is the area outside the shapes and forms (some-times referred to as the ‘empty’ area of a composition). The rela-tionship between the positive and negative spaces is one aspect that influences an example’s balance – the other is the use of line, shape and form.

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Composition refers to how the designer has combined all the ele-ments of a design. Are there certain features which stand out or which have been hidden? Are the elements randomly placed or are they based on a grid? Very often composition is a discussion which incorporates the other design elements, for example you could have a rhythmic composition or a very dramatic composi-tion using positive and negative space.

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Once you have completed your formal analysis you will have a clear understanding of the visual elements used in the example and the effect these elements have on the viewer or user of a design. A visual understanding is, however, not a complete under-standing. To really understand an example you will have to com-plete a contextual analysis (figure 9) as well as a formal analysis. A contextual analysis places the design in a larger arena and aims to identify the influence that culture, politics, finances, beliefs had on the creation of the design. Design is created by people for people, so what influences people will also influence their de-signs. To complete a contextual analysis you can ask yourself a number of questions like: ‘Did cultural or social factors influence the design?’ ‘Did the design use revolutionary materials or tech-nology, and why?’ and of course ‘What impact did the design have on society?’

The ability to analyse and interpret examples is one of the most important skills a design student can master. In the beginning it may seem like quite a tedious process having to identify all the basic design elements and then establishing the context of a de-sign but soon it will be second nature to you and you will begin to see the world around you. If you can understand the designs and art created by a society you can start to understand society itself.

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Barnet, S. 2008. A Short Guide to Writing About Art. (9th Ed). New Jesey: Pearson Prentice Hall

D’Allena, A. 2006. How to write Art History. London:

Laurence King Publishing

Photoinf.com 2003-2007. Composition & the Ele-

ments of Visual Design. Photo Composition Articles

[Online]. Available: http://photoinf.com/General/

Robert_Berdan/Composition_and_the_Elements_of_

Visual_Design.htm [23 October 2009]

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“My design methodology is to fulfil people, be conscious of the environ-ment, create friendly user-interaction and is based on my insatiable desire to create beautiful and innovative things.

Like a sponge I have an astute eye for detail and I absorb everything in my working environment. So, my idea is to create desirable products that leave behind a soft footprint, which are often executed

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or inspired by traditional craft skills and finished off with an edgy detail.

As a product designer I feel privi-leged to create consciously. It is one of the most satisfying things to cre-ate beautiful physical objects that speak of the future, of history, of life, of passion and of soul.

I believe that in order for ‘green’ design to be effective we have to think of every part of the process. For me, this means keeping the environment in mind right from product conceptualisation straight through to the end of the product’s life.

I also believe that sustainability may also be achieved by increasing client-awareness on the impact that prod-ucts have on our environment by providing them with superior, more efficient, friendlier choices.

I grew up in a creative and musical home and this has inspired me to apply arts and crafts to my life and to my design work. I feel blessed to live and operate in a country that is filled with talented individ-uals that know and apply tradi-tional craft skills on a daily basis. At first, when I started collaborating with crafters I thought that I would be teaching them design skills but I often find myself humbled and,

on the contrary, being taught by them. Personally, I think that the trick to collaboration between craft and design is contrast, surprise and the unexpected. Design doesn’t need curios. We need to keep craft fresh and apply it where people least expect it.

Product design and solutions should also be PLAYFUL. To me, this means products that really re-spond to and interact with users, perhaps a piece that stimulates social commentary or a product that provides the user with multiple options.

I don’t believe that there is such thing as a ‘complete’ design. People often adapt and customise prod-ucts to suit their needs and, there-fore, I believe that products and environments should demand and enjoy user involvement. So, I aim for my products to be flexible enough to interact, develop, evolve, adapt and grow according to the user’s needs. Ultimately the ideal is to develop a deeper awareness and a personal co-creation relationship with clients or end users, by in-volving them prior, during and after the design process.

I really enjoy the dynamic environ-ment of working in groups. The chal-lenge of integrating and creating a

collective idea is stimulating and has taught me to be flexible and not to be too precious over my ideas. Group work has also given me a sense of responsibility and self-realisation on the importance of my skills, my role and my contribu-tion in the “ecology” of the design environment.

We live in interesting times, being confronted with a global ecological and financial crisis. It is a time of transformation and in order for things to change positively; we are going to want to change. And to achieve that we will have to share our knowledge, learn to listen to each other and appreciate each other’s skills, while utilising them to their full potential. The easiest way to achieve this is doing it to-gether. Focusing on a mutual vision of wellbeing and actively working towards that vision within our community will help to reinforce purpose and meaning to life. This sense of belonging will encourage us to reflect upon life and nature and persuade us to live more conscious-ly. I guess what I’m trying to say is that design can be a powerful cat-alyst for change and I want to be part of the revolution. VIVA!” 0

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Heidi Liebenberg, a multi-talented designer at the

Gold of Africa Museum in Cape Town has been involved

in various design disciplines for the past 26 years.

She explains: “My design journey first started in the

fashion industry, locally and internationally, where I

worked as a make-up artist for print and television

for 12 years. During this time I studied and qualified

as an interior designer. After moving to Cape Town I

found myself as a graphic and book designer in edu-

cational publishing. I really like being hands-on and I

am always on the lookout for a new challenge, which

eventually led me to train as a goldsmith. I qualified

as a jeweller at the Cape Peninsula University of Tech-

nology and I am currently the goldsmith at the Gold

of Africa Museum in Cape Town.”

The Gold Museum is located in the historic Martin

Melck House, Strand Street in Cape Town. The build-

ing was originally the rectory for the Lutheran Church

next door. It is a beautiful example of an old Cape Town

townhouse. The museum now houses a permanent

collection of gold jewellery from West Africa dating

from the 19th and 20th centuries. The artistry of the

African goldsmiths is remarkable and continues to

inspire jewellery designers to this day.

You will find the workshop of the museum in the leafy

courtyard next to the restaurant. Liebenberg contin-

ues: “Our fully functional workshop offers courses for

aspiring goldsmiths and hobbyists and is currently

also looking at a training programme for previously

disadvantaged groups. We really welcome students

and visitors to visit our workshop where you can witness

goldsmiths hard at work and see first hand how they

make jewellery.

“Of course, creating good jewellery pieces always

starts with having a good design. The starting point

for a design can be a brief from a client or a concept of

your own. Once the brief/concept has been established,

inspiration is sought by exploring different avenues.

The methods used will depend on the individual

designer. All design work is the sum total of our ex-

periences; likes and dislikes, as well as a desire to

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convey meaning or beauty. Some designers choose

to immerse themselves in visual stimulation and

some like to experiment with the materials. Often in-

spiration comes to us while relaxing. A good designer

will always stay curious and enjoys finding solutions.

“Once our inspiration has generated great ideas we

need to refine and mould them to best suit the de-

sired outcome. There are basic elements of design

that must always be taken into account. Shape and

form, line, colour and texture are some of these ele-

ments. Other things to consider might be the mes-

sage you intend to convey through your design. For

instance, the piece could be narrative or figurative

and the shape organic or geometric. It can even be

symbolic of something real or foreign.

“Inspiration can also be found while exploring the

techniques of jewellery making. Making samples or

testing combinations of techniques can lead to new

and exciting possibilities.

“One of the techniques used both by the ancient Afri-

can goldsmith and the modern day jewellery designer/

manufacturer is the ‘lost wax’ technique.

“‘Lost wax’ is a casting technique where a metal object

is the result of casting molten metal into a cavity,

formerly occupied by a wax model. The ancient jewel-

lers would have formed their wax master using

beeswax. They would then encase the entire wax

model in clay. The clay would be fired to become as

hard as stone and the wax burnt out of the mould.

Molten metal would then be introduced into the

mould and, once cool, the mould shattered to expose

the metal piece which is a duplicate of the initial wax

master. Only one item can be made when using this

method. A new wax model would be required for a

subsequent piece.

“Today, large manufacturers that make use of mod-

ern technology can quickly design and manufacture

multiple pieces using lost wax casting. Computer

aided design (CAD) and rapid prototyping mean that

multiples of any one item can be produced. The mul-

tiples may be complete items such as rings that are

ready for the setting of stones. This can also include

components such as clasps and findings. Jewellery

items are cast in batches and are often completed

with the minimal amount of handwork.

“Individual goldsmiths working without the benefit of

CAD and rapid prototyping, still hand carve jewellers

wax to make their models. These models are then

cast in a very similar way to the ancient techniques.

The wax models are assembled on a wax tree, set

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into a flask into which investment is poured (invest-

ment is similar to a specialist plaster of Paris). The

flask filled with investment, with its tree of wax in the

centre, is then placed in a kiln. The kiln fires the in-

vestment to become ceramic and burns away the

wax. Once the flask is at the correct temperature, it is

removed from the kiln and molten metal is introduced

into the cavity from which the wax was burned. The

flask is then dipped into cool water; the thermal

shock splinters the ceramic and exposes the metal

models, the exact duplicate of the wax tree.

“At the Gold Museum shop you will find 18ct gold

jewellery made by lost wax technique inspired by the

work that are included in the permanent collection.

“In our workshop we use casting techniques and all

the traditional tools and skills of the ancient gold-

smith. Cuttlefish casting is another form of metal

casting that is taught at the Gold Museum workshop.

Here the required form of the final article is carved

directly into the bone of the cuttlefish. The cuttlefish

bone or serpius officionalis is the soft backbone of

the squid. Impressions are easily made with a variety

of tools and the natural striations of the bone are

used to good effect. This creates a heavily textured

surface that can be retained or removed in part.

“In our goldsmith classes, participants are encour-

aged to bring along ideas and designs of jewellery

they would like to manufacture. Designs are dis-

cussed and developed keeping in mind the level of

skill of the participant. Quick sketches allow the class

members to work out the specifics of their design.

Decisions about dimensions, metal thickness,

weight, form, balance, surface textures, clasps and

settings are clarified. Since each participant has dif-

ferent ideas we have the opportunity to cover a

number of techniques that benefit everyone, either

by participating directly or by seeing each other’s

work in progress. We always start with learning how

to smelt and pour metal into ingots to produce wire

or plate. The techniques of piercing (sawing metal),

filing and soldering are also covered during the work-

shop. Stone setting, various surface decoration tech-

niques and forming techniques are all explored.

“Initially learning to manufacture jewellery requires a

lot of patience and dedication. Manufacturing can be

repetitive, if you are making lots of tiny components,

tenacity, focus and concentration will be an asset.

Personally, I’m always very excited to see if the piece

I envisioned is developing as expected, I still tend to

rush and shed tears afterwards!” 0

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Design as a secondary school subject has faced many transformations, developments and challenges during the past few years. Not dwelling on the chal-lenges, one of the most encouraging recent develop-ments is the publication of the text-book, Design Grade 10 and the accompanying Design Grade 10 Teacher’s Guide published by Future Managers in 2009. The publisher describes the book as: “The first ever full-colour design textbook designed for designers by designers in South Africa.”

The authors, Suné Stassen, Leon Buchner, Ronell Lare-man, Lara Kruger and San-Marie de la Rey, brought together their vast experience in design practice and education in a whopping 300-page textbook.

The book coincidentally matches the FET (Further Edu-cation & Training) National Design Curriculum for Grade 10 100%, and it is divided into four modules, which match the four school terms. The modules take an unique and intelligent pedagogical slant on the subject and in-clude: What is design?; Communication; Can design benefit society?; and Design in a business context.

The content is structured to effectively empower teachers to take learners on a progressive and insightful journey through the plethora of design disciplines, covering history, theory, critical thinking, contemporary case studies, practical activities, assessment guidelines and much more.

The content structure and the design of the book is dense and engaging. It moves beyond the traditional way of teaching design at secondary school level, which tends to focus on the aesthetic and execution aspects. Design Grade 10 rather focuses on the inherent function and value of contemporary design practice

and contextualises it in the worlds of business, society and popular culture – a rather refreshing approach.

Another unique aspect of the textbook is its focus on the South African context. Design Grade 10 is filled with examples of work, case studies and interviews with South African designers. The content goes be-yond mere ‘show and tell’ and positions design as a vialable career option.

The selection of case studies and featured designers spans a variety of design disciplines and generations and thereby, creates local role models – an aspect that Africa urgently needs.

Since Design is not regarded as a priority school subject such as Mathematics and Science, the Department of Education does not invest many resources in its de-velopment – teacher training and teaching tools. However, the authors of this textbook drew upon their deep passion for the subject to develop a tool that elevates its status, empowers its teachers and inspires its learners.

The publisher took a commendable risk by investing in a niche subject, publishing an obviously costly full-colour textbook – an unusual step in the textbook market – and they supported the belief of the authors that one cannot teach Design effectively with a black and white handbook. Understandably, it is not a high-end quality production but that was never the intention – it needed to be an unpretentious and content driven ‘workhorse’, which it is.

Design Grade 10 can be ordered directly from the pub-lisher at http://www.futuremanagers.co.za/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=41 0

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You’d be forgiven for thinking that Vega School is a

top-end ad agency when you first arrive at reception.

A small flock of Loerie Awards preens on a wall. Acid

green winks at you through glass from a high-tech

studio where fashionable young things are casually

busy on the very cutest Macs.

It’s only when you reach the corridors that it feels

more like school. Students emerge from writing their

year-end exams, comparing answers and jabbering.

But it’s not just any school. Take a look at the Mac

lab. Apple has called this arguably the most techno-

logically well-equipped educational institute in the

world.

If new business strategies through brand building are

the grist of Vega’s mill, then the school fits the bill.

After all, if you’re going to start a branding school, best

you get your branding right.

Vega’s founder and navigator, Gordon Cook, says the

following on the school’s website: “Traditionally the

purpose of business is to generate profit. However,

enlightened companies see the purpose of business

being the creation of value as uniquely defined to

meet the needs of key value shareholders such as

staff, customers and the broader community. A brand

is the ultimate vessel to deliver this value.”

What Cook is proposing is a new way of looking at

learning about business, one that isn’t just built on

greed and profit, but that also “brings people and so-

ciety into a critical context”. Successful brand building

deals in values as well as profits and so he ensures

that Vega students engage with the real world and

solve brand problems within the broadest social con-

text.

“’We take on an NGO or two each year to contribute

to their brand building and fundraising,” he tells me over

the phone from Durban. “This year we did a xenophobia

campaign and we worked for a community chicken

farm, building a brand identity for an amazing women’s

co-op.”

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It’s not surprising then that the Nelson Mandela Foun-

dation approached Vega to strategise and design a

corporate identity for the Nelson Mandela Children’s

Hospital, about to be built in Johannesburg. They

wanted to work with young people on the project.

Deeshana Chetty was a member of the team that pro-

duced the winning branding for the hospital (along with

Nicola Davis, Nkgabiseng Mutau, Kagiso Magoba and

Vanja Lavadinovic) and she’s ridiculously eloquent. She

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sounds more like a seasoned professional than a stu-

dent. When you think about it, creating a corporate

identity for a project like this could be a pinnacle in a

designer’s career – and she’s still at school.

“We drew inspiration from a line Nelson Mandela

gave us about the project. He said he wants every

child to come to the hospital as a patient and leave

as a friend. The hospital forms a kind of family net-

work. We started thinking about the African proverb

that it takes a village to raise a child.” A Family Dedicated

to Care was born from this idea, but the team was

crucially aware that the brand design needed to draw

from Africa but hold its own internationally.

“We did research and discovered that the idea of fractals

is a very African science,” says Chetty. “Indigenous

African tribes used fractals in village planning, in

weaving, in geometry. So that’s how we settled on the

fractal forms in the design.” The baby blue colour in

the identity was chosen so that it could be child

friendly and also non-threatening for patients’ parents

since it instils trust. The design needed to be careful

not to be too childish nor too serious, neither too Afri-

can nor too global.

It’s this balance that won them the task and a 2009

Pendoring Award and a finalist spot in the 2009 Loerie

Awards. Graça Machel also honoured the designers

and the school by handing over R150 000 for the Vega

Bursary Fund and the students got to have their photos

taken with the grand old man, Madiba.

“You know,” says Cook, “I’ve been working with students

for 20 years and I’ve never seen kids work so hard – it

was in recognition of Mandela.” Chetty laughs when I tell

her what Cook had to say. “It’s true. We worked through

the night every night for weeks. And the project hasn’t

ended. We’ve been tweaking it, improving on it.”

I ask her why they went to all this extra effort. “Because

it’s a real project, a real client,” she says. “It had to

be perfect. We did a booklet, the logo, the industrial

design, stationery, everything.”

The students had to pitch their designs to a panel and

go through the rigours of a professional appraisal.

“Here you get the opportunity to understand how the

industry works. You win, you fail, you adapt. You get

to understand how clients think.”

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In the thoroughly modern canteen that serves fresh and

moreish food I find Lara Oberholzer and Kerry Elliott.

The students were members of two groups from Vega

chosen as finalists in the Branson School of Entrepre-

neurship’s Business Plan Competition. They had to

beat off 142 entries to get there.

Oberholzer’s team wanted to make the Virgin brand

relevant to the youth. They designed a comprehensive

business plan for a Virgin student card and magazine.

Elliott’s team tapped into Virgin’s travel wing with a

plan for Virgin Medical Tourism. Reading through

their proposals, which they also had to pitch to a pro-

fessional panel, I am impressed by how big their

thinking is – and even more so when I find out they

are both first-year students.

Both are studying Cook’s latest brainchild – a BA Degree

in Brand Building and Management. “It’s a hybrid BA

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built on the assumption that we need to find new

ways of looking at business after the global financial

meltdown. We had to revisit the commercial principals

but question them and bring in humanities, philoso-

phies and ethics.”

I ask Oberholzer and Elliott if the experience of creating

a new business on paper has opened up some new

possibilities for their future. They both say they’re fo-

cused on a career in brand management, but now their

options have been broadened. “It’s opened up some new

windows in my mind,” says Oberholzer. “It’s moulded

my perspective of the business industry and how hard

you have to work to succeed.”

“We want a new breed of thinkers who can provide

creative and innovative approaches to developing

and sustaining brands. In our view brands cause

business,” says Cook. “A lot of young people have an

entrepreneurial spirit. If you want to live outside the

box, you might have to create your own box. We don’t

even know what the new businesses will be, but we

know you will have to be brave.” 0

You often read about design courses and all the wonder-

ful things that form part of design education. Most of the

information, however, is written by the colleges, univer-

sities or institutions offering the programmes. You may

find yourself wondering what it is really like, what the

students experience and how they see the courses

they are enrolled in.

A number of industrial design students studying at

the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT)

offer their thoughts on what it is really like to pursue

this course. Industrial design is a practical, studio-

based design discipline which equips students with

the knowledge and skills to apply the design process

to problems relating to mass-produced products.

This means anything from an electric toothbrush to a

chainsaw and even a car. Students learn how to pro-

duce conceptual sketches, technical specifications,

rendered images and real or computer-generated

models to show what the final product will look like.

Students work exceptionally hard, but there is always

time for a braai or a get-together which helps bond

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students and staff and creates an energetic and sup-

portive environment.

The first year is often a scary time for students because

you may not know anyone and often you are far from

home. Here are some of their views:

Jonathan Fish ) “Having a heavy work load doesn’t

mean you need to work exceptionally hard, it rather

means that you should manage your time and learn to

work under pressure. Communication with the lectur-

ers is vital, as they offer help when needed, creating

a supportive and friendly environment. Something to

think about when designing: ‘Less is more’. It’s up to

you and no one else, whether you are there to learn or

not, but at the end of the day when the ink runs out,

there is no one to blame for the results, but yourself.”

Raees Amien ) “I have thoroughly enjoyed this course

even though at times it can be tough. I have learnt

many things over this past year and believe that it

will help me in becoming the car designer I dream of

becoming one day. The people I have met have had a

big impact on my life – learning about their cultures

and ways of thinking. The course is very open in the

sense that there are no restrictions to learning. For

those who are thinking of applying for this discipline,

I personally think there is no better course to study,

but dedication and an open mind is a must. I have

had lots of fun this year and can only wait and see

how my future unfolds with the help of this course.”

Brad Inch ) “When I started this course I was intimidated

by the designs done by the third-year students and

thought I would never be able to accomplish that type

of end product, but slowly the course unfolded and

revealed the tools, creative ability and confidence

within me to be able to produce the same. Industrial

design is probably the most exciting and enjoyable

course that I have come across. Nothing is more exhila-

rating than extracting ideas from your imagination

and building them. I have learnt so much this year;

my drawing abilities, my skills and my confidence in

design have grown. The most critical part of this course

was time management, in that should one not effec-

tively manage one’s time, the workload would become

too stressful. This course requires your full attention,

focus and dedication.”

Madelé Koegelenberg and Angela Landos ) “Starting

with a Lego man and ending the year with a 1:1 scale

Baby Protector for the beach…this year was definitely

stressful, yet truly magnificent. Industrial design is

definitely the right course to choose if you enjoy the chal-

lenge of working with unfamiliar materials for the first

time and the adrenaline rush of meeting deadlines

and juggling assignments. Great friendships are made

amongst fellow students, as well as with the lecturers.

Reflecting on the year, even the few sleepless nights

were worth it, compared to the rewarding feeling of a

successful conclusion and knowledge gained.”

By second year, students generally settle down and

recognise their own individual design style and process-

es. They start to better understand how they can adapt

the design process to the way in which they work and

design. Students use all the skills they were taught

during first year and develop these skills when they

complete more complex projects. Second year is an

exciting year, where you’re not a new first year and

you also don’t have the pressure of a graduation

looming over you.

Richard Steele ) “I can think of many memorable mo-

ments experienced during my studies at CPUT, but

probably the best experience so far has been the

knowledge of design I have gathered. As a first-year

student I tried very hard to impress my lecturers, and

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this led to a warped sense of what design is. After a

lot of trial and error, I can finally say that I have

reached a higher understanding of design in second

year. Design is not something that should be forced,

it is not something pretentious. For me design is

something natural and free; and the more time I

spend designing, the better I become at it. This deep-

er understanding of design was like a discovery to me

– one day I just understood what it meant to appreci-

ate a shape, and I have seen my fellow classmates go

through the same transformation. I can’t wait to see

what discoveries I will make in third year.”

Third year is the final stretch of the National Diploma

Three-Dimensional Design, and students who suc-

cessfully graduate either start their professional ca-

reers or they continue their studies by enrolling for a

degree in Industrial Design. During the third year stu-

dents draw on all the skills and knowledge they have

gained during their first two years and they expand

on this through their own research. We asked two

third- year students to share their experiences of the

course and what they would take away with them.

Raoul de Villiers ) “Nearing the end of my third year

at this university, I relate somewhat differently to my

surroundings. Having come to this course later in my

life, aged 28, I already had some life experience be-

hind me. This made things easier to deal with, such

as deadlines, focusing for long hours and more. How-

ever, the fundamental education process was a job

done well. There is a much clearer understanding of

how people inter-relate and put themselves forward.

Being armed with knowledge of materials, processes,

colours, shapes and proportions leaves me better

prepared for being a professional designer. Yet, there

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is a major component missing from that list which I

have taken with me – decision-making. The course

has enabled me to speed up decision-making with

clarity in a holistic and confident manner. Third year

has paved the way to deal with your inner workings,

and just getting on with the job at hand. No one else

is going to do the work for you.”

Katrin Scheibert ) “As a third-year student I feel I

have gathered a lot of knowledge and life skills

through my course. Although the creative side of de-

sign is emphasised, the ethical and more technical

aspects of the profession are also a focal point. This

places a great responsibility, both ethically and envi-

ronmentally, on a product designer. The emphasis

here is the importance of sustainability in all prod-

ucts, and the manufacturing process. Not only have I

learnt to work independently and to set my own goals

and deadlines, but most importantly, I have devel-

oped my critical thinking and been able to apply this

to design and other aspects of my life. This has made

me much more aware of things that happen around

me everyday, which I might not consciously take note

of. I have learnt how people perceive and approach

consumer products, and I would like to apply this to

create products, which benefit the user not only in its

function but also in its emotional value.”

Studying industrial design can be one of the most re-

warding things you ever do, however, it requires ded-

ication, self-motivation and hard work. When you

graduate you are equipped to solve complex design

problems and become an entrepreneur. More than

that, studying industrial design helps you look at the

world around you with fresh eyes and, in the process,

identify and develop your strengths as a designer. 0

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Architectural Technology | Fashion | Film & Video Technology | Graphic DesignIndustrial Design Information Technology | Interior Design | Jewellery Design & Manufacture

Journalism | Multimedia Technology | Photopgraphy | Public Relations ManagementSurface Design | Three-Dimensional Design | Town & Regional Planning

Enquiries: 086 123 CPUT or www.cput.ac.za

COME GET SOME@ the Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s Faculty of Informatics and Design. We offer a wide range of under and

postgraduate creative courses to choose from:

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By Robyn Mitchell

Attending the Design Indaba Expo one is always assured to leave with awesome inspiration, quality designer pieces, and a fresh bout of enthusiasm – no matter your field of expertise. This is an excit-ing exhilarating space for network-ing of professional and emerging, students and public.

In 2009 the Cape Peninsula Uni-versity of Technology (CPUT) was privileged to not only have a stand at the Expo but to also be awarded the best stand award for their con-cept, HeadSpace.

Being the selected student to rep-resent the Graphic Design Depart-ment was a surreal experience and a great honour and privilege for me. It was amazing to see delegates and speakers having a look at the stand and knowing that they were

looking at our work. It made me feel very proud of CPUT.

Roxanne Spears, former Graphic Design lecturer and conceptual brain behind the HeadSpace stand had the following to say:

RM ) What are your passions, what makes you tick as a designer and what creative application do you prefer?

RS ) Passionate people, art, music and design that brings beauty to the world and inspires wonder-ment. My amazing creative friends continuously inspire me. I see fan-tastic work everyday while re-searching. One of my biggest in-spirations in the last few years has been Gourmet Magazine, which unfortunately closed down in 2008. As a graphic designer, I offer

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a client the best media solution

for their brand. However, my main

areas of focus are in packaging,

branding and publishing.

RM ) What was your original con-

cept with HeadSpace?

RS )'HeadSpace was the name of

the poster campaign for the CPUT

final exhibition. I saw the oppor-

tunity to follow the illustrated style

that was created and the use of

existing icons, but the concept was

more the design process of ‘inspir-

ing’ students. I saw the Design

Indaba exhibition not only as a

fantastic marketing opportunity

but a great way to inspire excel-

lence and motivate future students.

Inspiring excellence and passion

for design was close to my heart

as a design lecturer, so it was

wonderful to design a stand that

showcased some of the very best

work and make the whole stand

about the students, which is why

we teach in the first place.

RM ) Tell more about the logistics

and working with the other design

departments. After all, the entire

stand had to showcase a unity be-

tween departments.

RS )'All the different design depart-

ments gave me images to work

with to create the stop-frame ani-

mation movies. The industrial de-

sign department had already

made a showcase movie, which

we edited and foundation design

stepped in and made their own.

My biggest help came from a few

amazing individuals – Daryn and

Craig from the industrial depart-

ment who built the stand; the

very talented illustrators Justin

and Simon who worked with me

through to the end; the divine

Lauren Fowler who worked into

the night on the movies; the tal-

ented team at Craftwork who put

Robby’s video together and to all

the students whose work was

showcased.

The production was the most chal-

lenging – especially having to get

the institution to pay for each

step – the printing, the materials,

the works, driver, hiring of equip-

ment and the list goes on. The

design part was fun.

RM ) What was it like to create and

to share the Expo floor with the

top designers in the industry?

RS )'It was a blast. I’d designed

stands before but not in an envi-

ronment where the design of the

stand was as important as the

content on the stand and where

the best of the best in South Africa

showcased their wares. It was

important that the stand not only

showcased the talented design-

ers that come from CPUT, but that

the stand itself was cutting-edge

of contemporary design.

I also caught up with Daryn Mole-naar, industrial design lecturer, one of the helping hands for this project. For him, concept is king so any designer who pushes the boundary of what’s available has his attention. That’s also why he loves working with students and their ideas. According to him, they are not afraid to be adven-turous in their designs. He also freelances and enjoys designing anything from medical equip-ment to cell phone packaging. Daryn says: “If I could choose only one field...I would get bored – so a bit of this and a bit of that, that’s more my field.”

RM ) Tell us a little more about your experience and involvement in the project.

DM )'As a lecturer it’s difficult not to teach. When I was busy in the workshop, the students natu-rally started helping out. We chatted about joining methods, glues and materials needed for this project. Teach by doing.

Roxy gave a very clear idea of what she had in mind and we tried to make it happen. The communi-cation between the two depart-ments was fantastic. They did their part – the 2D, and we did ours – the 3D and at the end we all worked pretty well together.

RM ) What about the design and

production process involved?

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DM )'Roxy came up with the basic

concept, three asymmetrical

shapes with AV screens included.

All I did was bring the concept to

life. I worked closely with Craig

Finnan and Roxy on the concept

until we were all happy. Then I

did some technical drawings and

went into the workshop for a few

days.

RM ) What was it like knowing

that the stand was sharing the

Expo floor with top South African

designers?

DM )'It was a great honour and

nerve racking! It did not help

walking around either, but it did

feel good. I don’t think we had

the competition on our minds

when we created the stand. All

we wanted to do was create a

stand that would represent CPUT

and our students’ work. It was a

shock when they announced the

winning stand.

RM ) What was your initial reac-

tion when you found out that of

all the students of your depart-

ment, you had been chosen to be

showcased on the CPUT stand?

OHT )'We were obviously very

happy to have our work up. But

also being part of the build-up

team – this was our first big job as

One Horse Town and we were very

excited about the massive expo-

sure we were going to get at this

prestigious and widely attended

event. It was also great for us as

we were too late in applying for an

emerging creatives stand to know

our work was going to get seen

anyway was great. And it was great

to be involved in what turned out

to be a successful project to work

on. We learned a lot from it.

RM ) And to know that you are

sharing floor space with top de-

signers?

OHT )' I think it really motivated

us to do our best. We really wanted

to deliver something that was dif-

ferent but effective and striking

– something that would stand out

and be recognised.

RM ) As a young design company,

being featured on the stand and

your greater involvement, how

did this impact on where you are

today?

OHT )'Obviously we learned a hell

of a lot. We were very involved in

the design from its conception,

throughout production until the

finishing touches. It was a tough

job but it was great to work on.

The exposure also helped a great

deal and I think people who had

heard of us before took us a little

more seriously. We got a few great

contacts because of the stand as

well as lots of positive feedback. 0

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Over the past decade, the Design Academy Eindhov-en has made quite an international name for itself and has managed to produce many famous alumni. It has been chaired by one of the world’s most famous trend-forecasters, Li Edelkoort and has, on a number of occasions, been named one of the world’s top de-sign schools. So what makes the Design Academy such an innovative design school?

Established in the Netherlands as the Academy for Industrial Design Eindhoven in 1947, the school sub-sequently changed its name in 1997 when it moved into the old Philips lightbulb factory in the city centre of Eindhoven. It continues to create the impression of a creative factory, rather than a school. The bottom three floors contain workshops for metal, wood, plas-ter, plastics, textiles, screen-printing, digital work and photography, as well as student administration. The fourth and fifth floors comprise large open spac-es where students cluster around tables in their vari-ous departments for lessons, while the sixth floor tops it all with a cafeteria.

The school still remains primarily an industrial design school, with approximately 600 students, both un-dergraduate and postgraduate. But over the past decade it has progressed into the realm of design in its entirety. Because of this, the school has veered away from traditional teaching. Where most schools teach in a discipline- specific manner, training and developing graphic designers, industrial designers, fashion designers and architects, respectively, the Design Academy chooses to train designers in the most holistic sense of the word, with the emphasis being on design as a whole and the broad spectrum that it involves.

The curriculum is shaped by this holistic teaching ap-proach, instilling the idea that design is not a career but a way of life. The design industry is becoming less structured by specific, individual fields, but is moving towards a state of merging and overlapping. In the same way, the school does not wish to produce

designers who are only qualified in a limited field, but prefers to place an emphasis on creating and fostering a designer in the fullest possible sense of the word.

The school draws on a lot of the teaching principles of the Bauhaus, the first design school to truly em-brace a unity between artistic and practical tuition. Like the Bauhaus, where every student followed a general course which then led to the choice of a more specific path, the Design Academy system comprises two parallel streams, namely the design departments and the Compass departments, which both start out in a very general and broad manner, and become more specific as the course progresses. The design departments are the component that allows for more focused design-related projects and teaching, while the Compass departments teach subjects to all stu-dents, irrespective of their design directions. The four directions are Atelier, Market, Forum and Lab, which attempt to cover all aspects in which a designer is involved in a rotational manner during first and second year, and one chosen direction of focus in the third.

Through these departments, the first year’s aim is to expose students to as much as possible, both in the sense of materials and techniques, as well as ways of thinking and cultivating one’s personal identity. There is also great emphasis on creating an awareness of oneself as a designer and oneself in relation to de-sign and creative expression.

Having previously studied product design in Paris, Mickael, a second-year student commented that the course he had followed in Paris, comprising almost solely of drawing and 3D rendering. At the Design Academy there is a totally different approach to how one is encouraged to work. Through both the Com-pass departments and the design departments, there is a far greater emphasis on thinking and experiment-ing in 3D throughout the entire design process.

Woodwork, sketching, painting and materials form the basis of Atelier 1, with the emphasis on both in

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teaching basic techniques, but also in extracting one’s personal qualities and hand writing, and learn-ing to use these as strengths in the work process. The higher years hone in on teaching the principle of thinking with your hands as a source of inspiration and innovation. This department sets out to maxim-ise intuition, technique, knowledge and individuality, particularly through the traditional arts and crafts.

Market is the Compass department for the entrepre-neurial designer, where the aim is in cultivating a de-signer who sees the added value of design in a com-petitive, globalised world. It also brings awareness to the designer’s relationship within this market, and how to effectively develop oneself and one’s products in this market, preparing students for the creative economy. In the first year this is done with a theatre performance class, where one is forced to express oneself through words, movement and body lan-guage, while another component is Form & Function, a subject looking at form, shape, colour and material through a graphic and typographic medium. Higher years are directed more at the market relationship of the product and of the consumer – taking the initial first year relationship of oneself within the market, and expanding that scope outward.

Social and cultural context also have relevance with-in design education, and this is covered in Forum. It discusses the meaning and the position of the de-signer, focusing on the cultural perspective of design, the influence of design on the world, and the world on design, and the changing relationships between context, content and public, investigating these in both a practical and theoretical way. Initially, meth-ods of research and design writing are explored, while later, philosophy and cultural studies are ob-served. The more practical components of the depart-ment involve applied research and study about ways

of looking through the use and application of different line directions, viewpoints and composition in draw-ing, conveying meaning through the sculpture of form, ‘reading’, and designing and conducting con-textually conscious architectural studies, while the second year looks at colour and context, and design-ing public spaces.

Lab is the more technically orientated of the Com-pass departments, where one can work and experi-ment with new knowledge and materials in many dif-ferent ways. One can test techniques and is able to work with many different ideas and materials, with the aim of extending oneself and looking further than the familiar. Students are acquainted with available skills and knowledge in the practical issues behind a design, as well as the means to create effectively. In the first year this is explored through technical draw-ing, metal studies, pertaining to the research of met-als as well as the application of metalwork tech-niques and methods, studies in 2D and 3D form, and prototype creation with foam, plaster, clay and ce-ramic moulds. In the second year plastics are cov-ered, as well as a subject focusing on the formal de-velopment of 2D to 3D.

The Design departments, on the other hand, although not specifically defined as such, are more discipline-specific. The eight departments are Man & Activity, Man & Communication, Man & Identity, Man & Leisure, Man & Living, Man & Mobility, Man & Public Space and Man & Well-Being, and already in the names, convey the openness and freeness of subject matter.

Each name is essentially self-explanatory, referring more to what the department potentially could include, as opposed to what it is limited to. And it is this sort of attitude that seems to guide the path of teaching that the design departments follow. Although each

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department does tend towards a more specific de-

sign discipline, it is in no way restricted to it. In fact,

one could almost make anything in any of the depart-

ments, as long as it in some way pertains to the de-

partment’s philosophy, approach and way of working.

And because of this sort of approach, the syllabus

allows for a style of teaching that isn’t direct teaching

as such, but more a means of equipping students

with skills, and then leaving the rest up to individual.

Mickael, a French student in the second year, elabo-

rates, “At the Design Academy they teach in the

sense of giving you a starting point and a time frame,

at which they expect an end point, but leave the in-

between part up to us, so that you can meander and

find your own way to that end point.”

These design departments are followed as introduc-

tory lessons in the first year, while the second and

third years cover four semester-long modules. The

teachers of these departments are, in fact, not teach-

ers, but professional designers, working in industry.

So ultimately, one is not taught as such, but students

are treated more like real designers, while at the

same time, the teachers take on more of a mentoring

role in the way that they try to impart their knowl-

edge and current experience in the field. The final

year of study starts out with a semester-long intern-

ship, and ultimately culminates in the completion of

a graduation project.

Throughout the four years at the Design Academy the

teaching style has a conceptual emphasis. As Peter,

a second-year student from Taiwan commented: “In

comparison to previous studies, where the emphasis

often lay in evaluating by the standards of ‘will any-

one buy it’, here at the Design Academy, the empha-

sis often does not in fact lie there, but more in the

realm of cultivating conceptually strong or relevant

designs, irrespective of its direct market value. And

this sort of approach can exist because of the ques-

tioning, free and self-exploratory nature that the

academy embeds in its students.”

One way that students are pushed into this direction is

by lecturers keeping things intentionally vague. Stu-

dents are forced to keep swimming, and find the edge

themselves. This really draws more out of students

than mere spoon-feeding. Sometimes this approach

can be frustrating, as Chizu, a third-year student from

Japan expresses. She was used to a system of rules

and instructions, and having to follow these in order

to succeed. However, at the Design Academy, she

finds that things are taught more as a guideline than

as a strict definition. Although a sometimes frustrat-

ing approach, it is this sort of approach that also

forces one to become more decisive about one’s own

ideas and direction, and allows one to stumble upon

solutions that would otherwise not be found. This ap-

proach ultimately develops a designer who can think

for him or herself.

Diddue, a second-year student, originally from Spain,

had previously studied interior architecture in Bel-

gium. “I found that the syllabus there was interest-

ing, but there was still something lacking.” He elabo-

rated that in his previous studies the focus was

predominantly on the technical side, involving model

building, technical drawing and learning software.

These are no doubt all important skills in the design

industry, but for him, and many other students, the

Design Academy is a school that fulfils that some-

thing that is lacking. By embracing a more creative

and holistic approach to design, as opposed to only

an industry-orientated slant that so many schools

adopt, designers are trained to meet current needs.

Creating an open and free space allows for the flour-

ishing of new and innovative designs, in an environ-

ment of potential, instead of constraints. 0

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