Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
1 5
quest for creative solutions
ABANA
development planning needs in an environmentally sensitive and
11 > PREFACE
11 > ProActive
40�� > O
f bogies and bush fellers, of monitors and
motorbikes
CONTENTS
99 > M
MA Architects: Providing platforms for 138 > B
edford Precinct: Achieving a design
cultural engagement balance in a mixed-use environment
110 > Burj Dubai: reaching for the skies 152 > C
rystal Towers: The jewel in Century City’s
crown
116 > S
outhern Sun Hyde Park Hotel: Chic hotel
with an awesome view
242 > D
esign is about the future 261 > Distant voices
254 > C
arrol Boyes: A true marriage of sculpture 264 > C
reating harmony between engineering
and function and art
84 > PAPER
90 > S
A Publication Forum: Proactively improving
corporate publications
161 > G
reenstone Mall: Unusual and defining 205 > A
conceptual design challenge: Central
design elements Terminal Building at the OR Tambo
International Airport
175 > Gautrain: An interactive engineering feat
215 > Soccer City: Africa’s melting pot
270 > The Gold of Africa Museum: The embedded 280 > 2
010 Winter wrapped: Sanlam SA Fashion
history of gold Week
ENDORSERS
288 > IP 291 > EDUCATION
MEDIA PARTNERS
238 > EDUCATION
CREDITS
formation
DESIGN > 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
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are not necessarily those of the publisher, its endorsers, sponsors or contributors.
PREFACE >
ProActive
As much as we all try to be proactive in our approach It seems that the largest corporates are the least involved
to design at all levels, we are often lacking. South in Pro–Environment–Active–Design and they are the
Africa and Africa is still fixed in a bureaucratic approach ones that destroy it most. We can point a finger at the
to design at most levels. In the previous edition of countries that are not ProActive, although unfortu-
DESIGN > we focused on the design economy, which nately even some of the most Pro–Active–Design
to me is a critical issue for all economies around the counties are not making enough headway to turn the
globe. Society has done well to re-engineer its design ship around.
process for centuries, far superseding its own expec-
tations. Imagine way back, if all economies agreed upon The only three places I have visited locally where I
a design alliance that concerned itself with all the issues have witnessed Pro–Activity for the environment are
that we have to deal with today? the universities, the Imvelo Awards for Responsible
Tourism and the Top Technology 100 Awards.
In this edition ‘ProActivity’ means a lot of things. It is
mostly a positive term. Its use in this edition however is I am truly excited to witness great designs – yet they
both positive and negative. My most recent experi- are simply that – great designs. In my opinion, any
ence of proactivity was attending the SABS Design design of any worth today, no matter how significant
Excellence Awards. It was an honor to see such excep- and worldly it is, is worth little if it doesn’t consider
tional designs – this is proactive. What concerns me the environment and the wellbeing of all societies
is that the focus of much design has little to do with across the planet. <
the current global environmental crisis. I ask: what
use is a product designed for the future if it doesn’t
in some way reduce carbon footprints or support the Cameron Bramley
environment? DESIGN > CEO and publisher
Many pairs of hands then support the one pair
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Air conditioning
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systems • More energy efficient (high COP) on R-410A • Automatic refrigerant containment
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systems with web access function • 25 years of VRV and much more besides…
For more information call 0860-DAIKIN or visit www.daikin.co.za for a Daikin dealer near you.
PREFACE >
EDITOR’S
FOREWORD
When we started developing the editorial theme for Linda Mvusi might have said it best: “Design reflects
this edition of DESIGN > magazine some nine months change. Change as the norm, not the exception.”
ago, one word continuously kept coming up in my
mind: Proactive. In her address at the 2009 SABS Design Excellence
Awards, Dr Bonakele Mehlomakulu, CEO of the SABS
First coined in the 1930s by Paul Whiteley and Gerald said, “design empowers us to change the world as we
Blankfort in the context of experimental psychology, it know it. Design is about the future, about what might be
became a popular term because of a seminal book pub- or should be. Design involves living in a future world;
lished by Viktor Emil Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning, conceiving and planning what does not yet exist”.
published in 1946. Frankl used the word to describe a I fully agree.
person who took responsibility for his or her life, rather
than looking for causes in outside circumstances or It has been a scintillating year since DESIGN > maga-
other people. Frankl also stressed the importance of zine converted to a digital platform. In this time we
courage, perseverance, individual responsibility and have produced five bumper editions spanning more
awareness of the existence of choices, regardless of than 1 330 pages. This exceptional growth in stature
the situation or context. is also reflected in our readership that now extends to
more than 55 countries.
‘Proactive’ is a magical word that has intrigued and in-
spired many of our writers who have contributed articles On behalf of the DESIGN > magazine team, I would like
for this edition. They delivered responses that span the to thank all our readers, advertisers and writers for their
gamut of the design disciplines, from visual communi- incredible support. We wish you all a wonderful 2010.
cation, industrial design, architecture, fashion and
jewellery to fine arts and popular culture. One golden Jacques Lange
thread running through this edition is ‘change’ and as DESIGN > Editor
ENTRY DEADLINES F
A W A R D S
Craft
Multidisciplinary 26 > M
aterial Trends Award 2010 (International)
03 > M
ACEF DESIGN AWARD
MASSIMO MARTINI 2010
(International)
22 > R
ed Dot Award: Product Design
2010 (International)
Design professionals
and social activism
By David Berman, FGDC, R.G.D. (© 2009)
time. Already, every month this year, in India alone, use our skills and our opportunities to help create a
15 million people are getting their first mobile phone. better world.
That’s the reality for people in Ghana today, but that Go further: recognise the interdependence, power,
reality is about to change for the better. A remarkable and influence of your role as a professional, and let it
team at mpedigree.com designed a simple mobile resonate with the world around you and within you.
phone application that solves this problem. They ar-
ranged with the drug companies to put a unique numeric
code on each bottle of medicine. At the pharmacy, all you THE DO GOOD PLEDGE
need to do is pull out your phone, text message the
unique number printed on the medicine bottle to a spe- Designers ask me, “So what can I do?” My answer:
cial address, and within a few seconds you get a reply take this three-part Do Good Pledge, with its compo-
telling you if the bottle in your hand is fraudulent or not. nents of professionalism, personal responsibility, and
time.
It’s a simple design: No Pantone colours, no fancy
type or slogans or clever branding … just 160 charac- 1: I will be true to my profession
ters of life-and-death design that saves lives and
helps build a sustainable economy. For a couple of millennia now, doctors have been taking
a pledge. Imagine if, instead of following the Hippocrat-
ic Oath, doctors only focused on the wealth to be had
DON’T JUST DO GOOD DESIGN from cosmetic surgery … or shaking down dying people
… DO GOOD for their entire inheritance in exchange for a remedy that
would extend their life by a few weeks.
We have the opportunity to decide whether we will
simply do good design, or whether we are going to do Design professionals have built their own oaths. Join
good with design. We have a choice to make – we can a national or regional association of design profes-
sionals that has a code of ethics. By joining, you’ll
make a public professional commitment to abide to a
minimum standard of ethical conduct.
GREENWASHING:
THE 8 SIN
TH
By Anri Theron
As we descend through the clouds the road snakes BMW ActiveHybrid X6 on you. You gasp. You stare. You
through the idyllic landscape. A crescendo builds, as- imagine one of your very own waiting obediently for you
sisted by the drawn-out notes of violins and the lyri- in your garage.
cal harmony of clarinets and cellos. There is not a
soul in sight…in fact if you look closely you will be But then you remember that documentary you saw last
hard pressed to spot even the power lines that never night, created by that guy, Al Gore, about that thing they
leave your side as you make your way to Cape Town call global warming. A sudden surge of guilt rips you back
on the newly completed eight-lane highway. to reality. You shamefully look around at the empty room,
luckily no one saw. How dare you forget about global
So you have the fluffy clouds, the exhausting beauty of warming, you may think to yourself. But fear not, for at
the rolling hills and the pristine tar road looking all fresh that very moment the screen goes black and the carefully
and clean thanks to a convenient spring shower. Just styled type reads “The World’s most powerful hybrid”.
when you thought it couldn’t get any better the camera A moment of pure joy. BMW did it, they actually did it.
cuts to a close-up of a spinning wheel in slow motion. The Now you can drive your high performance BMW Active-
blades on those 17-inch alloys are simply hypnotising. Hybrid X6 with a clear conscious and pat yourself on the
Panning out, the camera unleashes the full force of the back for being environmentally responsible, right?
Wrong. Is this too good to be true? As Fred Pearce, environmentalist Jay Westerveld. In an essay West-
author of The Guardian’s Greenwash column, bluntly erveld identified the misleading practice of the hotel
puts it, of course it is! BMW promotes the ActiveHybrid industry in which they promoted the re-use of towels
X6 as “eco-friendly” because its carbon emissions by the guests to ‘save the environment’. However he
are 20% less than the regular X6. However, Pearce found that in most instances these hotels made no
notes that the Hybrid X6 official CO2 emissions rating substantial effort towards environmentally sound
with the EU is 231 grams per kilometre. This is a far practices, such as waste recycling. Being green and
cry from the EU’s 2012 goal of 120 grams for average environmentally friendly went from being responsible
emissions in new cars. You cannot compare it to oth- to trendy to profitable. And so it began. To Green-
er hybrids because it is quite literally in a class of its wash, or not to Greenwash.
own, with emissions twice that of the Toyota Prius.
How is this car “eco-friendly”? More importantly; how In 2007 TerraChoice, a leading environmental market-
are they managing to promote the ActiveHybrid X6 as ing agency based in North America, conducted a
“eco-friendly”? study in which they found that over 95% of 1 018 com-
mon products surveyed were found guilty of Green-
Sadly the case of the Hybrid X6 is one of too many. It washing. The findings were so shocking that vice-
is pure and utter Greenwashing; a fib, a distraction, a president Scot Case was convinced the researchers
tall-tale. Greenwashing is the practice of companies had butchered the study. After a redo the results re-
to attach some type of environmental claim to their mained the same and TerraChoice identified “The Six
products or policies. These claims are often unsub- Sins of Greenwashing”.
stantiated or irrelevant and used to mislead consum-
ers. To put it simply, when a company starts spending The first is the Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off, a common
more money on promoting their environmental claim misleading strategy used in 57% of environmental
to fame rather than on environmentally sound prac- claims. It focuses the consumer’s attention on a single
tices, it’s time to worry. attribute of a product that makes it appear green, over-
emphasising this while understating or completely
Futerra, a communications agency based in London, ignoring other, more environmentally dangerous con-
appropriately describes Greenwash as an old concept sequences of the product. For example, you may think
wrapped in a very modern incarnation. Examples of you’re doing your share in saving the environment
Greenwash emerged as early as the 70s. The term when you buy ‘energy-saving’ electronics. But at the
‘Greenwashing’ was, however, only coined in 1986 by same time, they may consist of materials that are
THOUGHT LEADER >
hazardous to the environment. Essentially then, you are example, promoting organic cigarettes diverts our at-
trading less pollution for less power usage, a counter- tention to the good but minute benefit of the product
productive act to say the least. being organic while ignoring the elephant in the room
– they’re still cigarettes.
Sometimes, such environmental claims cannot even
be substantiated. This is the Sin of No Proof. It’s of- These sins are all manipulations of the truth but out-
ten seen with cosmetic products that claim to be ‘cer- right lying can also be found in Greenwashing – the
tified’ organic or recyclable. Try finding out where this Sin of Fibbing. Although it does not happen often,
certification comes from. Try looking for proof. Are products can claim to be certified by internationally
you successful? Unlikely. recognised standards such as Energy Star or Green
Seal. They simply print the seal on the product and
Then, there is the Sin of Vagueness which preys on a rely on the fact that consumer’s are probably too busy
consumers naivety or ignorance. Many claims use or too lazy to verify this.
over-arching terminology that carries an implicit sense
of being environmentally friendly but leads to misun- In April 2009, TerraChoice released their second report
derstanding. ‘All natural’ products are hailed by many on the study adding a seventh sin, the Sin of Worship-
as green, but the term does not clarify that substances ping False Labels. In these cases, although the product
like arsenic, mercury and uranium fall in the same cat- does not bear a third-party certification falsely, printed
egory. stamps make it appear as though the product has
been certified. For example, this can be done through
We move on to the Sin of Irrelevance. In these cases, the use of an eco-friendly label without making it clear
truthful claims are made to boost the product’s im- that it comes from an in-house environmental pro-
age. Yet, these claims are irrelevant. The most com- gramme. Or, they simply use the trendy jargon of ‘eco-
mon example is selling a product based on its lack of friendly’ or ‘eco-secure’ on their packaging.
CFCs. But these chemicals were banned 20 years ago.
They shouldn’t be in there in any case. So why should we worry? Telling a tall tale is by no
means a new practice. Although frowned upon, it’s been
They would like you to believe they are genuinely do- done. However, nowerdays the consumer is starting
ing the right thing. Thus, the focus is often placed on to worry. The Advertising Standards Authority in the
a small good to distract the consumer from the great- UK is working overtime to try keep up with the flood
er evil. This is the Sin of the Lesser of Two Evils. For of complaints about environmentally false claims.
SECTION >
Last year the USA’s Federal Trade Commission hun- But the buck doesn’t stop with individual responsibil-
kered down to plan the reviewing of their environ- ity. Collective responsibility is needed to pick up the
mental marketing guidelines. Greenwashing is no pieces. Futerra describes the advertising agencies as
longer just annoying, it’s downright dangerous. both the problem and the solution. The advertising, PR
and marketing industries need to make a conscious
Futerra explains that we are at the point in the Green decision to not only talk green but go green from top
Revolution where the consumer wants to go green. to bottom. Internal sustainability policies are a start, of
Their ‘green pound/dollar’ is a force to be reckoned with which many already have one, but how well are they
and they are demanding an environmentally-friendly practiced? And does it extend to the client side of the
economy before they spend it. They’re not so easily business? What’s more sustainable; selling the earth
deceived and with all the Greenwashing, many who or preserving it?
relied on advertising and corporate messages for pur-
chasing decisions are losing confidence in green mes- Initiatives such a The Greenwashing Index (http://
saging. Greenwashing is sabotaging the environmental www.greenwashingindex.com/), promoted by Envi-
movement. roMedia Social Marketing and the University of Ore-
gon, and Australia’s consumer advocacy group,
But it is not all doom and gloom. Yes, the eighth sin is Choice (http://www.choice.com.au/About-Us.aspx)
that we have let it get this far; it’s probably the worst are making leaps in the battle against Greenwashing.
sin of all. But Greenwashing hardly ever stems from These Internet sites provide a portal for consumers to
malicious intent. Ignorance, sloppiness and laziness submit, access and talk about false green claims in
are the worst culprits and these can be fixed with advertising and marketing. Design Can Change
education, training and working on that green con- (http://www.designcanchange.org/#home) provides
sciousness. We need to think beyond green as profit resources for fellow designers in an effort to bring the
and “get consumers talking about sustainability” design community together in encouraging sustain-
says Stewart Rassier in a Greengaged debate on able practices. We need more of this.
Greenwashing. Once we do this, he explains, it goes
beyond Greenwash. “Sustainability is a journey, not a The outcome of the debate is the designer’s moral
destination.” John Grant further debated the designer’s dilemma: do we make big companies good or good
ethical decision, stating: “We have to be alive in our companies big? In design-speak it is a dilemma as old
practices and be ‘ok’ with our own values. There is no as the hills – a complex problem with no simple answer.
ethics free zone in life.” But is that not what we do? <
In July 1987 a working paper entitled Graphic Design for Development was submitted by board members of
the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (ICOGRADA) to the United Nations Educational
Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), following a four-day seminar in Nairobi, Kenya. The main
objectives of the seminar were to raise awareness on the contributions graphic design can make in improving
people’s lives and to increase a better understanding of graphic design in international organisations.
More than 20 years on, this article looks at how graphic designers have become more sensitive to world
issues and how the professional world of design tries to encourage and promote new social design practices
in partnership with the United Nations.
In recent years, the realm of design has expanded rapidly In recent years, design has become an international
into new areas. The social and humanitarian benefits phenomenon affecting an increasing number of coun-
of design paved the way towards a new kind of practice tries from the developing world and designers play a
shaped around socially responsible behaviour. This major role in the process of cultural and sustainable
new perspective on design gave more responsibilities development. India, China, South Africa and Brazil
to designers who play an important role as the new are successful examples of places where design is
agents of change. Designers today seek to create some- believed to be an effective methodology and tool for
thing new for the world by using creativity and strategic socio-cultural improvement.
design thinking, whilst demonstrating their ability for
social awareness. Speaking at the Icsid Africa Regional Meeting in 2003,
Peter Butenschøn (the then President of the Interna-
Design has always played an important role around tional Council of Societies of Industrial Design) said:
society and the individual as it affects cultural identity, “It is very important for any nation to understand the
social structures, economies, cultural development and larger agenda of the work of designers. By working with
environments. It touches many individuals on a daily designers, a nation invests in the growing ability to
basis and encompasses a variety of disciplines, from change, to work on innovation, on creativity. Enabling
architecture, to communication, engineering, products, change and enabling creativity is perhaps the most
computer-related technology and even contemporary important challenge that we are faced with.”
studies in anthropology and ethnography.
During my four-year career at UNESCO I concentrated
Victor Papanek wrote in Design for the Real World specifically on the promotion of graphic design for
(1973) that “ all design must fill a human need … (it) development and researched its application in the
is basic to all human activities. The planning and pattern- fields of general education, public health, environ-
ing of any act towards a desired, foreseeable end con- ment, public information, and social responsibility by
stitutes a design process. Any attempt to separate emphasising cultural diversity, contemporary prac-
design to make it a thing by itself works counter to tices and the empowerment of future generations of
the inherent value of design as the primary underlying designers. Design is a creative methodology that has
matrix of life”. the ability to support UNESCO’s notion of successful
development, which is defined as being “a tradition
Since the industrial revolution, design has taken a specific to each culture combined with the most mod-
primary role in modern societies. It attempts to shape ern economic, scientific and technological resources”
a better life for people and humanise information and (Jorge Perez de Cuellar, ‘Our Creative Diversity’, Intro-
technology. Everything we use and experience today duction, the World Decade for Cultural Development
from a newspaper, a cup, a car, a map, a computer, a 1988-1997).
medical device, a chair, a street sign, or a shelter has
been conceived by a designer, whilst historically and Many graphic designers are today involved with both
politically, designers have worked on the promotion of social and cultural responsibilities in a world that is
tolerance and respect, sustainability issues, ideology, more globalised than ever. Following are a few examples
beliefs, propaganda and national identity amongst on how they propose solutions to global challenges
others. and choose to cooperate in an international context.
THOUGHT LEADER >
› B
uild experience around the needs of people living
in different contexts.
› N
etwork with international organisations and corpo-
rations in order to demonstrate the value of design.
› P
articipate in multi-disciplinary initiatives in which
designers have a critical role to play in the develop-
African Alphabets by Saki Mafundikwa.
ment of entrepreneurship and innovation.
› W
ork on publications, events, exhibitions and com-
petitions on design in collaboration with design
bodies from different continents showcasing inter-
national design works and initiatives for cultural
development.
› A
dvocate the power of graphic design in a cultural About the author
context by organising workshops and seminars and by
encouraging cross-cultural design activities. Born in Yokohama, Japan and raised in Paris, France,
Sali Sasaki is the co-producer of Cities x Design,
› S
tudy the quality standard of design education a trans-media project on the role of design in 30
across the world and help develop design curricula for American cities.
the developing world.
She was formerly the manager of UNESCO’s Crea-
› L earn from professional organisations that can tive Cities, an international network of 19 cities,
provide expertise, knowledge, guidance, contacts from 14 different countries. She has international
and ensure an international perspective and rep- experience as a design researcher and practitioner
resentation of design. has collaborated with international design promo-
tion agencies in Europe, Asia and the United States.
› E
nable open sources of information on design
Sali holds an MA in communication design from
methodologies in partnership with public/private
the Royal College of Art (London) and a BFA in
partners worldwide.
Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design. <
› P
rovide new platforms where individuals and profes-
sional organisations can share best practices and
create opportunities for designers to work togeth-
er internationally.
www.unfpa.org/styleguide
www.accd-dm.org
www.designmatters.artcenter.edu
http://saffron-consultants.com
http://indigo.icograda.org
www.funcomfortinspiration.com
http://trip.citiesxdesign.org
INDEX: design To
improve life
Five designs to improve life were announced as winners of INDEX:Award 2009. Right there
at the top was a South African design, proving that local design can stand up and be counted
amongst the best in the world.
The 2009 INDEX Award received more than 700 entries that impact on human life; Body, Home, Work, Play and
from six continents and 54 countries. From these nomi- Community.
nations, the INDEX: jury selected the best as finalists,
and the very best as winners. A total of 36 South African According to Kigge Hvid, INDEX: CEO, the winning de-
designed products or design activities were nominated. signs show us that design has the power to be part of the
solution to major global challenges like climate
The INDEX: AWARD, the largest monetary design award changes, pollution, natural disasters, poverty, over-
in the world, is dedicated to change global mindsets consumption and other important issues. Hvid said:
by showing and exploring how design can improve “Most design is still evaluated only due to its form,
life. INDEX: does not categorise design according to colour, surface and beauty. At INDEX: we add impact
traditional labels – communication, industrial, interior and context to that. This we do to secure that the designs
and fashion design – since these do not fully reflect has an impact on the world and fit the context they
the interdisciplinary approach employed by most lead- are supposed to fit. Just like the winners of INDEX:
ing designers and design thinkers. INDEX: rather cate- Award 2009.”
gorises and evaluates nominations according to aspects
The winners
Body Category: Freeplay Fetal Heart Rate Monitor
Freeplay Energy, Cape Town, South Africa
Institute Award and the disa Design Excellence Award), Trends in South African product
recognises the achievements of South African product
designers, while also encouraging local product design design over four decades
and manufacture and promoting international com-
petitiveness of local products. This award scheme has South Africa’s economic prosperity of the 1970s was
established a proud tradition of promoting indigenous reflected in the design focus of the day. With only two
design. categories in the design awards scheme – engineering
and industrial design – engineering design dominated,
In 2004 the Design Institute conceptualised an evolved with specific focus on mining and agricultural prod-
design award scheme to adapt to the national and ucts. The lifestyle of the affluent section of the South
international changing design arena. In keeping with African society was reflected in products that received
the emphasis placed on design for local need, the De- design awards, such as swimming pool cleaners,
sign Institute restructured the award scheme to comply portable barbecues and camping equipment. The
with ongoing technological developments; to be more particular needs of the majority of the South African
relevant to current South African industry and society; population were, however, not addressed.
to be a stronger tool for marketing South African
products; and to enjoy a higher popular public and The eighties were turbulent times in South Africa’s
industry profile. history, marked by sanctions and resistance. These
sanctions had an unintended positive effect on South Social consciousness became increasingly visible in
Africa’s design industry, to some extent. Foreign design- design, with a move towards designing for local chal-
ers withdrew from the country because money had dried lenges and creating a specific vernacular identity and
up, leaving South African designers with more opportu- establishing an indigenous aesthetic.
nities to render design services with less international
competition. Issues such as the HIV/AIDS pandemic, ongoing pov-
erty, a shortage of housing and other pressing socio-
South African consumers were becoming sensitised economic issues have been reflected in design in the
and started demanding culturally-apt, locally de- first years of the 21st century.
signed products. A growing social consciousness in
the country shifted the design focus to issues such as The drive to design for a developing society and envi-
safety and primary health care. ronment has increased. In designing for developing
communities, the designer aims to meet a real need,
South Africa’s first democratic election in April 1994 rather than only fulfilling a desire, which normally
paved the way for change – also on the design front. happens in product design. Products designed for de-
Design reflects the society in which it is practiced and velopment need to be sustainable and have to im-
as such, the South African design landscape of the prove the standard of living, as well as the quality of
nineties was characterised by deep-rooted change. life of their users. A strong realisation has grown that
DESIGN PROMOTION >
design has contributed to accelerate South Africa on Improvement to an existing product design was also
the road to rapid development and success and will awarded. One example is that of the Snuza Baby
continue to do the same for the African continent. Monitor that received the Chairperson’s Award for the
product that most inspired the adjudication panel.
Snuza, designed by …XYZ, Savant and ID&B, is a new
The state of product design in 2009 generation baby monitor that allows mobile monitor-
ing of a baby’s breathing. The soft flexible sensor pro-
The products that won SABS Design Excellence trudes onto the baby’s stomach for superior sensing
Awards in 2009, as displayed in the Celebrating 40 and the monitor contains dual buttons for turning
Years of Design Excellence exhibition, showed an ec- on/off and selecting optional features. The vibration
lectic mix of products designed for development, stimulator helps reassert breathing if apnoea is de-
such as the Lifewise Eco-Loo and the the Sola-lite, a tected and an effective clip design results in good
solar-energy powered light for low cost housing, as nappy grip. The monitor uses the latest ultra-low
well as products that would add a pleasing aesthetic power microcontroller technology.
to home and office. These included the Kubik Innova-
tor LED system, the Willow Lamp Moonflower Range According to Adrienne Viljoen, manager of the SABS
of Chandeliers, the Cobra range of taps and acces- Design Institute, the Celebrating 40 Years of Design
sories and SKALA business furniture. Excellence exhibition has sparked considerable
awareness of South African product design. “Ten
Product design is a reflection of the state of a society. years ago, when the SABS Design Excellence Award
If this statement is to be believed, leisure and out- scheme had its 30th anniversary, there was a huge
door living are seemingly high up on the list of South surge of interest that took the work of the SABS De-
Africans’ priorities in 2009. The Seawing Nova, new sign Institute to new heights. I can already see that
age flippers and the Ybike, a huge improvement on this 40 years’ celebration will have the same effect”,
children’s plastic scooters, received awards in the lei- says Viljoen.
sure and sport goods category, and this year again
saw a pool cleaner, the Superbug, receiving an award. For an overview of the more than 600 South African
The Kaoko Throttle Control for motocycles and the South designed products that won design excellence awards
African designed Puzey, an on-road, off-road motor- over 40 years, visit the Design Institute website at
cycle also received awards in the same category. www.sabs.co.za and click on Design Institute. <
• Wibalin®
• Novalite®
• Skivertex®
• Classic Linen
• Stitching wire
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COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
Image credits: (Top row – LTR) David Gibson, Jacques Lange, Iva Babaja, (Centre)
Renee Wong, CAFA, Michal Steckiw, (Bottom row) Marc Alt, Stuart Alden & Michal
Steckiw.
Xin:
This is China calling!
By Jacques Lange
In a 2005 chart-topping pop hit, songstress Katie Melua crooned that: “There
are nine million bicycles in Beijing. That’s a fact … There are six billion people in
the world. More or less”. Four years on, the picture looks slightly different.
According to china.org.cn, the city’s population now exceeds 17.4 million, officials
say that there are now 10 million bicycles and CCTV reports that there are three
million cars on the city’s roads. These statistics indicate the incredible pace at
which China and its capital city is developing.
The new reality is that China is assertively changing its Wang also says that stakeholders “jointly created and
image from being a copier to becoming a leading inno- extended the practical value of design innovation; and
vator when it comes to design and it is shedding its old jointly advocated ‘Let design become the source of
and stale coat faster than what any other country could wisdom that guides the world’s innovative economy
previously aspired to attain. China is setting a new pace and social development’”.
and implementing revolutionary benchmarks for rein-
vention.
The theme
Most of the delegates who attended the Icograda World
The theme of the Congress was ‘Xin’, which literally
Design Congress 2009 would now argue that China IS
means ‘message’ or ‘letter’. The latter also serves as
the most dynamic location for developing the design
the inspiration for the events’ innovative branding
professions and that it offers some of the most fruitful
programme, which is composed, of various configura-
opportunities for the industry to reposition its place in
tions of traditional Chinese envelopes.
culture, economics and environmental sustainability.
› C
(ommunicate) – information and cross-cultural
Wang says that the Congress, which coincided with the
communication; and
1st Beijing Design Week, attracted attention from across
the world and that it was undoubtedly a big event for › D(efine) – design of the future and for the future.
the global creative economy.
Considering the symbolic value and obvious dovetail-
Explaining the strategic intent of the event, Wang says: ing with the event streams, the organisers decided that
“Taking advantage of the communication platform it would be apt to open the series of events on the same
jointly constructed by governments, enterprises and day as the commemoration of the UN World Develop-
academic institutions, the organising committee moti- ment Information Day, and therefore contribute to the
vated experts and scholars to carry out extensive re- advocacy regarding global development challenges
search and discussion.” This attracted attention from in many ways.
the public on urban development, economic innovation
and improvement of human living conditions as well as
the quality of cultural life amongst others. The result was Xin by the numbers
that a broad range of stakeholders jointly participated in
discussion, reconstructed value and developed theories Xin: Icograda World Design Congress 2009 and the 1st
and actions for sustainable design and consumption. Beijing Design Week was an historic occasion for all who
CAFA Art Museum.
Image: Jacques Lange.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
Exterior view of the NCPA at night. Interior view of the main foyer of the Massive banners announce the
Image: NCPA. NCPA. Image: NCPA. opening ceremony at the NCPA.
Image: Stuart Alden.
› C
ongress delegates came from more than 45 coun-
tries spanning the globe. Spectacular opening
› A
round 120 presenters, speakers and moderators The opening ceremony was held at the National Centre
participated over the five days of main programming. for the Performing Arts (NCPA). An impressive futuristic
› T he event programme incorporated 25 official structure, the NCPA is an icon of modern Beijing and
exhibitions – and many other unofficial exhibitions. stands in stark contrast to its surroundings which include
the imposing Tiananmen Square and the Great Hall of
› O
fficial events took place in 15 venues including the the People, as well as the Forbidden City to its left.
China Millennium Monument, National Centre for The half ellipse structure of the NCPA is surrounded
the Performing Arts, 798 Art District and Sanlitun by an artificial lake, which creates an awesome egg-
Village amongst others. shaped mirror image. Since the building is too large
The lake’s reflection on the The traditional ribbon-cutting Spectacular exhibition opening at the
underground entrance to the ceremony. Image: Stuart Alden. China Millennium Monument. Image:
NCPA. Image: Jacques Lange. Jacques Lange.
After the ceremonial ribbon-cutting ceremony the day’s All of his examples pointed to design at the front end of
proceeding began with presentations by keynote innovation where design is no longer considered an end
speakers. The content of the presentations focused in itself but rather as a strategic way of thinking which
largely on the central idea of China moving from a is employed as a means for creating value and providing
manufacturing economy into a creative economy and meaningful change. Concluding his presentation, Kester
the role of design within this changing environment. In urged the audience to pursue new ways of thinking by
his address, Long Youngtu, the Secretary General of the saying that “if we tap into creativity and if we tap into
Boao Forum for Asia, spoke about this transition and design and if we collaborate together with technologists
maintained that: “A country without a design industry and manufacturers we can be part of solving some of
is a country without a future”. Patrick Whitney, Dean of the big problems that we face today in our world.”
the Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology,
focused his presentation on the emergence and critical Sugiura was another crowd-pleaser with his lush visual
importance of design innovation in the business domain. presentation. He focused on the many meanings of the
ying-yang symbol and illustrated with elegant graphics
”‘Made in China’ should be a complimentary statement,” of Chinese letterforms, the god Shiva, Mongolian kettles,
said Pan Gongkai, President of CAFA. To sustain the male and female bodies, Japanese patterns, and elements
country’s economy, Gongkai said, “China must move up from nature such as fish and birds. “Two in one, one in
the value chain by integrating creativity with manufac- two,” he repeated, demonstrating the universality of
turing” and he concluded that the location of the Icograda symbols and urging the audience to move forward with
Congress in Beijing provides China the opportunity to the information “to recreate our one and only earth.”
highlight its design resources, including a higher edu-
cation system that has been ramped up to train more The opening ceremony also included the presentation
than a million designers in the last two decades. of three of Icograda’s highest awards and the presenta-
tion of the 2009 Adobe Design Achievement Awards to
The rest of the day saw an impressive line-up of speakers students. Don Ryun Chung presented Icograda Presi-
including David Kester, chief executive of the British dent’s Award to Pan Gongkai (PR China) and Robert L.
Peters (Canada) for their exceptional contribution to
Design Council; influential Dutch designer Jan van Toorn;
furthering the work of Icograda internationally. Chang
American designer Sol Sender and Japanese designer
also presented the Icograda Education Award to Ahn
Kohei Sugiura. Van Toorn explored the socio-cultural
Sang-Soo (South Korea) for his extraordinary contribu-
role of the profession and the importance of content,
tion to developing international design education.
form and rhetoric in contemporary visual communication.
In the same vain, Sender’s presentation entitled Design-
ing for Change was about the conception and evolution Following Congress Days
of the identity programme for Barack Obama’s presi-
dential campaign. Sender spoke about the complexity The focus on the increasing power and current respon-
of identity and symbolism and transformative design sibility of designers mentioned on the first day recurred
strategies for society. throughout the subsequent two days of the Congress,
which was held at five venues at the impressive campus
In light of Sender’s call for designers to “architect and of CAFA. The event branding and wayfinding system at
implement solutions that can realise a better today”, this venue was superb and allowed delegates to navigate
Kester continued with the topic of China’s growth in the the large CAFA campus with ease and eager students
creative industries and the inherent role of design. were also always on hand to answer questions.
Kester reflected on the innovative design strategies in
the United Kingdom and particularly referred to service The conference explored four overarching issues, ‘access,
delivery and innovation within the healthcare industry. balance, communicate and define’, in five streams, which
Keynote speakers (LTR), Long Youngtu, Patrick Whitney, Jan van Toorn and Sol Sender. Images: Stuart Alden.
Keynote speakers (LTR), Kohei Sugiura and David Kester. Images: Bruno Porto and Jacques Lange.
Min Wang presenting Recipients of the Icograda President’s Awards (LTR), Robert L. Peters and Pan
the Congress Manifesto. Gongkai and recipient of the Icograda Education Award, Ahn Sang Soo. Images:
Image: Stuart Alden. Stuart Alden.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
ran parallel to one another. Although the parallel streams Vanderbyl (USA), Andrew Ashton (Australia), Richard
spoilt the delegates for choice, it was quite a challenge Doubleday (USA) and Hilton Tennant (South Africa).
deciding which streams to attend since each had their
own list of influential speakers from around the world. The ‘define’ stream addressed topics such as mobile life
and new media, biomimicry and cross-disciplinary col-
The ‘access’ stream focused on the accessibility within laborations, and digital content and redefining media.
contemporary design practice. Topics such as designing Speakers included Yao Dajuin (Taiwan), Ann Yu-Chien
life in urban spaces, proactive intellectual property (Taiwan), Joachim Sauter (Germany), Qiu Zhenzhong
rights policies in design, and communication design for (China), Markus Schneider (Germany), Alice Tremlow
information environments were central to this theme. (USA), Wan Jie (China), Carsten Nicolai (Germany), Les
Speakers included Ruedi Baur (Switzerland), Remco Suen (Hong Kong), Fiona Raby (UK), David Small (USA),
Vlaanderen (Brazil), Ric Grefé (USA), Amy Gendler (USA), Peter Hall (USA), Tavs Jorgensen (Denmark) and Daniel
Kijo Rokkaku (Japan), Sheila Levrant de Bretteville (USA), Makoski (USA).
Leslie Gallery-Dilworth (USA), Laurence Madrelle (France),
Song Xiewei (China), Andreas Uebele (Germany), Michael Three impressions came to the fore throughout all of the
Rock (USA), Ronald Shakespear (Argentina), Ron New- streams. Firstly, it was interesting to see how the various
man (Australia) and David Berman (Canada). speakers explored the recurring themes of design think-
ing and social responsibility irrespective of their design
The ‘balance’ stream covered topics such as design discipline or position. Secondly, all presentations were
dialogue and collaboration between East and West, exemplary since the speakers were extremely thorough
sustainability and design responsibility as well as eco- and well prepared. Thirdly, strong visual material en-
logical policy making. Speakers included Zhu Dake hanced the presentations and helped to bridge the vast
(China), Victor Margolin (USA), Marc Alt (USA), Dan language divides.
Hill (UK), Sophie Thomas (UK), Brian Dougherty (USA),
Mehdi Saeedi (Iran), Ruth Klotzel (Brazil), Gloria Es- The Congress concluded with the two-day Forum on
cribano (Spain), Brian Collins, Lou Yongqi (China), Huang Design Education which brought together a worldwide
Yung-Sung (China), Helmut Schmid (Germany), Kiko community of communication design institutions. A total
Farkas (Brazil) and Yoon Ho Seob (South Korea). of 16 outstanding peer reviewed academic papers were
selected for the event. Speakers were: Ann McDonald
‘Communicate’ was split into two parallel streams and (USA), Audra Buck Coleman (USA), Pan Lusheng (China),
focussed on visual culture (pluralistic perspectives Lawrence Zeegen (UK), Wang Xiaojie (China), Deborah
and contexts), information visualisation, business and Alden (Singapore), Ann Ghory-Goodman (USA), Helmut
added value from service and brand culture critique and Langer (Germany), Karin Watson (Australia), Ian McArthur
redesign. Speakers included Yang Li, Xu Bing (China), (Australia), Zhao Jia (China), Zhang Pengchuan (China),
Zheng Shuyang (China), Kan Tai-keung (Hong Kong), LUST Elizabeth Tunstall (Australia), Antoine Abi Aad (Leba-
(Netherlands), Ruri Noguchi (Japan), Leonardo Sonnoli non), Paula DiMarco (USA) and Joyce Yee (UK).
(Italy), Liu Zhizhi (China), Rod Roodenburg (Canada),
David Pidgeon (Australia), Zuzana Lednická (Czech), All selected papers presented at the Forum on Design
Achyut Palav (India), Nille Svensson (Sweden), He Jian- Education will be published in print and will be avail-
ping (China), Omar Vulpinari (Italy), Irma Boom (Nether- able on the Icograda website (www.icograda.org).
lands), Lü Jingren (China), David Reinfurt (USA), Huda
Smitshuijzen AbiFarès (Lebanon), Isao Suzuki (Japan), On the negative side, it is unfortunate that several large
Ma Ke (China), Garson Yu (USA), Thierry Brunfaut (Bel- regions of the world, particularly developing regions,
gium), Wang Xueqing (China), Bi Xuefeng (China), Stanley were represented by lone voices at the Congress, while
Wong (Hong Kong), Jiang Hua (China), Li Degeng, Michael others such as North America, Western Europe and parts
The CAFA campus was a hive of activity during the run The highly effective wayfinding system made it easy to
of the Congress. Image: CAFA. navigate between venues. Image: Jacques Lange.
Speakers & moderators (LTR), Ma Ke, Don Ryun Chang, Laurence Madrelle & Grégoire Serikoff. Images: Stuart Alden.
After viewing this phenomenon, it occurs that a new At the end of each day, speakers and delegates
metric for judging effective presentations could be engaged in highly interactive Q&A sessions. Image:
number of pictures taken. Image: D Fox. CAFA.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
Post_: Contemporary International Poster Opening of Design for Sitting exhibition at Sanlitun
Retrospective. Image: CAFA. Village North. Village Saniton. Image: CAFA.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
of Asia were arguably very well or even over-represented. In discussion of the framework, the membership
This inballance is the only aspect that might have tar- agreed that authenticity, transparency and account-
nished the overal objectives of the Congress. ability about the sustainable consequences of design
should be guiding values in the development of the
Proof of this is that Hilton Tennant and Achyut Palav were sustainability policy.
the only speakes from Africa and Southeast Asia. Zuzana
Lednická was the lone voice from Eastern Europe, while In addition, the GA elected the 2009-2011 Icograda
the Central America/Caribbean region had no representa- Executive Board who held their first meeting immedi-
tion at all. The quality of the presentations and the work ately after the Xin: Icograda World Design Congress.
showed by these three speakers clearly indicate that Items for discussion included the creation of a stand-
their regions have the skills and abilities to compete glo- ing committee to the Board on sustainability, a new
bally with the best-of-the-best without any compromise working group to steward the 10th anniversary update
and it is therfore valid to ask why there was not more of the Icograda Education Manifesto, and the review of
representation from these regions. members interested in serving on the working com-
mittee who will further develop Icograda’s aspirations
for the future of the International Design Alliance.
Icograda General Assembly
President Russell Kennedy, who becomes the first
The 23rd Icograda General Assembly took place on 24-25 Australian to lead the Council in the organisation’s
October. One of the landmark decisions of the GA was almost 50-year history, chaired the meeting. Don
the formal adoption of a framework for sustainable Ryun Chang (Korea) becomes Past President.
practice policy development.
Leimei Julia Chiu (Japan) becomes Icograda’s first female
Led by the Icograda Executive Board, the process was President Elect. She will preside over the Council’s 50th
championed by Treasurer David Berman (Canada) in con- anniversary celebrations in 2013 when she assumes her
sultation with several Icograda Members and stake- presidency for the 2011-2013 term. Grégoire Serikoff
holders throughout the 2007-2009 term. In presenting (France) assumes the position of Secretary General.
the resolution, Berman said, “Things have never been David Berman (Canada) was re-elected to a third term
more fragile for our planet. I don’t think we have ever as Treasurer. Iva Babaja (Croatia) and Omar Vulpinari
been so clear how much power we have as designers in (Italy) were each elected to a second term as Vice
our world and with that power comes a lot of responsi- President.
bility. ...We’ve gone from thinking it is possible that
we might have a global effect, to realising that we New Vice Presidents who join the board are David
must have a global effect.” Berman acknowledged Lancashire (Australia) who was co-opted to the board
the AIGA’s Living Principles for Design (United States) earlier in 2009, and will continue to coordinate the
and the GDC’s Working Definition of Sustainable development of INDIGO; Jason Fan (Taiwan), who will
Communication Design (Canada), both adopted by serve as the liaison between the board and the 2011
their respective members earlier in 2009. IDA Congress organisers; and Xiao Yong (China), who
currently also serves as a board member of CUMULUS
The resolution establishes a framework for Icograda to and will facilitate collaboration between the two or-
develop policy on how it conducts its operations and pro- ganisations.
gramming for adoption by 31 October 2010. It is the inter-
national organisation’s first comprehensive statement Four board members retire from their positions: Jacques
on social, environmental, financial and cultural sustain- Lange (South Africa) completed his term as Past Pres-
ability, and extends beyond the Council’s own actions ident after serving eight years on the board. Lise Klint
to embrace the work of its Members in 67 countries. (Denmark) served two terms as Secretary General;
SECTION >
The Icograda Executive Board 2007-2009 presenting Delegates voting on one of several resolutions
reports at the 23rd General Assembly. presented to the General Assembly.
Outgoing Secretary General, Lise Klint and Past Icograda President (2007-2009), Don Ryun Chang
President, Jacques Lange conducting some of their and Icograda Managing Director, Brenda Sanderson.
last duties before retiring from the Executive Board.
David Grossman presenting the findings of the Icograda The newly elected Icograda Executive Board (2009-
Task Team that explored scenarios for the future 2011). From LTR are David Berman, Russell Kennedy,
development of the International Design Alliance. Don Ryun Chang, Leimei Julia Ciu, Iva Babaja, Jason
Fan, Grégoire Serikoff, Omar Vulpinari, David
Lancashire and Xiao Yong.
All images by Stuart Alden.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
Halim Choueiry (Lebanon) served three terms; and from hutongs to high-rises, from uniform zip-up jackets
Mohammed Jogie (South Africa) completed a two-year to individualistic outfits, from bicycles to cars. But
term as Vice President. seeing the students at this conference transformed in
three days from polite listeners to curious participants,
each with his or her own voice – wow. If Xin: Icograda
Comments from delegates World Design Congress 2009 accomplished only this,
it would be a great accomplishment.”
Mohammed Jogie, South Africa: ““I’ve noted the bub-
bling excitement and deep inquiry into the future of Grégoire Serikoff, France: “The most professional, insight-
the country and it’s role on the world stage. Topics ful and friendly design gathering I have ever attended.”
range from socialism to capitalism, industry to environ-
ment, and design to intellectual property. From the Rod Roodenburg, Canada: “This congress is the finest
posh, nameless air-conditioned hotels to humble street example of the goodwill and learning that can occur
bars where you are welcomed with the universal mes- when the international community comes together.”
sage of friendship, true to the spirit of the conference
theme – Xin. It is worth pointing out that design has Fatima Cassim, South Africa: “The conference was a sim-
an acute role and responsibility here.” mering hot pot fuelled by pressing issues and contem-
porary design challenges. It was pretty obvious by the
Ronald Shakespear, Argentina: “The world has changed. third day of the conference that the presenters were
Design has changed. We are living in a moment when not playing a game of Chinese whispers. The message
engineering simulation show dinosaurs to fascinated was loud and clear: design can make a difference”
audiences while we kill the whales and destroy the
Amazon. It has been marvellous to meet designers The last words go to the Chairperson of the Organising
from all over the world concerned on the green agen- Committee, Min Wang: “We wanted to provide a venue
da. If design is not good at helping people live better, for the Icograda family and friends to get together to
then it’s no good at all.” exchange ideas, to express friendship, to engage in to
dialogue on the current issues in design. I am happy
Omar Vulpinari, Italy: “The world of design is looking to to see so many friends came to the congress! We had
Chinese designers for fresh concepts and ideas. Chinese a great time together!”
society is changing at a fast pace and there is a sense of
poetry in their designers’ work. That subtle emotional “Since we started to prepare for the Congress in Bei-
expression differs a lot from their Western counter- jing there have been so many obstacles and problems
parts who are direct and abstract.” that made the preparation so difficult. It was like a
mission impossible and many people said we should
Ellen Shapiro, USA: “I recall one panel discussion where stop. In a way it would have been smart to end the
a moderator urged the Chinese students in the audience preparation two years ago, but with the support from
not to be afraid to ask questions. And for the first time, CAFA leadership, especially President Pan Gongkai’s
they weren’t. Students stood up, took the microphone strong push, we continued our effort to the end. I always
and asked questions. Long, thoughtful questions. A believe the saying: If there is will, there is the way!”
sea change in Chinese design education!”
“To see so many designers from all over the world
“Everyone who spoke at this conference commented walk around the CAFA campus is an image that I will
on ‘Big changes in China’. I have seen thirst and how never forget! It was a festival of design, a celebration
Beijing has transformed itself in less than ten years: of humanity, a joy of creation!”
Ladies from the Xi Jiang Miao and Qingman Miao villages A view of Lijiang city in Yunnan Province in southern
in Guizhou province dressed in traditional costume. China.
The woman from Shangari-La weave scarfs and other One of the many bridges that cross the mighty Yangtze
textiles on traditional looms. River. The Yangtze is China’s longest river, connecting
eastern, central and western China.
‘Cheaper than Money’, Grand Prix winner for Advertising Poster Campaign category.
The best of the best paper, making it a pricey read for the average Zimba-
bwean. At the same time, the devaluing of the Zimba-
The ultimate Loerie Award, the Grand Prix, is handed bwean dollar meant that the money literally wasn’t
worth the paper it was printed on.
out to a very elite few, whose work is determined by
the Loeries judges to be the greatest reflection of
The agency raised awareness about The Zimbabwean
creative excellence in brand communication that the
by creating a series of posters printed on trillions of
region has to offer.
Zimbabwean dollars – still cheaper than buying the
paper on which to print a campaign.
The four Grand Prix awards reflect the breadth of cre-
ativity in the industry and the variety of opportunities
through which brands can represent a client. They em- Agency: FOXP2 | Title: FOXP2 Offices
braced different kinds of media and ways of getting a Client: FOXP2 | Category: Architecture and Interior
message across, while exhibiting the pinnacle of cre- Design
ative excellence in brand communication. The 2009
Grand Prix winners were: FOXP2 entered the design of their offices in the Archi-
tecture and Interior Design category. As an advertising
agency, defining their own brand as interesting, funky
Agency: TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg and creative is essential to FOXP2. What better way to
Title: Cheaper than Money | Client: The communicate this to potential clients than through
Zimbabwean | Category: Advertising Poster their primary point of contact – their offices themselves?
Campaign
The FOXP2 Offices are a brilliant representation of
The journalists who worked on The Zimbabwean news- creative space. The interiors are done in white and
paper were banned by the Mugabe regime, but continued glass, with infinite attention to detail – everything
their work from South Africa. In response, an exorbitant has been created especially for the space, from the
‘luxury goods’ import tariff was levied on the news- drinks dispensers behind the bar to the chairs in the
FOXP2 Offices, Grand Prix winner for the Architecture and Interior Design category.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
‘Young, Gifted and Black’, Grand Prix winner for Experiential Mixed-Media Campaign category.
Once the message was out there, the next step was to
get it seen, heard and lived. Designer t-shirts bearing Student Gold Awards
different versions of the YGB phrase – “young, gifted and
… street”, “young, gifted and … bootylicious” – were This year, one student entry received a Gold Award:
handed out at live events and campuses. A competition Jano Booysen, Stephen Galloway, Elske Nel, and Bar-
was launched online and on mobile, where viewers could bara Cilliers, from the University of Pretoria, for their
create their own designs. The winners won tickets to the Mixed-Media Campaign, Ampli5 Rockit Festival and a
YGB-themed music awards. The campaign was sup- Craft Gold went to: Bruce Mackay, from the AAA
School of Advertising, for his Illustration Craft, ‘The
ported by messaging on Facebook, Twitter and MXit,
Ceasefire’.
as well as by advertising in print, online and on radio.
‘The Cease Fire’, Student Craft Illustration winner. ‘Humanoid CI’, winner of the Sappi Creative Use of
Paper Award.
New Voice Award “In a tough economic climate, the industry has proven
that it can still produce work that is competitive on an
The SABC New Voice Award for Non-English Radio international scale,” says Festus Masekwameng,
was launched this year to promote the production of chairman of The Loerie Awards and executive creative
non-English radio advertising. This year, the Gold director at Mother Russia. “I offer my warmest congrat-
Award went to TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg for ulations to the 2009 winners and the brands that they
Tatollo, Funeral for Tiger Brands, the Silver Award champion with tireless creativity. Thank you for making
went to Draftfcb Johannesburg for Bua FM – 1, 2, 3 for The 31st Annual Loerie Awards such a success.” <
Vodacom and the Bronze Award went to Joe Public for
‘Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough, Buffalo Soldier, Beat
It’ for kalahari.net.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
Some live by it and others loath it. Like it or not, advertising is the modern universal advisor
to the everyday John and Jane. Its power lies in its potential, whether to sell, manipulate or
inform. Tucked away in a small corner of the World Wide Web we found advertising proudly
dressed from head to toe in fire engine red spandex, cape flapping in the wind ready to tackle
our world’s problems.
Osocio.org is a blog dedicated to social advertising Each contributor is a specialist in the field of non-
and non-profit campaigns from around the globe. In profit with their own unique style that quickly be-
their own words it’s a place where marketing and ac- comes evident in the diverse content of the blog. The
tivism collide. This is a must bookmark website. Not debates sparked by some of the posts are equally
only to fill up more hours surfing in search of inspira- enticing, offering insights into different worldviews
tion, but to see advertising in action, selling more and cultural interpretations of the works. You will of-
than just another car, soap or happiness in a fancy ten find the advertisers themselves responding to
shaped bottle. comments related to posts of their ads.
Originally known as the Dutch blog Houtlust created Osocio has successfully created a platform free of a
by Marc van Gurp in October 2005, Osocio is now one hidden agenda, which encourages exploring the suc-
of the best resources for social and non-profit adver- cesses and failures of social advertising and non-
tising. With 12 dedicated bloggers you won’t easily profit campaigns.
find another blog getting the scoop before they do.
Reactive vs Proactive
Issues of every kind ranging from abuse to war con-
flicts to the age-old debate about smoking are fea-
tured on Osocio. The creative solutions to the adver-
tisements and campaigns raising awareness about
them are equally diverse. What sets apart the ones
that really get to us from the ones that we casually
browse over?
Shock, sensation and statistics Take for example the video from Kinderkreet (Child-
cry), a Belgium organisation that helps sexual abuse
The advertising image alone still remains a powerful victims make their first steps to recovery, posted on
tool and shouldn’t be ignored. However, in a world Osocio. It depicts a girl visiting the dentist. The usual
saturated with these images, we have become in- nervousness associated with such a visit is evident in
creasingly desensitised to their messaging. We are her face. Only when the dentist asks her to open her
not immune to shock; it’s just that it now takes so mouth and she tightly shuts her eyes, slowly spread-
much more to evoke a reaction, so much more sensa- ing her legs apart do we realise where it’s going. The
tion to satisfy us, and so many more statistics to con- tagline: “If you see a sign of child abuse, open your
vince us. Advertisers are faced with a choice: turn up mouth.” As the posts author points out this comes
the dial, amplifying the shockwave to jar us out of our very close in visualising the pain, fear and anger a
complacency or get REALLY creative and intelligent child that is sexually abused goes through.
about the world’s issues.
Save the boobs | Advertiser: ReThink Breast Cancer Big Boston Warm Up | Advertiser: Land’s End
Agency: FirstBorn | Source: @brianjeremy
View this OSOCIO post at http://osocio.org/message/ View the BIG WARM UP site at
do_we_have_to_save_boobs_because_we_like_them/ http://www.bigwarmup.com/
Another post that created quite a stir on Osocio is As an information designer a post of the Big Boston Warm
ReThink Breast Cancer’s Save the Boobs campaign. It Up initiative’s website immediately caught my attention.
features Canadian MTV host, Aliya-Jasmine, bearing However after soaking up all the beautiful details of this
all as she makes her way through the crowd at a pool info-graphic-rich site I had to ask whether most people
party. All at once jaws drop to the floor and sunglass- would donate a coat because they are convinced by the
es are tipped to get a better view. Don’t worry; they staggering statistics or because they will conveniently
didn’t forget about you sitting in your lounge chair at receive 20% off at SEARS with each donation.
home as substantial close ups are added to make
sure you get a piece of the action. The tagline; “You There seems to be an impossibly fine line between too
know you like them. Save the Boobs.” Marc, the blog little and too much in social advertising, which makes
contributor responsible for the post, poses the ques- this sector of the industry both challenging and inspir-
tion: awareness or sexism? Visit the post to see some ing. When it’s done right, it not only causes a change in
of the responses. behaviour but a change in peoples mindset.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
Innovation, interaction and point that there is a choice and speaks directly to the
target market through a medium that they are comfort-
involvement
able with and can explore.
View this OSOCIO post at http://osocio.org/message/1_ View this OSOCIO post at http://osocio.org/message/
milion_clicks_against_poverty/ pifworld_charity_you_control/
Below-the-line
agency Mick and Nick
talks design
By Veruska De Vita
When Mick and Nick, a below-the-line communication’s when it comes to graphic design. South African art
agency, bought Mise en Page – the Theory and Practice direction and design pales in comparison to international
of Layout, it wasn’t simply an addition to their book design and art direction, where there is a history of
and art collection. It was to help make South Africa a aesthetic. In Europe, for example, people are surrounded
better place to live in, aesthetically speaking. Published by beautiful buildings and artwork that’s easily ac-
in 1931 by Alfred Tolmer, the book speaks volumes cessed. That’s what’s missing here,” explains Shepard.
about design, and so it should; it was published by
the same people who brought fine arts magazine The Mick and Nick believe in street cred. To keep his street
Studio into the world. cred, Shepard trawls libraries, bookshops and the In-
ternet for books on graphic design, rare and otherwise.
Not one for clichés, Nick Liatos, Mick and Nick’s creative At a book sale he found a random book on typefaces.
director, believes that when it comes to design, “you It mentioned Mise en Page and this is how the com-
gotta know the rules to break the rules”. For design to pulsion started. Finding the book became an obsession.
be good, it should aid successful living. It should make On further research Mick and Nick discovered that
a person’s day. Liatos’ business partner, Mick Shepard Mise en Page was touted as the deco bible. From the
shares this belief, and speaks emphatically about the Paris-based Maison de Tolmer publishing house, only
company’s growing art and book collection. 1 500 English copies were printed, and it sold out in
three months. It was never reprinted so it has become
“The Saatchi brothers can’t have the monopoly on buying somewhat of a desirable rarity amongst bibliophiles
artwork. We use art as a vehicle to further our own rad- and collectors. Mick and Nick had to have it. They found
ness. We believe that if we create a rad environment, online auctions where prices started from US$3 000.
people will want to come here. We’re in this business With these pricetags they quickly understood the value
for more than just the bucks, we want to bring aesthetic of the book.
pleasure to people,” says Shepard.
Their interest never vaporised and Shepard got on
Their art collection started with a pair of Czechoslovakian the phone with Juanita Lawrence of Pulp Books. She
army boots cast in porcelain, something they picked up found a copy at the Toledo Library in the United States
at the Design Indaba. The collection has subsequently and a few days later the package arrived. The cover of
grown to include a few Peet Pienaars and Shepard the book had been removed and a library binding was
Fairies. “My theory is that South Africa is not that sussed sewn onto it. Ironically, while the lack of cover brought
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
To add another feather in their designer peak caps, they core, when it branches out into other mediums, such
threw what people in the industry referred to as ‘the as lighting or glass, it’ll be good, the balance will be
best party’ for the 2009 Loerie Awards in Cape Town. there. All arenas need to be informed by the funda-
The poster featured a burlesque rendition of a wom- mental basics – purity, consistency, balance and aes-
an, tassled nipple caps hinting at the revelry that was thetic value. It’s our responsibility to not put rubbish
to come. out there,” says Shepard.
Notching up points on their radness scale, Mick and Mick Shepard, Nick Liatos and Michelle de Gouveia,
Nick created two documentaries on two exclusive Mick and Nick’s managing director, had worked to-
streetwear stores in Cape Town. The documentaries gether in the past. They knew that together they made
lived on the global Nike Sportswear site. “We’re very a formidable team, so when they left a large agency
street. We like street culture, good graffiti, clever T- they created a new outlet for their skills. They pitched
shirts, youth orientated terms of expression. We like the idea of Mick and Nick to the Lowe Bull Group,
to get down and dirty with pop culture. We feed off it whose creativity and culture proved to be a perfect
and immerse ourselves in it,” explains Shepard. fit. Co-owned by the Lowe Bull Group they handle the
below-the-line and activation requirements of a
However, according to these creative directors, even number of major national and international brands.
graffiti should be designed responsibly. “It shouldn’t
be just random nonsense. If the design is good at its
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
Ster-Kinekor, Earth.
Did you know that you can change the colour of your are window vinyls that look like frosted glass and a one-
car entirely in just one day with a paint replacement way film that, when applied to the glass, shows an
film, that you can wrap your car in graphics and when image on one side, but from the other side makes the
you feel like it revert back to your original colour? glass look like a tinted window.
This has been the evolution of the signage industry. “Like many other industries, the signage industry is
moving towards providing sustainable solutions,
Although still not recognised by government as a ‘sector’ such as the emergence of Latex inks (water based
that qualifies for SETA support, the signage industry is inks) instead of solvent inks for digital printing,” says
huge. It is subject to seasonal ebbs and flows, as Christ- Liezle Barrie of Avery Graphics. “On our side, we have
mas promotions, sales and the sports calendars dictate, recently launched a range of green line products and
and there are plenty of chances to ‘get creative’. we have improved our sustainability in production by
using recycled boxes for packaging and other such
Vinyl cutouts and neon signs continue in their popularity, initiatives.”
although digitally printed vinyls, moulded letters, LED
and vehicle, floor and street graphics have emerged “To help protect the environment, many signmakers
strongly. Some of the standard applications include have become more involved, too. Starting with the
vinyl that can be used over light boxes and on Chro- design, they attend both to the erection or the applica-
madek, or vacuum formed around 3D lettering. There tion of the signage, as well as to its removal.”
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
SA Publication Forum:
Proactively improving
corporate publications
With no more than 50 entries, an endorsement from the and the fiercely contested publication competition of
National Press Club, no financial backing and a rather those years. In its heyday the SAAIE competition drew
horrible website, the SA Publication Forum’s Corporate more than 400 entries and promotions, salary in-
Publication Competition was launched in 2002. The creases and legitimacy depended on its outcome.
competition has been growing steadily in stature and
popularity over the past eight years. In 2009 there were Unfortunately SAAIE went belly-up in the late 90s. Was
more than 150 entries received and serious disappoint- it financial mismanagement, or a change in the ethos of
ment amongst those corporate publication practitioners volunteering for professional associations that were to
who did not walk away with a trophy. blame? This debate continues amongst old-timers.
The revival of a corporate publication competition in Two ex-SAAIE members, Derick van der Walt and Jennie
South Africa was hailed as a positive step by those Fourie who were (and still are) freelancing in the field of
who work in corporates, education institutions, NGOs, internal and external communication decided to revive
and other such organisations to produce communication a corporate publication competition in 2002 and the SA
vehicles on a weekly, monthly or even annual basis that Publication Forum was born. Over and above the corpo-
communicate with staff (internally), as well as with rate publication competition, the Forum also offers train-
clients and stakeholders (externally). ing to corporate publication practitioners, ranging from
a basic publication course, to dedicated courses in
The idea of a corporate publication competition was not e-newsletters, design software packages and the like.
new at the time. For more than 20 years in the last dec-
ades of the 20th century there existed an association
called the South African Association of Industrial Editors What is a corporate publication?
(SAAIE), run exclusively by the industrial editor fraternity.
Corporate communicators of a certain age still fondly re- For the purposes of the SA Publication Forum’s corporate
member the conferences, the parties, the whoop-di-doo publication competition, the following definition has
been formulated: A corporate publication is a publication › Does the layout and design make the page
(printed or electronic) aimed at communicating with more accessible?
internal or external publics of an organisation or institu-
› How does the designer use contrast, emphasis,
tion. These publications are usually not for sale to the
balance, repetition, proportion, typeface and
general public and include publications such as staff
colour?
newsletters, magazines aimed at shareholders, Inter-
net and intranet publications, video newsletters and › Does the publication have an original style and
the like. One-off publications and annual reports can personality?
also be entered and for the past three years an Editor
of the Year also walked away with a trophy.
The 2009 competition
Judging by a panel of experts Mercedes, external magazine for Mercedes SA, produced
by New Media Publishing was the overall winner in the
All publications entered are assessed and moderated SA Publication Forum’s Corporate Publication Compe-
by experts in the various fields. Judges consider avail- tition 2009. In fifth place was NOW!, Nedbank, published
able budget and the professional support received in by Words’Worth Publishing, fourth was Sanlam’s staff
producing the publication. The publications are judged magazine, Sandaba, third was Contact, City of Cape
in terms of writing, communication, as well as design Town and Hip2B2, Mark Shuttleworth’s BSquare Commu-
and photography. In the latter, the following factors, nications, entered by New Media Publishing was the
amongst others, are taken into account: runner-up. Aletta Kruger, industrial editor at the City of
Cape Town was named Editor of the Year.
› Are the major design elements used to attract
the reader into the article?
The best internal newsletter for 2009 was xxplore,
› Does the layout contribute to the understanding of Exxaro, entered by Words’Worth Publishing. They
the article and its message? also produced NOW!, the best external newsletter,
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
Nedbank’s Prime Club, best external magazine with a the competition to benchmark themselves against
smaller budget, as well as Small Capital Africa, the their peers and also sees it as an exercise where they
best one-off publication. Blue Apple Publishing entered can get invaluable feedback and constructive criticism
Theba Bank’s Annual Report that came out tops in that from an independent judging panel.
section. Santam’s essence was awarded best internal
magazine. Although the competition process has been refined
over the past years, there are always pressing ques-
The most improved publication was SA Express’s Indwe, tions that keep the organisers awake, come competi-
entered by TCB and the best magazine cover title went to tion time. Should agencies compete on the same
Your Game, Vodacom, entered by the SAIL Group Ltd. footing as editors who do everything in-house? What
role should budget play? Should magazines sold to
The Tshwane University of Technology won the award the general public be included, even though they are
for the best electronic newsletter with Heita. The African considered corporate publications? Will the pool of
Motion Picture Company produced five finalists in the expert judges eventually dry up?
corporate DVD section and received top honours for
the Childline Adult and Child DVD, while Standard Even though it’s very hard work to organise a competi-
Bank won the best DVD newsletter title for their staff tion such as this one, there is nothing that can compete
DVD, Blue Wave. with the feeling of excitement when the entries are
opened and the most glorious and ingenious corporate
According to Shireen Sedres of Santam, multiple award publications spill out of their packaging – testaments to
winner and Editor-of-the Year 2007, Santam’s corpo- the relentless efforts of dedicated corporate practitioners
rate communications team enters their publications in throughout South Africa. <
PAPER >
Sappi
leading by example
As a major paper and pulp manufacturer, Sappi focuses on eco-
efficiency throughout their operations and as a global leader,
believes in matching its performance to its commitment.
Sappi joins the Copenhagen In each region where Sappi operates, the company has
been working with industry bodies to examine ways of
Communiqué on Climate Change
reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing its
The Copenhagen Communiqué on Climate Change was use of renewable energy. As responsible corporate citi-
launched by the Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders zens in an energy-intensive industry, one of Sappi’s pri-
Group on Climate Change, which is convened by the mary goals is to reduce its carbon footprint by improving
University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability energy efficiencies and decreasing its reliance on fossil
Leadership. The Communiqué is a private sector call fuels. Boëttger says “We are achieving this by stream-
for “an ambitious, robust and equitable global deal lining transport systems, making process changes, in-
on climate change that responds credibly to the scale stalling more efficient equipment, reducing purchased
and urgency of the crises facing the world today.” energy (electricity and fossil fuel) and by increasing the
use of renewable energy – an approach which ultimately
What we do about climate change today has far-reaching results in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
consequences for the sustainability of businesses, (GHG).”
communities and ultimately the natural world we depend
upon for our existence. “As a renewable resource com- “We have made steady progress, with CO2 emissions
pany Sappi welcomes the opportunity to become in- globally per ton of product produced declining since
volved in a global solution focused on making the tran- 2005. In North America, between 2004 and 2008 we
sition to a low-carbon economy,” says Ralph Boëttger, achieved a reduction of 27% in total energy use per ton
Chief Executive Officer, Sappi Limited. of product produced. In this region, more than 75% of all
energy used is derived from renewable resources (black Sustainable print on street pole
liquor, bark, sludges and purchased biomass). The per-
ads
centage of energy derived from renewable resources
for South Africa is 38.1% and for Europe is 31.8%, with Despite the rise of electronic media, the use of paper is
our global figure standing at 48.6%. The figure for increasing throughout the world. Paper plays an impor-
South Africa will increase to over 50% once the Saiccor tant role in promoting growth and development. The tac-
expansion project is fully operational.” tile nature of paper ensures that it remains relevant in any
marketing mix. Consumers are afforded an opportunity
In addition to focusing on energy efficiency and reduc- to engage with the medium in a more personal way.
tion of GHGs at manufacturing sites, Sappi ensures that Paper also helps to stimulate growth in literacy, a driver
owned, lease and managed land as well as land from of change and development.
which wood is procured, is independently certified as
Sappi offers products that meet the needs of environ-
being sustainably managed.
mentally conscious consumers, driving satisfaction
through technology and innovation in an environment
It has been established that well-managed forests can
where corporate companies are becoming more environ-
play a significant role in climate mitigation, as pointed
mentally concerned about their paper consumption.
out by the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovern-
mental Panel on Climate Change 2007, which found Sappi has been an industry leader and on the forefront
that: “In the long term, a sustainable forest manage- of sustainable manufacturing practices promoting
ment strategy aimed at maintaining or increasing forest the recovery and use of recycled fibre. The wood fibre
carbon stocks, while producing an annual sustained yield used in production is not procured from endangered
of timber, fibre or energy from the forest, will generate forests, but rather from certified and well-managed
the largest sustained mitigation benefit.” forests. Wood products and the wood fibre in paper store
carbon throughout their lifetime and can be recycled
Boëttger commented: “Our signing of the Copenhagen or burnt for renewable energy generation.
Communiqué will add impetus to our commitment,
The introduction of product ranges such as Triple Green
established in terms of our Sustainable Development
and Typek 50% recycled demonstrates the efforts made
Charter, and confirmed by our 5th place on the Leader-
to provide consumers with sound environmental choices,
ship Index of the 2009 Carbon Disclosure Project and
without any compromise on quality. More businesses
inclusion in the list of top companies as regards our require alternatives that will enhance their own sustain-
GHG mitigation and adaptation actions, to reduce ability efforts. By meeting this need and by establishing
GHG emissions and increase our use of renewable business portfolio’s and supply chain relationships to
energy. We look forward to fresh insights and interna- match, Sappi is differentiating their products and ex-
tional cooperation that will help us live up to these panding their competitive advantage entrenching cus-
commitments.” tomer loyalty and enhancing their brands.
PAPER >
Their sustainability charter with three pillars, people, consumer is enticed to think not only about paper,
planet and prosperity at its core, provides the ideal but also its origin and the choices available to them.
platform to communicate key factors pertaining to It entrenches and cements the Sappi brand at the top
engaging with stakeholders, partnering with commu- of mind.
nities and ensuring a sustainable future position. This
means in essence that development meets the needs The image used in the ads was carefully selected to
of the present without compromising the ability of depict the values of respect, care and nurturing. It shows
future generations to meet their own needs. that Sappi is a concerned corporate citizen but relates
to the heritage surrounding the brand. The minimalist
To communicate the company’s positioning, a new use of white space combined with the corporate blue
campaign with street pole ads was designed to increase and white colours, effectively draws attention to the
Sappi’s visibility and establish awareness around the copy used.
brand. Through the use of alternative media the company
augments the value of paper to promote sustainability These street pole ads have been placed on major
and encourage the use of environmental paper products routes and traffic hot spots around Johannesburg to
produced for communications. With this campaign the create impact. <
On time.
To specification.
Within budget.
An acute awareness of cultural differences and the need to nurture social cohesiveness has been an
underlying motive that has inspired Mphethi Morojele and the members of MMA Architects to pursue
projects that benefit humankind.
In the past 12 years, MMA Architects has completed “When you’re young, you almost take for granted that
an impressive line-up of architectural and urban design everybody sees life exactly the same way that you see
projects, winning awards for its work on the South it. But people across the world think quite differently,”
African Embassy in Berlin, the Cradle of Humankind says Morojele. “It became more obvious as we moved
museum and boutique hotel at Maropeng and its col- around. I gained a different perspective of how people
laboration on the development of Freedom Park’s react to the spaces around them.”
Garden of Remembrance on the outskirts of Pretoria
(pictured above). With offices in Johannesburg, Cape Simply chatting about the ‘old days’ in and around
Town and Berlin, this home-grown practice is making Johannesburg was quite a revelation in understanding
an impression on the world. the tensions that he and his siblings experienced in
public spaces. “During my childhood moving between
The founder of the practice, Mphethi Morojele, started Soweto and the city with my parents to do shopping,
out in architecture in 1995 after completing his B.Arch I often felt that the city was a hostile place. We would
Degree at the University of Cape Town. Three years later, arrange a rendezvous point and we went and did what
he founded MMA Architects along with three partners, had to be done, but we didn’t feel comfortable enough
with the intention of becoming one of the leading archi- to linger. We did what we needed to and left. Once we
tectural practices spearheading Africa’s and South were home again, we could relax. For us kids, the parks
Africa’s socio-spatial and cultural transformation. in the city were frightening because we always felt
that we were being watched. This, of course was during
Growing up in Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Italy and the Apartheid era. The experience made me very aware
Ethiopia, (due to his father’s work commitments) Moro- of the different perceptions that people have of open
jele gained a broad perspective of different cultures spaces. You can feel for yourself, even, whether public
in different countries. Racial tensions inevitably left spaces make you feel that you belong, whether you
an indelible mark on his consciousness, although, as feel secure, whether people feel you to be a threat, or
he points out, that hasn’t been entirely negative. whether you yourself feel threatened.”
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
The BRT system (bus rapid transit) has also been ac- “A lot of schools don’t have science labs,” Morojele
commodated and for cultural enrichment, a public art explains, “so the SciBono Discovery Centre will be made
programme is being run along pedestrian routes. “In available to classes on a timesharing basis.” Tackled
African cultures, public spaces are used for all sorts in 3 phases, this centre offers the full range of facilities
of functions including religious gatherings, so we to learners keen on understanding more about math-
have taken this into account as well. We have further ematics, science, technology and related disciplines.
planned the spaces so that part of the parks can be Phase 1 was the renovation of the Electric Workshop
hired out for launches and other corporate events.” building, that now has a canteen, reception, office space
and extensive exhibition space, with walkways and
ramps taking students to an auditorium and classrooms
SciBono Discovery Centre housed in the new building that forms Phase 2 of the
project. Phase 3 incorporates a career centre, where
Another project that has sprung out of the inner city students can learn about careers and will be able to
regeneration project is the SciBono Discovery Centre. undergo psychometric testing.
Conceptualised as an edutainment centre initiated by
the Gauteng Department of Education, this centre is Typical of educational institutions, where a wide variety
located in the old Electric Workshop building in the of age groups and children from different cultures con-
cultural node of Newtown. The three main subjects to gregate, this facility has to be vandal-proof, yet inspire
be explored at the centre are mathematics, science a spirit of learning. The quadruple volume of the main
and technology. exhibition area creates a sense of drama, while the
Exterior and interior views (blow) of the FNB Homeloans and Wesbank Buildings.
concrete and steel detailing conveys an industrial, yet The R1-billion project incorporates many green building
contemporary flavour to the facilities. features, such as solar water heaters for the kitchens
and office ablutions, dimmable switches for the lights,
Other educational and child-centered facilities tackled double glazing for the windows, insulation in the walls
by MMA Architects include the Student Enrolment Centre and roofs and exoskeletal screens to temper the sun’s
at the University of Witwatersarand, the Jabavu Region- rays at various times of the day. These active and passive
al Library in Soweto, the Rooipoort Creche in Carltonville, measures collectively contribute to an estimated 20%
the Buhlebemfundo Secondary School in Tsakane, energy saving compared to conventional buildings.
the Ubuhlobolwazi Secondary School in Lothair and
the Asibambane Youth Village in Cape Town. From a site that was previously a wasteland, a highly
productive and distinguished building has evolved to
FNB Homeloans and Wesbank supply a much-needed facility in the western suburbs
of Johannesburg.
Buildings, Fairlands
Designed by a consortium of four architectural practices,
this corporate project has already received much rec-
ognition and acclaim. MMA Architects collaborated
with CNN Architects, Fairbairn Architecture and MDS
Architecture.
FAST FACTS
> The total budget for the Burj Dubai project – US $4.1
billion
>D
owntown Burj Dubai development budget – US $20
The Burj Dubai triple-lobed structure is based on the billion
abstract design of a desert flower.
>C
urrent height of the Burj Dubai – 818 meters (expected
to surpass this by completion in December 2009)
>G
ross floor space – 314, 000m
>N
umber of floors – 162
>N
umber of elevators – 54 to be installed
>S
peed of elevators – 700 meters per minute (fastest
elevator in the world)
>H
olds the record for highest vertical concrete pump-
ing (for any construction) – 601.0 meters.
The design concept of the planned Old Town attempts to gardens – a place to take in the sunshine, picnic, play
integrate the elements of wind, fire, water and earth sport and go boating.
into the 190 hectare development.
The interior design will seek to compliment the structure’s
The Burj Dubai Boulevard has been inspired by the exterior architecture. Free flowing Arabic script will be
great boulevards of the world and will boast striking among the inspirations for the towers interior, which
gateways of lawn, trees and water features. The in- will draw upon architectural influences from around the
tended Burj Lake Park will be a vast area of greenery region and the world, says ArabianBusiness.com.
and open water with extraordinary and imaginative
Taipei 101 Tower, Taipei, Taiwan 2004 101 509 C.Y. Lee and Partner
Source: www.architecture.about.com
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
Chic hotel
with an awesome view
By Bev Hermanson
Looking over at the latest of Southern Sun’s hotels 270° views of the northern and western suburbs of
from the plush residences of Hyde Park, one of Johan- Johannesburg, but structurally, it is a triumph in its
nesburg’s most elite suburbs, you could be forgiven if engineering and design implementation. Set atop
you assumed that there was always a hotel perched on the 7-storey parkade of the Hyde Park Shopping Cen-
the rise, at the intersection of William Nicol Drive and Jan
tre, the hotel comprises 132 suites, a rooftop gym,
Smuts Avenue. It took Southern Sun, the operators, and
boardrooms and conference facilities, two lounges,
Hyprop, the owners of the property, some considerable
an exclusive whiskey bar, an international restau-
time to reach this historic point. Each celebrating co-
incidentally their 40th anniversary this year, it seems rant, as well as a pool and outdoor terrace. Entering
the relationship is entirely appropriate. at the lower street level from basement parking, vis-
itors are whisked eight floors up to where it’s already
The Southern Sun Hyde Park Hotel is remarkable, not becoming the place to see and be seen by Johannes-
only for its accommodation offering and its spectacular burg’s elite.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
The walls are mainly 165mm drywall partitioning that “We had a foreman representing Saint Gobain on site to
have an internal layer of acoustic thermal insulation, project manage the installation. This was important
which is a fairly new concept for construction here in as our 10 year SpecSure guarantee requires that the
South Africa. installation has to be correctly specified and super-
vised from start to finish.”
“We had to come up with walling that would equal or
exceed the decibel rating of a double brick wall with The walls have been given substance through the appli-
cement plaster on both sides, but without the weight,” cation of specialised cladding and wall papering so, to
explains Carl Bartleman of Saint Gobain. “We chose a the eye, the structures look pretty solid. Sympathetic
15mm fire rated gypsum board which we used as a to the acoustic requirements of the hotel, the interior
double layer on each side of 102mm cavitylite batt designers additionally sourced carpeting that has a high-
insulation. This gave us both sound and thermal in- density foam backing that is excellent for absorbing
sulation.” sound.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
Internationally contemporary
It was decided not to do the predictable ‘ethnic’ thing
for this hotel, but rather expand on the locality, which
implies elements of sophistication, elegance and an
internationally contemporary approach to the style
and décor. The interior designers chosen to tackle the
task were Source Interior Brand Architects from Cape
Town, with the result that many of the furnishings
and finishes were brought up from the Mother City to
grace the City of Gold’s latest jewel.
with his design and his brand.” says Kate Liebenberg, external surface in contrast to the warm golden inte-
managing director of Crema Design. “The Beat Light rior of the shades.” The contrast of the smooth internal
is made from hand beaten brass using the rapidly glow with the external texture of the fittings adds an
vanishing skills from Indian master craftsmen. Once extra element of interest to this public space.
made, the beaten brass ages creating a patina black
Edison Power Gauteng
are proud to be
associated with the
Southern Sun
Hyde Park Hotel
67 – 69 Terrace Road Edenglen Edenvale 1613 • Tel: 011 452 0024/53/93/172 • Fax: 011 452 0163/0131
SECTION >
Showing the way this hotel, LED lighting and energy saving light bulbs
have been used from the outset.
Capitalising on the views, the architects have opted
for as much transparency as possible. Floor to ceiling “There’s a specific psychology behind the different
glass walls grace the restaurant and lounge areas. colours and intensities of light,” says Mardre Meyer,
The pool terrace is bordered by glass balustrades, so project designer at Source. “While plants are photo-
that the rim flow pool looks as though it’s stretching tropic, people are photophylic, so in the passages
into eternity. leading to the rooms, we have dimmed the lights and
put brighter lighting in each door alcove. This pulls
The Whiskey Lounge and the Biche Restaurant even people through the dim spaces towards the light.”
have liquor enclosures made entirely of glass. This
glassing of the 8th floor, known as the Lifestyle level, Another part of the dim-light philosophy, explains
not only reduces the need for lighting during the day, Bram Joynt of LKA Architects, is that people seem to
it performs a dual function, giving the impression at talk louder when the lighting is bright, but their conver-
night that the floors above are floating over the sation is more subdued in dim lighting. This is important
Parkade, as the artificial lighting creates a visual when considering the acoustics and the fact that most
cushion between the two structures. of the walls are the new dry wall acoustic partitioning
rather than bricks and mortar. Encouraging people
It has become Southern Sun’s mission to reduce energy subliminally to make less noise ensures an enhanced
consumption in all of their establishments, so with feeling of privacy for the guests in their rooms.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
“It’s amazing how disorienting light can be,” continues of each passage, we have a window covered with a
Mardre. “While you can’t have too much shadow, people voile curtain, that allows in natural light. This balances
do need to have the contrasts of light versus shadow the perspective and gives guests a sense of the time
to give them a sense of perspective, otherwise their of day, so that their experience is not surreal.”
judgement of distance becomes warped. At the end
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
Fine dining
Bright and airy, the Biche Restaurant is an Italian
restaurant with a twist – somehow a sushi bar has
found its way into the formula. This will no doubt
become a great hit with the hotel’s international
clientele. The furniture is slightly minimalist, the
colour palette muted, to allow patrons to concen-
trate on what’s most important – the cuisine.
Visit Poetry for an eclectic range of fashion, home and décor items
Canal Walk
Rosebank Mall
Garden Route Mall
Menlyn Park
Tygervalley Shopping Centre
www.poetrycollection.co.za
Across to business
On the same level as the restaurant, lounges and pool on the top floor there is a gym with weights and cardio-
terrace, there is also a business centre and a separate vascular training equipment. Again, huge expanses of
wing housing boardrooms and conference facilities. glass reveal the stunning view of the suburbs, which is
And to help the busy executive unwind during his stay, given double impact by the large mirrors on the walls.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
• Fraxel™ laser
non-surgical skin correction to
treat pigmentation, acne scaring,
ageing, stretch marks
• Chemical peels
exfoliation of outer layers
• Permanent Make up
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Hyde Park Shopping Centre
North Wing Office Tower
T: 011 022 9771/2/3
F: 011-325 4210
E: Info@agelesslasers.co.za
www.agelesslasers.co.za
Bedford Precinct
Achieving a design balance in a mixed-use environment
By Lois Aitchison
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
The R1.2 billion high-density, medium rise Bedford the development consisted of a retail component with
Precinct is situated in the heart of the upmarket suburb office space on the level above it and the residential
of Bedfordview in eastern Johannesburg. This is an afflu- component comprised of 420 luxury residential apart-
ent, sought after area with numerous well run schools, ments including sophisticated luxury duplex pent-
hospitals and sporting facilities. The location offers houses, giving the precinct an excellent selection of
easy access to the OR Tambo airport, the East Rand and mixed use options.
the CBDs of Johannesburg, Sandton and Rosebank.
Mixed-use developments are rapidly gaining popularity
The construction of Phase 1 of what was then called internationally and locally. They not only facilitate an
Bedford Square commenced in 2006, followed by increase in urban residential density in a positive man-
Phase 2 in 2007. The construction of all phases was ner, they meet the current demand for residences with
fast-tracked and the third and final phase was com- a convenient range of lifestyle elements. There is a grow-
pleted towards the end of 2008. The final phase of ing demand for the lifestyle concept of living, playing
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
and working in proximity to an urban environment. “Urban design principles were applied – the creation
South Africans have matured into urban people, prefer- of compact integrated urban spaces that suit their
ring to live in urban environments with all the benefits respective use characteristics and that are configured
that this type of lifestyle offers. for ease of circulation both within and between the
components. These include the separation of vehicu-
lar and pedestrian traffic, public and private spaces,
Getting the balance right levels of access and utility coordination,” says Nick
Kyriacos, project design director and MD of Bentel
The structure of mixed-use developments generally Associates International.
tends to be complicated due to the varying requirements
of the diverse group of users say Bentel Associates “The challenge in this type of environment is to get the
International, the architects responsible for the inno- balance right between the proportion of space allo-
vative architecture of the 160 000m2 Bedford Precinct. cated to the various uses and the mix of those uses.
UNITED BY INNOVATION
DIVERSIFIED BY EXPERTISE
WSP Group plc is a global design, engineering and management consultancy, specialising in projects for the property,
transport, industrial and environmental sectors. We work with clients in 35 countries to create built and natural
environments for a sustainable future.
With WSPʼs global reach and shared experience, we take pride in the success of our local relationships. Working with our
clients, we create built and natural environments for the future, striving to be the outstanding supplier of specialist and
integrated services.
WATER
the traditional European village, where people live
above or nearby their workspaces, all organised
around a series of different square sizes,” says
Kyriacos. “The progression of the squares, usually
linked with pedestrian pathways, culminates in a
town square. This is what we designed at Bedford
Precinct and buildings of varied size and scale with
fine architecture and quality finishes line the piazza
and define warm and inviting communal spaces. The
relationship between the buildings within the Bedford
Precinct is far stronger than it would be in a traditional
South African shopping complex environment.”
Retail facilities
piazza above it. This central piazza is linked to all the supermarket fronts onto both Bedford Centre and
elements of the Precinct and enhances the sense of Bedford Square and is almost at the heart of the Pre-
community. View elevators and escalators provide ac- cinct. The two entrances draw shoppers in from both
cess to the traditional mall environment. sides which are linked with an innovative retail shop-
ping hub below Kirkby road. The underground hub
The underground retail mall links the Square with facilitates easy and convenient access for shoppers
Bedford Centre and facilitates convenient access for to either end of the retail centre below the square.
shoppers who would like the option of alternative retail
facilities at either end of the Precinct. There is a transfer “Bedford Precinct has a series of smaller and larger
structure between the office level and the apartments spaces, vertically and horizontally interlinked. Angular
on one side and the parking garage and the apartments rooflines, varied silhouettes and elevations have been
on the other side. Another part of the final phase was carefully designed creating a natural integration between
the expansion and refurbishment of Pick ‘n Pay. The the retail and residential components,” adds Kyriacos.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
“A variety of textures, finishes and colour were utilised pedestrian-friendly area in a village atmosphere. The
to create an architectural language, by juxtaposing paths culminate in the open piazza, with a central wa-
stainless steel, glass, textured plaster, stone, aluminium ter feature containing a glass sculpture and festive
and timber in different combinations without placing lighting effects.”
specific emphasis on any one element.”
The unique design and attention to detail of this prestig-
“All the components are fully integrated and the de- ious development has already made Bedford Precinct
sign includes courtyards and landscaping with water a landmark in Johannesburg. It is an enduring example
features linked by pathways and walking areas to of a unique, exclusive and completely self-contained
the various components thereby creating a unique, mixed-use village in an urban environment. <
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
Award-winning Rabie Property Group has launched Crystal Towers Residences, offering
purchasers the ultimate in luxurious living at Century City and providing investors with a
unique opportunity to capitalise on the positioning of Cape Town as a premier leisure and
business destination.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
come with an undercover, secure parking bay, are Although the apartments are only to be officially
substantially larger than average. These apartments launched in March next year coinciding with the ex-
are aimed primarily at investors and business travellers pected completion date, purchasers are able to reg-
who are able to purchase selected apartments fully ister their interest now to maximize their choice of
furnished with a choice of finishes put together by apartment. Pre-launch buyers, he said, would benefit
leading interior designers. The two bedroom apartments, from being able to have their apartments listed with
Status, accredited accommodation agents for the
aimed predominantly at owner-occupiers, average
2010 Soccer World Cup.
around 110 square metres including a balcony and
come with two undercover, secure parking bays.”
“We have confirmed demand from Status for Century
City based apartments, particular in Crystal Towers,
Usher said selected apartments would be offered
which can be expected to raise around R50 000 per
with a unique investment package and purchasers
studio apartment and more for the two bedroom
would be able to contract the services of a dedicated units during the World Cup,” he said.
professional management company which would let
out apartments on behalf of investors as well as offer The Crystal Towers Hotel and Spa is due to open in
a bouquet of other valet services from arranging air- December this year with the residences and offices
port shuttles to cleaning the apartment, providing a due for completion in March/April 2010. It will be the
laundry service, stocking the fridge and any other re- astute investor who sees the obvious potential in this
quired services to ensure owners of a hassle-free in- unique development – and will certainly reap the
vestment. benefits in years to come. <
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
Greenstone Hill, a Heartland Project, is one of the recreational activity. It caters to the rising population
largest mixed-use ventures in South Africa where densities and increasing spending power in the Hill’s
commercial and residential zones surround the retail primary catchment area that includes the upmarket
zone. Extensive demographic studies confirmed the Modderfontein residential area, Edenvale, Linksfield,
need for this aesthetically pleasing and well-designed Linbro Park and Lombardy East.
mall, which is making a significant contribution to the
quality of life in the area. DIVERSE SELECTION OF TENANTS
Ideally positioned with high visibility on the elevated The style of the 75 000m2 Mall is contemporary, with
crest west of the Edenvale CBD and serviced by a sophisticated finishes and standards. It has been de-
strong existing road infrastructure with easy access signed to be a state-of-the-art facility providing the
to the N1, the Mall has become a hub of retail and utmost shopper comfort levels and convenience.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
WITH US YOU
get it all
A SENSE OF DRAMA
There are two unusual and defining aspects of the
structure. The design of a retail environment involves
many interrelated features that improve the quality
and efficiency of lighting, heating and cooling systems.
The envelope or the structure of the building also forms
part of these systems. The architects creatively utilised
the structure to create world-class interior spaces at
very little extra cost.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
V2/11115-Jul’09
WSP Group plc is a global design, engineering and With WSP’s global reach and shared experience, we
management consultancy, specialising in projects for take pride in the success of our local relationships.
the property, transport, industrial and environmental Working with our clients, we create built and
sectors. We work with clients in 35 countries to natural environments for the future, striving to be
create built and natural environments for a sustainable the outstanding supplier of specialist and integrated
future. services.
Building Services Energy Management Green Building Services Facilities Management Structural Engineering Facade
Engineering Health & Safety Pavement Engineering Transportation Infrastructure Systems Marine & Coastal Engineering
Refrigeration Industrial Engineering Project Management Environmental Due Diligence Environmental Liability Management
Environmental Management Systems Environmental Planning Land Remediation Soil & Ground Water Strategic Corporate
Advice Waste & Resource Management
The centre features spectacular roof lights set in a com- huge rotating doors that open and allow the two spaces
bination of exposed structural steel beams, timber struts to become one. The entire central court, the major feature
and glazing. A variety of other architectural elements, of the mall, was extensively modelled in 3D from an
such as the beams that support the walkways in the gar- elliptical prism.
den court, are designed to complement these elements.
In 2008, Bentel Associates International received a
A second unusual aspect of the design is the combina- Southern Africa Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC)
tion of indoor and outdoor components. An outside land- award for the Greenstone Mall and the extensive and
scaped green zone links horizontally with a centrally creative use of steel, the quality of design and finish,
enclosed zone containing the entertainment centre, the the facilities, the environmentally sustainable design
promotions court and restaurants. The two components and the overall impact of the building. <
are separated by an impressive glass wall containing
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
An interactive
engineering feat
By Bev Hermanson
Ask any yuppie in Gauteng what would be the most important convenience to have
to be able to cope in the fast paced city life of the area and you’ll most likely get: “you
have to have a reliable car. Without a car around here, you’re pretty much stuck!”
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
Get yourself jammed in any one of a hundred daily traffic around public transport routes. This should reduce
snarl-ups on the roads in Gauteng and look around you. traffic congestion, pollution from exhaust fumes and
Most cars have a driver, but no passengers. Car after the extreme pressure on road maintenance from the
car will whiz by you – one occupant, one occupant, one sheer volume of traffic that uses the road networks.
occupant – everyone rushing to get somewhere. Mixed What is required to make this successful is reliable and
amongst them, overloaded taxis take chances, skip safe public transport.
robots and clog up intersections. Pedestrians hover on
the verges of the streets, waiting to catch a lift. It’s all A further consideration motivating the upgrading of the
quite precarious. province’s public transport is the belief that the cities
across the world that have the largest economies, such
The good news is that this is about to change – for the as London, New York and Tokyo, offer efficient public
better. It’s been a while in the making, but a number of transport systems. Somehow, the two seem to go hand
stakeholders in Gauteng got together and have come in hand. In fact, the recent trend is towards the establish-
up with a scheme that, once all the various elements ment of 24-hour hubs where people work, live and play.
slot into place, will make a tremendous difference to the
way things are done in the province. Understanding that An integral part of the scheme to upgrade the public
urban sprawl was one of the culprits, a plan was set in transport for both Johannesburg and Pretoria is the R25-
place to encourage densification of the population billion Gautrain Rapid Rail Link project. Conceptualised
Construction of the in-situ balanced cantilever deck sections for Viaduct 5 at John Vorster Avenue.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
Choosing the sites for the stations its proximity to the university, Loftus rugby stadium,
the CSIR, business district and the many embassies in
The siting of the stations has certainly generated enor- the area. Centurion and Midrand are rapidly expanding
mous interest as property developers and hotel groups areas, Rosebank is another important business and
jostle for prime positions nearby. Each of the stations residential hub, Marlboro is situated right next to an
was chosen for the unique contribution that it would N3 interchange and Rhodesfield is a residential suburb
make to the area surrounding it. that had been earmarked by the Ekurhuleni munici-
pality for redevelopment due to its location close to
“One of the questions we had to ask was: When pas- the airport,” Dr Joubert adds.
sengers disembark at the airport, where do they go?
Through our research, we found that the majority of Facilities that had to be incorporated at each station
airline passengers that visit Gauteng have a destination include provision for other forms of public transport,
in the Sandton area. Once we had established that, it such as buses and taxis and parking for commuters
was just a matter of connecting the dots. We had to as well as transfer from existing rail services at Park,
include central Johannesburg and central Pretoria, in Pretoria, Hatfield and Rhodesfield stations. There is
support of the drive to revitalise the CBDs. Hatfield, an emphasis on pedestrian traffic and access control
north east of the Pretoria CBD is a potent area, with and the development of pedestrian-friendly areas.
Gautrain System Identity A Gautrain System Identity Manual was drawn up,
covering the aesthetic design of the five major elements
of the project – civil structures, stations and depots,
To be people-friendly, a transport system must be easy
finishes and colours, landscaping and environmental
to understand and to determine the system identity, management, and the corporate identity, signage and
consultants took a look at historically successful information systems.
transport operations, such as the London Under-
ground, which was given its first system identity in The theme chosen as the symbol for the Gautrain aes-
1916. The Underground route map was introduced in thetic is the acacia tree. Resting under a tree was seen
1933 and has been used by visitors and locals on a as a significant part of a journey, in the days before
daily basis ever since. sophisticated transport was invented and in general,
trees are respected as sources of protection and nourish-
The first element that had to be determined for the ment. In Africa, trees are also symbolic places where
Gautrain was the colour palette. This revolves around communities gather for worship, to barter goods and to
metallic gold (or the CMYK print version of metallic enter into social interaction. The progress and develop-
gold), silver, cool greys, coffee brown, fish eagle white, ment symbolised by the Gautrain is combined with the
ivory, various shades of blue and, where necessary, static icon of the tree, anchored in the past, identified
safety yellow. in the present, but with the vision of the future.
Planning the stations follow the general guidelines – the two elements of
the architectural design that have to permeate
A consortium of architectural practices was formed to throughout all structures are the wavy roof reminis-
establish the architectural guidelines for the struc- cent of the top formation of the acacia tree and the
tures. The firms that came together are Bentel Asso- trunk and branch structure of the tree. These elements
ciates International, Siyakha Architects, and TPSP are applied to the station buildings, bus shelters,
Architects, to form the Gautrain Architects Joint Ven- parking facilities and even the emergency shafts.”
ture (GAJV).
The themes chosen for the stations celebrate the diver-
One of the main consultants involved in developing sity of cultures in South Africa as well as the wealth
the guidelines is architect, Tom Steer. He was involved that we enjoy in terms of resources, technology, finan-
in many of the preparation stages before any of the cial strength, our history, our political standing in Africa
tenders were awarded and has been intimately involved and our people. They are:
in the conceptualisation of the stations. “Each sta-
› Park Station – people, mining and gold;
tion has a macro and micro influence that we had to
consider,” he says. “The Gauteng province’s motto is › Rosebank – commerce and retail;
‘strength in diversity’ and we decided that each station
› Sandton – finance and investment;
should have its own theme to create some interest
for the commuters. The themes, however, must still › Marlboro – music, art and culture;
Tel: +27 11 802 6370 Tel: +27 31 710 9640 Tel: +27 15 295 9589 Tel: +27 13 752 5294
Fax: +27 11 802 6371 Fax: +27 31 710 9641 Fax: +27 15 295 7314 Fax: +27 13 752 5294
Tel: +27 11 802 6370 Tel: +27 35 901 1140 Tel: +27 41 582 1807 Tel: +27 43 742 0585
Fax: +27 12 658 5477 Fax: +27 35 901 1141 Fax: +27 41 582 1809 Fax: +27 43 742 0585
www.lebone.com ♦ info@lebone.com
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
› M
idrand – the meeting point of Africa and the gateway in the country that we could use. We wanted to achieve a
of Gauteng; modern look, but using African colours, art and sculp-
tures, based on what would normally happen under
› Centurion – sport; Acacia trees.”
Centurion Station.
and in plazas where water features and seating create “The concourse floors are all tiled with terrazzo tiling.
an air of calm and peace. The walls are segmented into low, medium and high
impact sections, according to height. The lower section,
The station buildings are designed to be as transparent which is subject to the highest impact from trolleys and
as possible, but canopies have been incorporated, luggage is covered with heavy duty polished porce-
using the tree concept, to shield the glass from the lain with polished granite skirtings and stainless steel
solar heat and provide shelter during the rainy season. impact rails. We paid a lot of attention to developing
tactile ground surface indicators that can be used by needed some 50 tunnels with an aggregate length of
mobility and visually impaired people and of course we nearly 50km.
made sure there are ramps and facilities for the disa-
bled,” says Steer. “For Gautrain traditional blasting and drilling methods
were used for 12km of the route. This method makes it
possible to employ a large number of teams working
Building the tunnel simultaneously on several fronts which speeds up the
whole process. For the remaining 3km, the contractor
Of the total 80km of railway dedicated to the Gautrain, chose to use a highly specialised tunnel boring ma-
15km is underground, linking the Marlboro station via chine (TBM). Unlike other TBMs that have been used
Sandton and Rosebank, to Park station in the centre of in Southern Africa previously, this one had to be able
Johannesburg. To look at the exacting task of boring to cope with the soft decomposed granites between
and constructing the tunnel, Tony Boniface of GIBB, a Rosebank and Killarney,” explains Boniface.
tunnelling specialist was appointed to the Province
team. Boniface, who had then recently returned to SA With a rotating cutting head at the front of the ma-
having been involved in the construction of the Taiwan chine, the Earth Pressure Balance TBM, as it’s known,
High Speed Rail (THSR) project, was well qualified to bores through the ground, and as it does so it mixes
look at the proposed methods of tunnel construction the excavated material with chemicals to form a ‘gunge’
for Gautrain. The THSR line is almost 400km long and with the consistency of toothpaste. This toothpaste
like material is removed from the cutting chamber via The concrete segments used for the tunnel ‘wall’ were
an Archimedian screw, to be discharged behind the all made by Southern Pipeline on the East Rand. “The
pressurised head of the machine, so as to ensure no moulds were made in Europe, but we produced all the
loss of pressure within the head chamber where the disc segments here. Accuracy was very important. We had
cutters are housed. The ‘toothpaste’ is then fed onto to produce them within a millimeter of the specs,” says
and along a conveyor belt to the surface, to be carted Steve Delport of Southern Pipeline.
away to a spoil site. As the TBM moves forward, a host
of ‘services’ have to be extended – including com- Due to the changing nature of the subsurface throughout
pressed air, electrical cabling and lighting. The ground Johannesburg, geological studies were an integral part
in front of the TBM had to be kept under constant pres- of the excavation process. Desk studies were first con-
sure to stop it collapsing. Once a day, the disk cutters ducted, based on data extracted from the city council’s
had to be inspected and the crew had to go through a sea geotechnical records. The information was then re-
diver’s type of compression/decompression chamber, vised on an ongoing basis while the construction was
to reach the pressurised head chamber. underway, so that the correct techniques could be ap-
plied to each area. “Between Sandton and Rosebank, the
At all times, the ground had to be supported and as ground was hard granite and here, the tunnel is between
the TBM moved forward the permanent tunnel lining 40m and 20m below the surface. But then moving
consisting of a precast concrete segments had to be from Rosebank to Park station became a challenge
erected and secured within the tail shield of the TBM. because the centre of Johannesburg is actually quite
Inside the tunnel boring machine, looking towards the exit of the tunnel.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
a lot higher than Rosebank. When we got to Killarney, places, the tunnel houses only a single track, so syn-
we had to introduce a gradual incline,” says Bonni- chronisation of the carriages, that will run every 10 to
face. “We wanted to keep the gradient as flat as pos- 12 minutes at peaks times, is reliant on a signal monitor-
sible, so we had to bore as close to the surface as we ing system that operates in both directions. Contingency
could. This means that, in some places, the tunnel is plans in the event of any breakdowns or problems, in-
between 10m and 12m below the surface.” cluded the positioning of seven emergency shafts along
the tunnel route. Where the tunnel is deep below the
Although they tapped into the expertise of the mining
surface, safety chambers have been created, where
industry, the approach to the tunnel construction had to
passengers will be able to congregate to wait for the
follow a different set of guidelines. “In mining, production
emergency services to fetch them. Where the tunnel
is paramount, so speed of excavation is the aim. For us,
is shallow, the emergency shafts have stairs, so that
the longevity of the structure and public safety are para-
passengers can get themselves up to the surface. The
mount. The structure has to be built correctly first time
because once the trains are running, maintenance can positioning of the emergency shafts was very much
only be done for a few hours at night,” Boniface adds. dependent on providing safe accessibility for the
emergency services to reach these points and operate
The design of the tunnel involved more than the geo- effectively, without disrupting traffic flows and other
logical and elevation considerations, though. In many activities.
Aerial view of the viaduct approach towards OR Tambo International Airport Station.
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Public relations
With all the heavy engineering work going on, it would
have been easy to lose focus on the involvement of
the public and the need for them to ‘buy’ into the
concept. In the beginning, when the Blue IQ initiative
was launched and the notion of a rapid rail link was
first mooted, there was much skepticism. One of the
tools that has been used to counter that and to keep
the public informed and involved, is the Gautrain
website.
The Gautrain wbsite.
“At one stage, we worked shifts, 24/7, so that we
could counter the negativity,” says Ingrid Jensen, who
is part of the Gautrain PR team. Two of the components
offered to the public were a ‘route planning’ tool for
road commuters who may encounter road closures
and detours due to the construction, as well as a map
that shows property owners where their properties
are situated in relation to the Gautrain route. For the
latter, an erf number is needed, to identify where the
property is. This enables residents to determine how
much they would be affected by the construction and,
later, how close they would be to the convenience of
using the rail service. They could further register to
receive road diversion information via e-mail or sms
as part of the trip planning tool, or enter a starting
point and destination point to receive details of the
best route, taking into account traffic congestion and
detours.
operators. “We monitor everything that is said about become a giant project for the province of Gauteng
Gautrain on the web, in blogs and in Wikipedia,” says – one that will be spoken about for decades to come,
Jensen. “We also contribute, so that we have estab- for its construction intricacies and contribution to socio-
lished a significant presence for the brand and the economic development in South Africa. The negative
project. We track the statistics, so we know that, for perceptions bandied about in the early phases have
instance, currently we have 1200 fans on Facebook been turned on their heads as the engineering feats
and 700 to 800 followers on Twitter, amongst others. and overall design conquests have risen head and
We drive quite a lot of traffic from these other sites to our
shoulders above anything so far accomplished on the
own website and, on average, we are seeing between
continent. The Gautrain Rapid Rail Link will change
900 and 1000 hits per day.”
the face of society as we know it in the province and
be a strong driving force in achieving a global place
for the cities of Pretoria and Johannesburg as world-
Conclusion class African cities. <
Construction of the multi-level underground Sandton Station and parkade, October 2009.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
A conceptual
design challenge
Central Terminal Building at the OR Tambo International Airport
Innovative designs create an even balance between the
built infrastructural requirements and ORT’s operational,
technical and economic considerations.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
“The airport aims for the highest standards of service “There was substantial debate as regards the design
and its operations are run very tightly,” says Steve and finishes of the CTB. However, practical decisions
Riley, Bentel Associates International’s (BAI) architect were made and a complimentary design approach was
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BUILT >
ENVIRONMENT >
a specialised player in various other areas such as this regard, a transformation committee has been formed
maintenance, specialised projects and supplying high to ensure that the goals and objectives of measurable
voltage cables and transformers to suit clients’ needs. action plans are met.
This enhances Ukubona’s edge in providing a total
service for the range of requirements that may arise. 3KILLS DEVELOPMENT
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supply, installation and commissioning of medium management courses.
voltage switchgear. The switchgear range comprises a As part of its mission of meeting the objectives
distribution and transmission type with a fault rating at set out by the AsgiSA initiative, the company has
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Ukubona’s highly skilled employees have rare jointing switchgear and associated equipment. It has earmarked
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types of cables. Examples are XLPE and oil filled cables. “This will be a perfect opportunity for black
In addition, Ukubona is also a preferred maintenance females to be trained overseas as trainers, in order
contractor with regards to design, cable repairs and to provide locally based training, under supervision,
assistance with diagnostics.
0OWER TRANSFORMERS
As a result of its involvement in turnkey substation
projects, Ukubona has sourced and supplied power
transformers from its partners around the world. It has:
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a commitment from within the company to contribute
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within society.
4RANSFORMATION POLICY
Ukubona subscribes to BEE and gender equity, having
already received a level 3 BEE score. It is Ukubona’s
stated intention to improve its BEE score every year. In
ukubona
to all prospective equipment operators. We have
internationally respected engineers who will assist with BEE Profile
the initial establishment of the centre and ensure a
Subash Dowlath
smooth and solid base for the women who plan to own
Dowlath is an admitted lawyer by profession
and operate the facility,” says Dowlath.
who joined Ukubona 18 months ago on a
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industries, but chose to harness his skills and
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its wiring team. Its intention is to formalise the team ÃÊ«ÀÀÊÜÀÊÊÌ
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be shareholders and manage their own business. The the municipal and parastatal market, for the
Ukubona management team will assist the team with benefit of Ukubona. Dowlath has a BA LLB
business guidance and marketing. LLM and Diploma ADR, which assist him in
integrating his role as Ukubona’s director of
4ECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSFER business development and legal oversight.
One of the major advantages of Ukubona’s partnership
with leading international switchgear company Gelpag/ Imtiaz Abdulla
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knowledge to the rest of the team at Ukubona. produce at their optimum at all times.
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“We believe that this technology can and should be experienced many successes and is poised
manufactured locally. It is for this reason that Ukubona for much more.
has partnered with a technologically advanced partner to
Trevor Besten
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eligible. A central component of the plan, which is in its
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Every four years, the FIFA Soccer World Cup is followed systems and above all, the facilities at the stadiums
by billions across the globe, igniting the passion and that have been prepared in readiness for the event.
camaraderie of many nations. In 2010, as we all well
know, this event is due to be hosted in South Africa, a Johannesburg boasts two stadiums that will be used
first time occasion for the continent of Africa. The for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ – Ellis Park and Soccer
throngs of supporters that will be lucky enough to join City. But it is the latter that will claim the bulk of the
the festivities in the flesh will be testing our infrastruc- glory, as the opening games and the final match will
tures, our hospitality, our security, our communications be played there.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
The design secured the deal hosting of the Soccer World Cup. We already had various
concepts for stadiums that had been put together,
Risk in the architectural profession is a stark reality. including a possible rugby stadium in Midrand, proposed
However, that is what Boogertman, Urban Edge + for the Golden Lions, so we were naturally interested
Partners, the architects, did when pitching to do the in seeing what we could do for them,” says Bob van
design and architecture for Soccer City. Bebber, Project Director: Boogertman Urban Edge +
Partners.
“In 2000, we put together a proposal to do a head office
for the SA Football Association. The location suggested “To help them prepare for the bid, we started looking
was a sports field in the Wits University/Empire Road at some design options and consulted with the technical
area. At the time, SAFA was preparing to bid for the team that was responsible for the staging of the Rugby
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
World Cup back in 1995. In the beginning, all the designs stadium wasn’t iconic enough for a continent such as
included structures to support roofing, but we even- Africa. SAFA rose to the challenge and asked Boogertman
tually cut the roof back, with a saving of R360-million, Urban Edge + Partners to come up with some more
and that was the design choice that went into the bid ideas.
books for 2006 and 2010.”
The various symbols considered included reflections
When South Africa won the 2010 bid, the pressure was of the mine dumps so characteristic of Johannesburg,
intensified enormously. All aspects of the planning the kgotla defined by the tree, bowls, landscape and
for the World Cup were examined microscopically. the protea, which is South Africa’s national flower.
During the 2006 Africa Cup staged in Egypt, opinions However, it was the calabash, symbolising the melting
were being bandied about that the design for the lead pot of African cultures, that was finally chosen.
Phumaf
Consulting Engineers
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Our Offices
Randburg, Johannesburg (011) 789 3727
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“Containers, or pots, represent sustenance for the was obviously African and the calabash is clearly dis-
body and mind. In Africa, water and food are in great tinctive.”
demand and they need to be carried and handled in
containers. After a meal, sharing a beer pot that is “We took a risk on staying involved. There was talk
passed from one to another while sitting around a that they would just buy the design from us and put
fire, is a great communal activity,” van Bebber ex- the execution out to tender. But we hung in and even-
plains. “We played around with a wide variety of shapes, tually it paid off. In the end, the design secured the
but Danny Jordaan was looking for something that deal for us.”
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
The old stadium comprised two levels of corporate The calabash sits on a raised podium, on top of which
viewing suites, elevated seating on the western side and is located a ‘pit of fire’. The pot, therefore, sits in a
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BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
depression, which is the ‘pit’, as if it were being naturally The upper embankment and the rebuilt lower embank-
fired. The pit demarcates the security and turnstile line ment are accessible from the lower concourse, which is
separating the outer areas and the secure inner areas. fed from the podium level. The two suite levels and the
The structural profile of the existing suite levels and upper tier are accessed via 3-dimensional ramp struc-
upper-tier seating of the existing western grandstand tures that are contained within the façade of the pot.
extend all the way round to encircle the pitch. The exist-
ing lower embankment has been rebuilt to consider- All VIP areas and the stadium management offices
ably improve the view lines of the most popular seats, are located behind the main western grandstand. The
while the upper third of the existing embankment has suite levels have separate lift and stair lobbies at
been raised to form a secondary tier, turning the sta- each corner for dedicated secure VIP access. New
dium into a 3-tiered, rather than a 2-tiered, facility. change rooms, media work areas, auditorium and VIP
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
parking are located within a new basement under the The stadium’s façade is made up of fibre reinforced
podium on the western side of the stadium. concrete panels, in eight colours and two textures
that resemble the shades and textures of the cala-
bash. The curved surface is punctured by open or
The defining moment glazed panels that show up when the inside areas are
illuminated. There are ten vertical slots, aligned geo-
The circular plan format of the pot, which encircles graphically with the nine other 2010 stadiums around
the rectangular seating bowl and field, was selected the country and the Berlin stadium in Germany. These
to ensure that all façade detailing could be consistent represent the road to the final.
in plan and section, thus ensuring an easier detailing,
manufacture, and installation process. This further- The final selection of came about after An extensive
more ensured that the 120 concrete façade columns search was conducted to find just the right material
would be consistent in shape and form. for the façade. The product had to ultimately reflect the
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
essence of the calabash. Having discarded ideas of “Finding the correct material for the façade proved
composite aluminium, steel, and various roof-sheeting challenging,” says van Bebber. “It took us about three
options, the architects were coincidently introduced to months to find the right solution. We sent an e-mail
an extruded fibre reinforced concrete panel called Fibre to Wolfgang Rieder, CEO of Rieder Elements in Austria.
C, from Rieder Elements in Austria. The product is sup- Within a week, he was in our offices. He sat with us
plied in panels with varying surface finishes, honed and and developed a brief and a week later came back
sandblasted, in combination with a variety of earthy col- with a proposal. The defining moment for me was getting
ours, to create the unique variegated façade cladding. that e-mail from Europe late at night and realising
The panels, which are light-weight and only 13mm in that we could produce the façade cladding at only
thickness, are supplied in 1200 x 1800mm typical panel 10% more than the original figure budgeted. Essen-
sizes and are fixed to a galvanised steel sub frame. The tially, the façade is just about 100% recyclable. The
panels have excellent thermal properties and have panels are made on a conveyor belt and cut like cookies.
been subjected to rigorous testing, including hail impact, They are then laid out to dry before being finished
water penetration and discolouration tests. and packed for shipping.”
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
Eight large pedestrian ramps, designed for the efficient The bottom of the trusses are covered by a perforated
ingress and egress of spectators to the upper levels mesh membrane, giving the appearance of a smooth
of the stadium, have been provided. These ramps, under-slung ceiling. It is here that most of the sound
which also provide vehicular access to all levels, fol- speakers are situated to add atmosphere to the venue.
low the shape of the façade bowl and consequently
change position in plan from one level to the next. In “There are 128 loudspeakers installed, in total. They
addition to the sloped façade columns, the other col- are a collection of different models with different dis-
umns supporting the ramps are inclined thereby re- persion angles, all colour co-ordinated to blend with
quiring intricate design analysis and construction the roof,” explains Mark Malherbe, Technical Director
techniques. of Prosound. “The bulk of the work was up in the roof,
which meant that our technicians had to have all of their
tools on lanyards, so if they dropped, they wouldn’t
Ensuring sound quality
actually fall through the mesh membrane. We also
The upper roof, which is cantilevered from an enormous had to construct walkways, as the speakers boxes
triangular spatial ring truss, is covered by a PTFE mem- are very heavy and the mesh membrane was not able
brane in a colour similar to that of mine-dump sand. to support the weight.”
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
As sound travels relatively slowly, the Prosound tech- says. “The sound equipment has been designed to
nicians had to digitally align the various sound sources take in the perimeter of the stadium, the passages
so that they coincide. The amplifiers were installed at and toilet areas as well. From a design point of view,
the catwalk level so that they are easy to access. the cable routes are very important. How the cabling
These are linked back to a central processor that gets from one point to the next can be a huge issue,
sends the signals to them. Infill speakers were addi- particularly when there has been an existing struc-
tionally installed to compensate for areas in acoustic ture that’s being renovated, like Soccer City.”
shadows, such as some of the suites.
Another huge issue is the noise that is likely to be
Over and above the commentary and public address generated by the crowds. “The Confederations Cup
systems, Prosound further made sure that there was was an eye opener for us. We looked at the statistical
an evacuation facility that allows manual override of analysis of the level of noise coming from the crowds.
the sound system if necessary. “The public address The Vuvuzela makes it insane.” However, with just
system is multi-zoned, so that specific areas can be short of 30 years experience in the big events and
evacuated if the situation arises, without causing Rock ‘n Roll industry, the professionals at Prosound
general panic throughout the stadium,” Malherbe are undaunted.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
Conclusion By the time the first teams run on to the filed, 80 000
cubic metres of concrete will have been poured, 9000
Due to a critical skills shortage in the construction tons of reinforcing steel will have been placed and
industry, the Soccer City project embarked on an ex- 8000 tons of structural steel will have been erected.
tensive training initiative to provide the necessary This, in combination with the moving of approximately
skills required by the project and to contribute to the 120 000 cubic metres of soil, the distinctive, yet func-
development of the local community. A self-sustain- tional architecture and dedicated efforts in the design
ing training centre was established by the Soccer City offices and on site, will result in the 90 000 seater
project near the site, in conjunction with a black eco- Soccer City being transformed into one of the most
nomic empowerment (BEE) training provider. striking, impressive and well-equipped stadiums in
the world.
As part of their Corporate Social Investment programmes,
GLTA/Interbeton have agreed to construct two class- “Although we had a joint venture partner in Populous
rooms at the Bella Primary School in Soweto, opposite from London, we are proud of the fact that a South
the Hector Pieterson Museum. To this end, Boogert- African firm did the main architecture for Soccer City.
man Urban Edge + Partners and PDNA have provided, There are only 17 architectural practices in the world
at no cost, the architectural and engineering services that can claim to have done a World Cup stadium – one
respectively to facilitate this. of them is ours,” van Bebber concludes. <
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INDUSTRIAL DESIGN >
Linda Mvusi, chairperson of the SABS Design Excellence Awards 2009 share some insights with Prof. Singh and
Dr Bonakele Mehlomakulu, CEO of the SABS.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN >
Although the products were not in competition with The Moonflower Range, designed by Willowlamp.
each other, The Snuza Baby Monitor received the Chair-
person’s Award for the product that most inspired the
adjudication panel. Snuza, designed by …XYZ, Savant payment methods that are accessible to them, and
and ID&B, is a new generation baby monitor that allows for the Stopak Jumbo Inflator that is used in the trans-
mobile monitoring of a baby’s breathing. port of produce in road freight vehicles.
…XYZ also received awards for its design of the Touch- Most of the other awards went to the home and office
mart TAP, a solution to enable the general public to ware category. These included the Kubic Innovator
access a broad range of products and services using LED system; the Willow Lamp Moonflower Range of
SECTION >
In her reflection of this year’s award winners, Mvusi as an appreciation that old and new technologies
comments that: “A significant proportion of entrants can, do and should co-exist and be integrated and
were small-medium and family enterprises – wives complementary side by side.”
and husbands, siblings, parents and their children
offspring – the sector most resilient with ways and Mvusi concludes that: “This is people-centred design
means in a turbulent economy.” She notes that: “The at its best! The SABS Design Excellence 2009 Awards
overall standard was higher than previous years, re- embody critical values for a new, design-thinking
flecting deepening design consciousness, and sur- South Africa.” In line with this statement, DESIGN>
passing ‘problem solving’ and competence per se: reviewed the successes of five of this year’s winners.
> ‘Fail-Safe’ Design – designing products and systems Since its inception, Centurion Systems has pioneered
to fail without disaster – is exciting. It acknowledges many world-firsts such as battery backed-up gate motors
and the use of high torque DC motors. Their manufactur- allowed the designers to focus on developing a highly
ing processes are is being continually upgraded and efficient epicyclic gear train. This allows a smaller
its factory is fully compliant with the requirements of motor to be used, while still delivering class-leading
ISO 9001:2000 to ensure the highest quality. The com- performance. The choice of stainless steel, aluminium
pany invests considerable amounts in its R&D programme and plastic materials ensures a lifetime of corrosion free
and has , with 15 qualified engineers to research new operation. Quadrature position sensing and a closed
and innovate products to add to the its range. loop speed control system ensure that the operator
stops smoothly and accurately at the ends of travel.
According to Marketing Manager, Adam Butchart: A fully featured electronic controller, with LCD user
“Without continuous investment in R&D, our company interface, ensures ease of use and enough flexibility
would find itself joining the ranks of its competitors – to overcome the majority of installation challenges.”
following the trends rather than creating them. Clever
design, together with an intimate understanding of the
manufacturing process, helps to drive down unit costs, CHROME CHERRY DESIGN STUDIO
a factor critical to remaining competitive. In certain
cases, the introduction of innovative features justi- Established in 2004, Chrome Cherry Design Studio (CCDS)
fies higher selling prices, thereby maintaining our was founded as an outlet for the creativity of its share-
competitive edge as well as our profitability.” holders, five lifelong friends. Their skills and experience
stretch over span various design fields including indus-
Over the past 23 years, the company has brought trial design, automotive, exhibition design, aerospace,
more than 50 products to the market, of which more furniture design and even film.
than 40 are currently available. Even more encourag-
ing is that all products are manufactured at the com- Launched two years ago, YBIKE is the first product
pany’s factory in North Riding, South Africa, and their conceptualised, owned, manufactured and marketed
exports currently span five continents. by CCDS and is currently available in nine countries with
others following soon. Since then it has won awards at
When asked what makes the Vector a worthy winner the SA Toy of the Year 2007 and SABS Design Excellence
of the 2009 SABS Design Excellence Award, Butchart Awards 2009. Surprisingly, for the adjudication of SA
remarks: “The use of a novel centrifugal braking system Toy of the Year 2007, the judges only had a prototype
to judge and YBIKE competed against world brands work and effort that has gone into such a visually
such as Fisher Price, Mattel, Barbie and Lego. simple product. We are determined to be at the
awards again in 2010.”
Jean van der Merwe says: “We at CCDS are firm believers
in that not only good functional design, but more im-
portantly also the aesthetics of design are important IDESO
integral to our company’s development, sustainabil-
ity and competitiveness. We understand the changes Founded in 1998, Ideso is a specialist industrial design
in a increasingly design conscious society and strive to consultancy based in Cape Town. Its essential concern
develop products out that meet this need. Why can is to take a potential product or ideas through the entire
products not also be objects of beauty?” product development cycle until an actual manufac-
tured product is on the shelves. This includes concept
When asked what makes the YBIKE a worthy winner design, material and process research, visualisation,
of the 2009 SABS Design Excellence Award, van der photographically realistic rendering, design for manufac-
Merwe responds that: “The YBIKE may seem to be just ture prototyping, tooling, packaging project management
another plastic ride-on, but every single aspect in its and manufacture.
design, both functional and aesthetically, was re-
searched and addressed. It passes complies with all “Design is our life. It is in everything we do. Our aim is to
applicable international toy safety laws and was tested design products that significantly improve our customer’s
by the Sport Science Institute and found to be very competitiveness. Only by designing great products can
beneficial to the development of gross motor skills in we expect to remain sustainable,” says Marc Ruwiel.
young children. There are no short-cuts, from the choice He explains: “We have designed over 350 products in
of injection moulding – which is expensive – through the last 11 years. Of these, more than 300 have gone
material choices and place of manufacture, everything into production and at least 200 of these are still in
was done with reason.” production.”
Van der Merwe adds : “Being recognised by the SABS Ideso-designed products are available all over the
Design Institute has capped off an incredible two years world. “The USA and the UK are popular export des-
since the launch of YBIKE. The award recognises the tinations, particularly for plastics and homewares.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN >
Stopak Jumbo Inflator (top) and the Touchmart TAP, These five companies exemplify what Mvusi describes
designed by ...XYZ. as “people-centred design at its best!” >
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN >
SS > And the first sale? You obviously had no idea that
this simple idea was going to be the spark of huge begin-
nings.
This first piece was a man & woman salad server set.
They were really chunky and heavy. If I have to see them
now and chuck them into a glass bowl I would most proba-
bly break the bowl. I started learning more about the
weight of the metal versus the usability of the item
and all the rest that goes along with designing and
The first set of salad servers created by Carrol Boyes. making a functional and user-friendly item.
The Carrol Boyes showroom.
I took the first piece down to Peter Visser Interiors in CB > It bubbles over every now and then because it
Long Street and they decided to put it on display. can’t be repressed. There are times when I just have
Within a day or two it was sold. And then they said to do something creative because I can’t help myself.
they wanted more. It has to be expressed; its there, very much alive and
I allow it to come through. The interesting part of be-
ing in this business is that I very often feel that I
SS > I remember those days the Peter Visser gallery
should rather create what the public wants. To assist
was the place to see what your work was worth. Do
in that demanding process we have these cards in
you even know who bought this first piece?
our stores where the public can fill in and share with
us what they would like to see in the Carrol Boyes
CB > They gave me my first break and I really owe a range. Then the pressure is on to deliver to the public
lot to them because they really gave me a chance. I on what they want.
don’t know the identity of the buyer and I am pretty
sure that he or she is completely unaware of the sig- But the truth of it is that from a creative angle I can’t
nificance of the piece. By the way, I still have a copy work like that. I can sit with that list of what people
of that set upstairs. would want, but if it does not come from within I sim-
ply can’t do it. I wake up on a Saturday morning and
And, yes, as you have rightfully pointed out, this ‘em- that is my time to create. And it doesn’t matter how
pire’ just happened. It was never anticipated or pre- long that list is, I will work with my creative process,
meditated. listen to my inner creativity and then design or create
what my heart tells me to create. I don’t know how to
do it any other way!
Today we have 30 dedicated Carrol Boyes shops,
which only sell CB and Monkeybiz items, and then we
SS > You want to tell me that you are creating other
also supply between a 100 and 150 other stores with
amasing creations that we will never see?
our products.
CB > I have a whole workshop full of stuff that will
SS > If one takes your training into consideration, to never see the light of day. I always tease my staff and
create with an artistic flair should come naturally to say they don’t have to worry – if I get run-over by a buss
you. But placing this within the context and stress of tomorrow they have a whole drawer full of drawing
such a huge business, do you have to work really books filled with designs. They just need to go to that
hard to keep your personal creative flair alive? drawer and everything will be fine.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN >
SS > How do you keep the balance between your SS > Do you know how many people work for you?
‘creative gut’ and what a client wants when you are
approaching a commission? CB > Somewhere between four and five hundred I
think… [she then smiles]
CB > I struggle terribly with things like commissions.
Make this for that hotel or make that for a restaurant. SS > What does the process involve from conceptu-
It is a really big challenge for me. I also think it is dif- alisation to the final product?
ficult as I know that the client already has a precon-
ceived idea of what that final piece should look like. CB > Here in Cape Town we will do the creative side.
To live up to that expectation is extremely difficult. So the design is developed to the point where it is
Even though some clients do give me the freedom to ready to be taken to the next phase, which will usu-
interpret their brief, a commission is, in my experi- ally happen at the workshop in Limpopo. If it is meant
ence, still very restrictive. But again, this is a very to be made out of pewter we will make the mould for
personal thing and not everybody would struggle them, if it is going to be made out of aluminium we
with that. There are many designers who will thrive will send them a prototype and if it is going to be
under these circumstances – but for me it is a per- stainless steel we will send them an electronic ver-
sonal thing. sion of the design. So we get the design to the point
where it is ready for further development.
SS > I know you have a very talented art department
downstairs. What kind of qualities do you look for in At this stage, for instance, if it will be made out of
a designer? Do they need to be qualified in a specific pewter it will go up to the factory in Limpopo where
discipline? they can immediately start casting then filing and
grinding and finally polishing. If it is going to be a
CB > Besides having a very good feel for the 3D, and stainless steel product it will have to go through the
for sculpture in general, I want young people who die-making process, which can take between three to
have very much their own style. I don’t want a little six months to be make. So we send it to Limpopo
Carrol Boyes. where they take it to the next level in producing the
actual product. So, all the hard work, dirty foundry
That is the last thing that I look for – especially in the kind of stuff is happening at this workshop. This is
Metal Design competition. One of the first things I also where the first quality control is executed. Then
say to the participants is that they should not think everything will be sent back to Cape Town where we
that they will please me or win the competition by will execute the next level of quality control. Many
doing a version of myself. I want to encourage them, items are made into separate parts and then assem-
through giving credit to their unique style, to develop bled down here.
a strong identity of their own.
SS > Have you conquered your fear of knowing that
I look for people who are ambitious in design. Some- your business has grown to this size and that it is
one with creativity, combined with a head for busi- supplying and supporting so many people or has this
ness will always be a strong candidate. And yes, one just come naturally to you?
does not always get all three in a possible employee
but something like business savvy can be taught. CB > It is still scary, but back in the days I used to be
They don’t need a specific qualification. I have em- so scared that I only employed people who were un-
ployed people with no qualifications, simply because employed. I reasoned that I did not want to take
they have a natural and amasing sense of form. someone away from their job, claiming that I could be
a better provider. To take that person’s life and say
that I am now going to be responsible for it was really,
cannot be reproduced by a machine. And don’t forget
really scary. that we are still working with a very tactile medium,
even if it is something like a hard metal. The personal
Today we obviously want to employ the best for the touch at the end of the production process adds
company and even if it means that we would have to something very special and gives each product an in-
headhunt somebody, then we will do it. We are at the dividual appeal. And yes, even if people can only af-
point were we want what is best for the company. This ford the key ring at the time, at least they can start
is the only sure way to grow and to develop. their collection.
SS > Most people still strive to have a piece of your SS > You have recently launched a new range called
work, no matter if it is a single key ring or if they are incolor. Tell us more about the origin of this new
adding to their proud collection. The novelty and thrill range, as it is the first time that we see your work in
still stand. Having built this empire that has securely bright colours and in plastic.
manifested itself in the mass production market, what
do you think is the secret of keeping the individual CB > I think I simply don’t want to get old. When I look
appeal and quality of each piece? at what appeals to the younger generation you be-
come aware of a different world. They love plastics,
CB > You must remember that even though we work there are amasing little brightly coloured toys, robots
with mass production a lot can be said for the fact and bold and colourful little images on Japanese
that each piece is eventually finished, filed, grinded stickers. In the light of everything else, the colours
and polished by an individual. This is a quality that are fresh, bright and beautiful. So I just simply wanted
to see what I could manage in the medium of plastics From a business perspective, companies that I aspire
and of course wanted to explore the possibilities of to and learn a lot from are Georg Jenson, a company
bold and beautiful colours. that has been around for a 100 odd years and Alessi,
another company that has been around for some-
SS > Do you still use the same design and production thing very close to that. Although both these compa-
processes or did you have to make costly changes? nies have been around for many generations, it is
pretty great to have them as our role models, where
CB > Strangely enough the process is very similar to you can see how they have started the business, from
the process we use for producing the stainless steel the original ideas and prototyping, and even after the
range. The colour dyes for the plastics are pretty cost- people who started them have passed on, how they
ly, though. still keep the brand alive and how they have taken
the creativity of that company into the next genera-
SS > I find it really fresh to see the incolor range tion. They are especially great role models to me be-
placed amongst the Monkeybiz and the rest of the cause they are producing products within the same
Carrol Boyes range. It is visually a stunning surprise. design discipline as we are.
To me it has always felt that the Monkeybiz products
created a beautiful and refreshing contrast amongst
SS > If you had the choice to choose any artist or
the Carrol Boyes pieces but with the presence of the
designer to work with on a special project, who would
incolor range – it is simply marrying the two oppo-
sites even better. that be?
SS > Whom do you aspire to and who is your role CB > Norman Catherine.
model?
SS > And the project?
CB > I would have to say Picasso really inspires me
and not as a man or the way he had lived his life but CB > A boutique hotel. I would like to get involved in
the way he lived his creative life. He was the most the design of the restaurant, the bathrooms, bed-
amazing artist and his work really talks to me, espe- rooms, and furniture the whole shebang from top to
cially if one looks at the vast range of creative disci- bottom. Don’t you think that sounds like fun? <
plines he got himself involved in. In all his work, 2D
or 3D, he had the ability to project his tremendous
energy and zest for life.
In pre-industrial African society, so archaeological than that. I also feel that this vocabulary has the po-
records tell us, the makers of two- and three-dimen- tential of becoming the basis of a new creative vo-
sional objects played an important social role. They cabulary for the continent of Africa.
were the creators of the signposts which helped peo-
ple navigate successfully through the cultural group In most pre-colonial societies the patterns and shapes
to which they belonged. They were also the guardians created by these craftspeople generally had some
of the patterns and objects by which their group were culturally-specific meaning. In many cases the de-
identified. It could be said that these crafters were signs and colours used also had symbolic signifi-
the glue that helped bind the social groups of the cance. Red bands on a Venda initiation figurine for
continent together. example would represent young unmarried women
(Blacking 1969).
The creative vocabulary of these societies was made
up of a small set of designs that occurred on a variety
In some parts of Africa the black graphite painted on
of objects. These repeated designs, colours and com-
pots signified being human, and in some parts they
binations formed a single style which was part of an
were treated as representations of living people (Bar-
integrated design field within agro-pastoral society in
ley 1994).
southern Africa.
Creating harmony
between engineering
and art
By Jennie Fourie
There is a dreamlike quality about Pretoria-based art- custom implants using computer-aided (CAD), and
ist, Dr Michaella Janse van Vuuren. Her movements computer-aided manufacture (CAM) methods using
are fluid; she has a gentle way about her; her Face- CT and MR-scan data as reference. She recognised
book profile picture shows her kissing a baby gazelle, the amazing opportunities that the 3D printers of-
her amazing 3D sculptures, lights, jewellery and fered and embarked on developing a range of imagi-
prints create a fantasy world and take the viewer to native projects.
faraway places.
Jennie Fourie, one of Africa’s most experienced design
But there is more to 30-something Michaella than journalists, caught up with Michaella.
meets the eye. She holds a PhD in Electrical Engineer-
ing from the University of Cape Town. In her final year J > Your Chrysanthemum Centrepiece was voted the
of undergraduate studies towards a BSc in Electrical
Most Beautiful Object in South Africa at the Design
Engineering, Michaella embarked on a research
Indaba 2009. Has this accolade changed your life in
project where she developed a software programme
any way?
for human eye detection and tracking in video foot-
age. This interest encouraged her to enrol for the
M > Winning the Design Indaba 2009 accolade has made
Masters degree, focussing on the development of a
a big difference to my life. I got a lot of media attention,
system for automatic human pose and action recog-
making people more aware of what I am doing. It was
nition in video sequences.
also a sign that I am moving in a direction that people
During her studies she received a Scarce Skills Schol- find interesting. I wasn’t sure how my work would be
arship (NRF), National Research Fund Bursary (NRF) and received, and it was interesting that the public voted
a De Beers bursary for research in computer vision. for a technological object in a design-orientated environ-
ment. I think it attests to the fact that I am passionately
It was at Bloemfontein in 2007, during a Postdoctoral involved with the design.
Fellowship at the Central University of Technology,
that Michaella’s long suppressed artistic talents – J > Your objects – sculptures, prints, lights and jewellery
which so delighted her at the Pro Arte High School for – have a dreamlike quality. They also create the impres-
Art, Music Ballet and Drama in Pretoria – emerged sion of things seen under water, under the sea. Can
again. The research focused on the development of you relate to these statements?
The Birdman is a digitally created and
manufactured moveable sculpture.
When the rod is pulled the beak closes
and his arms drop to the sides. When
the rod is pushed his beak opens and
the arms move outward. He is
manufactured or ‘3D printed’ in one
piece with no assembly required. The
Birdman was manufactured using an
EOS P380 in PA 2200 Polyamide.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN >
The Starball sculpture consists of an outer star shape The Spiked Coral sculpture. 69x68x30mm
and 2 loose inner spheres. 71x71x71mm.
The CauliStar sculpture. 70x70x70mm. The Sphere sculpture was inspired by Chinese puzzle
balls and consists of 3 separate spheres. 78x78x78mm
These sculptures are made by a manufacturing method The sculpture is ‘printed’ layer by layer building up the
called additive fabrication. The object is designed on com- 3d form by fusing thin layers of nylon material with a
puter in a specialised 3d design program. The design is laser. The sculptures shown here are sintered using an
made into a physical object by a process called sintering. EOSINT P380 machine in PA 2200 Polyamide.
M > Definitely. I am inspired by the work of Ernst Hae-
ckel, an 18th century biologist, and love to collect images
of deep sea creatures, corals and anemones. I love
the escape that fantasy provides from the real world. In
the same way that under water scenes seem unreal.
J > The flip side of the question above – are there oth-
er technologies that you want to explore in your art?
J > Do you have role models – personally and artisti- Sequin I: Swirl pendant in 9kt yellow gold,
21x21x9 mm
cally?
Too many South Africans and Africans still believe Suné Stassen (SS), one of DESIGN> magazine’s con-
that nothing good can come from Africa. And yet, at tributing editors, visited the Gold of Africa Museum
the Gold of Africa Museum, I stood in awe while I was and then interviewed Christopher Till (CT), the brain
studying the most sophisticated detail, concepts, de- behind the museum.
signs and skills. While most want to believe that Af-
rica will always stay Third World, the embedded his- SS > Why is gold so important in the history of Africa
tory of gold in Africa speaks of highly sophisticated and what, in your opinion, fuels the mystical relation-
systems, communication and value systems, skills, ship that already exists between gold and the African
tools and social structures which already existed way continent?
before any European influences reached the conti-
nent’s shores. CT > Gold has been traded in Africa for hundreds of
years – from ancient Ghana across the Sahara in ex-
The structure protecting and housing this special col- change for salt, and from Nubia (current day Sudan)
lection is of historical and architectural importance to down the Nile to Egypt and from Mapungubwe in Lim-
Cape Town as the Martin Melck House is one of the popo (current day South Africa) through Sofala in Mo-
oldest original examples of colonial style living from zambique across the Indian ocean to the east. Gold has
the 18th century, and was constructed in the then charted the trade routes and carried with it knowledge
very popular neo-classical architectural style. of these civilisations to the rest of the world.
Mashabane Rose Architects faced many challenges in SS > While observing the most astonishing level of
integrating two very different worlds in one space – sophistication and exploring the detail and compe-
colonialism and the world of West African kings. Mar- tency in the use of a variety of materials, problem
tin Melck House, which was at the time a prime sea- solving skills and applications of concepts and crea-
front property, and the Akan Kingdom – the origin of tivity that already existed, some from as early as 18th
this great collection – happened at the same time, century, I was thinking of a recent interview with the
making it even more special. author, Moeletsi Mbeki of the publication, Architects
In West Africa it is taboo to look directly into the eyes
of the queen mother and to prevent that, she would
wear gold ‘sunglasses’.
JEWELLERY >
of Poverty. In this book he explores why Africa is the jewellery. We hope to present examples of these in an
architect of its own poverty. exhibition called the ‘Black Pharaohs’ we are working
on. This will consist out of the artefacts of the ancient
It is said that from as early as the 4th century Muslims Nubia, when the kings of this region ruled over Egypt.
travelled to West Africa for trade, and between the The gold of Mapungubwe in the south east of the
11th and 17th centuries West Africa, also called the continent is an added reflection of the extent of gold
Gold Coast, was the leading supplier of gold to the use on the continent.
world. Why is it that these parts of Africa are not the
jewellery hubs of the world today? Having direct access SS > I saw some of the social structures of that time in
to the history and having a much better understand- the display. It is evident from some of the photographs
ing of the influences and impact of outside sources on display that even very young children were allowed
on the development of these social structures that to wear these precious and extraordinary gold pieces.
are on display, maybe you can shed some light on Surely this must have been a huge responsibility? Who
how things developed since then. Does this level of were allowed to wear the jewellery?
sophistication in the jewellery industry still exist?
CT > The images showing children wearing jewellery
CT > The establishment of the Gold of Africa Museum had in a large group illustrates the practice of families
as one of its objectives the preservation of the knowledge demonstrating and parading their wealth on a high
techniques, designs and practices of gold jewellery- days or holidays, so to speak. The jewellery is not
making as inspiration for contemporary design. The worn on a daily basis and obviously only on ceremonial
lack of infrastructure and any focused development, and celebratory occasions. This practice underlines
promotion and marketing of African jewellery has their status and success.
stunted any significant industry developing. Anglo-
Gold Ashanti undertook an evaluation of the capacity SS > What were in stall for the wearer if they dared to
and capability of training and manufacturing facilities in lose a piece and was finder’s keepers at all relevant
Ghana and this forms a potential collaboration between those days?
the museum and our own design schools and industry
which we hope to pursue, in the interests of furthering CT > You might have noticed the lid of the container
this objective. This will help to revive the energy and on display. This container held the gold dust, which
power of the objects representing the history that was, before modern day money, the currency of Ghana.
you describe. On the lid is the sculptural form of a man kneeling with
his hands tied behind his back and with the figure of
SS > I have noticed that the collection consists of arte- the executioner towering over him with the sword
facts only from West Africa. Any reason for this? Does this held-up high. This message is clear: Steal gold or salt
mean that the rest of Africa did not produce gold in those and the consequence is death! So finder’s keepers
days or is there a much simpler explanation? would have been a risky practice.
CT > The collection, forming the nucleus of the museum’s SS > Tell us more about the powerful presence of the
permanent display, was purchased from Barbier-Mueller Lion and the Young Boy displayed in the museum.
Museum in Geneva. The artefacts were collected from What do they symbolise?
West Africa from the regions where gold was mined, traded
and used in the social structures. This information is CT > The lion of Africa as the king of the jungle re-
showcased throughout the narrative of the museum. Yet, flects the symbolism of power and majesty, which is
the ancient civilisations of Egypt used the gold from the clearly linked to the gold artefacts of wealth and power.
mines in Nubia to make extraordinary artefacts and The historical photograph of a young boy is showing
Interior of the Gold of Africa Musaeum.
Images showing children wearing elaborate jewellery The lid of a container that held gold dust.
as a reflection of their family’s wealth and status.
JEWELLERY >
The use of zoomorphic imagery and relating these to messages and metaphors is integral to the design of the
objects. There are many meanings attributed to these, often relating to the king’s power.
the Ashentehene, the young hereditary king of the the crocodile live in the same environment in harmony
Ashanti people and his presence symbolises the pro- but the mudfish needs to be wary. One should not come
tection of the artefacts and the exhibition on display too close to the porcupine, as its quills will teach you
as a whole. a lesson. And so on.
SS > I have also noticed a number of artefacts like a This kind of imagery forms part of many African soci-
variety of golden sunglasses and, similar to our eties as apocryphal lessons in the delicate balance of
present day casual slop sandals, but in this case a power and its use. A good example of this would be
few pairs of ancient slops that used to be worn by the artefact that showcases the hand holding an egg
kings. What is the symbolic meaning of the golden which metaphorically means that holding the egg
sandals and is it fair to say that these designs were carefully as not to drop it and also one holding the
forerunners of what we know as sunglasses and slops egg not to tightly as to not break it.
today? Can we claim that, as far as we know, the first
sunglasses and slops were designed in Africa? In other words, a good ruler will demonstrate this bal-
ance in his relationship towards all his subjects.
CT > I don’t know but for sure a great patent to claim!
The sandals are those of kings and chiefs. Decorated SS > Over and above wearing gold jewellery, what would
in gold, which symbolises the adornment of their feet, have been a typical dress code for a king those days?
the sandals were also designed very broad to prevent
their feet from touching the ground which was com- CT > The Kente cloth woven from silk in thin strips on a
pletely taboo. So too is it taboo to look directly into loom is tied to the toes of the weaver before all the thin
the eyes of the queen mother and to prevent that, the strips are sown together into garments worn only by
queen mother would wear the gold ‘sunglasses’. royalty. These are highly decorative and vivid, gathered
into large parasols held above the royal entourage.
SS > It is clear that there used to be a very sophisticated
communication system that spoke of value, status, struc- SS > In 2005 the King of Gold, HM Otumfo Osei Tutu II,
ture and symbols and that also communicated the state who is the 16th king of the Ashanti’s of Ghana, visited
of the king’s mind at the time. What is the symbolic mean- the museum to donate an Ashanti stool. What is so
ing behind the Sankofa bird and does its bodily position special about this artefact and why did he entrust the
have any significance? Also explain the significance in museum with this valuable piece and not keep it for
the use of the mudfish, elephant, leopard, crocodile, por- himself?
cupine, monitor lizard and frog as important themes of
some of the rings and other jewellery pieces and how CT > The King’s visit to the museum was an enlightening
have these played a vital part in the symbolic language experience for all concerned. He was intrigued with
that was used by the kings to communicate with their the collection and the manner in which we have ex-
people and to others of similar status. hibited it, and expressed interest in our collaborating
in creating a museum for him in Ghana.
CT > The use of zoomorphic imagery and relating these to
messages and metaphors is integral to the design of the The stool represent the golden stool which the Ashan-
objects. There are many meanings attributed to these, ti believe fell down from heaven giving birth to the
often relating to the king’s power. Some of these are eas-
Ashanti nation. This was lost after the British defeat-
ily understood but others are obtuse. ed the Ashanti in battle in the 19th century and sacked
the royal palace. The damaged stool was unearthed
The Sankofa bird for instance looks back implying the years later but was restored and is back in the royal
all-seeing capability of the king. The mudfish, frog and palace, symbolising the unity of the nation. The stool
JEWELLERY >
The old and the new living side by side at the Gold of Africa Musaeum.
JEWELLERY >
Royal sables decorated in gold. Royal sandals and other gear decorated in gold.
Madonna says its best: “Let your body move to the Gideon kicked off the experience of Fashion Week for
music, strike a pose – Vogue, Vogue...” The models, me. His use of monochromatic winter palettes con-
make-up, hair artists, hemlines, bust lines, tailored suits, jured up a dull dreary day that sought out layers of
silks, velvets and embellishments made for intrigue wool, draped every which way to create a feeling of
and gasps of awe as the models with their garments warmth and comfort. The collection showed interesting
cascaded down the runway at the 2010 Sanlam SA cuts that created an ease of flow representing the
Fashion Week Winter Collections held at the Sandton wearer’s individuality.
Convention Centre in September.
Loxion Kulca Abigail Betz The House of Ole
FASHION >
Lunar, on the other hand, made use of earthy, wearable, more evident than in this collection. It’s all about the
stylish, make-your-mark pieces. The layering and the body and how you dress it to make a statement.
cuts made for inspiring garments that strangely evoked
a sense of calm in a dust storm with the use of neutral Almost everyone – whether in Paris or Parys – could
colours complimented by the, ‘oh so daringly deli- relate to the superb crafting, attention to detail and
cious’ black numbers. Definitely something to be seen pure love story material achieved by Abigail Betz. The
in at the 2010 FIFA World Cup! collection showed beauty, splendid cut, sumptuous
cloth with elegance only gained when floating on
Ruby, always a highlight of Fashion Week, this time cloud nine after the fairy godmother had dressed you
around showed nothing really new. The fabric mix for the ball.
was hot – velvets, bold motifs and even tattoo print
hosiery. What is with the tattoo print hosiery? ... It did The trend was definitely draping and layering to cre-
nothing for the naughty bits on show. ate a warm, snug yet comfortable look and appeal.
Two focused on the tough economic times. About time Day 3 saw Wandi Nzimande celebrating 10 years of
fashion reflected the environment in which we all find Loxion Kulca and introducing Analogue. Hip… hip…
ourselves. Essential basics and layering are nowhere hooray… yeah-street smart has made the big times.
FASHION >
Dancing like water on a rainy day epitomises Lebo Day 4 brought Colleen Eitzen who, in my view, pre-
Mash’s collection of easy to wear – any time, any sented a fun, light-hearted take on the winter blues.
place garments. Gugulam showed refined style with Amanda Laird Cherry’s collection was wickedly fun,
a spirit of a Tasmanian devil. Everything in this collec- creative and easy to wear. Dress it up or dress it down,
tion oozed sophistication, class, wearability and lon- no matter the take. Again the layering was very evident.
gevity.
Then to a fashion icon, Clive Rundle, that now resides
Rjkay Creations’ collection was awesomely bold, so- in The Firs Mall, Rosebank. This was an edgy collec-
phisticated and directed. The choice of rich fabrics tion that did nothing but show of possibilities of the
captured the spirit of people and cultural diversity. mind. From a wearability point of view, it is definitely
The fluctuating hemlines created spice and an air of for those who want to make a statement – his winter
mystique that added flavour to the wearability of the outlook is for the suit complimented by a mixture of
garments. fabrics, short and long pants. Nothing was new. Sorry
that’s incorrect. The use of the zip was taken to new
Guillotine’s collection can be summed up in a few words: heights.
structured style that epitomises ease of wear. On the
other hand, Tiaan Nagel in partnership with DAC, work- SSAFW guru, Lucilla Booyzen said: “Some of the
ing with crafters from Kwazulu Natal showed a raw emerging themes for winter 2010 centred on details
collection that focused on the stormy conflict of a within the design and a combination of fabrics to en-
Winter’s day. The collection is modern and its beauty hance it. The trend for both men and women is the
resides in its simplicity. cardigan. We have not seen the cardigan for a long
time and it’s making a comeback, especially since
“Who let the boys out, who let the boys out?” Ephy- Michelle Obama wore a cardigan when se met the
mol presented an individual collection that boldly went queen recently.”
where few men have gone before. This collection takes
the South African man out of his comfort zone and The SSAFW was again a great launching pad for emerging
places him squarely on the catwalks of style. Winter talent and an opportunity to see what’s new. This
is certainly going to warm the hearts of the fairer sex year saw the themes for layering, simple creative cut,
when they behold their men in these creations. neutral colours and comfort emerging. <
FASHION >
Entertainment on wheels:
Matatu mania
By Lilac Osanjo, School of The Arts and Design, University of Nairobi, Kenya.
Matatus are probably the single most significant fea- international guests. Looking at Nairobi from a de-
ture of Nairobi roads. And although today they are signer’s point of view one would be held static as the
being phased out due to urbanisation and develop- city bombards the vision with colour, shapes, unique
ment, they have been the artists’ canvas expressing patterns and voices.
unmatched colour and typography.
Speed, colour and flamboyance are what best de-
As a form of visual expression, matatus contribute scribes matatus navigating most of Kenya’s roads.
significantly to the creation of the urban culture in They have been transformed into “entertainment on
Nairobi. These fast moving public transport vehicles wheels” or “mobile discos” as a visiting friend de-
reflect the stress, speed and urgency with which ur- scribed them. Besides large portraits of movie stars,
ban people seek economic livelihood. With an esti- hip-hop artists and luminous calligraphy, these com-
mated population of three million people, Nairobi is fortable “theatre-like ensembles” criss-cross city
a hub of regional and national economic activities. streets. Commuters listen to music and watch video
Nairobi boasts of a kaleidoscope of intense econom- clips (most of them are fitted with DVDs that come
ic activity, sombre grazing wildlife and foot-thumping with boosters and synthesizers). The speed, good
traditional dancers, and the United Nations Develop- music and movies add to the appeal matatus hold
ment Programme (UNDP) headquarters teeming with commuters. The stress from work and everyday hassles
are momentarily forgotten in the comfort of a warm ard fare in a matatu for a very long time in the early
glow from the soft lighting system, a video of an R&B ‘70s. Irrespective of destination, tatu was the expect-
artist. Comfort is assured with cozy, thickly carpeted ed matatu fare levied on the passengers. Matatus are
lining on the sides of the matatu interior. often the most reliable means of transport to get
around Nairobi, with these vehicles ferrying about
The origin of matatus can be traced back to the 1960s, two million people in and out of the city centre, and
a time when most indigenous African workforce lived most parts of the country in Kenya.
in the eastern side of Nairobi referred to as Eastlands.
With support from the first president of Kenya, Mzee
Jomo Kenyatta, the vehicles were declared as legal Bad behaviour and visual
means of public transport in 1973. The vehicles were expression
exempted from obtaining licenses, although they
were expected to comply with traffic rules. They The government has been cracking down on matatus
quickly gained popularity among the low income in- accusing them of putting the public’s life at risk; the
digenous people, mainly because they charged less crews are often accused of derailing young girls and
than other public transport. Today there are over boys who end up dropping out of school to take end-
80,000 matatus on Kenyan roads. less rides on the “entertainment on wheels” and
speeding and violation of traffic rules. In 2004, apart
Several factors worked together to ensure that the from those already mentioned, numerous anti-social
matatu industry continued to grow. Kenya Bus Serv- practices were linked to the matatu business includ-
ices (KBS), the major provider of public transport ing bribery of policemen, corruption, sexual molesta-
within the city of Nairobi, suffered several setbacks tion and extortion of young girls, verbal abuse and
in the 1970s and ‘80s, forcing it to undergo major intimidation of passengers. Matatus had become
transformation. In 1990s, the jungle green Nyayo Bus such a menace on the roads that the government
Service was introduced by the government to com- banned the multi-coloured graphics and directed that
pete with Kenya Bus Services (KBS), but they quickly they should all be one colour – white and have a yel-
folded. The efficiency with which KBS had operated low line. The crew was further instructed to have uni-
in the 1970s was quickly eroded and bus scheduling forms and be licensed operators. The government
that ensured timely movement of passengers was believed that the graphics and the attire were abet-
abandoned. Today, Nairobi’s city centre is crowded ting the matatu menace.
with various small transport busses such as Citi Hop-
pa, Double M, and KBS Limited. Double M, for exam- The artists and designers who were depending on
ple, maintains a standard vehicle design, passengers matatu graphics for their daily income protested saying
queue at the bus stage and they try to maintain a that the graphics were improving the look of the mata-
schedule of sorts. This breakdown in order within the tus and by extension, the urban landscape. They argued
transport industry accelerated the growth and ac- that the undisciplined matatu culture had nothing to do
ceptance of matatus as the preferred vehicles. Matatu with the graphics. Secondly, the graphics were a pleas-
culture thus became part of and a reflection of the ant break from the stressful environment within the city.
urban landscape, reflecting the life of the urban youth The colourful matatus blended well with the city and
who are their target customers. should instead be promoted as a tourist attraction, they
appealed. The artists protests did not succeed and the
The name matatu is derived from the Kiswahili word rule of law prevailed and with that, the colourful mata-
tatu that means three. Three shillings was the stand- tus faced imminent extinction.
POPULAR CULTURE >
Fig 1. (top)
A matatu depicting Osama and Bush
as “buddies.”
Fig 2. (right)
A matatu depicting American dollars.
The artwork Sources of ideas
The matatu body or frame is seen by the artists as an There is a lot at stake when decorating a matatu be-
empty canvas that requires an identity or form. The cause the return on investment for the owners de-
artist sets out to provide an identity that can create pends on the youth-like appeal of the matatu as seen
visual space for the matatu within a highly competi- in Figure 3. In turn, appeal for youth is closely related
tive visual environment crowded with other new and to how “flashy” the matatu is.
more expressive matatus. The first task is to give the
vehicle a name, a colour scheme and message theme. Matatus have been a reflection of the aspirations, frus-
The matatu artists begin with just the matatu chassis trations and daily expression of urban life in Nairobi. As
(frame and wheels that support the engine and body the artists rightfully argue, the graphics on matatus
of the vehicle), and works to develop the whole final themselves are not criminal and are not intended to pro-
visual and audio ensemble. mote crime. But the content of the visuals, accompanied
by the lively videos that are shown on the screens may
Assembling the flashy matatus fitted with DVD play- well promote undesirable behaviour in society. To be fair
ers, good lighting and comfortable seating can cost to the matatu artists, it can also be noted that a few
anything between Kshs 40,000 (US$560) and Kshs 5 matatus bear Biblical messages and quotes. Whatever
million (US$ 7,000) depending on the owners’ taste the case, it must be said that matatus have provided a
and how much they are willing to pay. visual avenue for artistic expression. Indeed, they have
been part and parcel of our urban culture and their exit
will deprive the youth and public at large of that form
cultural expression. <
Fig 3. (top)
A matatu in the garage undergoing painting.
Fig 5. (left)
Strength as seen in this matatu is also a
common theme.
ART & CRAFT >
Without Masks:
Contemporary Afro-Cuban Art
The rich and multi-layered legacy of Cuba’s African heritage has
long been a source of creative inspiration for many of the country’s
foremost artists. For generations, musicians, fine artists, poets,
writers, choreographers, dancers and designers have tapped into
this legacy as a focus for their creative work. According to Orlando
Hernández, there is an emerging interest amongst contemporary
Cuban artists to grapple with the concept of the Afro-Cuban
identity in a new, dynamic and deeply engaging manner.
Orlando Hernández, one of Cuba’s most prolific and
well-respected art historians, lives and works in La
Habana, Cuba. He is an independent writer, art critic,
poet and researcher of popular culture and Afro-Cuban
ritual art. Having graduated in Art History from Universi-
dad de la Habana in 1978, he worked as a curator and
researcher in the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La
Habana until 1989. Hernández is the curator of With-
out Masks: Contemporary Afro-Cuban Art, a traveling
exhibition that will be staged at The Johannesburg Art
Gallery in April 2010. This fascinating exhibition forms
part of The von Christierson Collection.
and Mulatto population of Cuba and indirectly our devoted to the two great themes that have normally
entire society and culture, despite the enormous ad- been addressed independently: that of the cultural
vances in the field of social equality attained by the and religious traditions of Africa in Cuba and that of the
Cuban Revolution since 1959. multiple problems related with the so-called ‘racial
issue’.
In addition to offering an excellent opportunity to
verify the continuous presence and vitality of those These themes have been enlarged to encompass other
ancient traditions of African origin in contemporary unusual aspects such as the artistic representation
Cuban art – many of which have been conserved, rec- of the political-military presence of Cuba in the wars
reated and reinvented within the religious communi- in Africa (Carlos Garaicoa) or the incorporation of new
ties known as Regla de Ocha or Santería, Ifá, Palo African figures and ritual traditions in our religious
Monte and Abakuá – this exhibition also strives to practices (Santiago R. Olazábal). This is a result of the
fulfill the intellectual, moral and political obligations emergence of an ‘Africanising’ process of re-connecting
to incite reflection, meditation and sincere discussion with Africa that has been taking place in recent years
of the problems related to racial issues. The intention in some religious circles in Cuba. As far as we know, in
is to create greater understanding and contribute to spite of the previous existence of exhibitions related
finding future solutions to address these issues. to the Afro-Cuban theme, there is no other private or
institutional collection of this magnitude dedicated
D > What is the content of the exhibition? to address these topics in such a diverse manner, nor
with such a high level of representation of relevant
OH > The collection presently consists of 80 works by artists and works.
25 contemporary Cuban artists spanning a relatively
short period – from 1980 to 2009. However, the majority D > How did you select the artists that have been in-
of the works were created during the 1990s and the cluded in the exhibition?
early 21st century.
OH > From the outset we followed rigorous criteria in
We chose this brief period in Cuban art because in many selecting the artists. The majority of them have had
ways it is in this interval that the treatment of the Afro- ample national and international exposure and we
Cuban theme acquired new characteristics that contrast also considered the aesthetic quality of the selected
remarkably with the relatively stereotyped, idealised works.
or picturesque nature that was predominant in former
periods, particularly during the 19th century and a I must admit that our interest has also been focused,
good part of the 20th century. so to say, beyond the aesthetic, favoring the original-
ity and profoundness of the discourses of sociological,
The collection, however, can be considered as ‘a work historical, anthropological, religious, ethical and/or
in progress’ in the sense that in the future it may also political nature contained in the works. Undoubtedly,
include works of more Cuban artists from different our approach was guided by the presence in the most
generations who either currently focus or previously recent Cuban art of reflexive, rather than contempla-
focused on the theme. tive or hedonistic outlooks, and by the current impor-
tance that debates on ‘the racial issue’ are having in
D > What distinguishes this collection of contemporary Cuba. Although we may have been inclined, in some
Afro-Cuban art? instances, to focus more on the content than on the
procedure, or on what the artists say more than on
OH > This exhibition has brought together, for the the way in which they say it, we took great care to make
first time, a large and varied group of Cuban artists both requirements coincide. Our curatorial outlook
does not intend to be didactic or explanatory, but rather to
remain within the questioning and exploratory tone set by
the works themselves.
The exhibition includes the following artists: Ruperto Jay Visiting the studio of Rubén Rodríguez Martínez.
Matamoros (Santiago de Cuba 1912- La Habana, 2008);
Belkis Ayón Manso (La Habana, 1967-1999), Pedro Alvarez (La
Habana, 1967 Tempe, Arizona, 2004); Manuel Mendive
Hoyo (La Habana, 1944); Julián González Pérez (La Habana,
1949); Bernardo Sarría Almoguea (Cienfuegos, 1950); Santiago
Rodríguez Olazabal (La Habana, 1955); Ricardo Rodríguez
Brey (La Habana, 1955); René Peña (La Habana, 1957); Moises
Finalé Aldecoa (Matanzas, 1957); José Bedia Valdés (La
Habana, 1959); Marta María Pérez Bravo (La Habana, 1959);
Rubén Rodríguez Martínez (Matanzas, 1959); María Magdalena
Campos-Pons (Matanzas, 1959); Juan Carlos Alom (La Habana,
1964); Elio Rodríguez (La Habana, 1966); Carlos Garaicoa
Manso (La Habana, 1967); Oswaldo Castillo Vázquez (San-
tiago de Cuba, 1967); Alexis Esquivel Bermúdez (La Palma,
Pinar del Rio, 1968); Ibrahim Miranda (Pinar del Río, 1969);
Alexandre Arrechea (Trinidad, 1970); Juan Roberto Diago
Durruthy (La Habana, 1971); Douglas Pérez Castro (Santo
Domingo, Villa Clara, 1972); José Angel Vincench Barrera
(Holguín, 1973) and Yoan Capote (Pinar del Río, 1977).
D > What do you hope to achieve through this exhibition? Cuban artist, Bernardo Sarría Almoguea.
OH > The widely inclusive and integrationist ‘Afro-Cuban’ anti-racist nature that has always been present
concept we have grappled with in this project – in which in the Cuban Black and Mulatto population with
Blacks, Whites and Mulattos participate equally and which the purpose of showing its potentialities as an
is perhaps evidence of the inter-racial fraternity attained by alternative, anti-hegemonic option to the Euro-
our Afro-Cuban religions since the 19th century – shows centered, patriarchal, classist, elitist and racist
how far we are from participating in sectarian trends. But we mentality that still prevails in the majority of the
consider it important to make new explorations and searches world, including those countries where – as in
of the patrimony we have received from Africa. At the same Cuba – we thought they had been overcome. <
time, we also highlight and encourage the insurgent, rebellious,
ART & CRAFT >
Explore 2, an exhibition of ceramics and photography The exhibition was opened by Tony Figuera, a pho-
opened at Studio 77, Windhoek, Namibia in October. tographer in Namibia, and the owner of Gallery 77
This exhibition was a collaboration between Sigi and Studio 77. During the opening I demonstrated
Kolbe, better known as a painter and myself, who has throwing a pot on the potter’s wheel to make the
made a name in fashion design. It was the first time I viewers aware that the marks on the pots and the
have exhibited pottery in two years and the first ma- form are dictated by my hands, as people can some-
jor photographic exhibition for Sigi. times be oblivious and not relate the creative process
to the final product.
Sigi and I met earlier this year when she did a photo
shoot for my fashion label Jacques Guto, setting off The title ‘Explore 2’ was cognitive and accidentally
our collaboration on various personal art experi- very appropriate. Cognitively it explained how two
ments. Sigi approached me about three months ago creative minds could explore each other’s creativity,
with the opportunity of a booked exhibition where I in two very different mediums and creative outlets. It
could show my ceramics along with her photography. accidentally happened that this exhibition was a fol-
At the time, forgetting how gruelling it can be to cre- low-up on Sigi’s painting exhibition earlier this year,
ate a body of work for an exhibition, I obliged, seeing entitled ‘Explore 1’. The exhibition also explored the
this as my re-launch into the ceramics scene. visual and aesthetical dissimilarity and mutuality be-
Vases by artist Jacques Jansen van Vuuren
tween functional pottery and non-functional/surreal seemingly as much ease and simplicity as a painter
photography. During the installation of the exhibi- layering paint on a canvas. She has built up a huge
tion, seeing the partnership created between the photographic portfolio during the past year, ensuring
works, it became apparent to me how in tune Sigi and that the exhibition shows maturity and exploration,
I are. but more importantly, growth as a digital photograph-
ic artist.
Sigi saw this exhibition as a platform for expressing
her personal ideas on life, creating strong contrasts My standpoint for the exhibition was to create deco-
between her photography – displaying manipulated rative, functional pottery. It is important to me to
Namibian landscape images with obviously surreal combine visual stimulation with everyday functional
imagery. Sigi finds inspiration from circumstances in objects, for example a mug. It is a magical feeling
life, society and familiar artworks and paintings. She when you eat or drink from a unique, handmade ob-
then uses images of herself, friends and family as ject experiencing the artist’s soul and craft. Your body
models for many of her surreal photographic artwork gets saturated with the experience, time and passion
incorporating them with everyday objects and image- that went into the creative process. Consuming from
ry from her environment. Sigi magically layers these such an object also stimulates your senses; feeling
various imagery and textures in Photoshop, with the potter’s finger marks on the pot,
ART & CRAFT >
Part of its mission is to ensure good service delivery Patents and designs
by accredited OAPI agents and OAPI requires that all
cases (trade marks, patents or designs) which are
Applications for the registration of patents or designs
filed at OAPI must be filed through an accredited OAPI
proceed to grant within a period of approximately 12
agent.
to18 months.
Mohair and design educators – strange bedfellows? Apparently not. The 12th National
Design Education Forum of Southern Africa (DEFSA) took place on 4 and5 November 2009
in Graaff Reinet, Eastern Cape. DEFSA was invited by the organisers of the first International
Mohair Summit, Inkanyezi Events, to present a conference parallel to the Summit.
Amanda Breytenbach, DEFSA president, speaking at the opening of the DEFSA conference.
of the entire industry. In order to improve the consump- The conference organisers ensured that a comprehen-
tion of mohair, Mohair South Africa is establishing part- sive programme accommodated the various role players
nerships and alliances with all the role players that takes and participants of the Summit. The Summit comprised
part in the mohair product life-cycle. The International the following events; International Mohair conference,
Design Summit aimed to include all role players from trade show, DEFSA conference, agricultural competitions,
the producer to the processor, buyer to manufacturer, farm tour and a Media VIP programme. The highlight of
manufacturer to designer. the International Mohair Summit was a presentation
DEFSA Executive Committee debate strategic matters Lisa Slegtenhorst, Master’s student from the Central
during lunch. University of Technology, Free State delivering a paper.
delivered by the life style trend forecaster, Li Edelkoort. date and the Summit provided the first opportunity
Her presentation showed promise of an increase in the of this nature to design education.
use of mohair within the fashion and lifestyle industry
and sparked hope for a possible increase in the demand The 2009 DEFSA conference was appropriately titled
of mohair with the farmers and manufacturers. Opening gates, between and beyond design disci-
plines. The two-day conference programme included
eighteen papers that addressed a range of topics
pertinent to the conference theme and sub-themes.
The DEFSA conference
Papers adhered to the stringent requirements of an
The Mohair Summit organisers approached the Depart- academic conference and papers undergone a double
ment of Applied Design at Nelson Mandela Metro-
blind peer review process prior to the conference pres-
politan University (NMMU) in search for a suitable
entation. Panel discussion sessions provided dele-
Summit participant from the design education sector.
gates the chance to reflect and debate the pertinent
NMMU did not hesitate to present the collaboration
issues raised within the presentations. The impor-
opportunity to the DEFSA Executive Committee in Sep-
tance of multidisciplinary design projects, overlap in
tember 2008 and offered to co-host the 2009 DEFSA
design discipline offerings, industry expectations and
conference. DEFSA was honoured when design edu-
requirements and the role of DEFSA in the future of
cation was recognised as a suitable participant in the
design education at various education levels highlights
International Mohair Summit and acknowledged as a role
some of the topics discussed during the conference.
player in the mohair value chain. The Forum’s applica-
The finalised conference proceeding is published on
tion for participation was accepted in December 2008.
the DEFSA website (www.defsa.org.za) and a selection
Over the past 18 years DEFSA has aimed to ensure that of papers will be published in a special edition of the
conferences provide attendees the opportunity to inter- academic journal Image and Text, published by the
act, exchange and debate topical design education University of Pretoria.
issues. The main aim of the Forum is to foster design
education in the Southern African region at various edu- The International Mohair Summit provided a unique
cation levels as well as at industry and government opportunity to DEFSA delegates to be transported away
level. DEFSA therefore considers the participation of from their mostly urban environments to the production
design education in the International Mohair Summit and manufacturing sources in the rural areas of our
as an auspicious opportunity to strengthen and build country. Delegates attained first hand experience in
on the partnerships opportunity between several role the full product life cycle; from mohair shearing dem-
players within the mohair industry and increase onstrations to presentation of completed products.
awareness around the role and function of design The Mohair Summit could serve as an example to
and design education in South Africa. Furthermore, similar initiatives in South Africa that can strengthen
interaction with industry especially producers and partnership and increase awareness between design,
manufactures have not been successfully realised to design education and related industries. <
EDUCATION >
This was the reality that transpired for a handful of design The winners, which were divided into 12 categories, are:
students on 26 October this year.
› A
nimation: a team led by David Prosser of the Royal
In partnership with the International Council of Graphic College of Art in the UK.
Design Associations (Icograda) the 9th international
› A
pplication Design: Bryan Berger of Full Sail University
Adobe Design Achievement Awards (ADAA) student
in Winter Park in the USA.
competition attracted a record-breaking 3 300 entries
from students in 37 countries. Recognised as one of › B
rowser-based Design: a team led by Jayheun Kyum
the world’s most prestigious student design and film of Hongik University in Korea.
competitions, these annual awards honor the most
talented and promising student graphic designers, › I llustration: Joerg Block of Hamburg University of
photographers, illustrators, animators, digital film- Applied Sciences in Germany.
makers, developers and computer artists from renowned
higher education institutions around the globe. › Installation Design: a team led by Margherita Rubini
of Universitˆ IUAV di Venezia in Italy.
“The Adobe Design Achievement Awards provides
› L ive Action: Varathit Uthaisri of Parsons New
students worldwide with the opportunity to express School for Design in New York City, USA.
their enormous creativity and showcase their work
among some of the world’s top designers,” said Ann › M
obile Design: a team led by Marc Oswald of University
Lewnes, senior vice president of corporate marketing at of Applied Sciences Swabian Gmund in Germany.
Adobe. “The body of work that these students pro-
duce is truly inspiring.” › M
otion Graphics: David Harper of Indiana University
in Bloomington in the USA.
Winners were selected by a global panel of industry
› N
on-Browser-based Design: a team led by Jared
judges based on their originality and effectiveness in
Weinstock of Drexel University in the USA.
meeting the project’s communication objectives and
the contestants’ skills in applying Adobe products › P
ackaging: a team led by Adam Paterson of Royal
specified in their entries. The judges included Leimei Julia College of Art in the UK.
Chui (Japan), Louis Gagnon (Canada), Cristina Chiappini
(Italy), Garth Walker (South Africa), Tarek Atrissi (The › P
hotography: a team led by Barnaby Coote of Gobelins
Netherlands), Kyle Kim (Korea) and Lance Wyman (Unit- in France.
ed States).
› P
rint Communications: a team led by Jiwon Park of
“This year’s ADAA submissions attracted a powerful Ewha Woman’s University, and Chung-ang University
collection,” said ADAA judge Wyman. “As the language in Korea.
of communication design is evolving and the cross-
All winners received a round trip flight to Beijing and
pollination of designer skill sets is flourishing, it’s up-
two nights’ accommodation to attend the Icograda
lifting to see students produce high-quality work that
World Design Congress 2009, a US$3,000 cash prize,
creatively crystallise ideas and solutions. The compe- a copy of Adobe the Creative Suite 4 Master Collec-
tition demonstrated the global phenomenon that tion, a winner’s certificate and a trophy. As part of the
technology and the creative arts enable designers in programme, students are also offered a one-year
different cultures to effectively solve similar problems mentorship with a design leader, working in their
or tell similar stories around the world, while still re- area of interest, and are appointed to an Icograda
taining their own individuality.” Youth Advisory Panel. <
Winner of the Application Design category.
Winner of the Installation Design category. Winner of the Live Action category.
Winner of the M
obile Design category. Winner of the Motion Graphics category.
Winner of the Non-Browser-based Design category. Winner of the Packaging category.