The Design Indaba Conference is such an amazing inspirational (and motivational) experience – this year wasn’t any different. I’m always astounded by the talent and innovation – creativity truly has no boundaries for these design greats. I love to be surprised by a speaker – someone I would not have thought would interest me and then ends up blowing my mind.
As last year I left the note scribbling and just listened. Often the gist of a speaker’s talk or believe system can be summed up in one powerful quote. The folks at Design Indaba also create these super cute and quirky quote cards for each speaker (you can see the rest on their website: here).
Below are some of my favourite quotes and nuggets of wisdom from each of the speakers I had the privilege to listen to. I’ve also include a link back to the various Speaker Profiles – do yourself a favour and check out the unbelievable things each speaker has accomplished…
“There’s just too much shit design in the world.“ – Hella Jongeruis, renowned Dutch industrial designer, issues plea to return to quality at the Design Indaba Conference 2015
“When you have to redesign the same thing over & over again, you become just ‘garde’ not ‘avant garde.’“ – Emily Oberman, a multidisciplinary design working for Pentagram (the world’s largest design consultancy), at the Design Indaba Conference 2015.
“I believe that if you give people honesty & something to trust, they will want more of it.“ – Roy Choi, creator of LA’s celebrated gourmet food truck culture, at the Design Indaba Conference 2015.
“Fail harder. You have to be able to fail!“ – Dan Wieden, American advertising executive who coined the Nike tagline “Just Do It“.
“I love imperfections. The flaws keep the imagination open. Perfection kills everything.” – Hella Jongeruis at the Design Indaba Conference 2015
“Imperfection is beautiful and not just something ‘good enough for Africa‘” – Studio Propolis, a husband-and-wife design team based in Kenya.
“Colours are like musical notes. You can play endless games.“ – Rosita Missoni, matriarch of the famous high-end Italian fashion house, Missoni.
“The difference between fashion & the home is that designs for the home are meant to last.“ – Rosita Missoni at the Design Indaba Conference 2015
“Colour is a topic I can investigate for the rest of my life, it’s really an ongoing research.“ – Hella Jongeruis at the Design Indaba Conference 2015
“Make the most of what you’ve got. Everything has potential, even if you don’t think it does.“– British designer, Dominic Wilcox, at the Design Indaba Conference 2015
“I was a ‘cast out’ kid and that gave me some other perspectives” says Yoni Bloch, Israeli musician and co-founder of Interlude.
“Architecture today is pornography. It’s all about beauty. My buildings are like your ugly friend.“ – Santiago Cirugeda, an activist architect from Seville, Spain.
“One thing I have learned is the work is so much better if you are having fun.” – Omar Victor Diop, a globally heralded photographer from Senegal.
“Playfulness is the most powerful way of finding ideas.” – Dominic Wilcox, at the Design Indaba Conference 2015
“The nature of creativity is to not let your brain default to the known … creativity requires independent, unprecedented thinking.“ – Casey Neistat, a maverick American filmmaker whose wildly popular YouTube videos are redefining the industry.
“It’s that time of the year again! The Design Indaba Expo, South Africa’s premier showcase of high-end design and homegrown wares, starts this Friday!”
Rose and I are super excited and geared for the Design Indaba Festival 2015 – that right this year they have dubbed it a “festival”… and what a delicious festival of creativity it is!
The brilliant FilmFest kicked off the official Indaba festivities last Friday and the Conference and Simulcast start tomorrow. Then on Friday the doors will be thrown wide open to welcome the public to the amazing eye-candy experience that is the Expo.
Oh, and don’t forget the music – if you want some local head-bopping, hip-swaying, foot-tapping entertainment the Design Indaba music circuit will be grooving from 25 to 27 February.
The Design Tabloid has, like the previous 3 years, received media accreditation for the 2015 Indaba and we will not only be attending the Expo but also the Conference Simulcast! Lucky, lucky ladies we are!
“Dubbed ‘the Conference on Creativity‘, the Design Indaba Conference is all about how design, creativity and innovation can positively impact the world. In 2013 the likes of Creative Review editor Patrick Burgoyne said it is ‘perhaps the best design conference in the world‘”
I sure I will get all lyrical about the conference yet again… it blows my mind consistently every year! It’s THE not-to-be-missed creative inspiration event of the year. Be sure to check our Twitter & Facebook feeds during this period as we will endeavour to post regular little snippets of our conference experience!
Now, this year’s EXPO promises to be even bigger, cementing the platform’s position as the go-to destination for taking the pulse of South African creativity. To get you all psyched for this year’s Indaba here is some highlights from the horse’s mouth…
“For 28 hours, over three days next weekend (Friday 27 February to Sunday 1 March) the Cape Town International Convention Centre will be abuzz with things to see, do, experience, make, create, shop, eat – it’s the ultimate inspirational indulgence.”
Design Indaba Expo’s distinguishing characteristics are two-fold: it showcases exceptional design across all the creative disciplines (from architecture to jewellery design, fashion, visual art, craft, industrial design and everything in between); and it sets an exceptionally high professional standard. More than 400 exhibitors will be strutting their creative stuff this year at the Expo. The always-popular Emerging Creatives platform again promises to bear testament to the scope of ingenious young designers in South Africa
I also can’t wait to see this year’s MBOISA (Most Beautiful Object In South Africa) nominations in the flesh (you can take a peek at the nominees: here). Then there is the fashion shows, delicious food & pop-up restaurants, workshops, talks, and much, much more….
Design Indaba EXPO at the Cape Town International Convention Centre
Friday 27 February: 10:00 – 20:00
Saturday 28 February: 10:00 – 20:00
Sunday 1 March: 10:00 – 18:00
EXPO Tickets available at the door or through Computicket
Last week I shared my feedback on the speakers I was privileged enough to see on Day 1 of the Design Indaba Conference (see it here). Today we will carry on with wise words of the speakers from Day 2…
DJ Stout:
I thoroughly enjoyed the presentation of DJ Stout, a graphic designer and art director at Pentagram – the world’s largest independent design consultancy. His unusual presentation was an ode to his beloved home state, Texas, and how it has shaped him and so shaped his work. It was probably my favourite of the whole conference…
Now let me set the scene… Heartbreaking yet captivating footage of the massively destructive 2011 Texas wildfires flashes onto the big screen whilst on stage musician Graham Reynolds plays a dramatic composition on a grand piano. Afterwards, cowboy hat-wearing DJ Stout discusses the fire’s devastating effects and one thing is abundantly clear – DJ’s heart belongs to Texas. He shares stories, old black & white photographs of rugged cowboys, and clips of “Cowboy Poets” reciting their beautiful (yet slightly corny) poetry.
“Everyone I’ve met from Cape Town loves it here; they actually love to brag about it!” – DJ Stout discussing the similarities between Texans and Capetonians.
“Sense of place is so important to designers… If you don’t pay attention to where you’re from you’ll get lost trying to be global.”– DJ Stout on the importance of knowing your roots.
Be proud. Be local. Be real. – a 6-word summary of DJ Stout’s presentation at the Design Indaba Conference 2014
The next speakers to grace the stage were masterful South African chefs Margot Janse and David Higgs. Margot is the executive chef at the award-winning The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français Hotel in Franschhoek and David is the executive chef at the Saxon Hotel’s Five Hundred restaurant in Johannesburg. After they introduced one another with a great deal of both professional and personal respect, they spoke about their personal life journeys and how (through very hard work) they became the chefs they are today. It was also interesting to hear how childhood experiences with food have influenced them and flamed their love of the culinary.
“Search for adventure and excitement in every moment in life.” – Margot Janse at the Design Indaba Conference 2014
“I’m Dutch by birth but South African by choice” – Margot Janse calling South Africa home.
“Unforgettable dishes always have an element of surprise and nostalgia about them.” – Margot Janse
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“Joburg has always been about the gold rush. Joburg is all about opportunities”– David Higgs discussing his move to Johannesburg and the Saxon Hotel’s Five Hundred restaurant.
“The chef’s role has become greater than the food itself – it’s about the experience.” – David Higgs at the Design Indaba Conference 2014
Award-winning architect Michel Rojkind introduced himself via a little drum solo – turns out the founder of rojkind arquitectos based in Mexico, was something of a rock star in his youth. The dynamic Michel spoke of his love for chaotic Mexico City as well as the challenges and difficulties architects and developers face in regards to the country’s unpredictable politics. He also shared some of his awesome, out-of-the-box, jaw-dropping projects including the Nestlé Chocolate Museum, Cineteca Nacional, and Liverpool Department Store.
“If I don’t make the client understand what he’s not seeing, I’m not doing my job.” – Michel Rojkind on reading between the lines and guiding the client to see something they wouldn’t otherwise have seen.
“The worst crisis is not an economic crisis. It’s a mental crisis. Any crisis can happen. If we’re good thinkers, we’ll think our way around it.” – Michel Rojkind at the Design Indaba Conference 2014
Brazilian ad legend Marcello Serpa doled out some of the very interesting and useful advice he has acquired in the span of his admirable career and as the creative director of AlmapBBDO. Marcello also shared some of their ingenious and successful campaigns including a hilarious Volkswagen Brazil ad that took the mickey out of Forrest Gump. For 17 years Marcello has been the mastermind behind the award-winning advertising of Havaianas and has played an integral role in launching this famous brand into international super-stardom.
“Never work under someone who is not better than you.”– Marcello Serpa at the Design Indaba Conference 2014
“Complicated seems clever only to stupid people. Be simple, but unpredictable – being simple and predictable will be the death of you.” – Marcello Serpa at the Design Indaba Conference 2014
We had quite the busy month here at the office, but when Design Indaba rolled around we made sure not to miss the action. Like last year, Rose and I divvied up the Design Indaba Conference sessions to allow both of us to experience a bit of conference magic. I attended the morning sessions of Day 1 and 2.
In years past, I found that scribbling down notes as the speakers were presenting can be quite distracting and I always struggle afterwards to collect my thoughts and condense all I’ve heard into a decent feedback article.
This year, I put down my pen and really listened… I took it all in. However, I still want to share some of the magic with you, our reader. I’ve therefore broken it down into favourite quotes, little bites of wisdom, from each of the speakers I had the privilege to listen to…
Chris Gotz:
Chris Gotz is the chief creative officer of Ogilvy & Mather South Africa. The witty and engaging Chris shared some of their amazing, award-winning ad campaigns – most of which left me with goosebumps and dabbing a teary eye (I’m not even kidding). This included the beautifully sentimental campaign bidding a fond farewell to the Citi Golf, S.A. best-selling car.
“Children go to school and get their dreams scooped out of them to make space for the 9 times table.”– Chris Gotz at the Design Indaba Conference 2014
“When you look at your work and say ‘It’s ok’, it’s NOT ok…” – Chris Gotz on not settling for mediocrity
“Weird collisions in everyday life become accidental poetry that fuels our creativity.” – Chris Gotz explaining why it’s important to pay attention to the world around you.
Next up was Juliana Rotich of Ushahidi, a non-profit technology company, born in Africa, which specialises in developing free and open-source software for information collection, interactive mapping and data curation. Sounds quite heady, but the platform is an invaluable tool for individuals to share info concerning anything from disaster reports, political uprising and SOS requests, to hamburger hotspots.
“Most use technology to define the function. Ushahidi uses function to drive technology.” – Juliana Rotich at the Design Indaba Conference 2014
“We need to invest in creative networks and open up the doors for others to connect.”
“The internet is a utility. Just like water and electricity.”- Juliana Rotich discussing BRCK, a new type of Internet modem designed by Ushahidi to withstand power cuts often experienced in Africa.
Amsterdam-based graphic design trio Experimental Jetset shared their “An Alphabet of Influences,” a captivating insight into how pop culture and established design[ers] inspires them and their creative process. It was obvious to see that Modernism, or rather Modernism[s] in all its various facets and phases, has strongly influenced Experimental Jetset’s designs.
“The world is basically on fire…here we are scavenging the ruins of modernism hoping we might come across something valuable that changes the way people think.” – Experimental Jetset at the Design Indaba Conference 2014
“We actually hate Helvetica [the font]” – Danny van den Dungen of Experimental Jetset on the fear of being seen as a one-trick pony after their indirect involvement in the font’s cult status revival… by designing the Helvetica documentary poster.
Media and interaction designer, Jake Barton, of Local Projects illustrated how they are using emotion and technology to reinvent museums, galleries and other public spaces. With the help of touch screens, sensors and cameras, Barton develops new and unforgettable ways for people to interact and engage with art, history and culture. Local Projects is currently working on the media and interactive design for the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
“Start with yes. Make statements. There are no mistakes, only opportunities.”– Jake Barton on improvisation at the Design Indaba Conference 2014
“Nothing will age faster than new cutting-edge technology. The most important thing is to make meaning from it… If you tell an amazing story – that’s what will age well and people will return to year after year.” – Jake Barton on why technology without emotion is empty.
“It’s that time of the year again! The Design Indaba Expo, South Africa’s premier showcase of high-end design and homegrown wares, starts this Friday!”
Rose and I are super excited and geared for this year’s Indaba – especially considering that host city Cape Town is boasting with an impressive new title: World Design Capital 2014! I’m sure we can expect some awesome Design Capital related happenings at this year’s expo.
Further adding to our excitement: The Design Tabloid has, like last year, received media accreditation for the 2014 Indaba and we will not only be attending the Expo but also the Conference Simulcast!
I got all lyrical about the conference last year… it’s just SO amazing! The Conference is an opportunity to learn from and be inspired by the world’s foremost creatives, thought leaders, entrepreneurs and trendsetters. It’s THE not-to-be-missed creative inspiration event of the year.
“Dubbed ‘the Conference on Creativity‘, the Design Indaba Conference is all about how design, creativity and innovation can positively impact the world. In 2013 the likes of Creative Review editor Patrick Burgoyne said it is ‘perhaps the best design conference in the world‘”
Design Indaba Conference 2014 takes place from Wednesday 26 February to Friday 28 February 2014. Be sure to check our Twitter & Facebook feeds during this period as we will endeavour to post regular little snippets of our conference experience!
Now, this year’s EXPO promises to be even bigger, cementing the platform’s position as the go-to destination for taking the pulse of South African creativity. To get you all psyched for this year’s Indaba here is some highlights from the horse’s mouth…
“For 28 hours, over three days next weekend (Friday 28 February to Sunday 2 March) the Cape Town International Convention Centre will be abuzz with things to see, do, experience, make, create, shop, eat – it’s the ultimate inspirational indulgence.”
Design Indaba Expo’s distinguishing characteristics are two-fold: it showcases exceptional design across all the creative disciplines (from architecture to jewellery design, fashion, visual art, craft, industrial design and everything in between); and it sets an exceptionally high professional standard. More than 400 exhibitors will be strutting their creative stuff this year with some 20% of these being first-time exhibitors at Expo. The always-popular Emerging Creatives platform again promises to bear testament to the scope of ingenious young designers in South Africa
I also can’t wait to see the nominations for this year’s MBOISA (Most Beautiful Object In South Africa) awards in the flesh (you can take a peek at the nominees: here). The there is the fashion shows, delicious food & pop-up restaurants, workshops, talks, and of course the exciting Design Indaba FilmFest and MusicCircuit. And that is just the tip of the iceberg! Here’s the full programme to further indulge your creative anticipation.
Rose and I could not wait one more day to tell you all about our AMAZING Design Indaba Conference experience this year. I will be sharing my thoughts on Day 2 of the conference with you first, as Rose is currently quite busy with some urgent design work and has not find the time to scribble down her impressions of Day 1.
Steven Heller:
Day 2 of the conference kicked off with Steven Heller – an art director, journalist, critic, editor and author who served as art director at the New York Times for 33 years.
Heller has also written a whopping 150 books (…and counting) on graphic design and popular culture themes! His wife, designer Louise Fili, even joking said that when she entered the industry years ago she struggled to find graphic design-related info as “there were no reference books on design history because Steve Heller hadn’t written them yet!”
A small view into Heller’s collection library – a “cave” his wife refuses to enter! | Image via Visi
An avid Collector, Heller passionately gathers everything from razors to triptychs, posters, letterheads, rare books & magazines, propaganda material, figurines, and other period-based symbols of pop culture and counter-culture. In this, he attempts to chronicle the history of Graphic Design.
“I like to think of my collection as an archaeological dig and I’ve discovered the remnants of commercial culture,” Heller said. “I collect because I am, because it’s there, and because it will lead to things that would hopefully have an impact on other people”
Raised in an Italian household where most, if not all, social activity and conversation revolved around the kitchen table, the transition to food packaging and restaurant identities seemed the perfect fit for graphic designer Louise Fili. To this day Italy still serves as her greatest inspiration – not only in typography but also in gastronomy.
Fili has authored and co-authored over a dozen books, many of them with her husband, the design historian Steven Heller – jeez, talk about a creative power couple!
She was art director of Pantheon Books from 1978 to 1989, where she designed over 2000 book jackets. She even added her own creative touch to boring copyright pages – a practice that was frowned upon.
Fili prefers the graceful charm of vintage typography in eras-passed and uses letterpress wherever possible stating that it offers a tactility that is appetising.
“You do not have to shout to be noticed. A design can be quietly beautiful and still grab attention. I prefer subtle and elegant typographic solutions to more boisterous graphic displays.”
Jeanne van Heeswijk calls herself a visual artist specialising in interaction design… yet she is so much more that that. She is a social cheerleader, a catalyst for community transformation and change. She enters struggling communities and neighbourhoods, gets on her soapbox (sometimes literally), and asks the hard questions – often creating a public brainstorming session with local passers-by. So doing she motivates inhabitants to take action and become a shaping force in their own neighbourhoods.
I was immediately reminded of South Africa’s own community upliftment and social involvement initiative, LEADSA. Like VISI commented: “(Jeanne) spoke directly to something South Africans could identify with: how to inspire communities to take back their neighbourhoods.” We must be the change we want to see.
“The artist / designer has to decide: ‘Who do I serve? Can I be an instrument? What can I contribute to society?'”~ Jeanne van Heeswijk (Design Indaba Conference 2013)
Alex Atala is an acclaimed Brazilian chef whose work is concerned with traditional Brazilian cuisine, using native ingredients. It is his desire to capture the flavours, colours, textures and even smells of what it was to eat in Brazil (he even travelled into the Amazon rainforest to source traditional ingredients and do research).
Atala’s restaurant, D.O.M. in São Paulo was rated the 4th best restaurant in the world in 2012. He often includes burnt flavours or carbonized herbs to his menu as he thinks the delicious burnt smells and flavours of grilled meat (‘n lekker ou braai!) is a traditional base culinary flavour – not only in Brazil but all over the world.
Atala also went on to say that one of the main problems with the current food production industry is waste. “Your grandma used to kill and used every last piece of a chicken – now that is sustainable!” he said. Today we just pick up the phone and order ten beef fillets… what happens to the rest of the cow? – this is waste.
“The best way to be GLOBAL is to be LOCAL”~ Alex Atala (Design Indaba Conference 2013)
I think whilst multi-talented Catalonian designer Martí Guixé had the floor we all enjoyed a bit of design comic relief. His out-of-the-box design ideas had the audience teetering between amazement and giggles. Let me share one or two of his ingenious ideas with you…
Martí’s GAT (Gin and Tonic) Fog
Whilst designing a fashion retail store, he convinced the owners to give him the budget they were going to spend on stock images for the store walls as he thought it to bland and commercial. Instead he took money and threw a massive party in the store a day before the launch, asking all party-goers to paint a wall. The result: a totally unique store interior… and everybody had a smashing time.
Tired of juggling your drink, food and conversation at parties or launches? So was Martí! What did he do? He hired some kind of agricultural machine that evaporates liquids, filled it, and fogged up the whole room with a mist of gin & tonic. Now you can breath in your drink instead of carrying it…
Another brilliantly funny idea – hijack a public fountain, fill it with ice, stick bottles of champagne in it, put out some tables and chairs and serve drinks to the public “until the cops come!“
The most exciting speaker of the day would have to be innovator and interaction designer, Daan Roosegaarde. Daan, who describes himself as a “hippy with a business plan”, calls what he does “Techno Poetry” – a fusion of innovation and imagination.
A perfect example of this is Dune, a project which encourages visitors to be participants instead of observers. Dune, a collection of futuristic reed-like structures, consists of hundreds of fibres, microphones, sensors and speakers which lights up and responds intuitively to the sounds and motions of the passing public.
Other AMAZING Studio Roosegaarde projects include a sustainable club dance floor which generates electricity by garnering the energy created by club-goers dancing on it, and a wondrous a high-tech fashion garment that becomes more or less transparent in response to your heartbeat;.
Daan has also partnered with Heijmans Infrastructure to build the world’s first “Smart Highway” which will feature sustainable concepts like glow-in-the-dark road paint, interactive and wind-powered lights, and even an induction priority lane that will charge the electrical cars that drive on it! What?! Amazing…
“We make things, but making also makes us…”~ Daan Roosegaarde (Design Indaba Conference 2013)
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