Tania Whiteley

my new toy - "Penny"

2011-07-14T21:14:00.011+02:00

The Olympus Pen E-P1 - my beauty!!


image: http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/EP1/ZFL14FLASH.JPG

I have pretty much had a camera attached to my hip for years. Since we met in 2006, my trusty Canon SLR and I, have been on many interesting adventures together! Sadly I dropped him while in Elands Bay in February and I just haven't been able to have him repaired. In the meantime I've been shooting on my Holga - but that has left me with the job (and expense) of processing and developing the film, followed by the task of scanning and colour correcting the images... missions.

So whilst surfing around, looking for inspiration for a project I'm planning for my 3rd years, I happened upon a camera review for the Olympus Pen E-P1. It's a 12 megapixel, compact digital camera with interchangeable lenses and full HD video capacity. Wow. Needless to say, I swiftly fell head-over-heels in love with the little guy! So, I decided, 'it's time'. Firstly, for those who don't know me, I'm an awfully pretentious, superficial person who even buys food based on the packaging (inside joke), so I initially thought the whole 'vintagey' look was super cooool! And apart from the fact that it feels so nice in my hands, it also shoots so easily and beautifully. I think it suits my needs a bit better than that bulky old boy, mister SLR. Not a waste is he, though... after a little TLC he'll be raring to go, just in time for a little stop-frame animation project I have in the works...

Whoops, did I type that out loud?

Haha, that's right. It's happening :)

Later.

Ps: I found Penny at Kameraz, an awesome camera dealer in Rosebank (Johannesburg). They can find you just about anything and they're a second-hand camera dealer, too... The Olympus E-P1 retails at around 7k, brand new, but I got Penny at half price, and he's barely been used.

TOMS: One Day Without Shoes

2011-04-08T11:19:00.029+02:00

Lisof bares it all for charity...

On April 5th, Lisof joined a global community of bare-footed supporters for 'One Day Without Shoes', a social awareness campaign launched by TOMS Shoes in 2010, in favour of their One for One™ mission; for every one pair of TOMS shoes sold, one pair is donated to a child in need.

When I heard about this a couple of weeks prior (and I must credit Jessie Nossel, a third-year design student for this), I was determined to spread the word. Little did I realise how many people in South Africa were already wise to the idea. Students from Tuks and Wits also knew about the campaign, and we saw more than just 'Lisoffians' walking around barefoot! Thanks to the helpful resources provided by TOMS, there was very little to do other than to get more people on board. After showing the promo video to staff and students, we printed posters to pin up all over the Design District building, as well as Hatfield square! We also had some foot-stickers made (massive thanks to Richard Jermyn of Creative Brands for his help in getting the stickers made and delivered at such short notice!)

We were all so inspired by the initiative, that we decided to host a shoe-drive in support of 'No Shoes Day', as it has since been dubbed. We managed to collect around 500 pairs of good quality second-hand shoes for charity. Despite the damp and chilly autumn weather (hello winter!), the participatory response from staff and students was just incredible.

Thanks to everyone involved for the support! Next year's ODWS is going to be even bigger!


© 2011 tania whiteley


© 2011 tania whiteley

These shots were taken around 9am in the morning, but we continued collecting shoes throughout the day and also for days after... a truly profound response from both students and staff. Around 500 pairs collected!

elands bay...

2011-03-06T15:33:00.001+02:00

My favourite place in the world...


© 2010 tania whiteley

I admit I am not exactly the most devout blogger around. I suppose time is a rare commodity for any chronic procrastinating-workaholic-perfectionist. However, I have decided to change my ways and promise to deliver a proper update in due course... I have much to share with you!

In the interim, I hope you enjoy this series of photographs I took last weekend in Elands Bay, following the Design Indaba. Needless to say, I was feeling pretty inspired - in more ways than one. Anon.

Marike

2011-01-12T16:53:00.008+02:00

My beautiful friend, contemplating life.

the kitchen sink...

2010-12-14T17:19:00.001+02:00

...of the house I grew up in.

you can find me up here

2010-12-14T01:13:00.001+02:00

losing your marbles

2010-12-05T11:08:00.000+02:00

featured in Migrate magazine

phantasmagori-folk

2010-12-05T11:05:00.000+02:00

illustrations for Migrate Magazine

Coming out of the Starship Closet

2010-12-05T10:57:00.002+02:00

[ Illustration for Migrate Magazine ]

Title page for an article written by Alison Hingle for Migrate Magazine...

MIGRATE - Obsess

2010-12-05T10:42:00.002+02:00

Thank you to the über-talented Alison Hingle, and Creative Director Roanna Williams (I want to be an Astronaut) of Migrate magazine for including me once again.

When I heard about the theme of the latest issue 12: “Obsess”, I was super excited to contribute! I'm sure you can tell I had a lot of fun with it - enjoy!

(Migrate is available at Exclusive Books. It features some really great work by local and international creatives. Get it - you won't regret it)

and there she is...

sneaky peek... HOT new local T-shirt label!

2010-11-25T12:08:00.006+02:00

watch this space... that's all I'm saying...

an arm and a leg for a private education

2010-11-22T16:58:00.081+02:00

Okay, so for the record, I do not intend for this to become a typical ‘diary blog’, but I have decided to allow myself the occasional ‘rant’. I promise not to whinge over such petty frustrations too often... Besides, isn’t that what Facebook is for?

I felt the need to write about a pretty unpleasant exchange of words I had with a student the other day - I suppose it comes with the territory, so I'm certain it's one of, hopefully, not too many similar future instances. So, to fill you in, the student in question has missed all of the lectures this term with no excuse. No surprise then that she has been on my mental ‘blacklist’ for some time…

vent OPEN:

{Although I had fun writing it, my quick-tempered rendition wasn't really at the heart of the matter, so I decided to remove it}

So, refusing to ‘lose it’ in front of my students, I had no choice but to internalise it all.

As a young lecturer I realise that amongst other things, I have much to learn by way of dealing with these types of situations. One such lesson, I suppose, is that one can't afford to take things so personally - as much as it hurts when those on the benefit-receiving end of one's efforts are so completely blind and unappreciative. So, let me share with you what I suspect to be the root of my aforementioned ‘inburst’…

Unfortunately, in South Africa, tertiary education is not free. And, if you want to study at a private institution - in this instance, Lisof: arguably the top fashion design school in the country – not only is it not free, but it is not cheap. In fact, my own parents would consider it to be completely unaffordable. I'm sure I don't really have to explain my point here, but what this means is that tertiary education is a privilege and NOT a right. It is a gift that so many of us take for granted. I bear witness to it each and every day, and it drives me absolutely bonkers!

If, like me, you are a die-hard optimist, you would believe that everyone is born with a special gift or talent. Thanks to our declining education system, fewer and fewer kids are able to go to school, much less one staffed with dedicated (non-striking) teachers, who are not only skilled, but passionate about recognising and nurturing talent. Even fewer still, will ever end up at a tertiary institution of any kind. A feeble zero-point-something percent of the underprivileged population is afforded the opportunity to study beyond high school level. If you’re a student reading this, the fact is that someone, somewhere is paying for you to be. It may be your parents, a bursor, a sponsor or maybe you’re working three jobs in order to pay off your own tuition - in which case, I salute you!

So forgive me for being a little ratty when you haven’t attended class because you decided to go to Zanzibar for a week, or you just didn’t feel like getting up early today, or for not doing your homework because you “didn’t have time”, yet I saw you drunk as a skunk at Gin on Thursday night. I feel ratty when I have to throw away a rotten tomato, because I feel it’s such a waste.

So please reflect on this for a moment: if tertiary education was free in South Africa, and you were evaluated based on a combination of merit, raw talent, aptitude, commitment and your willingness to sacrifice… would YOU be there?

Honestly?

Think about that the next time you decide to miss a lecture because you “just don’t feel like it”. You may be paying the proverbial 'arm and a leg', but someone, somewhere, unaware of the expression, may not view it as an unreasonable exchange. They may even end up single-legged-ly kicking your arse, if only to prove that it wasn't a futile sacrifice.

making of/ teaser shots - Lisof shoot: Main Street Life

2010-10-19T12:32:00.006+02:00

photograph: © tania whiteley

photograph: © zele angelides

photograph: © tania whiteley

Just a couple of "making of" shots taken at a 'surprise' shoot I arranged for my 2nd year students, atop the Main Street Life building here in Johannesburg. I recruited two wonderfully talented friends, photographer Maritz Verwey and graphic designer - slash - photographer, Zelé Angelides to take some shots of the students wearing hand-printed tees (that they designed and silk-screened themselves - yes!) We were fortunate enough to be granted access to the roof for the shoot by owner and developer Jonathan Liebmann, and what an ideal location it was. We also took some out on the street. Man, i love living in the city!

don't let your figs drop off...

2010-06-24T11:54:00.002+02:00

I so love this excerpt - found it quoted on a wonderful blog I discovered a few days ago... here

"I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn’t quite make out. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn’t make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet." -Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

my friend nick

2010-05-19T23:58:00.001+02:00

Meet my other best friend Nick... he can touch his tongue to his nose. now that's talent right there!

Took these pics at our friends Pam and Calvin's wedding last weekend... fun fun!

City Slickers Show

2010-05-03T15:05:00.008+02:00

One of my happy snaps was exhibited at the City Slickers Poster Art Show at the Wessel Snyman Creative Gallery in Cape Town a couple of weeks ago - yay! Apparently the show heads off to London this week. RAD! It was hosted by Verb and One Small Seed Magazine - click here to see the site.

You may recognise the button wall (far left) from an earlier post... ahh yes, but this one, she is not the same wall! Okay, technically it IS the same wall, just photographed many months later. So anyway, I was just about to print it for the show, when I realised that the resolution of the original was just not going to cut it.

A toothless, beady-eyed Indian lady almost had my head when i photographed the original at the haberdashery all those months ago. This time, i came prepared - camera strapped to arm, concealed under a hoodie - so there I was, in button corner, snapping away, feigning sneezes to shroud the shutter noise... how surreptitious of me!

Sadly I didn't get to attend the show, but i snatched the top pic off the facebook group... heehee... don't think it fits in as well as some of my illy's would have, but hey... fun! Now if I could only get my R300 back from the post office for damaging the other prints in the post... it even read in big, bold print: "DO NOT BEND"! tsk

a picnic in the park

2010-04-30T21:37:00.009+02:00

Whilst living on the western outskirts of Johannesburg for almost five years, I spent most of my student days (and sleepless nights) at home, nose buried in books with the mistaken belief that there is very little to do outdoors in jozi (of course i refer to non-life-threatening activities) besides shopping at the nearest open-air mall, or visiting the zoo... pretty depressing if you're a flat broke Durban gal with an aversion to animals in cages...

Shortly after moving to the leafy, arty, party suburb of Greenside earlier this year, i was invited to a lovely birthday picnic in the park. How happy i was to discover that Johannesburg is a really beautiful and happening city - with so much to do... outside! In fact, we're actually pretty spoilt when it comes to the outdoors, and what variety! Besides the plethora of restaurants, pubs and coffee shops lining the sidewalks of Parkhurst, Greenside and the like, did you know that Johannesburg has 24 major flagship parks? (click here for the Johannesburg City Parks website to see a list of all of them)... and that doesn't even include the smaller parks in the burbs... people do everything from walking, running, cycling, picnicking, rowing, canoeing, bowling, walking their dogs, volleyball-ing, frisbee-ing, sleep-ing... it's like a beach. With grass.

So anyway, in spirit of this revelation, I decided to arrange a little outdoor get-together of my own - and what started out as a pretty cloudy, rain-threatening morning, turned into a beautifully sunny, sunday afternoon at Emmarentia dam... just thought I'd tell you about it, since I was too busy to take pictures!

Maybe my friend Chad would be so kind as to let me upload some of the shots he took on the day...

And here's the invitation. My apologies for getting it to you so late...

PS: i still prefer Cape Town. Just saying.

a drawing class in the park

2010-04-30T13:13:00.002+02:00

decided to take my students out of the classroom for some fresh air and sunshine... lets just say that i'm considering it a permanent change of venue...

...and then I dreamt of yes

2010-04-15T16:22:00.001+02:00

Cousin That

2010-04-15T15:21:00.001+02:00

just a bit of silliness...

Zana

2010-04-09T10:16:00.001+02:00

Zana dreaming beside her lake...

PUBLISHED! in Slanted Magazine issue no.9!

2010-02-13T16:17:00.005+02:00

click on the image to get a closer view

German Typographic Magazine 'Slanted' - I have to tell you, words cannot begin to describe how WOW this magazine is! Jam-packed full of the most beautiful typography and design... stunning photos etcetera, etcetera!! So proud to be a part of it. They also added a hand-scrawled note asking if anyone would be interested in distributing it in South Africa! Hell, yes please! About 200 pages worth of mind and soul food! This mag is GOLD. Have a look at their site here - features a few of the spreads from the magazine - so do yourself a favour!

MIGRATE Magazine - 'Sign of the Times'

2010-02-13T16:00:00.006+02:00

I was so honoured when Alison Hingle asked me to illustrate and art direct the article she wrote for Migrate Magazine. She is an incredibly brilliant and witty writer. The article, entitled "There isn't enough room in here for both of us" is hysterically funny! It deals with the puzzling popularity of men's 'skinny jeans' and jokes about the, ahem, 'restrictions' it poses. Well worth the read...

The double page spread article.

a sad farewell...

2009-11-27T15:43:00.006+02:00

Thank you to my wonderful Ogilvy friends! Just had to post this. The most awesome farewell card ever! Hi-la-ri-ous!

Moulding young minds in an effort to build an army of mini-me's! muwahahaha!

I sure will miss you! My life is soon going to be very different, but it's good to know that you'll all still be a part of it!

breadcrumbs...

2009-11-25T11:29:00.003+02:00

Meet Zana, the shining light of the studio and one of the most beautiful people I know. I took this photo of her while we roamed the woods on one of our creative adventures.

Loerie Train 2009

2009-11-24T21:45:00.005+02:00

Stuck my head out the window and snapped this shot of the train at sunset.

That must have been longest train ride in history! 30 hours from Johannesburg to Cape Town for the Loerie Awards. Quite a lot of fun, although I think the novelty wore off after the first couple of hours. A fair bit of bonding, and for some, ahem, recovery time. I ended up spending most of mine in our carriage, reading a book in-between stares and snaps out the window. I would so do it again.

1000 drawings

2009-11-23T10:03:00.006+02:00

My 1000 drawings entry! Yay! Isn't she sweet?

post-it-ed!

2009-08-11T06:54:00.008+02:00

About time for a blog update... so there. Yet another typical procrastination episode.

Buttons

2009-06-30T16:28:00.003+02:00

How could I not post this?? I recently photographed this 'button wall' at a haberdashery here in Johannesburg whilst on one of my fabric missions.

Hmmm... imagine what would happen if these lids all spontaneously popped off?

A beautiful, colourful mess!

MTN FIFA Gantry design competition

2009-06-26T14:35:00.020+02:00

(CLICK TO ENLARGE)

This is a gantry design idea for the MTN Gantry design competition in 2008.

Not really much of a concept here, I just decided to have a bit of fun with illustration and the MTN colours. It didn't quite make the cut, but I still think it's cool - and not bad for a girl ;-)

Ducky

2009-06-12T14:19:00.006+02:00

These are concept illustrations I did whilst brainstorming the revamp of our coffee shop here at the agency. Also a few names I thought would be funny - but hey, I'm no copywriter.

The duck theme emerged from Zana's brilliance! Here at Ogilvy, the ducks are the first to greet you when you arrive. So if you are planning a visit, be warned! They are such a distinctive feature of the Ogilvy campus that they have become a part of the agency's personality.

The style is fun and quirky, but a bit too child-like for Ogilvy. It didn't quite match the ultra slick and modern interior, so we decided to go in another direction...

I still love them!

M-Net - Winter Campaign

2009-06-11T14:13:00.011+02:00

DPS artwork for M-Net winter campaign print ads. M-Net is a broadcasting station in South Africa. Known for their ads of celebrities on a blue background - here's something a little different for them...

The Aurora Borealis and the illustrations of Jasper Goodall (particularly those he did for the MUSE "Invincible" and "Knights of Cydonia" albums) inspired these smoke illustrations I did for the M-net Winter print campaign. The concept centers around the fact that the nights are longer in winter and the idea that there is thus more time for evening entertainment on M-net (even though prime-time is 6pm-10pm all year round!)

Anyway, the amazingly talented guys at Pollen helped us to create brushes made from photographs of real smoke. I manipulated these to create the illustrations based on my own drawings and then overlayed colour gradients. Quite laborious, but such fun!!

Something different... how nice for M-Net!

(They are double page spreads, therefore the awkward space between the text at the gutter...)

Nike Lightweight Apparel

2009-03-20T15:10:00.011+02:00

Winner: Creative Circle Ad of the month - March 2009

DETAIL OF TYPE

This campaign didn't receive the kindest reviews worldwide. In fact, a lot of people consider the appropriation of existing artwork for advertising, a case of lazy creativity. I have to say, I am in two minds about it. Although I do not agree with the idea of slapping a logo onto somebody's existing artwork and calling it your own, this is not what happened here at all. I actually think that it takes a fair degree of creative talent and skill to recognise such potential and I commend the team for showcasing William Hundley's skill and managing to find this link between his work and the Nike brand.

Personally, Zana and I were purely concerned with the typography, which after months of experimentation and deliberation, was finally cracked with a few pieces of string. Lovely.

CLIENT
Nike

ART DIRECTOR
Robyn Bergmann

COPYWRITER
Steph van Niekerk

PHOTOGRAPHER
William Hundley

TYPOGRAPHY
Robyn Bergmann, Tania Whiteley, Zana Ackermann

CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Fran Luckin

AGENCY
Ogilvy Johannesburg

Ink drawings

2009-03-06T16:08:00.006+02:00

SELF PORTRAIT 2006

PORTRAIT 2008

SELF PORTRAIT 2007

Stencil Script

2009-03-06T14:59:00.010+02:00

Font Design

SPECIMEN SHEETS SHOWCASE THE FONT BEING USED AS A TYPEFACE

This typeface is inspired by graffiti, illustration and traditional template fonts. The aim was to create a stencil font that could be used as a promotional font for the artist. The font is an unusual scripted style, adapted to the art of stenciling. It aims to communicate the beauty and elegance of a script, with the gritty, yet sophisticated edge of a stencil.

The entire alphabet (including numbers and characters - 99 in total) was laser cut from a 5mm thick sheet of stainless steel and spray-painted onto a wall at a busy intersection in Johannesburg.

This project is largely process driven. The following photographs show the entire process, from initial sketches, to the final product.

FONT DESIGN DEVELOPED AND REFINED IN FONT DESIGN PROGRAM, FONTOGRAPHER

99 CHARACTERS LASER CUT FROM 5MM THICK SHEET OF STAINLESS STEEL

APPLICATION OF STENCIL ONTO A GRAFFITI WALL,
CNR. JAN SMUTS & EMPIRE RD JOHANNESBURG

MY GOOD FRIENDS, JEFF MOODIE AND DUNCAN BELL.
THANKS GUYS FOR HELPING ME OUT WITH THAT HEAVY STENCIL!

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR FACILITATOR, JAN ERASMUS.

THANKS ALSO TO RYAN GOULD, QUINTIN WHITE
AND TO B&J ENGINEERING FOR CUTTING THE STENCIL FOR ME.

The BIG idea

2009-03-06T14:01:00.023+02:00

Direct Mailer for THINK (The South African Graphic Design Council)

Aimed at final year graphic design students
Contains a creature-creator sticker pack

2009 Loerie Winner:

Collateral Design - bronze
and an Illustration Craft Award... click here!!!!

Think is all about big ideas. We all know how difficult it is to come up with a truly brilliant "BIG idea". The concept personifies the "BIG idea" by transforming it into an elusive creature that one has to "catch". This direct mailer, in the form of a fold-out brochure, depicts ways of (im)possibly catching the "BIG idea". The curious, doodle-like illustrations are engaging and pleasantly entertaining. They appear to have been created in a dream and therefore emphasise the concept of ideas through fantasy and imagination.

The mailer brings the concept of ideas to life in a combination of quirky illustrations and hand-drawn typography. It depicts the everyday, stereotypical "designer guy" and his frustration at chasing this elusive "golden snitch" idea down. A feeling most creatives know all too well!

The 'creature creator' sticker book - gives the user an opportunity to playfully interact with the brochure and express their creativity. The accompanying copy: “So, what’s your big idea?” invites the viewer to "create" their own quirky "idea" creature with a variety of vinyl stickers – from bodies to appendages, facial features and accessories. Once assembled, the "idea" can be moved and stuck onto any surface. This engaging activity not only serves as entertainment, but it also stimulates creativity and provides an opportunity for self-expression.

ILLUSTRATION DETAIL

FRONT AND BACK LAYOUT (click to enlarge)

STICKER BOOK

STICKERS

CREATE YOUR OWN 'IDEA' CREATURES

SOME OF THE CREATURES CREATED BY PEOPLE AT THE DESIGN INDABA

Many thanks to our facilitator, Deirdre Pretorius. What an awesome brief!

Thank you to Duffield Signs for printing and cutting the stickers - what precision.

The Beckoning

2009-03-06T12:57:00.003+02:00

A drawing...

Just a drawing I found in an old sketch book of mine... there is just something in her eyes that explain how i'm feeling right now.

Jose - Corporate Identity

2009-03-05T12:35:00.017+02:00

Tania Whiteley
Final Year Assignment: Corporate ID / Branding
The University of Johannesburg - Department of Graphic Design

Award: Bronze Loerie 2008

LOGO

This coffee bar is branded with a quirky personality and character of its own and all the elements are intended to put a smile in the mind of the consumer. This fun and eccentric visual language is found on the vehicles, stationery, menus and the paper cups consumers drink from. In having the branding in these places, the customer is surrounded by the atmosphere of the brand and can feel the vibrant energy associated with the South American culture.

José's Story:

José is a South American entrepreneur who has decided to start his own coffee bar in South Africa. He was raised by Gaucho parents while playing with capybara's on the pampas. From these humble beginnings, riding horses and drinking strong, freshly brewed coffee, José realised that there was the potential to export the love of his culture to other countries. He aims to bring a bit of Latino flavour to the city of Johannesburg. Due to severely limited funds, José decided to utilise the most inexpensive means possible in order to brand his business. He makes use of recycled materials and designs all the stationery and menus himself. He photocopies his ornamental logo (which just happens to be his smiling face) onto everything possible and he uses an ancient typewriter accompanied by his own untidy scrawl. Mistakes are covered and corrected, and items appear to have been used a few too many times in the effort to save money.

This brand has a humorous and endearing quality. It is funny because it is the play on the stereotype of the quintessential South American guy, José, which shapes the brand personality.

PROPOSED INTERIOR

ASSORTED BRANDED ITEMS

REFILLABLE FLASK

guests may have it refilled at any time at a reduced cost.
This not only saves on the use of paper cups, but it also encourages brand loyalty.

ROASTED COFFEE BEANS AND LABELS

BRANDED CLOTHING

LIVERY BRANDING - delivery vehicles

BUSINESS CARD
space for manager to fill in his/her own name and cell phone number

COMPLIMENT SLIP

LETTERHEAD

MENU
Thanks Nick & Peter for your help :-)

Design Indaba 2009

2009-03-04T13:03:00.019+02:00

Emerging Creatives 2009

LIVE DRAWING AT MY STAND AT THE INDABA
IT WAS MY MISSION TO COVER THE ENTIRE PLINTH WITH CONVOLUTED SHAPES AND PATTERNS

PHOTO BY MARTIN BOLTON

Blithely (and semi-freshly) ejected from the mouth of the CTICC, I thought I might share a few memories with you in reference to the unbelievable Design Indaba.

I had no doubt that it would be an enlightening experience, but it was so much more. This, ashamedly my first trip to the Indaba, was life changing to say the very least! I feel like I have experienced a 360-degree perspective change - crazy.

And Cape Town... Wow, I think I have found a little spot on this earth with my name on it... Anon.

The Design Indaba is an annual showcase of the best of the best of South African design; from advertising, architecture, craft, décor, film, fashion, graphic design, interior design, jewellery, new media, publishing, product design and visual media – all under one roof! I know this sounds like a marketing speech, but seriously dude, can you imagine? Amazing-ness-ness! I have to confess, it was quite a sensory overload! Especially for someone with a sensitive eye, it can take a while to absorb such creative splendour!

I was afforded the glorious opportunity (thanks to the department of Arts and Culture of course) to showcase a few pieces of my own work as an ‘Emerging Creative’ - amongst that of another 39 creative prodigies from different design disciplines. Apart from meeting and hanging out with such remarkable and über-talented people, I am inspired beyond belief to continue doing what I love every day - life’s just too short, 'eh?

Tracy, Jadi, Chris, Mike, Marc and Martin – thank you for everything you awesome people you! It would not have been the same without you... so fortunate to have met you all. Thank you for the memories...

Mmm... and weren't those milkshakes just too delicious?

I have since returned to my crazy life here in Johannesburg with the 'Indaba glow' as some like to call it. I suspect that it may hang about for a while…

... not that I mind.