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Uno de Waal (@Unodewaal) We’re excited to be back in action on 10and5! This year really does see an immense amount of interest in the South African design and creative industry as World Design Capital 2014 kicks off. On our side, you should see a host of interesting new events that centre around the creative world.
For this issue of Design Annotator, we’re bringing you:
- An incredible project by Ralph Ziman, who takes an interesting look at the dialogue around the arms trade in Africa.
- Kalahari.net’s recent print ad also caught our attention, as did the 2Bop and Studio Muti fashion collaboration; if you’re a fan of fast food you should definitely try get your hands on one of the garments in their new range.
- Graham Paterson has an incredible body of illustration work, and
- Then we end off with a round-up of some of the latest TV ads released while you were on holiday.
‘Ghosts’ by Ralph Ziman | The truth about the arms trade
Created in response to the international arms trade, Ghosts is a multimedia project by South African artist and filmmaker Ralph Ziman. The body of work highlights the reality that most of this trade is targeted in the direction of Africa, subsequently fuelling and sustaining conflict across the continent.
In light of the significant response that Ghosts has been generating, we found out more about the work from the artist himself. Read the interview here.
Featured: Lindsey Appolis
Lindsey Appolis is a self-taught photographer capturing the vibrant community he calls home in Cape Town. Growing up in this diverse social landscape has influenced his raw photojournalism. While his client work includes jobs for the likes of SAB and Elizabeth Arden, his personal work is where his heart lies.
Concerned with sensitively capturing the personalities, significant moments and emotions at events, big or small, this work takes him backstage at dance performances, behind the scenes on film sets, to street carnivals, and to community beauty pageants. A new series could materialise from just taking a walk around the neighbourhood.
Appolis is also involved in social outreach initiatives with Emcee Development Fund, Peace Boat mission in South Africa and Bridgetown Theatre Company.
Kalahari.com | Letter to Santa
As South Africa’s top online retailer, Kalahari.com needed to find a way to remind people that times have changed and that they could easily do all their festive shopping online. To do this, JWT Cape Town tapped into the insight that many a modern day Christmas wishlist is a list of links, and in response created a modern-day letter to Santa in the form of a list of URLs.
2Bop x Muti | A tribute to all things tasty
You’ve probably seen something of this tasty collaboration between 2Bop and Muti floating around the internet, but we couldn’t pass up the chance to showcase one of the coolest collaborations we’ve seen in its fantastic, mouthwatering entirety.
Inspired by local street food (think: gatsbies and bunny chow), the 2Bop x Muti collection features t-shirts, caps and bags in a mix of print designs. And it’s every bit as awesome as it sounds.
Featured: Graham Paterson
Cape Town-based illustrator and graphic designer Graham Paterson currently works at digital agency Visual Architects (now Made) as an art director:
“When I was still in primary school I used to spend hours playing with Lego trying to invent different robots and machines and my mom mentioned something about going into robotics when I grew up, which stuck with me for a long time. I’ve always been good at art and considered it one of my strengths going to high school.
“Then, in 2003 I really got into the original Grand Theft Auto game and found a huge online community of modders. You can change anything in GTA1, from the missions, to the maps, to the car sprites, which is what I did. Basically I got a copy of Paint Shop Pro and read a bunch of tutorials trying to design these tiny little cars, I progressed pretty well and eventually moved on to Photoshop. I started playing around with Illustrator at some point, and I was drawn between architecture and graphic design when school was coming to an end. I eventually chose to be a designer.”
Read the rest of the interview here.
Metropolitan | Nobody should have to work when they’re old
Metropolitan | Security from Ari Kruger on Vimeo.
The idea itself also had to be an uncomplicated one. Cebisa Mfenyana, marketing manager: marketing and business development Metropolitan Retail, said, “Our message is simple: it’s never too early or too late to start saving for retirement. By giving a snapshot into a day in the life of someone who has to work in their old age, we hope to encourage people of all ages to proactively save for retirement.”
Doom Death Matches by TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris
The agency says, “The brief was simple: demonstrate the efficacy of the Doom range, because nothing equals the killing power of Fast, Deadly, Doom. So we set out to find four different challengers that can put that claim to the test. Of course, they were doomed to fail, but it would be entertaining never-the-less.”
See the other ads — ‘Machine Gun’, ‘Jackhammers’ and ‘Strikers’.
Featured: Maria John
Maria John studied graphic design at the University of Johannesburg and works as a junior at ad agency OPENCO. In her spare time, she experiments with photography, the city of Johannesburg her muse. She balances both disciplines: appreciating design for its purpose but enjoying the spontaneous nature of her personal photography. Her favourite subjects are Joburg’s diverse characters — people and places.
She says, “I love the architecture of the old and new. Sandton is where I work, and to see new slick, stylish buildings pop up almost every few months is exciting but at the same time when you go into town the older buildings are more beautiful and elegant.”
Design Annotator is a regular column on MarkLives featuring the top design work from South Africa’s biggest online creative showcase, Between 10 and 5, which is curated by publisher Uno de Waal (@Unodewaal).
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