WHAT WE DO
01
CONSULT
02
STORYTELL
03
DESIGN
04
BUILD
BRIEF:
To understand a designer's design resolutions, a manifesto is needed to initiate an understanding. This brief expected one to communicate a manifesto at a designed exhibition.
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RESOLUTION:
The exhibition structure itself is influenced and resembles African bangles, and how they sit on the hand, namely, Vhukunda, in the Venda culture. These bangles represent fertility, womanhood and a prosperous unity between two people. This exhibition uncovers the African aesthetic in which people buy into, without endulging into its known meaning. Therefore, the first stack of stylised bangles represent the ideology of people buying African goods at tourist shops for aesthetic purposes. The middle stack of bangles represent the material in which the bangles are internally structured with, such as animal hide, and the last stack of bangles represent what the bangles actually entail, as orchid flowers resembles fertility, womanhood and love, which the Vhukunda represents. All in all, the Exhibition represents a manifested journey of my manifesto, in which I narrate African stories through design, where the exhibition narrates the story of Vhukunda.
BRIEF:
Tasked to renovate an existing building on an open plot into a restaurant, we had to employ a sustainable approach, being considerate of the unsustainable role the restaurant makes and mitigate these issues by means of being sensitive to all aspects of a green building.
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RESOLUTION:
We decided to use this brief to narrate the story of my childhood in Venda of being sent with my cousins to buy crates of coldrinks from the nearby spaza shop. Inspiration came from the crates themselves and what would happen to these plastic crates after their job of carrying coldrinks was over. These crates would either be used as storage compartments, chairs, used to buy more coldrinks or ended up being thrown away. The sustainability part of it comes through by recycling these plastic crates and using them for a long term project.
BRIEF
The City of Cape Town and SANParks want to create mobility by connecting specific historic, cultural and natural tourist sites across the city in a seamless journey, called the Heritage Route, where we were tasked to create a connection hub that joins the existing routes.
RESOLUTION
Due to the location being in Cape Town, a fitting concept of water came about as many flock to the Cape to enjoy the beach. However, in an ironic turn of events, Cape town, bordered with water, currently undergoes water crisis’s. This allowed the opportunity to narrate the importance of water, techniques and ways to incorporate, save and reuse water in an everyday lifestyle through the use of design techniques in the tourist hub.
BRIEF
Tasked to work in a team, merging both second and third year interior design students, Grafton Everest (GE) had recently been given the new tag line “A Lifetime of Inspiration” and the portion of the showroom dedicated to this brand needed to reflect this. The clients made it clear that they can re-arrange the furniture themselves and they were looking for more than just afloor space, but an “inspiring” space that reflected the brand strongly.
RESOLUTION
Faced with designing a showroom for a furniture brand, the team identified with the concept: the skeleton of a couch, where the couches in which they sell was our inspiration. We wanted to emphasise the quality of their couches, by providing customers the experience to fully integrate themselves in the product, understanding the product and giving customers transparency with what they buy.
BRIEF
The Hillcrest Medicross was expanding to include a facility for a cosmetic dermatologist, called the [Skin Aesthetic] Clinic, broadening the range of services offered at the hospital. We were then tasked to design a space that intends to facilitate healing and mitigate stress, where The Clinic requires an interior environment that reinforces a scientific and clinical mood, but also one of fragility.
RESOLUTION
Inside of the plant was the concept that was settled upon, by means of identifying the current state of this world, which is moving towards a herbal healing approach. This skin care was branded as a plant based clinic, as most of the very plants in our gardens are packed with healing properties, physically, mentally and emotionally. However, herbal healing and practices, especially in South Africa, wasn't always positively seen due to its links to African religions, where Apartheid had its hands in narrating these religions as dark magic, passing laws to suppress such practices. However this clinic aims to write a new story to show people the importance of considering plant based practices and products, dissociating our minds of such associations as these plants were residents of the the earth before man. Inside of the plant lends itself to the gooeyness of local succulent plants which are hard on the outside and soft on the inside, acting as a metaphor to the skin that needs repairs where the interiors adopt this gooeyness, bringing forth a sense of softness and fragility.
BRIEF
While the client boasts its wide range of offerings, including the Porsche Club itself, a race team, with an active racing presence, who race in the DAKAR as well as other motorsport competitions, have numerous sponsorships, are an NPO fundraiser, amongst other things. The client has put together different offerings that encourages a motorsport lifestyle, in which they want to see these offerings manifest through the aid of our strategic agency's development of an umbrella brand, which caters to all motorsport enthusiasts, while emphasising a Porsche centric atmosphere, in order to become top of mind when one thinks of motorsport.
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RESOLUTION
Through research, it was evident that many wanted to join a motorsport club at a later stage as they perceived them to be for older and affluent people. Those who considered joining clubs wanted a club that catered to their family as well as incorporated educational and social benefits. In addition to the communication strategy, these solutions were solved in the clubhouse where the clubhouse encouraged family participation through the addition of a playroom, educational opportunities through a motorsport lesson, practice and events ground situated in the middle of the circular nurturing structure, a cafe for motorsport enthusiasts to bond outside of scheduled meetings, and a storage, workshop and detailing facility for both luxury car owners and aspirants to view the cars and learn through detailing workshops.
