Pinned magazine August 2015

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African design has grown into a thing of interest. What is next for us?

Join this creative crowd and help build Botswana’s creative economy.

LEARN INSPIRE CREATE



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13 Intellectual Property By Tebo Motlhaping

THE 21ST CENTURY IS A BATTLEFIELD FOR A DIFFERENT KI ND OF WAR, THE WAR OF INTELLECT. PROTECT AND EARN FROM YOUR IDEAS

Mom & Dad: You were Wrong HOW THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY CHANGED, ALLOWING DESIGNERS TO EARN A LIVING DOING WHAT THEY LOVE

Gabriel Mothibedi

THE URBAN DESIGNER

Top 10 Online Learning Platforms: PINNED MAGAZINE’S BEST ONLINE LEARNING FORUMS.

PINNED / TABLE OF CONTENTS / 03


SPEAK YOUR MIND...

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Publishing Executive Speech Coaching Personal Development Coaching Mentorship


IMAGINE

Is Biomimicry The Future of Design?

THE FUTURE

MIMICKING NATURE FOR BETTER DESIGN

Were All The TV Shows Right OPINION

HOW WE MADE FLOW:

Senic shares their design process

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Creative Director Moatshe J. Boatile Editor Moatshe J. Boatile Director Of Photography Nick Bontè Advertising Executive Sabelo Masasa Consulting Editor Saidi Mdala

Publisher Pixelcode Design Consultant Lefumo Frank Design Editor Dr. Chinando Mwendapole Design Consultant Gabriel Mothibedi Pinned Online Karabo Matenge

THE CAPTAIN’S LAUNCH CODES LIFT OFF: We would like to welcome you all on our maiden voyage into the beautiful minds of creators and innovators. We guarantee a collage of hybrid thinkers, their amazing works and the opportunity to learn a few trades of the creative industry. Throughout the magazine you will come across people,-both learners of the trade and professional designers- who have made a statement with their works, from graphic to industrial designers alike. This issue celebrates innovative excellence, it’s an eclectic collection of what to expect from the next issues. Honestly there are fewer words paralleled to emotion that can describe the feeling of publishing our very first issue. After months of planning and preparation, unrequited emails and calls, the peril of such an ordeal is soothed by the assurance of a beautifully packaged product. The idea for this magazine started from a common frustration from us as designers and creators. In an era where information is gold but astoundingly littered about every avenue, many of what is supposed to teach us ends up in our mental trash bins. So we came up with Pinned Magazine which serves as a resource center for creators, a platform where they can learn from each other,

share and access a library of resources and tools necessary in their development. While this publication is as about creativity and innovation, something that is customarily associated with designers/inventors, it is also about helping ordinary people understand the business end of the trade. We hope to convey our issues in a fitting manner that will make apparent the need for such an industry, and why design could be a great economic contributor to developing countries like Botswana. Thank you.

Managing Editor Moatshe J. Boatile

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AUGUST ISSUE Pinned Magazine’s First Issue ALL CORRESPONDENTS TO BE ADDRESSED TO; The Editor Pinned Magazine P.O Box 20351 Gaborone Botswana or john@pinnedmagazine.com Call [+267] 74181677

#iCreatedIT.

use the official tag #iCreatedIT on social media for everything you create and tag us.

COPYRIGHTS: No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form or stored on a retrieval system without prior permission of the publisher. Although Pinned Magazine has made every effort to ensure that the information in this Magazine was correct at press time, Pinned Magazine do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. Cover Illustration Copyright Š 2015 by Moatshe J. Boatile Cover design by Moatshe J. Boatile.



PINNED This sections is where we share ideas, inspirational works and all that we are passionate about. This is where we feature new trends, products, tools and design resources that readers may find useful. This is an introductory section that is light, easy-to-read and exciting for the reader.



PINNED COMMUNITY

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hen Pinned was conceived, it was from the onset a measure of a much grander plan. It was first a dream of a student to create a platform to share, interact and learn from other students like him. However some of the limitations my formal education at the University had on my progression led me to contrive a plan to bring a body of creators alike into view and challenge them to take the learning process into their hands. With the open doors of the Internet, shared information is readily available and I owe a lot of my knowledge and experience to other scholars Online. That ease of accessibility to boundless information from a network of different people gave

birth to Pinned. With Pinned Magazine, information would translate into resource that everyone can utilize and this is what would make us unique. We would not just barter ordinary information for popularity and “likes� but rather impart trade skills, innovative practices and create relations that would carry us towards a cohesive realization. There has been clear grievances from the design community on opportunities the industry promises but all which have not been conveyed thus far. Therefore we set out to gather on these grumbles, which saw us go from one design firm to the other amassing suggestions on how the local creative industry works and what

it needs and boy did the responses flood in. This information was to be presented to the relevant stakeholders in the efforts to sway them to take responsibility and start pulling their weight. We were requited by a great number of individual industry professionals as well as organizations and academic institutions which sought to balance the scale and start affecting change. They all bought onto the idea of growing and developing an industry that could influence chance for the people involved as well as the countries encompassed. The plan for Pinned is to create a

community by firstly summoning up awareness for the cause by founding a publication (Pinned Magazine) which would later translate into other interactive mediums such as an Online hub. Ultimately we would establish start-up farms, (co-work stations) that would physically bring all the stakeholders under one roof to now build and influence the country in a more physical state.


ARE YOU A TOOL?

D

escribing what a designer does let alone what design entails is a daunting enough task which at most times a lot of designers find belittles their profession in the process. Usually associated with craftsmanship and artistry design however is rational creativity that is dependent on the end-user’s requirements that are both objective and subjective. These are the technical and business requirements and creative requirements respectively. It is a strategic business tool in a methodically processed plan that ensures that the solutions employed bring success. Good design begins with the needs of the user. No design, no matter how beautiful and ingenious, is any good if it doesn’t fulfill a user’s need. This may sound obvious but many products, services and businesses failed because the people behind them didn’t grasp this.

LETS SHARE IDEAS

However all that I have just said seems to be noise in the modern job market where designers are hired as implementation tools. Designers have been reduced to mere button pushing minions and technical aptitude has replaced the true definition of a designer. When I was still at the university, I learn’t the three most important qualities a designer should possess; their conceptual, strategic and ability to implement a whole idea. The previous two being the most crucial in the design process. However important learning the design tool is, it is not enough to warrant you the prestigious status of “master designer.”

That was when I realized that people referred to anyone with design software skills as a designer. Around that time I so happened to come across another scholar’s thought, they posed a beckoning question; “Think of the photographer who captures a fraction of time or the illustrator who tells a story. Will these moments not exist if it weren’t for the camera or the pencil?” Certainly not I thought, the tool used does not validate the idea and insights it took to conceive them into being. Having the right tool for the job, without the necessary skill, knowledge and experience will naturally produce inferior work that is without depth. Perhaps that is the complexity of design; that it is deceptively easy to the superficial eye, which is why everyone feels they can be designers. With that said if you do not fall within the stated bracket of designer, any design software that might just be available liberally is not to be tampered with, step away from that mouse please. Remember; learn the trade not the tool. Now which one are you, a hired tool used to convert shallow ideas into money or an innovator re-imagining the world with great ideas. It would be somewhat conceited to think designers can single-handedly change the world but we sure make it better. PINNED / ARE YOU A TOOL / 12


THE 21ST CENTURY IS A BATTLEFIELD FOR A DIFFERENT KIND OF WAR, THE WAR OF INTELLECT. PROTECT AND EARN FROM YOUR IDEAS BY TEBO MOTLHAPING

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In today’s world, emphasis has moved from physical to Intangible assets, knowledge has become more important and expensive in the past century. Human beings create and invent every day, whether its technology or art, creativity spurs economies all around the world. In essence, every product or service that we use in our daily lives is a result of a long chain of big or small Innovations and or improvements, such as changes in designs,

or improvements on the functionality a of product even processes. This is to say intellectual property is everything around us. For example different parts of a computer used to type this document is IP and are protected by different IP rights, the cars we drive, the seat and desk at the office, the cell phones (parts and appearance), the knife in your kitchen cabinet, the music we listen to, the books we read, the wall paintings, the shoes we wear every day, the list is endless! All this and more, is IP.

SO WHAT IS IP? The World Intellectual

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Property Organization (WIPO) defines intellectual property, simply as creations of the mind. I.e. literary and artistic works, inventions, symbols, images, and designs used in commerce. Therefore, Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) are exclusive rights that are granted by law, to creators, innovators, inventors and authors of original literary and artistic works. The rights granted are; the exclusive right to make, use, sell, offer for sale and import a protected product or process for commercial purposes. However these rights can be transferred by licensing or assignment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DIFFERENT IPRS PATENT: A patent is an exclusive

right or a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to an inventor of a product or process that offers a new technical solution to a problem in a field of technology for 20 years from the date of filing a patent application. In order for a patent to be granted, an invention has to fulfil certain stringent standards.

UTILITY MODEL: A utility model is similar to a patent. It is sometimes referred to as “petty patent” or “innovation patent, the requirements are less stringent, and the term of protection in most jurisdictions is 10 years. COPYRIGHT: Means the exclusive

right granted to an author of an original literary or artistic work to do, and authorize other persons to do, certain acts in relation to the work in


Botswana or in any other country to which the relevant provisions of the Copyright Act, Cap. 68:02 extends.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN: Refers to

the protection granted to protect the appearance of a product- any product- the aesthetic appearance of a product.

TRADEMARK: Protection given to any

visible sign capable of distinguishing the goods or services of an enterprise, it can be a word, letter, slogan, colour, sign, or a combination of any of them.

TRADE SECRET: Protects any technical

or business information which is SECRET, has commercial value and gives the owner competitive advantage over competitors because it is not known to them.

GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION (GI): TRIPS

Agreement defines GIs as “Indications which identify a product as originating in the territory of a member, or a region or locality in that territory, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the product is essentially attributable to its geographical origin.

WHY IS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RELEVANT TO YOUR BUSINESS

a trade name or one or more trademarks and should consider protecting them. Most SMEs will have valuable confidential business information, from customers’ lists to sales tactics that they may wish to protect. A large number would have developed creative original designs. Others would have produced, assisted in the publication, dissemination or retailing of a copyrighted work and some may have invented or improved a product or service. In all such cases, your business should consider how best to use the IP system to its own benefit. Remember that IP may assist your business in almost every aspect of your business development and competitive strategy: from product development to product design, from service delivery to marketing, and from raising financial resources to exporting or expanding your business abroad through licensing or franchising. We live now, in the world of brands and design. As customers we often buy more of a brand and less of the content. A brand that has found its place in a customer’s heart has achieved most part of its goal, and is left only with retaining the occupancy of that heart. For example, coke from Coca Cola Company tastes almost the same as Pepsi cola, as to why anyone would choose to go for either, at this point has less to do with the taste but everything to do with the brand- trademark. However there is no denying the hard work coca cola had to put in as a brand to find and secure its place in the market, from keeping the coke ingredients a secret, to having a certain shape of their bottles, and mostly the huge marketing and advertising regimes they do from time to time. That is to say, registering and having ones intellectual property protected does not guarantee money in the bank, however it is the first step and it’s crucial. The most important thing is to outdo competitors by keeping your customers happy and satisfied with the product for the longest time possible in order to find space in their hearts. This means, constant improvement of the product, constant advertising and a lot of professionalism while at it.

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he rationale behind protecting IP, hence giving the owner that exclusivity to “control” his creation is to reward him, motivate him or her to create more. This in turn spurs economic growth, creates new jobs and industries. In any business, it is either they are using or creating a great deal of intellectual property. This being the case, one should systematically consider the steps required for protecting, managing and enforcing it, so as to get the best possible commercial results from its ownership. If you are using intellectual property that belongs to others, then you should consider buying it or acquiring the rights, either by license or assignment, to use it by taking a license in order to avoid a dispute and possible litigation. Almost every business establishment has

Most importantly you should work out and see if getting protected actually means better opportunity and better money for your business. If yes then go all the way and block competitors, if not then don’t waste money and time in acquiring protection that you are not going to be able to turn into money. An IP expert should be able to take you through the whole IP assessment

and advise if protection is needed or not and how to go about it. After the assessment, you should be able to answer the what, why, how, where, in order to kick start the application process. 1.What exactly am I protecting (is it the intellectual know how? The process? A device? The shape of an article? The design?

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This will help in order to decide on the best possible protection. 2. Why do I need this protection? 3. How am I going to protect it? Copyright? Patent? Utility model? trademark? etc. 4. Where do I want it protected? Botswana? South Africa? Zimbabwe? China? etc.

In order to register one’s design for protection in Botswana (and in many jurisdictions), the following must be done; An application form must be filed with an IP office (ROCIP) or regional office(ARIPO), which must include Name of designer, contact details and drawings In certain countries a written description or statement of novelty may be required. It must be accurate and adequate in distinguishing the design from prior art,

covering all aesthetic features Appropriate filing fees must be paid One may choose to employ an IP agent to assist with the filing Documents must be in the official language of the receiving office The receiving office will check application for formal compliance before according a filing date Once satisfied the office will register the design and publish for possible objections Where there are no objections a certificate is issued

SUBSTANTIVE SUBJECT MATTER In most IP offices, a design has to be new or original and have an individual character to be registered The design must be NEW / ORIGINAL / having Individual character Being new means there has not been any known identical model that has existed before The designs must not be dictated by technical function the design must not contain official symbols or emblems the design must not be contrary to public order or morality

DESIGN BY COMMISSION If a freelance designer is brought in, on commission, to produce a specific design, in many cases the intellectual property rights will remain with the freelance designer. To avoid controversies it is always advisable 1. To obtain competent legal advice 2. To conclude a written agreement or contract 3. Include confidentiality clauses in the contact

PHOTO Š TEBO MOTLHAPING


Design is the conscious effort to impose a meaningful order. — VICTOR PAPANEK —


Were All The TV Shows Right? BY M.J. BOATILE

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ways

t’s in our nature to want more, our insatiable hunger for newer, better and easier of living cannot be sated.

We continue to gorge ourselves with ideas of what can be and to some extent play creator and decree what should be. After all we are human and we are capable. This has been the driving-force for mankind’s discoveries and innovations, the reason why we have achieved so much in the last century. We have shaped the world in our image. We have come so far from the PINNED / IMAGINE THE FUTUTRE / 17

primitive on all four walking hominids to the radical almost mechanical beings with a sweeping knowledge of the intricate fibers of the universe. This understanding of our environment has allowed us to bend it to our liking, nourish our desires with its elements and carve our future. - Mankind is the only species that has taken control of the speed and quality of its evolution. We are astonishing. - Philippe Starck. The product of our humanness is a trail of endless inventions and artifices intended


to better our lives. We are constantly at attempts of creating a euphoric habitat which in retrospect negates our previous endeavors, someone would say we are not living but planning to live. We live for the future, for designers that is the only formidable challenge that truly tests our adaptive aptitudefear of the inevitable absolution of our creations, – hence we strive for more, and go further. Reality has been the anticlimax of our capabilities and our wildest dreams have suddenly become plausible reality. While you sit there I want you to imagine our future, our predecessors have imagined this moment as theirs. What will you do with your creativity? There has been infinite representations of versions of our future in sci-fi films and comic books, some have been achieved and some remain reveries. The creators of The Jetsons [A 90’s children’s show] definitely overshot our rate of evolution, robot nannies and flying automobiles are undoubtedly a few decades away. But what is the real reason for the need to build smarter everything, because behind all the money made prestige acclaimed this is all a rescue mission to save our skin. We have made a mess of the planet and this is clean up time hence smarter and efficient expedients.

Smart Home The race for the control of the smart home market has intensified with big tech companies working industriously to create the future home. An autonomous self-thinking home seems to be the convergence point. For the longest time this has been a tantalizing dream, but with all major players holding their cards to the chest it has been even tougher to realize it. However in recent years strides have been made and new key players have come into play. Apple Inc. has introduced the HomeKit software platform which allows users to interact remotely with devices around the house using their iPhone or iPad. Apple wants to make it easier to manage your home automation devices, so that you can

lock doors, dim lights, and adjust your thermostat from your iPhone or iPad. Apple is already working with select companies on HomeKit, including August, Honeywell, iHome and Philips, which makes connected light bulbs. Other players include Nest Labs which has since been acquired by Google for $US3.2 Billion. Nest, the maker of the Learning Thermostat and the Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector have the backing of the search giants Google in pursuit of the “conscious home.” The newest and formidable competition lies with the talented developers from Wink, they have come up with what they termed the Wink Relay Control Center. It allows them to link numerous devices to their Wink-app, something no one has been able to do. What does that say about the Future Smart Home myth; it is plausible. However the virtual control centers, holographic talking assistants and photon lights [like those from a Black Eyed Peas music video] are currently out of reach.

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ood design usually leads to great products that withstands the test of time. These products go on to win our admiration and become a part of our daily existence, they become a representation of our choices and carve out our personalities. The following are just our selection of a few that have proven their design to be exceptional.

Autonomous Flying Vehicles You remember Kitt [from Night Rider], or Micheal J. Fox’s time hopping Delorean. Although both ambitious depictions of what future automobiles would look like they are the source of inspiration for most designers, as most sci-fi films are to creators. Aerodynamic, organically shaped chassis, housing quantum generators that levitates the car and two nuclear engines that propel it at hyper speeds. Obviously I do not know how all that technology works, but that is what we look forward to. Eco-friendly vehicles that convert the chemical potential energy of sea water into unparalleled source of power. Our efforts here have been scanty, we have our work cut out for us. Not only do we have to design the perfect car but the transport system has to be immaculate, air traffic control efficient to deal with drag racers at 500m due up. This discussion does not only beckon our creative ability but also has far more complex implications, it begs a unified

The famous contour shape bottle designed by The Root Glass Company won enthusiastic approval from Coca‑Cola in 1915 and was introduced in 1916. Later they introduced the six pack carriers bottles to encourage people to take their drinks home – and were a huge hit. In 1950 the Coca‑Cola Contour Bottle was the first commercial product to appear on the cover of TIME magazine, establishing Coca‑Cola as a truly international brand from then on appeared on television countless times. Its ubiquitous shape made it one of the most iconic products globally reaching the contours of Africa where it is eternally adored. PINNED / IMAGINE THE FUTUTRE / 18


system that can support smart cars in smart cities, it needs a smarter planet.

Smart Planet This is where it all comes together, a collection of a $3 trillion industry converges here. The world’s systems and industries are becoming smarter and more connected, this is a challenge for progressive leaders across diverse industries to engender sustainably efficient, socially innovative and economically sound systems for a, well, smarter planet. Knowledge is being created and shared at unprecedented rates, and with “social” as the number one use of the internet though learning and sharing platforms smarter cities are achieved through a great deal of social networking and data processing. These innovations are employed to address miscellaneous issues like transport, food sufficiency, energy crisis and social sustainability. IBM’s Smarter PlanetTM initiative is one of the most notable efforts towards a cohesive interconnected system addressing topics like water and traffic to hint a few. Taking a look closer to home, Africa has become an integral part of the maze, with opportunities peering around every corner we have seen key drivers like Kenya’s iHub take center stage for innovation and creativity in east Africa. According to IBM Research- Africa program Africa is one of the fastest growing economies with a growth rate expected to average 7 percent annually over the next 20 years, Africa is expected to become a leading source of innovation in a variety of industries.

NOW RE-IMAGINE THE FUTURE.

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t

he iPod like most Apple products has been revered as an innovative wonder.

October 2001 the tech behemoths rolled out what would be the ruler of music players for a decade to follow. Through out its generations the iPod has enjoyed a number of firsts and accolades. First with a 1000 song capacity,

becoming the number one digital music player, to being the #1 portable game player with its predecessor the iPod touch. Its iconic look was the efforts of industrial designer Jonathan Ive. The white palette made it a global icon seen almost everywhere and why its our select industrial design; its penetration of the growing African counterculture.

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or 80 years now LEGO has made toys for people of all ages. Coined from a mash-up of two Danish words LEG GODT (“play well”), into LEGO.

They have been assimilated into many families across the world as either collectibles or fun

MUST-GET APP

Curator Collect. Organize. Present. Curator helps you manage the creative process, collect and see your notes regardless of whether they are websites, images or text. it then allows you to organize and present them tactically. Make visual notes. Pick images from your device or cloud sources like Dropbox, Instagram and more.

family time stackable bricks. With billions of bricks sold worldwide of the years and still very relevant, they are testament to why a user-centric product is a good design.


TEL: 391 9015 FAX: 391 9015

T H E

C U S T O M

The Custom Cut

C U T


Further down memory lane, hope was the message, change was the vision when Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign wagon wheeled into town. If you remember well the frenzy also trickled onto our African streets like a revolution. It was the foresight of Obama’s chief strategist to approach Sol Senders and his firm Sol Sender LLC to design the campaign identity. They came up with the “O”

M.J BOATILE

i emember last year when the central bank of Norway, Norges Bank revealed the chosen designs by Oslo-based graphic designers [The Metric System and architecture and design firm Snøhetta] for the front and back of the new banknotes, respectively. That sent shock-waves across the design world, to see designers taking precedence in delicate matters like the redesign of the nation’s trade medium. Bound by constraints and being able to come out on the other side with a stellar job, talk about boundary spanning. Marrying the functionality of the banknote with the design without alienating the user allowed them to incorporate the anti-counterfeiting measures seamlessly into the monies. That certainly took planning and focus. They will definitely be the most unique bank notes when they roll out of ATM’s in 2017.

MUST-GET APP [The Post-it® Plus App]

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ay you are working on a project. And as design processes go you probably have a slew of post-it notes everywhere some even stuck to your face. But what happens when the team retreats to

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t is December 20 1966, T.J Watson Jr. is at the helm of IBM, and he sends a company memo to the staff titled “The Design Program.” In it he outlines the importance of design to their business, in his words “Good design is good business.” Within its diverse departments, design to IBM was the one thing common on how they run their everyday activities across the company. “Since design excellence concerns all areas of the business, you should make certain that all your people are aware of its importance.”

symbol that showed the letter O spread across the horizon which was to signifying “the dawn of a new day.” – The first time in American campaign history that a symbol was used- The people owned it and translated its meaning into literally anything, iterations of the symbol swept the World Wide Web surging an unprecedented social media campaign.

or new logo nor are we as designers an esoteric cult of hipsters sprinkling “pixeldust” on everything old and making them “cool” again. Design is a tool to transform, affect and change the world around us. It is about people because whatever it is that you do people are at the center of your business, ergo the role of a designer is to transform, affect and change people’s lives.

You see now, design is more than the fancy new gadgets

Design is not the 21st century’s anachronistic concept, it has never been more relevant in time than it is in place; Africa. We are desperate for change and young innovator’s minds are the incendiary tool.

their bases, who is left to manage all that progress: it comes to a grinding halt. With the Post-it® Plus App you can now capture your progress and keep the momentum going, it allows the team

to capture the ideas, arrange and organize then share them with the entire team wherever they may be. They can be shared as PDF, JPG, Powepoint or Excel, from a mobile device to any computer,

African ingenuity has been conveyed as tacit knowledge through generational luddism, and now is the time we assert change and take charge of the rate of our innovation. It is time we realize our worth as creators for we are ceaselessly capable. Vastly rich, Africa however folds along the creases of impediment and self-doubt, we fail to acknowledge the wealth of opportunities presented before us. But we are at an archway and through it is a creative revolution, a movement that can see society inaugurating design into its rightful position as a medium for change.

now you do not have to delay progress.


THE PRINTING BUSINESS 3D PRINTING: THE GROWING BUBBLE AND THE FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING

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In the last decade 3D printing technology has become more and more familiar to manufacturers and designers, heck it is now revolutionizing the world of manufacturing and creating all new industries along the way. The 3D printing industry continues to grow and it is expected to be worth over $20 Billion by 2021.

s a technology it is the most diverse and of endless possibilities to ever hit any industry. It allows virtually anyone to seize control of the manufacturing process and personalize it, and with the turn of the years it has become cheaper. Now anyone can build something from the comfort of their home, using a portable Maker-Bot™ 3D printer. Imagine printing a ladle while your casserole cooks, or replacing a damaged part on your 6 year Old’s toy, tantrum averted. Certainly more uses for 3D printing have arisen, new trends have propagated the growth of the business and we now have seen the birth of new industries. Designers in the fashion industry have become more experimental with the technology, prototyping for technical designers and engineers has become cost effective and time saving. Downscale models of titanic projects can be replicated on sight to either demonstrate the visual likeness or mimic a complex mechanism before actual production. It seems the possibilities are endless with NASA contemplating to exploit the technology for build housing structures on the moon. MEDICINE In the past few years medical miracles have been made and with 3D printing at the epicenter of most of the inventions it has undoubtedly become the shaping tool of the future. From 3D printed bones, hearing aids, prosthetics and now 3D printing allows for faulty body organs to be reproduced for study by doctors to provide accurate diagnosis and treatment. One advantage is its efficiency in production which could prove vital in rural Africa where there are few to almost no resources, they would allow doctors to economically custom print equipment for any nature of emergency.

CONTOUR CRAFTING WHAT IS CONTOUR CRAFTING? Contour Crafting (CC) is a layered fabrication technology. A what now? An automated system that can 3D print a full size housing structure by feeding design data into the machine controlling nozzles that spew layers upon layers of concrete. It produces less waste and all under record time. Imagine setting out to build your house in just 24hours, yes, with Contour Crafting that should soon be possible Using this process, a single house or a colony of houses, each with possibly a different design, may be automatically constructed in a single run, embedded in each house all the conduits for electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning. Although still under research Contour Crafting [CC] has amassed reasonable amounts of attention and interest that saw NASA funding the research team to further develop the technology. DR. BEHROKH KHOSHNEVIS THE INVENTOR OF CONTOUR CRAFTING

Where do you fall in all this, well [Wanted Analytics] found that the most in-demand jobs requiring 3D printing and additive manufacturing expertise include the following: • Industrial Engineers • Mechanical Engineers • Software Developers, Applications • Commercial and Industrial Designers

BY M.J BOATILE

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Keineetse C. Motlhanka, MSc. Lecturer: CAD/CAM, University of Botswana

echnology development is a major driving force in recent times with advances in communication, entertainment, health etc. The types of products used today have bridged the gap between professionals and the common man by equipping the common man with the ability to produce work as conveniently as the professionals. From smart phones which were previously only designed for the corporate society to cameras with as good quality resolution as professional camera’s used by photographers. The latest craze comes in the form of a new manufacturing technology known as 3D Printing or additive manufacturing which allows anyone with the right resources and skills to produce products directly from a computer file. Hailed as ‘the next industrial revolution’, 3D Printing is a technology which produces products from a computer generated model by printing it layer by layer from the bottom up. The layer by layer fabrication process is what differentiates 3D Printing from conventional manufacturing methods in that it is the only process which does not use material removal as in processes such as milling and turning. Unlike these processes which chip away at a block of solid material to get the required geometry, or moulding processes which use moulds and molten material, 3D Printing uses heat and lasers

PINNED / 3D PRINTING/ 23

to solidify material which can exist in liquid, powder or solid form. Technical information aside, 3D Printing is truly every technology junkies dream as it makes complete use of a variety of technologies in order to create a product. These include 3D scanners which are able to capture images of existing products in real time and convert them to computer files known as CAD files. These CAD files can then be manipulated through the use of various design software, some available for free Online, before finally being saved in a format which can be read by the 3D Printer.

Application wise, 3D Printing is as versatile as the mind can conceive. The possibilities are endless as to what it can create. To illustrate just how advanced and fun this technology is, the US president, Barrack Obama himself was 3D scanned and printed with the end result being a bust of the president which is currently on display at the Smithsonian Museum in the US.

PHOTO © SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM

Industrial applications of 3D Printing include growing use in the aerospace industry in the manufacture of components used in airplanes; the medical field in the use of biological reproduction of body organs and prosthetics; the automobile industry in vehicle parts; jewelery design; toy manufacture and recent developments in the construction industry with an extraordinary case of a Chinese company having 3D printed 10 houses in a 24 hour period.

As with everything else, 3D printing does have limitations with the major ones being the speed of print, the size of printed objects and material limitations. None-the-less, the technology brings forward exciting opportunities for economies looking to grow their manufacturing sector, for technology enthusiasts and hobbyists who enjoy creating products, and with costs of desktop 3D printers going down, everyone will soon be able to afford one.

3D printing will undoubtedly reshape the future , the way we live, work and interact with our environment but that is not before it disrupts the way we live, work and play now.

It will bring upon concepts we would have to adopt and accept, we will have to get used to products with longer lifespans because of 3D printing’s regenerative ability, a single part of a product can easily be replaced if broken. This will severely disrupt the traditional manufacturing processes and the global economy too. With the technology becoming cheaper and easily accessible, more and more manufacturers are turning to 3D printing and abandoning current market niches. This will also see new market entrants pioneering and competing for niche businesses. Intellectual property threats could become a common conversation due to the easily accessible 3D printing schematics Online which could see companies sighting intellectual property law violations


MOM AND DAD:

YOU WERE WRONG I CAN MAKE A LIVING FROM DESIGN

It’s perceived as a decadent profession for nonconformist and radicals. But what is design really, with so many iterations of the profession all which result in the creation of something, design is one of the most important modes of progression. In these modern times where creation is deemed cool, and being innovative is an admirable virtue, creators are the most sort after lot. The world has come to accept design as a problem solving tool for many of their needs; let’s sample a few roles where design has been valuable in.

Industrial design is a combination of applied art and applied science, whereby the aesthetics, ergonomics and usability of products may be improved for marketability and production. The role of an industrial designer is to create and execute design solutions towards problems of form, usability, physical ergonomics, marketing, brand development and sales. With industries churning out new products everyday it is the designer’s wit and competence that’s in demand in today’s job market Emergence of the Graphic design industry In late 19th century Europe, especially in the United Kingdom, the movement began to separate graphic design from fine art. From 1891 to 1896 William Morris’ Kelmscott Press published books that are some of the most significant of the graphic design products of the Arts and Crafts movement, and made a very lucrative business of creating books of great stylistic refinement and selling them to the wealthy for a premium. Morris proved that a market existed for works of graphic design in their own right and helped pioneer the separation of design from production and from fine art

I magine nine-year old you sitting at the dinner table with your folks. They are both impressed with your end of term gradesnine year old you is fairly smart, spotting a few A’s and B’s- your father asks what you want to do when you grow up. Which of the following choices would have landed you in heaps of trouble: Doctor interior designer

Lawyer Engineer.

If you chose B-you are wrong-because it is C. The creative industry then wasn’t as lucrative as it is now. Although

the design profession has grown and developed, the public is only beginning to recognize its practical competencies. Now design is becoming a rewarding business in which people with a unique way of thinking can now use their creative cognition to create, make a difference and earn a living. Design is a relatively new concept to our borders, ironically it’s like a new revolutionary gadget that is supposed to change lives but no one has figured it out yet except its inventor.

What is design? Why design? What makes a designer? Get the next issue of Pinned Magazine when we address what design is, what makes a designer and why design is crucial in the modern day with different industry experts.

NOVEMBER 2015 PINNED / MOM AND DAD / 24


I’M GARY MAURICE here are many terms a creative individual may call themselves and I like to go by the title visual communicator or information architect as I consider myself to be one who creates, organizes and presents data in an easy to understand yet visually appealing manner. My name is a Gary Maurice, a young man who has just crossed over the 3 decades age mark. I cannot say that I have always been the ‘creative one’ or that I ‘fascinated’ everyone with my drawing skills. In fact, I was quite the technical child as I was one who engaged in fixing things, especially electronic gadgets. After completing my A-Level sciences in 2001, I sat at home for a year, wondering which direction I should take. At this stage I was really fascinated about how to make things work and was considering a career in the science or IT fields. I had been introduced to computers in grade 7 at home when my father bought an IBM PC. It was a top of the range 486 desktop with 16mb ram, 512mb hard drive, 66mhz processor, 14 inch crt monitor, running windows 3.1. That’s the computer that trained me in the fundamentals of computing and also introduced me to the creative industry. One of my older brothers was working in Harare, Zimbabwe at the time when he stumbled across a college called Zimbabwe Institute of Vigital™ Arts, ZIVA for short. A graphic design and new media college. I miraculously got a place and enrolled at ZIVA. For the two year diploma course. I completed the graphic design and new media course with ZIVA and graduated top of my class in 2004. After graduating, the director of the college requested I return to the college as an instructor for one of the courses which I have taught from 2005 to date. After I graduated, also worked as a junior designer at a company called FCB Zimbabwe, a global advertising agency. The nine months I worked there had its fair share of good times, bad times and fun times. I had a bit of a challenge when I started working there because most of the software that we were taught I college were newer versions to the ones that were on

PINNED / GARY MAURICE / 25

the agency workstations. So some the processes that I could complete in two or clicks and I had to find the manual way of doing them. Another challenge was that two major programs that the agency used for document layout were not taught at ZIVA as ZIVA always strives to meet international standards and were not teaching those two programs. I did learn those programs very quickly and in a short time my immediate superior kept pilling my desk with work that needed to be done. This at first irritated me because at times I would find the other junior designer with no work to do and yet my desk would be loaded with at lest 6 different job cards. I then discovered that my superior preferred my work ethic telling me that he would rather have me do the work with a slight delay, rather and entrust it to the other junior designer. When I started working at FCB, I was given a lot of boring projects to work on, mostly copying and pasting text into a template then preparing it for production, or changing a picture in an advert that had already been designed. Fortunately I was soon entrusted with more interesting jobs that involved using my creativity. The agency had some big clients which I had the opportunity to work on some of the projects. Some of the clients, whose names come to my mind right now, that I did manage to do some work for whilst at FCB include Telecel Zimbabwe, MBCA bank, Cains Foods, Datlabs, Seedco and others. During my time at FCB, I made it a point to learn the processes and procedures of print media production pipeline. In college, we had been taught the theory and now I had to face the practical aspect of things. For one major personal reason, I decided to resign from FCB after working there for 9 months. As a conservative Christian, my moral beliefs came into conflict with the environment that was there and I had to make the decision to leave. Another factor that would have made me leave, though at a later stage, was the fact that FCB focused and print design and production whilst outsourcing multimedia. I love doing multimedia work and I was quickly getting tired of doing print design everyday, all day. I believe I would have looked for another job that offered multimedia within two years of working there had I not resigned on the basis of my moral views. I did scout around for another job but soon discovered that the industry was more or less the same and sooner or later would have run into the same problem.


Since February 2005, I have been working as a freelance graphic designer/ multimedia developer and as an instructor at ZIVA, of which the first 9 months I worked at FCB Zimbabwe. I also have been providing private tuition to creative individuals who want to learn a particular program or to learn a specific skill. As a freelance designer I have focused mainly on web and multimedia. Most of the print work I have done over the years I have accepted to do it because I love the design work, not so much for the money, so I access the project first before agreeing to working on it. So far, in the 10 years I have been a practicing visual communicator, I have never actively looked for clients. All the clients I have received have been by referral. Again I have never pitched ideas to a prospective client in a bid, against other designers, to get a contract - and currently still have that mindset. Often people then say to me –“it means you have a lot of money”. On the contrary, two major reasons why I work that way is; 1. I do what I do because I love to do it, 2. After my resignation from the advertising agency, I started working on some personal projects which I hope to be able to successfully launch within the next 5 years. There have been some major setbacks, but I believe that I will be able to achieve those dreams.

My experience as a visual communicator in Zimbabwe has had its fair share of challenges. Including but not limited to tough economic problems the country faces as a whole. I have had clients disappearing without making payment once the work is done, some clients dumping the project midway after quite a bit of hard work and some who continuously promise payment but never getting to actually make the payment. On the good side, there have been clients who have been a pleasure to work with, they understand the creative process and request realistic deadlines, they pay on time or communicate any problems and live up to their promises. This is not to say I have been perfect all the time. I have had a few mishaps, most being slight delays with some deadlines. These experiences have shaped the way that I work and interact with clients and have built me as an individual to be a better communicator in this industry. Most of the work I have done will be available for viewing on my personal site, www. garymaurice.com, which at the time of writing this article is under renovation but will be reopened soon. Two websites ...that I would like to to refer

FOR-DEVELOPERS

A

pp Links is a standard that makes it possible to deep link to content in your app. When someone using your app shares content via Facebook (or another App Links-enabled app) you can create a link that makes it possible to jump back into your app into that specific piece of content. What it all means is that, your app users bypass the strenuous and inconvenient route of being directed to a page on a web browser with the content they want to see. For instance let’s

say I’m on for example Facebook and I come across a link to an image hosted let’s say maybe Instagram, how AppLinks work is that link should take me directly to that image in the native Instagram app and not open up a mobile browsing window with the image. This improves the user experience of your app so any app developer that has content that frequently gets shared on Facebook should add support for App Links to their websites right away. PINNED / GARY MAURICE / 26


Lynda It is one of the leading online learning company that helps anyone learn business, software, technology and creative skills. They have an extensive video library of tutorials taught by industry experts and in various languages. This is a paid platform that gives you unlimited access to all media library with new courses availed weekly and worth every penny. They cover a wide spectrum of creative skill learning for all your requirements. www.lynda.com

Useful websites for designers Pinned Magazine

he web has become a large classroom for designers to hone their skills and knowledge, but its expansive reach does not make it easy for them to find what they need and not everything is useful. These are Pinned Magazine’s top 10 websites for design resources, news and inspiration. There are no doubt more than just 10 pit stops to make while online trawling for a spark to get you started on your next idea. The following will certainly prove more than useful, they have been chosen for their quality of content, style of deliver, popularity and general competence.

Greyscale Gorilla

www.greyscalegorilla.com

This is one of our favorite online learning platform, they teach motion graphics, vfx and have great insight on photography, print graphics and they have an elaborate creative process to help you in your work. Founder Nick Campbell has a charismatic teaching style, unorthodox and free flowing it is like no class I’ve ever sat through. They also develop software plug-ins for cinema 4D, AE and Ps all of which are designed to make your design process simpler.

PINNED / SITES FOR DESIGNERS / 27

Behance

www.behance.net

This is perhaps the largest creative community out on the web right now. Adobe has acquired Behance to give creators a platform to showcase their work and share it with the rest of the world. Many organizations hire from Behance, so setting up an account here might help you get noticed.

Mashable You want news, tips or learn about new trends sweeping the creative world, this should be your everyday stop. “Mashable reports on the importance of digital innovation and how it empowers and inspires people around the world.” [from site] www.mashable.com


The Verge This is where you stay plugged-in on what going on around the world on matters intersecting technology, science, art, and culture. www.theverge.com

Pinterest Another creative community but a bit more subjuctive than behence, depending on the user’s interests. It is a great source of inspiration where you can keep track of your interests. www.pinterest.com

From up North

12 Designer

From up North is a design blog focused on promoting and inspiring creatives all over the world. They have a large collection of inspiring works from the Graphic Design, Advertising, Photography, Illustration, Web Design, Motion Graphics, Print, Packaging and architectural world just to hint on a few.

This is an online market place for designers to sell their creative skills and knowledge. A platform that brings designers and clients together to enjoy a collaborative process that delivers excellent designs. It has a large community of designers/ creatives to choose from whatever the project might be.

www.fromupnorth.com

www.12designer.com

Huge Huge is a digital agency with locations around the world. Their site leverages great insights, ideas and comments on their successful practices and then some. This might be an odd selection because the opinions expressed could be subjective but it is an excellent inspirational platform by a company thats performing well in this respect.

Brain Pickings It is a cross-disciplinary treasure chest, full of pieces spanning art, science, psychology, design, philosophy, history, politics, anthropology, and more; pieces that enrich our mental pool of resources and empower combinatorial ideas that are stronger, smarter, richer, deeper and more impactful. [from site] www.brainpickings.org

www.hugeinc.com

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26 to that I have worked on are www.artisan.co.zw and www.emmillyphotography. co.zw. These two sites I made forced me to research on web technologies I had never implemented before. The initial project requirements evolved and the sites were developed and I had to learn new ways of achieving certain things. What is very interesting about web development is how the volume of work done in making the website is not noticeable. For example, the way a car moves from point a to point b. Most drivers don’t understand the intricate details behind how the engine is running to get the car to move. Of which when a manufacturer gets excited on a new ‘system’ to make the car faster yet use less fuel, it doesn’t fascinate a majority of people. They’re just happy it works. So for those two sites I did manage to work with some technologies that help with the functionality if the site, which to me were milestones in my knowledge base. Speaking about ZIVA, it is

a college that offers a 2 year diploma in Graphic design and new media and 2 year course in Animation. The diploma is a fully packed program that covers subjects such as History of Graphic Design, Graphic Design, Advertising Design, Web and Multimedia, Photography, Digital Studio(fundamental design programs), Foundation studio(refresher class in art) to name a few. As an instructor there, I teach two subjects namely Digital studio for the 1st year students and Web & New Media for the 2nd year students. Since its inception in 1999, the school has produced many designers who have gone to different areas in the Zimbabwean creative industry. Some students have gone abroad to further education and have received credits for the subjects covered in the diploma course. Of particular interest is one student who went to further her education Yale University in USA some years ago and is currently working in the art department there. The combination of courses offered at ZIVA as part of the main diploma course are

A magazine like platform that allows the user to “flip” through a variety of feeds from other websites and their social-network feed. This app makes it possible to access tailor-made information on desired topics easily and conveniently at a flip of a page. It lets you choose your topics of interest and accordingly feeds regular updates on everything related to them from all over the Internet, that way you do not miss anything. That is why its our favorite

not offered anywhere else in the country, although there are some other institutions that offer part of what ZIVA offers, and because of that, ZIVA is a unique institution which offers the best design education in the country. The students that have graduated are capable of and have specialized in design fields such as fashion design, industrial design, tv and film, architecture to name a few.

ZIVA offers a 2 year diploma in Graphic design and new media and 2 year course in Animation.

ZIVA has also been involved in training institutions which needed to have their personnel upgraded in terms of design education and working with applications. So ZIVA has been producing designers that are supporting the creative industry through design agencies, in house designers and even as freelance designers. It has also supported other production houses and institutions by providing specialized training for their staff members. As an information architect in Zimbabwe, I have decided to live by the motto that ZIVA has – evolve or die. The industry is ever changing and it is necessary to adapt to those changes in order to be able to survive. Amidst the challenges faced as an individual, as ZIVA or as a country, I felt it important meet those challenges head on and work to overcome them rather than die out.

follow the stories and people that matter to you.


DESIGN IS A POWERFUL TOOL TO RESHAPE THE WORLD AND THE MIND IS THE HAND THAT WIELDS THIS POWER


PIN BOARD In this section of the magazine, we will showcase innovative designers, artists, companies and nations. This is where you will learn about what other creators from the rest of the world are doing and how. The articles in this section are more scholarly, written by industry experts.




Biomimicry is sustainable innovation that is earth-loving one which inventors should adopt by first accepting nature as the best designer. BY M.J. BOATILE

IS BIOMIMICRY The Future of Sustainable Design?

MIMICKING NATURE FOR BETTER DESIGN

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ature is always at balance, whenever there is an anomaly it creates a counter force to correct the mistake. As next generation innovators we would do well to emulate nature’s strategic way of problem solving, this is called Biomimicry. If humans are to inhabit this planet for the next billion years we need to create products, or accept ways of living that are well adapted to our environments. Biomimicry allows for us to reverse engineer nature’s flawless building blocks and implement them on our creations for a more sustainable system. Mother Nature has perfected most of the design challenges we struggle with, she has come up with workable solutions. This is the future of design, developing efficient processes to better our way of living while healing the earth all at the same time, because when we understand nature’s ways, we can mirror its mechanics and use it to solve human problems.

It is beyond apparent the need for a nature-centric approach to our food crisis, hence biomimicry. Take for example prairies, a natural ecosystem consisting of interacting organisms. Prairie grasslands exhibit stability in fluctuating conditions through a diversity of species that compensate for each other. Its survival depends on its diversity as a community. As a strategy we could implement it on our agricultural sector for food production, the industry and transportation sector. For example the transportation system should embrace other modes of transportation and routes as a way of relieving strain or dependency on one. Designers should explore more of the diverse avenues of addressing transportation problems. We can mimic the communication system of ants that allows them to manage congestion when on a food route using pheromones to ease our overcrowded highways.

We can mimic nature’s ability to adapt, resist hostile environments and counter waste into the way we produce food. Acknowledging the fact that a significant fraction of the world’s population is underfed with the reality that nature can simply flourish under its own management enabling it to sustain every organism.

Although alternative energy sources continue to grow, nearly 80% of the world’s energy consumed is from fossil fuels that produce a harmful byproduct. Nature however has all along managed to maintain a suitable environment to its desire including temperature regulation by no artificial means.

Microtemitine termites construct mounds that maintain a constant internal temperature to within one degree Celsius day and night while external temperatures swing from 42–3 degree Celsius. This ingenious architectural structure was then mimicked by architect Mike Pearce to design an alike model of the EastGate Centre in Harare Zimbabwe. The building has no conventional airconditioning but regulates temperature just as well. It uses 35% of the energy required to heat and cool a similar office building and saves the owners US$3.5 million up front.

On her 2009 TED presentation titled “Biomimicry in action” Janine Benyus reminded us what we had forgotten and that is the fact that we are not the first to build and we are not the first to try and optimize our living space. She sighted that our way forward is to familiarize ourselves with the way of life of the descending organic life and how they interacted with their surroundings. She went on to pose a beckoning question. What if every inventor, at the moment of creation could ask: how does nature solve this? Biomimicry is sustainable innovation that is earthloving one which inventors should adopt by first accepting nature as the best designer. PIN BOARD / BIOMIMICRY / 34


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Ultimately what we do here is inspire people with ideas that change the world around them. Pinned embraces design as a tool for that change and hope to share these ideas in a unique and educational manner.

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A

lthough the process of design may be considered ‘creative’, many analytical processes also take place. Some of the processes that are commonly used are user research, sketching, comparative product research, model making, prototyping and testing. These processes can be chronological or iterative. An iterative process helps the designer to cover all basis and modify past stages for a clinical product.

The Senic Way WITH THE COGS OF INNOVATION TURNING AT A HASTY RATE, IT IS ALMOST IMPROBABLE TO CREATE A DISTINGUISHABLY UNIQUE PRODUCT.

This is the usercentered stage of the process, where the designer empathizes and tries to understand the needs of the user by first understanding their day to day experiences in relation to the problem.

E

ven larger techcompanies find it difficult to conceive an inimitable idea that the competition doesn’t quickly catch up on. But a small hardware firm in Germany; Senic, seems to have figured it out. They have developed their version of a mouse termed “Flow,” a programmable, wireless controller for your computer and connected devices. In our amazement we caught up to them for insights on their design process. We were obliged by their industrial designer Felix, who took us through the conception of the device to the production of the final product.

This is the analytical step that aims to attain the best possible option. Innovative iterations of the product/ service are generated so as to create a path for a successful outcome.

This is where the designer engages the following disciplines Interaction Design Industrial Design Communication Design design prototyping Innovation Engineering Design Research

Ensuring the product sees the light of day by addressing matters of production & machining, material selection, vendor identification & selection, market testing and also consider IP implications

FELIX

PIN BOARD / THE DESIGN PROCESS / 38


WHAT IS FLOW Flow is a programmable, wireless controller for your computer and connected devices. It supports 4 different actions: Push, turn, swipe and fly.

THE PROBLEM In our job, we use digital tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, Rhino and Eagle on a daily basis. We need to be fast and we need to be good.

in a fast and precise way. We want them to help our flow, not disrupt it. Kind of like a musician focusing on the music rather than the instrument.

We count on our tools to access our favourite actions

That’s not what our work felt like until now.

The User Experience The frustrations piled up. Looking through this stack, we realized that they arose out of a poorly designed user experience. In order to correct these frustrations, we worked out a manifesto including 11 requirements we needed from our solution. It has to have analog controls for functions like sliders as well as digital controls to choose between different

PIN BOARD / THE DESIGN PROCESS / 39

actions or shortcuts. It has to use the full abilities and senses of the human hand. • it has to work with the tools we use. • it has to be portable. • it has to be beautiful and cool. • it has to be non-intrusive and not annoy us when we’re with friends. • it has to be made from quality materials. • it has to feel so good, you would want

to use it all the time. • it has to be manufactured locally. • it has to last long. • it has to feel natural. We needed a programmable, haptic and dedicated device that gives us the same precision, speed and feeling as using our hand.


WHO IS IT FOR? We mainly aimed at creative professionals like graphic designers, musicians and developers.

DEVELOPMENT

But as it turns out, a lot of people want to use Flow to flip through their slides during presentations, skip tracks and adjust the volume in Spotify.

We got so much good feedback and new use cases during the campaign, it’s amazing. Especially people that come from smart home and want to

control their connected devices are interesting. There’s a lot of demand.

CONCEPTUALIZATION We were inspired by the knobs on stereo systems and light switches. Both are great interfaces that anyone directly understands. You can operate them without even thinking about it. The other sensor we integrated is the ‘fly’ sensor. It’s necessary because we wanted to use Flow in situations when we

don’t want to touch the device. After integrating all these sensors, we started to make a lot of experiments regarding usability and size. We made the first prototype in just 2 days and then changed the design according to users’ needs. We went through around 15 iterations during 2 months.

PIN BOARD / THE DESIGN PROCESS / 40


M.J BOATILE

W

hen the w o r d s Africa and design are married together, the progeny of the two seems to a l m o s t always be in relation to concepts of craft, artisanal and informality. That is to say the notion of African ingenuity and creativity has been inexplicably synonymized with beliefs that every idea or design seems to have arbitrarily synthesized without thought or formal process. It has been that these African creations are self-sustaining only to the ways of the African culture and unmarketable to the rest of the world. So while the rest of the world mass created and allowed us to consume the delicacies of their own conception we retreated to the “dark continent’s” shadows. But now that they have already had a go around the mill the future can only belong to us and uncharacteristically this time we picked up the torch. African design now embodies seasoned growth and exudes a certain boldness and pride about Africa and its people. We have used such ingenuity to affect political and economic change, the kind of change that brought us to PIN BOARD / MADE IN AFRICA / 41

the world’s stage and magnetized interest from other nations. We first embraced our own originality and authenticity within our borders, take for example the Ghanaian style of clothing which is quaintly known as “African Attire or African-Wear”. While in Ghana it refers to any attire sewn from the African print fabrics, the trend moved from the locally popular Kabba, Slit and Jumpa to a continent wide fashion style.

fairs. They also nurture fledgling designers through the Southern Guild Design Foundation which stands to motivate, give exposure to upcoming creators to endless possibilities. This year’s GUILD fair was no stray from the directive, collecting art and designs from across the continent to the world’s capital of design, Cape Town.

The swelling interest in African art and design has lured a slew of investors crawling at the doors to curate and represent the works of talented young Africans. These works are a portrayal of contemporary Africa, depicting the interaction with their immediate surroundings from a vantage point never seem from by the outside world. Much of the attention is due to the recent reinvention of the term design in the African context by certain players in the industry.

The notion of the informal is something that is already entrusted with the idea that much of Africa is made up of the informal economy, and I want to question some of the ideas that are based on this notion of informality, because the informal is seen to lack power oftentimes it is invisible by the sheer force of not being inscribed in official circuits

Houses like the Southern guild, and individual curators like Okwui Enwezor have been great supporters of African art and design. The Southern Guild alone has offered many African artisans and designers a platform to exhibit and share their creations on world stages like the Design Miami and Design Days Dubai which are revered as the epitome of design

Okwui Enwezor Another world stage currently exhibiting over 120 artists and designers from the African continent is the Vitra Design Museum in Germany. The exhibition aptly name Making Africa – A Continent of Contemporary Design focuses on a new generation of entrepreneurs, thinkers and designers showcasing works across several disciplines of design, art, photography, architecture and film.


MAKING AFRICA – A Continent of Contemporary Design Design in 1997.

VITRA DESIGN MUSEUM 14 MARCH – 13 SEPTEMBER 2015 GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM BILBAO 30 OCTOBER 2015 – 21 FEBRUARY 2016 CENTRE DE CULTURA CONTEMPORÀNIA DE BARCELONA 22 MARCH – 31 JULY 2016 FURTHER VENUES ARE IN PLANNING PHOTO © VITRA DESIGN MUSEUM, MARK NIEDERMANN

JULIE MEHRETU Abstract printmaker and painter

She was born 1970 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and moved to Michigan with her family in 1977. She began her education at the University Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, and then went on to earn a BA in Art from Kalamazoo College, and a MFA from the Rhode Island School of Art and

Mehretu has lived and worked in New York, NY, since beginning her career in 1999. She produces large scale prints, drawings, and paintings that use heavy layering to create Abstract imagery from patterns and architectural photographs. Hundreds of thin and translucent layers of paint and paper cover the canvas of each painting. Her first major solo exhibition, Grey Area, took place at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2010. Her current body of work is part of a permanent collection in the Museum of Modern Art.

STUDIO R!OT: MY AFRICA IS | PHOTO:

PHOTO © VITRA DESIGN MUSEUM, JÜRGEN HANS

PIN BOARD / MADE IN AFRICA / 42


F O U N D E R S

SOUTHERN GUILD Southern Guild blurs the boundary between art and design, and our mission is to present investment work, to inform and educate, to stimulate debate, to cultivate young, new designers and to redefine how design is perceived


THE GUILD Established as a platform for South African Collectible Design in 2008 by Trevyn and Julian McGowan, long time devotees of Africa’s burgeoning design scene with the mission to take it to the world. SOUTHERN GUILD has become an internationally recognized brand representing excellence and authenticity. Blurring the boundaries between art and design, it has redefined how Southern African design is perceived, both locally and globally. Almost 400 new products have been launched via SOUTHERN GUILD’s annual blockbuster exhibitions.

It then comes as no surprise that only 3 years later in 2011 Southern Guild Design Foundation was established owing to the organization’s preceding success. Aimed at motivating the industry and its contributors, effecting change and growth of South African design, the Southern Guild Design Foundation Awards were orchestrated as an annually occurrence to recognize such excellence

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PHOTO © KENDELL GEERS | LEVIATHAN STOOL

MADE IN AFRICA Southern Guild might have been established in South Africa but their expanse throws beyond the border with more contributors from other African states and abroad, they have offered many small exhibitors a platform to present and share. This year’s GUILD Fair was no short of afrocentric art This year’s GUILD fair saw yet another array of craftsmen, artists and designers from across the continent and the world including Botswana’s Mabeo of Mabeo Furniture who collaborated with award winning design artist Porky Hefer on further exploration of his human-scale nest series which have been celebrated at the most important design fairs around the world. PHOTO © MABEO FURNITURE

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The Urban Designer A POWWOW WITH ONE OF BOTSWANA’S YOUNGEST AND MOST INFLUENTIAL VOICES IN DESIGN YET! Gabriel Mothibedi

THE PROCESS OF DESIGN IS ABOUT SYNTHESIS AND SENSE MAKING In any budding market there are always impending threats, enticing opportunities, buried weaknesses and strong points that make it all the more stirring to venture into. This then calls for a comprehensive humancentered approach to innovation to help spur a new and or existing brand into the epicenter of a competitive market. The young local creative scene promises all these, but is the Botswana market ready for a new-age subversive thinker, the radical innovator. A design thinker equipped with all the right tools; with the ability to act intrinsically, to recognize patterns, to construct ideas that are intimately meaningful as well as functional, needed to integrate the needs of people. Pinned met a designer with such a rare combination of qualities, Gabriel Mothibedi to discuss this design practice in reference to one of his successful projects.

gabriel mothibedi, MSc. Communications Designer / Lecturer of Design Department of Industrial design and Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, University of Botswana Gaborone, Botswana Work: +267 3554316 Mobile: +267 75089673


PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE BIOGRAPHY I was born and raised in Botswana. Growing up, as a child I was inspired by the works of Phidias and Leonardo Da Vinci for their artistry, creativity and ingenuity. This fascination coupled with a strong background in fine arts education sparked my interest in the creative professions and persuaded me to undertake a Bachelors degree in Industrial Design at the University of Botswana. At present, I hold a Master of Science in Communications Design from Pratt Manhattan in New York City. In my Master’s thesis I covered a number of creative expertise in areas such as: Design Strategy, Applied Creativity, Organizational Innovation, Visual Sense-making, Open Innovation, and Service Design. At the same time I hope to advance my career in design and to create a niche for myself in the local design sphere.

RESEARCH AREAS I envision myself as an original contributor to design knowledge through applied research and publishing. My research interests are geared towards design and business innovation: with vital interest in problem framing and its applications to business challenges. I am also interested in visual-sense making and its application to business innovation, as well as innovation processes and their applications to corporate strategy development, business development, capacity building, and strategic positioning. I have also authored a number of conference papers and one journal article on design-related issues and a book entitled Setso: a study on the Southern African creative sector in the context of New York, United States.

I have worked as a design strategist, innovation facilitator and communications designer for several small and medium corporations. Part of my design work covers: business design, design-driven innovation, new product and service development, alignment of products and services to corporate philosophies and visions, creation of brand experience frameworks, development of innovation strategies, development of brand strategies and brand identity designs, creative problem framing and problem solving, corporate communications and Advertising Design. In addition, I have done some work in, capacity building, information visualization, strategic brand positioning, for clients ranging from telecommunications companies, retail stores, financial institutions, and non- profit organizations. My work experience includes a stint in the United States, where I worked as a Communications Designer. I am currently a Communications Design practitioner, Innovation Facilitator and lecturer of Design at the University of Botswana. As an undergraduate student I was honored as the Botswana representative at the 2008 Design Achievers Conference held in Pretoria, South Africa.

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY I believe, as the world of business grows increasingly complex, problem framing becomes more critical. Today’s ‘wicked problems’ cannot be solved using scientific facts or rational methods of thinking. In my view, they need new approaches and design methodologies and processes have proven to yield great success. I feel, by nature, the process of design is about synthesis and sense-making, during which designers work towards organizing complexity and finding clarity within chaos. I also feel that as a human-centered activity, design offers new ways of problem solving and solution generation through a collection of social approaches; it offers alternative ways to look at organizational innovation helping businessmen understand more fully the creative and social life of their firms. To that end, I feel that design stands as a function of business, an integral part essential to all levels of business operation: from top management, middle management down to implementation levels. PIN BOARD / GABRIEL MOTHIBEDI / 48


Major Project: RE-BRANDING MAFIA SOUL

One of my major design projects was the rebranding of Mafia Soul. Specify who Mafia Soul are. Keep it short. My main contribution to the Mafia Soul / Urban Soul project was to use my design competence in constructing the company’s corporate strategy, developing new products and services, along with constructing the brand strategy and identity design.

This exercise required commitment and dedication to successfully define the problem/opportunity space, to generate appropriate, user-centered and customer-focused solutions, as well as to define a brand strategy that focuses on building positive perception and trust to Urban Soul’s customer base. The amalgamation of the new brand identity, the vision and the core values ware intended to elevate the company’s fundamental promise and core philosophy, as well as to set Urban Soul apart from its category competitors. With a stellar record of increasing market share, profitability and product offerings for well over 10 years, the company is still a leader in the fashion and lifestyle business in Botswana. The re-branding exercise was carried out in effort to crystallize this conception, to reinforce the company’s market position and to celebrate all their achievements. The new brand is to stand as one of the most valuable PIN BOARD / GABRIEL MOTHIBEDI / 49

assets for the company. It also had the main purpose of reflecting their corporate governance and commercial reputation, a manifestation of the promise and value they sought to deliver to their clients. The first thing I did on the inception of the project was to apply research and analysis. This phase comprised the formulation of research questions, ‘How Might We Questions’ and a series of fact-finding missions. The outcomes reflected a need to change the name. This proposal to changing the name did not sit well with the founder of the company Mr.Molefi Nkwete at first. It took sometime and a great deal of discussion for an agreement to be reached. We agreed to go with ‘Urban Soul’ as the name and ‘Lifestyle redefined’ as the tag line, after a number of brainstorming sessions. Below is an account of how Mafia Soul was re-branded as Urban Soul. The project dates back to 2012 when I was a graduate student of Communications Design at Pratt Manhattan in New York city. This was carried out as an additional project in a visual Communications 2 Class at Pratt, taken with Professor Kavin Gatta. Coincidentally, Molefi Nkwete was in New York City at that time, and we had a meeting by Sea Port, on the coast of Hudson River, where the agreement was signed. The project started, and as stated above naming was the first process, and below is the tale behind the name….

Naming is a very important aspect of branding. As such the new name had to be something not too different from what the company had initially, yet that would be effective, selfexplanatory and that will portray a positive message. The idea was not to abolish the entire brand of the company, but to build onto what had been created. With over a decade in operation the company has influenced many lives. Their dedication and commitment to service and delivery of worldclass products has gained them good reputation in the urban environments within which they operate. I had to find a way to achieve the newly set goals and at the same time keep the most important elements the brand has earned over time. The commercial and cultural reputation the company gained over the fifteen years of operation compelled me to change the name to a more descriptive one, hence the change from “Mafia Soul” to “Urban Soul.

Initial sketch of the Urban Soul Logo



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lthough the initial name had gained a good platform, the meaning faded with time as they entered new commercial spaces. The negative connotations and associations with the word ‘Mafia’ had negative implications for the brand, and it did not communicate appropriately who they are and what they stand for. The change to Urban Soul crystallizes the company’s credibility and it has a very positive connotation. It builds onto the brand value perception and trust. It is slowly becoming a selling point on its own. Urban Soul stands as a direction and reinforcement of the influence the company’s products had in the demographic and lifestyle changes taking place in the areas within which they operate. They have helped define and crystallize identities of young urban-based people. Urban Soul stands to offer young urban people

a platform to express themselves through fashion and lifestyle.” The tag line ‘lifestyle Redefined’ was constructed on the bases that fashion defines character and style. A person’s ensemble is a reflection of their personality; “you are what you wear.” Urban Soul has made fashion and lifestyle products more accessible to urban-based youth, and created a platform for identity definition and self-expression. By infusing fashion and lifestyle products to the urban-based community, they have defined consumer sentiments and contributed to their sensitivity to style. By supplying mainstream brands, they have consistently introduced and defined what is trendy in areas where they do business. Their products serve as ideals of character; it is for this reason, the tag line is; “lifestyle redefined”.

Molefi Nkwete Founder/Managing Director

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PLAY BOARD This is where we provide you with tips tricks that they can use on a daily basis; interesting book, software, apps, movie and game reviews. This is a recreational section showcasing the latest trends, gizmos and all the interesting technological advancements, helping you stay “Pinned� with the rest of the world.



BOOK REVIEW TITLE: Sketching, Product design presentation AUTHOR: Koos Eissen and Roselein Steur

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designer, a product designer particularly spends a good amount of time communicating his or her ideas and sketching plays a huge role in conveying the ideas A good visual is necessary for providing a comprehensive presentation, informative insight, and overall perspective of the design process. However a designer’s ability to sketch is not enough, the context in which they are applied is also important and how you formulate your content in order to get your message across and that is PLAYBOARD / BOOK REVIEW / 55

where the importance of this edition becomes apparent. Koos Eissen and Roselein Steur have written books on sketching before which were based on the basics of industrial design sketching for product design. Sketching product design presentation is their third book which now breaks away from their previous focus on learning to sketch. On this one they focus on product design presentation. It is essentially about the visual

language, it explains important visual language and perception theories, illustrated by a lot of examples from the design practice. The shift from sketching basics to the context of sketching is substantiated by visual language theories that can be of help in creating presentation, such as the three brain theories; the Gestalt Theory, visual Semantics and Visual Rhetoric. These theories are explained though out the book across the chapters.


Chapter 1 – Our reptilian brain

Our perception mainly takes place in our brain, and a great deal of it in our ‘reptilian’ brain. In this introductory chapter, a framework and starting point is made from which various theories about perception and displaying information can be discussed. It puts the following chapters in perspective.

Chapter 2 – Design communication and Gestalt principles

The theory of Gestalt is defined in Principles derived from experiments on how people perceive certain visual information. A brief overview of influential gestalt principles is explained (discussed) within the context of product design. 2.1 Intro to Gestalt 2.2 Eye-tracking 2.3 Nine influential Principles of Gestalt: 2.4 Visual balance 2.5 Focal point 2.6 Colour and unity 2.7 Visual hierarchy

Chapter 4 – Visual Rhetoric in Design communication

A designer communicates a variety of content. In some cases his presentation is informative, communication shape, progress or technical assembly information for example, and in other situations a more convincing or persuasive character of the presentation is needed. This is where Visual Rhetoric plays an important role. 4.1 Context 4.2 Framing 4.3 The rhetor and the audience 4.4 How to convince; ethos, pathos and logos

Chapter 5 – Levels of Perception

A presentation, especially a visually complex one like a combination of text, photographs, sketches and renderings, can have an impact on a person at various perceptual levels. In this chapter, making a visual presentation is discussed with a combined approach from the viewer. 5.1 Select, organize and interpret 5.2 Visual AIDA 5.3 3 distances at which to look at things

Chapter 3 – Visual Semantic

All visual information appears to refer to some kind of meaning. These meanings are not the same for everyone, for example due to cultural differences. Especially in this era of global entrepreneurs, it is important for a designer to be aware of this. 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Signs according to Charles Pierce 3.3 Layers of meaning according to Roland Barthes 3.4 Global audience approach 3.5 The (cultural) Meaning of Colour

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Name: Rainbow 6 Siege Genre: Action,Adventure Mode: Single-player, multiplayer Developer: Ubisoft Publisher: Ubisoft Montreal

An elite task-force is assembled from the world’s foremost armies to counter a new terrorist threat unlike any before. Siege is considered to be a successor to Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6: Patriots. Like other titles in the series, it will focus heavily on team play and realism. It will however have notable differences to older versions of the game, featuring a heavy multiplayer focus and destructible environments.

2015 GAMES Name: Batman; Arkham Knight Genre: Action/adventure Released: June 2nd 2015 Developer: Rocksteady Studios Publishers: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Batman: Arkham Knight, the final installment of the Arkham series brings an all unwavering horde of super villains put together by Batman’s formidable adversary, Scarecrow. He calls on some of Bruce’s old foes Penguin, Two-Face (aka Harvey Dent), Harley Quinn, Firefly, Poison Ivy, and the ostentatious Riddler in an attempt to destroy The Dark Knight forever. Already as one of the most anticipated you can look forward to some new additions, like the introduction of the fully operable legendary Batmobile, which bears a discernible similarity to Batman’s Armor. Visually cohesive the two are equally as interactive in action, now for the first time the Batmobile can be summoned to Batman during game time. Arkham Knight does not have a fast travel system unlike its predecessor, as the designers considered moving around the city to be part of the game, and allowing players to skip that would detract from the experience. PLAYBOARD / 2015 GAMES / 57

Last year was an amazing gaming year but there are new monsters to kill, cities to reclaim from the unjust and all new armies to command; it’s going to be awesome because 2015 looks to be absolutely stocked with must-play experiences for Xbox One and PlayStation 4. PC players will reap most of the rewards too. Here is our selection of games to look out for this year.

Name: Halo 5; Guardians Genre: Action,Adventure Mode: Single-player, multiplayer Developer: 343 Industries Publisher: Microsoft Studios

Peace is shattered when colony worlds are unexpectedly attacked. But when humanity’s greatest hero goes missing, a new Spartan is tasked with hunting the Master Chief and solving a mystery that threatens the entire galaxy.


Name: Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate Genre: Action,Adventure Mode: Single-player, multiplayer Developer: Ubisoft Publisher: Ubisoft

London, 1868. At the height of the Industrial Revolution a new world no longer controlled by kings, emperors, politicians or religion, but by a new common denominator: money. Take over the London underworld as Jacob Frye and establish Great Britain’s most fierce gang, the only force that can challenge the plutocrats and defeat rival gangs, to bring freedom to the oppressed masses.

Learn how to like a pro The massive search engine Google, has made it possible to riddle through the worlds data in a matter seconds, certifying it the world’s most effective search engine. Now Google handles billions of searches daily from internet savvy Googlers like you, but do you know how to effectively use the site. Here are simple tricks to help you effectively Google.. Quotation Marks Use quotes to search for an exact word or phrase. This is useful for searching quotes and song lyrics “good design is good business”

Dashes Put a dash before a word you wish to exclude in your search. Apple -fruit

tilde Use a tilde key before a term to include results with its synonyms. valentines ~chocolate two periods Use two periods between tow numbers to express a range of things like dates, measurements and prices. hiphop 1990..2000 site:query Use site: to search within a specific website site:gazettebw.com

Name: Star Wars; Battle Front Genre: Action,Adventure Mode: Single-player, multiplayer Developer: Electronic Arts Publisher: EA Digital Illusions CE

Fight for the fate of the galaxy and wage epic multiplayer battles on Hoth, Endor, Tatooine and the previously unexplored planet, Sullust. Become the hero or villain of the battle as the galaxy’s most memorable heroes and villains, like Darth Vader and Boba Fett.

link: query Use link: to search for sites that link to the specific site url. link:designboom.com

related: query Use related: to find the sites that are related to the specified site related:behance.net

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PHOTO © LORRAINE KINNEAR

THE

WHY BLOG? THE CONVENIENCE OF SHARING...

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Lorraine Kinnear

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t is quiet important that blogger to potential to explain before you clients, sponsors, employees. get into the “why do So far blogging has to be something” to explain the greatest tool of selfexactly what that thing is. It is marketing, when speaking in then when you can define the terms of looking beyond your nitty-gritties of doing it. What own geographical base. It’s is blogging? Blogging is the a place you can sit and set a documentation of a great array whole office of protests and of things on the internet the way whatever it is you would like. you would in print publications. Blogs obviously so far have Blogging goes beyond having a been tarnished somewhat by platform to share your work; it their association with media, takes also a good eye, so to have and so when getting into and keep a certain audience and this whole thing you must to get your work to the right know exactly what it is you people. are trying to do. You must certainly ask yourself when Blogs stand to represent getting started what this blog not only a personality of the means to you and where it is blogger, but also can market you’d like for it to take you.

sometimes I get offered money just to blog about an event, which is really something Even Maslow highlights that social needs are a basic human need. It is quite alright to get into blogging because you want social recognition, or rather a place where you can stay in and feel like there’s actually a few people that do get you. The basis of a blog online means that


Know your words...

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ou do not want to be caught out in space when the world around you buzzes past. With new concepts and ideas being formulated every second, comes words and phrases we use to describe them. The industry is flooded with them and as such we need to be cognizant with the jargon used to stay relevant with the movements. To the conversant they serve as short-hand for popular ideas circulating the industry vine, just a mention of the word will immediately give you an idea of whats been talked about. Some of them are really just fancy talk to exaggerate the significance of an idea and give it popularity, but still you do not want to be caught of guard when your colleagues discuss trends and key innovation drivers. Here is a list of some of the most popular:

INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) PHOTO © LORRAINE KINNEAR

HTTP://LORRAINEKINNEAR92.BLOGSPOT.COM

it’s not only limited to physical spaces, you can mix and match your personality against those of others in distant places and still it would feel like you’re actually there with them. Many blogging platforms offer that, and especially Tumblr, which can even go to an extend of suggesting for you like-minded people. You can fall into that whole thing as swiftly as gravity can pull you in. Another pro of blogging is that you can blog for purely leisurely purposes, if you’re a writer and writing is the only thing that makes you feel best about yourself. Personally I’ve had some self-esteem boosts because of the things I put on my blog. You can treat a blog like a personal companion or turn it into an interactive diary, since people can reach you to say…”That isn’t crazy; I do that all the time”. So to put it shortly, blogging offers a great self-expression space which can then be beneficial to yourself as a blogger and also to

This is an idea that our future devices and/or ordinary belongings like refrigerators and door knobs will be interconnected, allowing them share and receive data. This is already a reality with some big tech companies investing in the industry.

DESIGN THINKING the readers who go through what you go through. I know for the longest time I was concerned with how to best archive my memories, tried to keep scrap books but something nasty would always befall them. Tea accidents, little brothers accidentally scribbling on them, you know the likes. When I realized how well arranged the blog kept my archives , I could not be more content.

Perhaps one of the most overused and more often than not loosely translated terms today. Design thinking as a method explores different ways to solve problems, discover the best solutions and deeply understand customer needs.

Now I know I don’t need to save photobooks for my children, they’ll be able to see all of mommy’s works with just one click. Other than that I love that I can count on blogging to get in for free at events, freebies being thrown my way at random and sometimes I get offered money just to blog about an event, which is really something. By me this is the greatest benefit that one can gain.

This concept challenges the designer to place the customer at the center of the brand strategy, activity and analysis. Understanding that a successful brand, service or product is one that its users feel included

BRAND STORYTELLING Hardly a new concept, it iterates the philosophy that the success of a brand is dependent not only on the evolving technology around it but rather the underlying relatable story.

CUSTOMER-CENTRIC

RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN Almost everything now comes equipped with screens that are connected to and have access to a web browser. Thus it is only effective to have a dynamic adaptive website to accommodate all devices. This will greatly help the “user interactiveness” of the website. PLAYBOARD / FEATURE / 60


ILLUSTRATION COPYRIGHT © 2015 BY MOATSHE J. BOATILE

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