20 Years of Design Indaba

The World-renowned 'design Indaba' conference takes place each year in February at Cape Town’s CTICC conference centre. The event sits at the top of the design community’s calendar with the three-day program including presentations and insight from both the worlds most established and celebrated creative professionals along with local up and coming talent.

Renowned graphic designer Michael Bierut has helped host the conference since 2010 and will be returned this year to also present. This years (2015) distinguished speakers included co founder of the world renown advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy, Dan Wieden who was the brain child of the Nike tagline "Just Do It", Stanley Hainsworth who has held senior creative positions at Lego, Starbucks and Nike and Pentagrams Emily Oberman. Managing director and founder of the Design Indaba is RavI Naidoo who was also the brainchild behind Interactive Africa, responsible for high profile projects including the “First African in Space Mission” as well as the marketing for South Africa’s bid to host the 2010 Football World Cup.

Now in it's 20th year, the conference has seen talks from many of the greatest creative minds of our time including: Massimo Vignelli, Michael Wolff, Vince Frost, David Carson, Wally Olins, Paul Sahre, David Carson, Stefan Sagmeister, Alan Fletcher, Neville Brody, Jonathan Barnbrook, Peter Saville, Paula Scher, Erik Spiekerman, Louise Filli, Steven Heller, Matthew Carter, John Maeda, Seymour Chwast, Sir John Hegarty, Alberto Alessi. If you follow my twitter @ToddADesign you'll know that I had been re tweeting some of the inspirational quotes from this years conference. I have included just some of the highlights below.

INSPIRATION AND QUOTES FROM DESIGN INDABA 2015

STANLEY HAINSWORTH
"If you’re not doing what you love then I think you’re crazy.”
"Crazy hair has its advantages. People come up and talk to you."
Stanley Hainsworth makes it a point to talk to everyone. Human interaction is our most meaningful tool.

ROSITA MISSONI
"Colours are like musical notes. You can play endless games."

EMILY OBERMAN
It took Emily Oberman 37 minutes from brief to delivery to design logo for UN's Global Response to Ebola.

PEPE MARAIS
It tastes better and feels better, no matter how serious the issue, when you have fun.

ROBBIE BROZIN
CEO of Nandos SA "It took us 10 years to become an overnight success."

SHUBHANKAR RAY
"Get people horny for product and make a horny brand."

CASEY NEISTST
"I must be the first dad in history to skateboard to his daughter's birth."

YONI BLOCH
"Music videos need to be seamless because (as someone told me) the eyes blink but the ears don't."

DAN WEIDEN
"Chaos is the only thing demanding you make something that matters.”
"Chaos does this amazing thing that order can't do. It shows you all the weird shit that order tries to hide."
"If you want to create a creative organisation you should forget everything static. Static is the last thing you want."
"Fail harder. You have to be able to fail."
"We couldn't even afford a phone when we started. We had to use a payphone down the hall."
"You wake up one morning and you're a network."

MICHAEL BIERUT
"I go to several conferences all over world. I guarantee you this is the best conference in the world"

Please visit the Design Indaba website here.


HIGHLIGHTS FROM DESIGN INDABA EXPO 2015

2DO
These products, designed by Deanne Viljoen, don't just look beautiful but were also so smooth to open and close. The 2DO range is a stackable system and each product is made from sustainable birch plywood, water based inks and are hand finished.
For more information contact: info@desteyl.co.za

Maneki
My wife and I both loved this range of products including sugar spoons, teaspoon sets, salad and cutlery sets, ceramic tableware, leather handbags and jewellery. Beautiful products with real personality.
For more information contact: maneki@maneki.co.uk

Design Team
We also really love these patterned fabrics. The business focuses on design and print inspired by South African inspired textiles. My wife bought a folder and their range of fabrics were printed on everything from cushions and hand bags to large wall hangings.
For more information visit: www.designteamfabrics.co.za