The Standard Bank 48hr Challenge Brief initiated a pass-on brief between the 2nd year Ideation and Graphic Design students. 11 Ideation students and 62 Graphic Design students took part in the challenge.

The Ideation students researched creative solutions to better understand Standard Bank and their customer’s needs and pains. Interviews with graduate professionals and small businesses (entrepreneurs) revealed the need for a way to teach people (customers and non-customers) about credit, money management and good financial behaviour.

The Ideation students developed workable solutions within a 48 hour period to brief to the Graphic Design students who visualised and created the design, look and feel of possible prototypes for Standard Bank to use in 48 hours thereafter.

The following Ideation student teams presented solutions of a high quality and were selected to be used by the Graphic Design students to complete their part of the brief.

Inscape Pretoria Campus: Team 2:

Milana VAN ZYL
Zamantungwa KHUMALO
Micaela COELHO
Nkosiyapha BIYELA

Inscape Pretoria Campus: QNCI Solutions

Quentin LEVY STRAUSS
Nikita BLAAUW
Ilzebeth LANGEMAAT
Christi AURET

We are excited to announce the Graphic Design students who have been selected as finalists by Standard Bank and showcase a sneak preview of their visual design work.

Inscape Cape Town Campus: Rodwin Proctor, Tammy-Lee Rinkwes and Storm Thomas: App

Inscape Durban Campus: Hendrick Schalk Theron: App

Inscape Pretoria Campus: Ruska Limper, Cameron Williams and Amica Da Silva: App
 

Inscape Pretoria Campus: Melinda Smit, Liliza Kinnear and Chante Pretorius: App

The students were commended on their strong ability to conceptualise, work under pressure and practice solid creative thinking skills in their design research and design thinking capacities. Congratulations to the finalists.

The winning team will be announced at an event hosted by Standard Bank later this month.

Rachel Stinson has always had a knack for writing, food, fashion, and places. Blogging has combined all four for her with an added bonus of enthusiastic audiences. She expertly analyzes real estates, restaurants and online fashion stores with respect to pricing and people involved and can express her opinions in an unhesitant, engaging manner for all matters.

Maybe you’re some years into your career in the field of fashion design and the relief at being one of the few from your graduating year who got a job is starting to fade. Maybe you’ve been entrenched in a job for too long, but when you peek outside your cubicle, you no longer see the trees in the forest. Either way, you’re ready to rise, get promoted, and learn more to excel in the field. Here are top 7 marveling tips for fashion design students to excel in their field:

1. Consistency is fundamental – As a fashion design student, it’s not enough to just realize someone or somebody opens the door, you have to walk through and set up yourself. Consistency is such an easy thing: in case you show up somewhere every day and get the task done right, over and over, then things grow.
2. Use the internet wisely – For someone who wants to excel in the field of fashion design, do not use the whole time online to do unnecessary things, you can learn from the internet starting from new design and styles. Do not Facebook the owner of an online fashion store asking for a job. However, if you need to talk to the owner, have something meaningful to say and use a spell check.
3. Have a neurotic personality – As a fashion design student who wants to excel in the field, you will always have the feeling that you have by no means finished with a project. There’s always be something more that could be done. However, it’s also about understanding when to let go. Attention to detail and excellent organizational skills are useful attributes too.
4. Observe the rest of the world – Fashion takes itself way too seriously and has a sense of exclusivity. No other fields are like that. From rock’n’roll to chess, they don’t care about where you’re from; they invite absolutely everyone in. They understand that most of the finest artists, sports stars, musicians and style designers came from nothing.
5. Be the village girl – For a fashion design student that wants to excel, you need to behave like the village girl. The village girl might not be the prettiest, the most economically privileged or the smartest girl, but she has a robust work ethic and is often the most frequently looked over. She’s tenacious, kind and intuitive. Through proper cultivation, mentoring or the good environment, it’s “Ding!” and she’s in her game. Don’t underestimate her.
6. Work, Learn and don’t complain – Work is the new 4-letter word. People want to work in fashion and go for online shoppingbecause it is glamorous. What they don’t understand is that you have to walk around the city, picking up clothes in garment bags and filling out insurance forms. When you get to the photo shoot, nobody is going to care that you are there, despite the fact that you’re beautiful and went to a top notch school.
7. 7. Strive hard – Whatever field you may find yourself in, you have to strive and pray. For you to excel in the field of fashion design you have to strive hard.

Q:How has the SA Fashion Industry matured since the launch of the SA Fashion week in 1997?

Over the past 20 years we have brought the Creative Fashion Design Industry together. We share our collective industry knowledge and provide sustainable marketing platforms taking high-end designs from the design studio into the retail environment.

SA Fashion Week is the only Business to Business platform for fashion, footwear, accessory and jewellery designers to market their Collections. SA Fashion Week showcases the latest seasonal collections of the top designers to the media, buyers and well-heeled clients of the designers. The showcase of women’s design takes place biannually followed by SA Fashion Week Men. The SA Fashion Week Trade Event is a wholesale platform for designers to sell to boutiques and online stores nationwide. It is followed by the biannual SAFW Luxury Designer Pop Up Shop in Sandton and the annual SA Fashion Week Designer Pop Up Shop in Brooklyn Mall, bringing designers and consumers together

Our intention over the next year is to strengthen the network – facilitate and promote collaborations on all levels and integrate designers with local manufacturers and textile manufacturers to foster sustainable partnerships.

Q:With many retailers closing shop, does this mean we as Africans are not style conscious or is it more about brands/products being expensive?

The shopping landscape is changing – people no longer have to rely on the big players, especially the working youth, who often strive to be unique. Shopping in places like markets, thrift stores or in the online space. It’s not about being African but rather being part of the global community and following trends that are subconsciously promoted through social media. Clothing depends on the economy but fashion does not.

Q:What does this mean for a young designer who plans on establishing their own brand and enter the market?

Designers need to be innovative, and understand their market; Who are you designing for? It’s about creating a need, want or desire for the consumer. They need to start trends and not blindly follow.

Q:Do you feel that as Africans, we would rather spend more money on an International brand and expect to pay less on local brands?

Those who can afford to indulge in luxury fashion, seem to rather opt for international brands, because of the status, or values that are attached to it, however a mind shift is starting to take place whereby people are recognising SA design for its own quality and uniqueness, and beginning to understand the importance of supporting local industry therefore economy.

Q:We have so many designers emerging and most of them do not have a formal Education background, would you say a qualification in Fashion Design is still relevant?

Education is a fundamental part of any industry and fashion is not any different, anyone can learn how to make clothing, but one needs to understand the theoretical framework or essence of the discipline, before attempting to innovate and create something new.

Q:Can you tell us more about your programme, ’21 steps to retail’ and what it hopes to achieve by the year 2020?

The 21 steps to retail is an initiative started with Runway Productions with the aim of advancing skills development and training in the fashion design sector. The programme seeks to enhance the skills of young designers, teach them entrepreneurial proficiency and generally increase the number of local designers that can make a living from their design talent – in line with its strategy to increase its locally sourced goods from both local designers and manufacturers.

“The size of the global apparel business is growing and is expected to generate double digit growth between now and 2020, much of it coming from developing markets.” -McKinsey&Company

Q: International Brands collaborating with local personalities has sort of become a norm in SA, 1. Does that principle work in the SA Market where you find brands being sold out over night because they are endorsed by a personality? 2. Will we ever get to a point where a local brand is endorsed by a personality and the range gets sold out in minutes?

We shouldn’t compare our local brands to international brands, as they don’t have the same amount of investment. it’s important to remember that the personalities that are dressed by SA designers can afford it, many of our talented designers have dressed celebrities like Blac Chyna and Kelly Rowland and in turn has created a lot of attraction to our SA brands and designers. Retailers like Woolworths have invested in young designers, aiming to build futures in the SA fashion industry making it desirable and accessible.

Q:Which Brands/Designers are getting it right in the SA/Africa scene

Designers that are passionate about what they do, their passion shines through their work. It’s not about where you come from or making a lot of money, if you have the determination and love then no matter what obstacle you face you find a way to win, then you’re getting it right.

Q:Young emerging designers that we must look out for?

Visit the SA Fashion Week website to explore the designers on the rise. www.safashionweek.co.za SA Fashion Week encourages all designers to involve themselves in our platforms and competitions?

Q:Where do you see the SA/Africa fashion Industry in the next 20 years?

The only way is up! In 20 years all South Africans will be buying SA labels.

Q:Where can we follow you on Social Media?
Facebook: @safashionweek
Instagram: @safashionweek
Twitter: @safashionweek

Image: www.safashionweek.co.za

A lot of fuss is made over dating and courtship. It is only human I guess. With the excitement and giddiness of a first date comes preparation and for some reason the over use of hairspray and cologne. This seems especially true of ones’ younger days.

The lead up to the big night or day out is often filled with a barrage of self-styled personal critique and a slew of questions. Will he /she like my hair up or down? Should I shave? What is their favorite band? What if I say something silly or trip up? What if they do not like me? Then there is that great “What should I do so they like me more?” world tremor of a question.

It sucks all the air out of the room and drains the life out of any hope of success.
Panic ensues and more hair spray or cologne is added. Now therein lies the real problem.

It’s not the over use of hair products or cologne but rather the self-applied uncertainty of one’s acceptance and attempting to window dress one’s self to match the imagined expectation of the other person in this courtship dance.

From the perspective of the other, this may seem and is just plain silly. Perhaps you were introduced by a friend. Maybe they sought you out because of shared interests or because the wanted to get to know you. Possibly they were pursuing a richer longer relationship, broadening their horizons or approached you based on your looks alone.

Branding is not much different.

Beyond the consumers primal need for a defined product or service when they need it, if there is a choice they are going to make one. These choices are going to be made based on outward projected appearances, word of mouth references, preferences for long term or short-term relationships and shared value systems.

It also needs to be clarified that a brand is not just a logo, a name and a swatch of colours. Rather a brand is both the response of the individual and the greater public to the perceived businesses ideals and living values of a business. Brands evolve and mature. Perceptions change so do trends.

Design thinking and the thorough application of it in aligning internal business values and strategies to the outward public projection of the business itself becomes critical. There has to be room to evolve the relationship with the business’ consumer. There must be surety in what the business stands for, what it represents and what the business itself values above all else.

The design team employed on a brand strategy must work tirelessly to hedge against brand stagnation, and to represent the true self of the business.
As with dating it is not dressing up to match the expectation of what you should be but rather to present exactly who and what you are. It is after all the reason someone was attracted to you in the first place.

Spend time exploring exactly who you are and what your business values are and let that shine through your visual and contextual design considerations – it will attract individuals and groups that share the same values.

Self-described as a “Prolific scribbler, coffee drinker and happy.” Gareth Smart is a  Design Lecturer at the Inscape Education Group

Should quilt makers be considered artists, and should they command the same prices as painters and sculptors do? It is a fact of life that “art” is presumed to be painting or sculpture unless proven otherwise.

The art quilt is evolving and moving away from its initial point of reference – the quilt as bed cover – to claim its rightful place as dynamic abstract art on the walls of galleries and museums, as well as public buildings, corporate offices and private homes. An art quilt is defined as a contemporary art work, exploring and expressing the whole range of visual arts: painting, printmaking, photography, graphic design, assemblage, collage and three dimensional pieces, using fibre and fabric as the means of expression. As an art form, it is moving into very exciting territory and is finding its own voice.

What makes a contemporary art quilt?

This may consist of different attributes.  For some it is a traditional pattern made with unusual fabrics and mixed media.  Other quilters like to piece their work with improvisational techniques, making up the design of bold compositional layouts as they go until the quilt tells them when to stop. Making an art quilt necessitates discipline – planning, preparation, technical skills and the mastery of materials. A painter can erase the mark made on the canvas if it is out of place, whereas a quilter has to deal with a fabric which does not “read” well with the rest of the piece and which has already been sewn in. An enormous amount of time is consumed in creating an art quilt and the problem solving this entails.

Traditionally, quilt making fitted into a woman’s daily chores. We have come a long way from re-using old and worn fabrics from clothing to make warm blankets for the family, using tried and true patterns passed from mother to daughter via the quilting bee.

The quilt maker now breaks new ground, he/she designs the work, taking into account the variations in print and texture which a variety of different textiles and various other media can provide. A thorough knowledge of these and good craftsmanship are essential, for only then can the artist challenge the boundaries and explore the possibilities of what can be done innovatively with the medium. Coupled with this is a sound understanding of colour, design, composition and form is a prerequisite. Stitching, whether by hand or machine, diverges from its strictly functional role, and becomes an expressive tool, creating volume, shading, texture, movement, detail, three dimensional and tactile effects.

The work goes beyond the decorative

It must be original, and, as with all good art, the piece must have the ability to communicate an idea, emotion or some kind of message.It should be able to transcend the literal, to operate on a metaphysical level, with content that holds the viewer’s interest. It may even have an ambiguity, or a visual trigger that evokes something within the viewer, which perhaps allows the work to be reinterpreted over time. Fibre/textile art has a distinctive style and energy, the work is diverse and dynamic. The work challenges, explores and intellectualises ideas and opinions, or perhaps – makes fun of them.

The limits of the imagination are the only boundaries

Art quilters are serious about making art and about finding their personal artistic voices. What makes fibre art special? Textiles have meaning beyond that of the beautiful or the ugly.  From early times, textiles have been used in the most basic ways – as shelter, to wrap, warm and protect the body from birth until death, finally to enshroud the dead. Materials are used to transform and decorate the body in the many parts we play in life. Our clothes indicate our status, our roles and even our age.

Now that textiles are used in artistic ways, perceptions are changing, barriers are breaking down, there is less demarcation between “art” and “craft”. Quilts are no longer being considered as “ tuis nywerheid”.

Jenny Hearn, is a Passionate Master Quilter, Design Lecturer, reader and artist with an insatiable curiosity about life in general and art in particular. Jenny is one of the first students to graduate from Inscape in its inception years with a Diploma in Interior Design, and Diploma Architectural Draughting.

In a data centric world, the internet has become an integral part of our lives and content marketing is very much dependent on it. You see, the internet is a vast empowering force that has enabled and granted you and I the opportunity to do extraordinary things. It is only our imaginations that limit the extent to which we can unearth our truest potentials.

According to the Content Marketing Institute, Content Marketing is the marketing and business process for creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action. With this definition, I have no doubt that some of us would require to re-read it again in order to fathom what it actually means. Thus, let us endeavor to further simplify it, especially for artists and creatives who dislike the idea of sales and anything corporate.

The words marketing or business in the definition simply convey the message to us that you need to market your business to see it thrive, as an entrepreneur. The process simply means you need a system that works well for you. Creating and distributing puts emphasis on how your efforts to create and publish content is required. Obviously, the content must be relevant & valuable to your audience because such content must provide value and be relevant to them. Attract, acquire and engage is a pivotal aspect because only excellent content can meet these requirements. Defined and understood target audience; you need to know your ideal fan, customer and collector. Lastly, profitable customer action – what this action is, depends on your business needs and strategy.

Now that I’ve broken it down, it does still sound like a workload to get through, doesn’t it? There’s a simpler way to understand what your content is all about. In essence, content marketing will therefore be easily defined as producing useful content that people find entertaining, useful or interesting. Over time, this builds trust and authority over your business. At a given point in time, these people will trust you with their email addresses; they will share your content and support your business because they love what you do. This, consequently, makes content marketing a very powerful way to grow your business. It is unlike any other kind of marketing.

Remember, content marketing has an honourable purpose too. It is unfortunate, however, that many people want to take a shortcut or try to manoeuvre devices to get instant results. Content marketing is NOT a “get rich quick ponzi”, it is not Google tricks, it is not viral sharing tricks, it is not about spending wads of cash on advertising, it is not social media, it is not avoiding your real work neither is it misleading people.

The world of content marketing is filled with opinions, advice and noise. There’s a pretty good chance that your inbox is already daily inundated with content seeking your attention. You may have subscribed to something a while back that you no longer need, or maybe you’re waiting for the next newsletter from Cosmopolitan in your mail. Why? Well, you’re getting those emails because you’re simply getting value from that content.

Unfortunately, much of the content flying about is garbage! It is designed to interrupt you, sell stuff you have no interest in, promising to make you rich, offer wild results, make you thinner, stronger, cleverer or more appealing. These usually come with a “limited time offer” and many bonuses attached. All of this is annoying at best and dishonest at worst. We surely deserve better!

What do people want to see then? Well, the art of content marketing involves the skill of showing people what they want to see; what interests them. They want their problems solved, they want to be entertained and they want you to care. To care enough that you will give them your best work. These people may even buy from you if you do these for them. Many businesses that have marketing savvy fathom this reality of truth; they have strategies in place and they’re seeing massive returns.

So, to be excellent at content marketing, seek to know what is in the best interest of your audience and the results will speak for themselves.

Mosa Ntwampe holds a BA Communications Degree from North West University, Additionally, he has a higher certificate in Graphic Design from Oakfields College. Mosa is the Marketing Coordinator  at the Inscape Education Group (Midrand Campus) and is currently pursuing his BA Honours Degree in Strategic Communications with the University of Johannesburg.

The apocalyptic trend sweeping mass media for the best part of the last decade has me thinking; how would I survive the hypothetic apocalypse (because main characters never die), and then what would come after ‘it’ was all over?

I have zero interest in politics, presidency or medical services, other survivors would have to rebuild that. However, education, an entire educational system readying people to best live their lives and flourish in the areas they enjoy? Now things start to get interesting!

Imagine a world where every assumed and entrenched norm was wiped off the planning board and a new, authentic, valuable learning experience could be designed and implemented across the board. A space where old and young alike could build skill sets applicable to the world they lived in and learning paths spoke to who you are, what you enjoyed and where your talents and gifts lay.

I have never been able to count in multiples of four past 16 without silently adding four to ever total, nor am I been able to spell ‘available’. Surprisingly though, I am a fully functional adult with the skill set and creativity needed to remodel the educational system from the ground up. Imagine all the fat we could trim from what is assumed to be necessary in everyday education, all the value which could be added to each person’s learning journey. It thrills me to the point of hoping for the next apocalypse.

Then I look around and realise that I am still part of a very alive and populated world with many, many, deeply entrenched rules and stakeholders, and that is the way things are. In all likelihood, this is a battle I will not win.

The battle I can and do win though, is found in the cloud, in the ether where learning is dynamic and not bound by space, time or pace. You can learn anything online, you can guide your learning and build a veritable toolbox of skill sets, curated by you, the learner, based on your needs, capacity, talents and imagination.

There is a catch of course, not all online courses are created equally. As with purchasing any product off the shelf, you the learner and consumer, looks for value and quality. It is my personal experience as a habitual (addicted) consumer of online knowledge and information that the quality of any course can be judged by the brand endorsing it. In the consumer driven world which we live in, brands are well aware that their perceived value is only as strong as their most recent endorsement.

Pick a brand so passionate about education that they secretly hope for an apocalypse.

Gail Henning, is Inscape’s Online Academic Manager she completed her Master’s Degree in Interior Architecture from the University of Pretoria in 2004. She started working for Inscape Education Group in 2007 as a part time lecturer while remaining active in the built environment. In 2012, she began formally studying education through UNISA and in 2015 completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Adult Education and began a Master’s Degree in 2016 and should complete her studies through the University of Johannesburg in 2018. Gail is passionate about the act and philosophy of education, more specifically how and why adults learn.

Elara Aitken Graduated from Inscape with a Bachelor of Design in Graphic Design, she is currently based in the Kingdom of Bahrain where she works as a Graphic Designer.

I am Elara Aitken Graphic designer based in the Kingdom of Bahrain and a graduate from the Inscape Education Group, my daily mantra that I live by is “It’s fun to be happy”, I always remind myself of that daily! If I had a round trip ticket to see the world that would be ideal! Having lived in 4 countries and visited a number of places, I’d say traveling is one of my favourite things. Realistically, I’m also perfectly fine with a glass of wine and being around good friends just enjoying each other’s company.  My greatest achievement so far has been Working as a freelancer in Bahrain and still being sane (Just kidding, I learnt how to be even more patient working here!) I am still proud of myself for graduating top of my class at Inscape, there were times where I was so ready to give up but I’m glad I didn’t because it only made my graduation that much more special. More recently, I’d say that being able to do what I love for a living is certainly up there as number one.

If I were to describe my average work day, 6am – my day usually starts with a cup of Coffee! 8am – A bit more coffee, check emails and making lists of what needs to get done that day/week, I usually start working around 9am- things here in the Middle East are a bit slow when it comes to mornings. Living in Bahrain for so long has one accustomed to the way companies and clients approach the day, sometimes I’m working 8-6 and some days its 12 hours of crazy! By midday If the workload allows it, a brain break! Involving sending friends Snapchat videos of my dogs in the pool or scrolling Pinterest and Behance to find some inspiration, see what others are up too, 3pm – Being an independent designer I don’t have a set routine, everyday is different! I work closely with a company that operates 8pm – 3pm. so I then have the afternoon to continue working on projects for my other clients, by 5pm – Hopefully check tasks off the to-do list; get some admin out the way and emails, 8pm – If I am working on a huge project or have deadlines then I continue to work through the night until I’m done, use some of that Inscape student dedication! When things are normal with work then I try to be done by 7pm. and spend time with family and friends.

“Life has taught me ‘Keep on keeping on’. If it didn’t happen today, it will happen tomorrow” – Elara Eitken

When I was still in college the thought of being a freelance designer/ doing thing on my own was out of the question. I was all about working for a studio and finding my way from there, but as life would have it, that plan didn’t work out. For the last year and a half I have gained a number of clients that I work with constantly, some part time positions as well as one off project clients and I couldn’t be happier. As I said before, everyday is different; my clients range from Haute Couture fashion houses, real estate to food products and restaurants. I have the opportunity to work with clients who are all for bold and creative ideas; that “surprise me” client is my favourite, which is balanced out by clients who know exactly what they are looking for and that’s that. What I love most about the design Industry is that you have to know the rules in order to break them! Graphic Design has the basic rules and regulations and once you know those you can go beyond and create work that is unique and true to yourself or your client. There are so many styles within Graphic Design and it amazes me every time I see something new, there are some incredibly talented folks out there! However, I do feel that there are areas in which the design industry can improve on, being in the Middle East, I would say an appreciation for the amount of time and effort that goes into creating work would be nice! Understanding that most careers here consist of accounting, construction or sales, it’s difficult to make “I’m a Graphic Designer” sound like a substantial career. In terms of the Graphic Design industry as a whole, giving students and recent graduates the opportunity to learn and develop their skills within a studio or company will always be my number one opinion. The time I spent as an intern taught me a lot about the way things work in reality, there are nightmare clients but there is always room to learn something new and exciting everyday. Unfortunately the way the world works now is a constant battle of needing experience to get a job but you need the job to gain experience.  Companies that I think are getting it right and that student/aspiring designers can look up to, an Australian company called Smack Bang Designs, Swedish company called Kikki.k, American company Studio DIY, Canadian based Clover & Crow. There are similarities amongst them and complete opposites but I find their projects to always be fresh and exciting inspiration, I can confidently say that I draw some of my inspiration from them, Arabian architecture is a great source of inspiration as well, as it has a certain charm to the graphic patterns and textures used. I love bright colours and bold lines; I could be sat in a restaurant and marvel at the tile pattern on the floor and find a way to create something from it.

The most important lesson that life has taught me ‘Keep on keeping on’. If it didn’t happen today, it will happen tomorrow or next week or maybe next year, but don’t stop going for what you want in life. Surround yourself with positive people, creative people, book-smart people and find a lesson in everything you experience.

Design briefs have become increasingly complex. As a result, collaboration in design has never been more important (Deakin, n.d). Collaborative designers need to practice humility, must learn to trust others, and see the value of different perspectives. While this may seem like a lot of soul-baring and -searching, it’s worthwhile to remember that collaboration produces better results: solutions that won’t exist without the help of others.

Here are three types of collaboration that designers could engage in.

Collaborate with different creative disciplines

Steven Johnson’s video explains this well as the collision of “half ideas” from others to create something greater than disparate “slow hunches” (Johnson, 2010). As he justifies, this is historically “… why the coffee houses in the Age of Enlightenment, or the Parisian salons of Modernism were such engines of creativity, because they created a space where ideas could mingle and swop.” (Johnson, 2010). Perhaps we should take a page from history and dedicate more time talking about design practice over flat whites (who needs convincing?).

Beyond coffee shops, the Internet has become a tool for virtual collaboration. Hit Record is a great example of this. The organization, founded by actor/director Joseph Gordon Levitt, connects creative through briefs designed for co-creation through collaboration. These briefs could be seen as “passion projects” for when industry becomes a bore. But Hit Record showcases stories of the value for collaborating in this way – bringing together the “half ideas” to create something greater than the sum of its parts.

Collaborate with peers

Design briefs have become increasingly complex. As a result, collaboration in design has never been more important (Deakin, n.d). Collaborative designers need to practice humility, must learn to trust others, and see the value of different perspectives. While this may seem like a lot of soul-baring and -searching, it’s worthwhile to remember that collaboration produces better results: solutions that won’t exist without the help of others.

Here are three types of collaboration that designers could engage in.

Collaborate with different creative disciplines

Steven Johnson’s video explains this well as the collision of “half ideas” from others to create something greater than disparate “slow hunches” (Johnson, 2010). As he justifies, this is historically “… why the coffee houses in the Age of Enlightenment, or the Parisian salons of Modernism were such engines of creativity, because they created a space where ideas could mingle and swop.” (Johnson, 2010). Perhaps we should take a page from history and dedicate more time talking about design practice over flat whites (who needs convincing?).

Beyond coffee shops, the Internet has become a tool for virtual collaboration. Hit Record is a great example of this. The organization, founded by actor/director Joseph Gordon Levitt, connects creative through briefs designed for co-creation through collaboration. These briefs could be seen as “passion projects” for when industry becomes a bore. But Hit Record showcases stories of the value for collaborating in this way – bringing together the “half ideas” to create something greater than the sum of its parts.

Collaborate with peers

The classroom is a great place for sharing ideas and resources, and therefore a great place for collaboration (AIGA DEC, 2013). There’s much to learn from research about the benefits of collaboration in design education (Poggenpohl and Sato, 2009; Carstens, 2015; Chmela-Jones 2013, 2015).

We’ve already discussed the benefits of collaborating with other creatives, so it seems obvious that design classrooms should focus on collaborative group reviews of work-in-progress on design projects. This gives students a space to practice for the real world and benefit from the input of their peers (not to mention the endless learning opportunities). Learning to collaborate in the safe space of the classroom sets students up for success in the industry.

Collaborate with the client

We’ve heard it before: the client is king. But then students may wonder: what are we studying for? We’re in a time when designers need to use their knowledge and professional practice to collaborate with clients.

I’m a big fan of Netflix. One of their more serious productions – and no less entertaining – is a documentary series called Abstract: The Art of Design. Episode 2 explores the 23-year collaboration on Nike Air Jordan between Tinker Hatfield and Michael Jordan (Netflix, 2017). The voyeuristic look at the process of creating the successful sneaker range is extremely satisfying, and shows how the designer truly needs the input of the client to fully realize a product.

Whether designers work with one client, or with large groups of stakeholders, collaboration remains important (Steely, n.d). Designers working with the latter will, however, want to avoid the ‘design-by-committee’ trap. While it’s important to collaborate with the stakeholders, designers also need to learn how to gradually reduce their input in the interest of moving forward with projects – see the article by Riddle and Treder (n.d).

There are many useful tools to guide collaboration, like the Human Centered Design model by IDEO (Design Kit, n.d), or the principles of Participatory Design (Armstrong and Stojmirovic, 2017). Whatever is used, the focus should always remain on producing results that integrate the perspectives of the client and/or stakeholders, not merely what is pleasing to the designer.

Is collaboration for you?

If you’re still wondering about this, you need to take a dive in the ocean of research on collaboration in design. We’ve only been “skimming stones”…

References:

AIGA DEC (American Institute of Graphic Arts Design Educators Community). (2013). Collaboration, interaction, participation: a panel on participatory art and design. Retrieved July 26, 2017, from http://educators.aiga.org/collaboration-interaction-participation-a-panel-of-participatory-art-and-design/

Armstrong, H. and Stojmirovic, Z. (2017). Participate: design with user-generated content. Retrieved July 26, 2017, from http://www.participatorydesign.site/

Carstens, L. (2015). Towards human-centered desifn solutions: stakeholder participation during brief development. In 2015 DEFSA Conference Proceedings, 2-3 September 2015 (pp. 34-42). Johannesburg, South Africa: Midrand Graduate Institute, Midrand. Retreived July 26, 2017, from http://www.defsa.org.za/sites/default/files/downloads/2015conference/CARSTENS%20Lizette.pdf

Chmela-Jones, K. (2013). Democratising graphic design: the role of human-centred practice within communication design projects. In 2013 DEFSA Conference Proceedings, September 2013 (pp. 34-42). Vanderbijlpark, South Africa: Vaal University of Technology. Retreived July 26, 2017, from http://www.defsa.org.za/sites/default/files/downloads/2013conference/K%20Chmela-Jones%202013%20DEFSA.pdf

Chmela-Jones, K. (2015). The ethics of Ubuntu and community participation in design. In 2015 DEFSA Conference Proceedings, 2-3 September 2015 (pp. 34-42). Johannesburg, South Africa: Midrand Graduate Institute, Midrand. Retreived July 26, 2017, from http://www.defsa.org.za/sites/default/files/downloads/2015conference/CHMELA-JONES%20Kate.pdf

Deakin, F. (n.d). Paradigm shifts in the design industry. Retrieved July 26, 2017, from http://www.defsa.org.za/articles/paradigm-shifts-design

Design Kit. (n.d). What is Human-Centered Design? Retrieved July 26, 2017, from http://www.designkit.org/human-centered-design

Johnson, S. (2010, September 17). Where good ideas come from by Steven Johnson [Video file]. Retrieved July 26, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NugRZGDbPFU&feature=youtu.be

Hit Record. (n.d). Retrieved July 26, 2017, from https://www.hitrecord.org/

Netflix. (2017). Abstract: the art of design. Retrieved July 26, 2017, from https://www.netflix.com/za/title/80057883

Poggenpohl, S. and Sato, K. (2009). Design integrations: research and collaboration (eBook). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Riddle, R. T., and Treder, M. (n.d). The right way to do collaborative design: how to avoid designing by committee. Retrieved July 26, 2017, from http://99u.com/articles/51643/the-right-way-to-do-collaborative-design-how-to-avoid-designing-by-committee

Salonen, E. (n.d). A designer’s guide to collaboration. Retrieved July 26, 2017, from http://www.designingcollaboration.com/

Steely, J. (n.d). Design feedback made simple: 4 steps to better collaboration. Retrieved July 26, 2017, from http://www.aiga.org/dont-fear-design-feedback-team-collaboration

Chantelle Warburton is a Graphic Design lecturer at Inscape Durban. She recently submitted her Masters degree thesis – a study that focused on reflection in blended learning for graphic design. Her passion for design practice is applied to the work she does at Studio Warburton with her husband, Hylton.