a branded perspective

Music, fashion, politics, cars, women, architecture, film, extreme sports, soccer, South Africa, Africa, travel, theism, love and life are some of the things that I like to call my interests, things that I like to do, study and talk about – I can however confirm that my interest in all these subjects is somewhat fuelled and perhaps sustained by the fact that I surround myself with individuals, be it family, friends or colleagues that are dedicated and truly fanatical about at least 1 of the topics – For instance, I have a friend that loves soccer or should I say “Sundowns” so much that we call him Mr Stats, he knows everything about every team, player, coach, club owners and can describe with great detail the events and results of almost every world cup ever held.

Then I have another friend whose love and knowledge for music is unmatched by anyone I have ever met – the guy can name a song, the writer, the producer, the year and country in which the song was recorded and the number of remixes done on the track. And this he can do across multiple genre’s, Dub, House, hip hop, reggae, jazz you name it. When you are surrounded by people with broad interests and deep passions one should feel blessed and enriched by the diversity that enriches your life experience.

What is my passion? My love? What gets me excited? Design & Branding! These two disciplines are a tangible reflection and description of who I am, a cross between a hippie and capitalist entrepreneur. On the one hand I believe that design, though not easy is very simple, its about creative problem solving, be it for basic needs - clothing and shelter, luxurious wants - sports cars and ipods or social challenges, traffic signs & hybrid cars. Everywhere you look everything we see has gone through a design process, and for those of you who are religious the first example of design is illustrated in the book of Genesis that opens with the six day process of the creation of the heavens and earth.

Branding on the other hand is about packaging an idea, service or product for commercial appeal. There are many factors that contribute to building strong brands but I believe that at the centre of all those factors is the art of understanding people, what they want vs what they need, what they say vs what they are thinking - this I find fascinating. The theoretical and practical steps that one walks through in the branding process also deliver amazing insights for effective design. Take Nelson Mandela – his life, from the boxing days to the ANC youth league to Robin Island and back – that was the branding process, his design – The South Africa we currently live in today, the rainbow nation, a model country for Africa.

I see the world through design and brands, and this is what the blog is about. It is not meant to be a technical look at the two disciplines, in fact it’s the very opposite of that, it’s a personal journal on my interests written from MY design and brand perspective. A perspective that I hope will evolve as I share my opinions with you and engage in dialogue.

I hope you will enjoy.