Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Social design FAQ

Running in Lisbon from 13 to 17 February, Inspired Lisbon has taken “Future Asked Questions” as its theme and poses a radical provocation to its participants: “If design is by nature a problem-solving discipline, what happens when designers and other creative professionals are themselves asking questions about the present, and the future, of our societies?” Speakers include Maxim Velcovsky, Dropping Knowledge, Heath Nash, Danklhampel, Alex Steffen, Aram Bartholl, Bank of Common Knowledge, Moov, 8Film, Kathi Stertzig, Álbio Nascimento, Smaro Politi and Fernando Brízio. For more information, visit www.inspiredlisbon.net.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Fan mail

Why I bring students to the Design Indaba
Brian Garman
Design Lecturer
Department of Journalism and Media Studies
Rhodes University

I have been bringing senior students to the Design Indaba as often as possible since Design Indaba 3. The timing is ideally suited to our academic year, as students will have returned to classes a few weeks before the Indaba. This gives us enough time to get them going on projects and courses before the Indaba starts and so when they go to the conference they can approach the Indaba with all their project requirements in mind. Having access to some of the world’s top design talent (with their work requirements in the back of their minds) is a fantastically inspirational start to the year. It also functions as a highly effective class-building exercise.

Although at Rhodes, we tend to focus on graphic and publication design, the spread of different design disciplines at the Indaba (graphic, architectural, jewellery, fashion, web) gives students exposure to the wider family of design of which they are a part, and raises possibilities for allowing other disciplines outside of their own, to influence their work. They see and hear things that they may never have imagined and in many cases, this has completely revolutionised their approach to their own work.

One of the major difficulties with attending the Design Indaba is finding the funding to bring the students but with the introduction of the Young Designers’ Simulcast (which costs a fraction of the normal registration) a few years ago, this has been made considerably easier. The quality of the simulcast is such that the students get an only mildly diminished experience from that which the rest of us get in the main auditorium. The YDS still gives students access to a number of functions at which they can approach and question speakers and to the design expo – a major highlight for them all. Perhaps more importantly, is that my students get to mix with a bunch of other young creatives from all over the country and from a variety of design schools, making contacts that will benefit them into the future.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Top South African architecture showing in Cape Town

After successful showings in Berlin, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Johannesburg and Durban; the works of winner Heinrich Wolff and fellow nominees of the 2007 DaimlerChrysler Award for South African Architecture will soon be on show in Cape Town. The exhibition will run from Sunday, 27 January 2008 to 30 March 2008 at the National Gallery.

Friday, January 04, 2008

Construction New Media Awards

CNMA 2008 has arrived - time to enter!

The Construction New Media Awards, now in its eighth year, celebrates and elevates the status of new media design by honouring and accrediting those designers, writers, programmers and thinkers who produce challenging, imaginative interactive work, both on a creative and a functional platform.

The awards will take on a new format in 2008. Based on feedback from the judges, the competition is now only open to students and people under the age of 21 years. Entries from South African and international students are encouraged.

The Categories

Entries can qualify in one of four categories, namely: online, offline, motion graphics and innovation. Innovation is a new category inspired by the constant redefinition of the digital space. A gold trophy will be awarded in each at a ceremony during the Design Indaba Conference 2008, with one overall winner receiving the Grand Prix. 

The Prize

There may be no fortune in winning a Construction New Media Award, but fame comes in the form of the coveted Grand Prix, which is a one-week trip to the UK to work alongside one of the CNMA judges. In previous years the likes of Daljit Singh (Digit), Simon Waterfall (Poke) and Tom Roope (Tomato Interactive) have hosted the winners.

The Entry Deadline

18 February 2008

How to enter:

Registration is done online by visiting www.constructionaward.com or by visiting the registration page directly, by clicking here