Hansa says Cheers to Green Robot Design, the Dreamers.
Hansa Pilsener salutes Green Robot Design for being dreamers who work hard and make things happen in their latest TV and Radio campaign “Cheers to Dreamers”. We had the opportunity to interview Kgomotso Mautloa the Creative Director of GRD during these exciting times for them at Green Robot Design. Read the interview after the jump. 1.Hi Kgomotso, I remember hearing you speak about GRD at “I create we create” conference, how do you stay focus as a young person? For the most part I keep focused by never losing focus of the dream that made me start Green Robot Design. It’s always hard to stay focused and not give up, but with enough will power, tenacity and most of all passion it’s easier to take on the day to day challenges. 2.Owning a business as a young person (of colour) seems a big of a step, how have you managed the set-backs and doors being closed on you? I’ve never used or looked at them as set-backs, every experience is a stepping stone. You need to have a positive outlook on everything that you do. A person of colour, it means that you possibly might have a longer journey, but you will get there. I look at where we started and we are. We’re not were we’ve envisioned but we’re not stopping either, we just have to push and break boundaries while we do that. 3.If you were given a chance to speak at 2 lecture venues, one of drop outs and one of graduates-to-be. What would your advice be to each class? Uhm… This is a tricky question as I admire both parties and my advice would be different to both of them. I originally come from the school of the drop-outs but I admire the latter for keeping the focus with their studies. With that said, I think common lesson would be to keep working hard, hard work always pays off, whether it be monetary, experience, meeting people. Just do what you set out to do. 4.Do you still do flyers and do they still pay the bills? Hahahahaha, why would we stop? It’s what we’ve become famous for, they definitely still keep the lights on. It keeps us relevant in those circles. But yes, we still do… 5.After the Hansa campaign ends, where is GRD heading to in 2014 and beyond? 2014 should be an interesting year, we have a lot planned both internally and service offering that we want to offer to our clients. It’s important for us to stay relevant and to stay ahead with the work we do. The ever-changing landscape of the design world keeps us thinking...
May Johannesburg Bless You series.
Initiatives become real when they real. This is the case with “May Johannesburg Bless You series”, its bold and real with change deep rooted in its inception. There’s no other way to explore the inniqualities that exist whithin our sphere’s like exploring this images provided below. Read and admire, become a blessing to Johannesburg. Every year in May young creatives take the streets of Johannesburg in a way that has never been done before yet familiar to every one of us Joburgers. The team brings forward vivid images of the lives of Joburgers. The photo series unashamedly idolizes the city and elevates it to deity status by suggesting that each and every one of us recites an unconscious prayer to this concrete God everyday. The everyday scenes of vagabonds in South Africa’s traffic intersections inspired this mirroring photo shoot. The idea twisted and exchanged roles removing the hobo and replacing it with you! The “normal” citizen who is supposedly contends with “less” problems because you have a home to sleep in every night, probably a car and three meals a day. The series then asked is it really the case? Do “normal” and “comfortable” citizenz living without problems, and if they do are they less “tragic” or worthy of donations monetary or otherwise from strangers? Within the 20 seconds you spend at a traffic light, a homeless person wielding a piece of cardboard laden with carefully planned writing regardless of the shattered grammar can tell you his whole life story and have you retched with guilt for driving that car or even having clothes with no holes in them. The stories they write always have a secret weapon or a trump card. The words “May God Bless You” are as good to a homeless person as a bank guaranteed check. Is there a better guarantee/tool than an all-powerful entity responsible for your existence? But who is there to help you with your supposedly “easy” problems? Who is there to help an accountant who is ravaged by debt yet lives in a mansion and drives a posh car? Who is there to help him with change? Is there help for a self-confessed gluttonous and greedy B.E.E. struggle hero who religiously prays for another tender after several already won and squandered? How about a white male UCT grad that cannot start a business because he has a low B.E.E rating in a land of native Africans? The series supposes that in all our differences each and every one of us has a prayer to be fulfilled. A prayer for a successful day in Joburg. The images drive forward that we are...
Redefining branding with Ruramai Musekiwa.
Creatives, stand up and fight for your artistry to be recognised far beyond the forte’s of your stoep. Represent sat down with Ruramai “Rudo” Musekiwa, the creative director and brains behind BSN – the soon to be launched digital magazine. Here’s what she had to say. Who is Ruramai? Give us a short background of who you are and what you do for/at BSN? I’m a creative with a passion for the extraordinary. My background is graphic and web design, DTP , copywriting and fine art. I was born in Zim and spent a portion of my childhood in Australia before coming back to a vibrant and diverse SA, so my world view has been shaped by a colourful myriad of experiences. I am the Creative Director of BSN & Studio Rrr Design. I conceptualize and create everything related to BSN at the moment. How did BSN Magazine come about? Take us through the last 6 months of preparation? Brand Spankin’ N(YOU) has been a labour of love for the past 7 years. The idea to create a unique and inspiring publication was born in my internship days and it was quite a blurry concept back then. I would create random magazine cover designs and layouts conceptualizing a publication that changed shape and form over the years. I went through dozens of concepts, even had a Mxit interview with Zuko(our cover feature) in 2009 (laughs!), but I needed to fine-tune it further. I quit formal employment in July 2011 and my passion for brand architecture and the branding process grew. I think it was important to refine this concept from a cool artsy zine to what it is today; a fully matured magazine that is ready for take-off. The last six months have been interesting. A lot of late nights building the marketing strategy, designing teasers and promotional material, research, writing, reworking layout ideas, meetings, Sit-down and Skype interviews… It’s been a busy time and I think we all get to points where our passion and belief in what we’re doing is tested. I’m thankful for resilience and everything that reinforced my convictions and belief in this idea. Describe what is BSN? Brand Spankin’ N(YOU) is a movement driven by a passion for creative branding and telling inspirational stories about passion brands. Essentially BSN has two compartments; the publication (BSN magazine) and BSN Brand Architecture which encompasses brand coaching, branding workshops, creative solutions (graphic design, web design, illustration etc.) Who/ what inspired you for this project and what message do you wish to convey? It’s hard to pin-point one reference point of inspiration… I was and continue to be...
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